Oct. 10, 2000

MILWAUKEE - UWM (12-3) wraps up the first half of the MCC schedule at Cleveland State Friday. The Panthers are now 4-1 in the MCC, trailing only Loyola Chicago for first place.

Last Week: The Panthers won both of their matches, sweeping a weekend doubleheader at the Klotsche Center with wins over Butler and Wright State. Friday night, the Panthers downed the Bulldogs in three games, while Saturday UWM beat Wright State in four games.

Panther Background: UWM is looking for a fourth straight regular season Midwestern Collegiate Conference title. The Panthers are also seeking their third straight NCAA Tournament bid. The Panthers have been ranked seventh in each of the first two Midwest Region polls.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 132-100 career record. Litzau has been named MCC Coach of the Year three times, and last year became the first volleyball coach in school history to earn AVCA District VI Coach of the Year honors. Litzau is 37-4 over the last three-plus seasons in MCC games.

Weekend Sweep Details: Friday night, the Panthers battled their way to a 16-14, 16-14, 15-9 win over Butler. The match turned in game two, when the Panthers scored the final seven points to fight back from a 14-9 deficit. Freshman Robin Alt (West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale) served out the game with service aces on the final two points. Junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) led UWM with 20 kills. Saturday, the Panthers scored a 15-7, 15-5, 3-15, 15-11 win over Wright State. UWM cruised through the first two games, but then fell down 8-0 in the third and never recovered. The Panthers then broke a 3-3 tie with seven straight points in the fourth game and never gave back the lead.

Litzau on the Weekend Sweep: "Butler really pushed us. I'm real happy with the win because we pushed back. Butler played great defense and put up a great block. We really had to fight. I really felt like we were prepared to play. Saturday, I felt there was a bit of a letdown. I think Wright State set the tone of the match. We didn't set the standard of our game. We benefitted a lot more from their errors than from our good plays. In game three, we just weren't prepared for them to fight back, and they did."

Dallenbach Stars: Dallenbach continued her outstanding play in the Panthers two wins over the weekend, and for her work was named the MCC Volleyball Player of the Week for the second time this season. She led the team with 20 kills and 20 digs in the win Friday over Butler. She also contributed three crucial points in game one. With the Panthers trailing 12-11, she scored with aces on back-to-back points. Then, she broke a 14-all tie with a kill. UWM won the game, 16-14.

Freshman Follies: Two freshman played key roles in the weekend sweep of MCC rivals. Alt recorded six service aces over the weekend, but no two were bigger than the two she added in game two Friday night. UWM rallied from down 14-9 to tie the match at 14, and Alt closed out the game by recording points 15 and 16 on service aces. Meanwhile, setter Lindsey Spoden (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson Senior) collected 94 assists in the two weekend matches, while also adding 28 digs and six block assists defensively.

Inside The Numbers: As a team, UWM is at or near the top of most of the MCC's statistical categories. The Panthers lead the league in kills, assists and service aces, while UWM is second in hitting percentage and third in digs. Dallenbach is third in kills, third in digs, sixth in service aces, and eighth in hitting percentage. Spoden is second in the MCC in assists, while sophomore Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn.) is seventh in hitting percentage.

Strength Of Schedule: UWM always faces a challenging non-conference schedule in addition to the always difficult MCC slate. This year is no exception. The combined record of the three teams who have beaten the Panthers this year is 35-14. The Panthers have scored wins over teams from the Big East (Boston College), Conference USA (Marquette), MVC (Illinois State), Mountain West (Wyoming) and West Coast (Portland). Still on the schedule are battles with regionally-ranked Conference USA foes De Paul (14-5) and Cincinnati (15-4).

Viking Notes: Cleveland State will have had more than a week to prepare for the Panthers when the match begins Friday night. The Vikings had the weekend off from MCC play, and haven't played since an easy three-game win over Canisius on Oct. 4. The Vikings are led by Michele Smith and Molly Hoying. Along with 246 kills, Smith carries an amazing .450 hitting percentage and has 57 blocks on the season. Hoying leads the team in kills with 254, while Michelle Iafigliola has added 203 kills and a team-leading 165 digs.

Litzau on Cleveland State: "They haven't won in conference yet, but they've really pushed some good teams. And their gym is not an easy gym to play in. It won't be an easy trip for us to make."

Up Next: The Panthers enter a week filled with two difficult non-conference tests, and an in-state MCC battle. Wed. Oct. 18, the Panthers face De Paul in Chicago. Friday, UWM returns home to face MCC rival UW-Green Bay. Saturday, the Panthers entertain Cincinnati. All three matches begin at 7 p.m.