Oct. 17, 2000

MILWAUKEE - UWM (13-3) embarks on a busy week, including a battle with in-state MCC rival UW-Green Bay Friday night. Also on the schedule are non-conference battles with DePaul Wednesday and Cincinnati Saturday.

Last Week: The Panthers won their only match of the week, beating Cleveland State 16-14, 16-14, 15-11. The win moved UWM to 5-1 in the MCC and wrapped up the first half of the league schedule.

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. Another poll is due to be released Wednesday.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 133-100 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 38-4 over the last three-plus seasons in MCC games.

Cleveland State Details: It was a struggle, but the Panthers were finally able to push past the Vikings 16-14, 16-14, 15-11, Friday night in Cleveland. Junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) led the attack with 17 kills, and added 23 digs defensively. Freshman Sarah Potts (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) delivered 12 kills, while junior Chrissy Schurla (Chicago, Ill./Evergreen Park) recorded 10 kills, 14 digs and four block assists. The match took a lengthy one hour and 50 minutes to complete

Litzau on the Cleveland State win: "It was a battle and it was an up and down battle. But again I'm real pleased a young team is able to push through some of the tough spots and win."

League Leaders: UWM has found itself atop most of the MCC's statistical categories. The Panthers lead the league in hitting percentage at .218, assists with 14.34 per game, kills with 15.64 per game, and service aces with just under two per game. Defensively, UWM is third in the league in digs per game, and fourth in blocks per game.

Individual Tallies: A number of Panthers are among the league leaders in various statistical categories. Freshman Lindsey Spoden (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson Senior) leads the league in assists, while Dallenbach is second in digs and third in kills. Schurla, Dallenbach, and sophomore Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn./U. of Pittsburgh) are sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in hitting percentage.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: The Panthers hope to take advantage of what has been a tremendous home court advantage under Litzau when they open a five-game homestand Friday against UW-Green Bay. The home court numbers in the Litzau era are impressive. UWM is 63-23 at home under Litzau, including 38-1 over the past three-plus seasons. Last year, UWM was 11-1 at home. This year, the Panthers are 6-0 at home.

Strength Of Schedule: The strength of the Panthers schedule is apparent this week, when along with a battle against in-state rival UW-Green Bay the Panthers face top Conference USA foes Cincinnati and DePaul. Both teams are ranked in the Midwest Region, and the two teams are stacked atop the American Division of C-USA. The combined record of the three teams that have beaten the Panthers is 42-14.

Demon Details: DePaul is 15-6 overall and 6-3 in C-USA. The Demons beat Houston in five games Sunday after begin swept by South Floriday Friday night. Junior Stephanie Bishop leads the attack with over four kills per game, while freshman Katie Engel is close behind at just under four kills per game. Last year, UWM swept DePaul in three games at the Klotsche Center. Overall, the Panthers lead the series 10-4-1.

Phoenix Facts: UWGB broke through for its first MCC win of the season Saturday, downing Cleveland State in three games. The Phoenix actually swept three matches last week, winning non-conference contests at Oakland (Mich.) in four games, and at Valparaiso in five games. Over the weekend, senior Natalie Noonan became the school's all-time assist leader. UWM won the first match of the season between the two teams, and the Panthers have won 11 straight in the series.

Bearcat Basics: The Bearcats should be number one in the Midwest Region when a new poll is released Wednesday, thanks in large part to a 10-game winning streak. In fact, the Bearcats haven't lost a game since Sept. 22, when St. Louis claimed one game in dropping the match. The streak includes 26 games. Shauntel Miller leads the attack with 4.36 kills per game, while three other players average at least 2.5 kills per game. Trish Ladusaw and Stephanie Meinig lead the defense, with Ladusaw tallying nearly five digs per game and Meinig recording 81 block assists and 12 block solos. Cincinnati leads the series with UWM 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 1995.

Litzau On The Week Ahead: "DePaul is real good at home. They have a real balanced attack. Every player on their team is capable of putting the ball away. Green Bay is playing very well. I think this is the best competition we've seen in the league from top to bottom. There are no nights off. Cincinnati has a lot coming at you. They should be very confident, having not lost in some time. We'll have to play very hard."

Up Next: The Panthers continue their five-match homestand with contests against league-rivals Illinois-Chicago and Loyola Chicago next weekend.