Oct. 20, 1999

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team takes a break from conference play when the team travels to Akron, Ohio, to take the University of Akron Zips on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST in the Rhodes Arena. The Panthers, 17-1 overall, 6-0 in the MCC, return to conference action on Saturday when they face Cleveland State at 2 p.m. EST.

The Panthers are on a seven-match winning streak, and have dropped only one match so far this year, to then No. 13 UW-Madison. The Panthers top the MCC team stats in virtually every category, and boast the conference’s top player in kills, hitting percentage, assists and aces. The Panthers are also among the top teams in the nation in team hitting percentage (12th, .290), in team kills per game (12th, 17.24 kpg), in team assists per game (8th, 15.84 apg), and in team win-loss ratio (7th, .944). Individually, senior Katie Schneider (S, West Bend, Wis./West Bend) ranks 3rd in the nation averaging 14.29 assists per game.

A Look at the Akron Zips

After dropping its first Mid-American Conference match, the Akron women's volleyball team bounced back with two wins this weekend. The Zips disposed of the Toledo Rockets in four games (7-15, 15-5, 15-0, 15-12). UA also defeated Eastern Michigan in four games on Friday.

Akron improved to 6-1 in the MAC (11-8 overall). The team was led by senior middle hitter Kim Branam and junior outside hitter Julie McDivitt, who each had 11 kills. Freshman Katie Kuzior continued to perform well and led the defensive effort with 13 digs. Junior Amy Hurley had the jump serve working to perfection and connected on five aces for the Zips.

Akron will travel to Kent on Wednesday for a match-up with the rival Golden Flashes. The match will begin at 7 p.m., before returning home Friday to take on the Panthers. UWM leads the series with Akron, 2-1. The last time the two teams met was in 1992, when the Zips swept the Panthers, 3-0, in Akron.

A Look at the Cleveland State Vikings

The Vikings, 1-5 in the conference, 5-14 overall, play host to Robert Morris midweek before jumping into the second round of MCC play this weekend with the Wisconsin schools. Cleveland State has dominated the series with the Colonials, going 20-0 since the squads first met in 1984. In their only action last week, the Vikings downed Duquesne from the Atlantic-10 last week to snap a four-match losing streak. Four Vikes recorded double-digit kills with the middle and the outside getting equal attention. Middle hitters Michele Smith and Stacy Melaragno tagged 22 and 17 kills, respectively, while outside hitters Molly Hoying and Deirdre Laney put down 16 and 15 kills, respectively. Laney led the squad with 19 digs while Hoying accounted for 18 and Melaragno had 15. Melaragno also recorded six blocks (one solo, five assists).