Oct. 31, 2000

MILWAUKEE - UWM (18-3) wraps up its five-match homestand Tuesday as Valparaiso visits the Klotsche Center. This weekend, the Panthers hit the road to face league rivals Wright State and Butler.

Last Week: The Panthers moved into a first place tie in the MCC with two wins. Friday, UWM eased past UIC 15-8, 15-4, 15-8. Saturday, the Panthers knocked off conference leader Loyola Chicago 15-10, 15-11, 9-15, 15-6.

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 three Midwest Region polls, with a new poll due out on Wednesday.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 138-100 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 41-4 over the last three-plus seasons in MCC games.

Recaping The Weekend Wins: UWM continued its winning ways on its home court, moving past two more MCC foes and moving into first place. Friday night, junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) and freshman Sarah Potts (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) had 10 kills apiece to lead the Panthers past UIC in three games. UWM also had nine service aces and seven team blocks. Saturday, UWM avenged an earlier loss to Loyola behind a balanced offensive attack. Five players had at least 10 kills, led by Dallenbach's 16. UWM's defense was again strong, recording 11 blocks, plus four players had at least 11 digs,

Strength Of Schedule: UWM consistently faces a difficult schedule, and this season is no different. The combined record of the three teams that have beaten the Panthers is 52-16. All three teams are also ranked in their respective regions, and all three teams are in first place in their conference or division. After the win over Loyola this week, UWM now owns a 4-2 mark against teams ranked in the Midwest Region. Also, UWM owns wins over the first place team in Conference USA (Cincinnati in the American Division), the second place team in Conference USA (DePaul in the American Division), and the second place team in the Missouri Valley Conference (Illinois State).

Litzau On Last Week's Two Wins: "I think this team is maturing well. The chemistry is there, and we're playing very good volleyball. Everything Loyola pushed at us, we were able to push back."

Home Is Where The Heart Is: The Panthers continue to take advantage of their impressive home court advantage. The home court numbers in the Litzau era are impressive. UWM is 67-23 at home under Litzau, including 42-1 over the past three-plus seasons. Last year, UWM was 11-1 at home. This year, the Panthers are 10-0 at home.

Rankings Information: A new Midwest Region poll is due out Wednesday. Since the last poll two weeks ago, UWM has beaten three teams ranked ahead of it. UWM was seventh in each of the first two polls.

Spoden Honored By MCC: Freshman setter Lindsey Spoden (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson Senior) is making sure everyone gets involved in the Panther offense, and for her work has been honored as the MCC Player of the Week. Friday, five players had at least 16 attack attempts. Saturday, five players had at least 10 kills. Spoden recorded 89 assists over the weekend, and her assist total after this coming weekend will likely move her into fourth place all-time in assists for a season.

Crusader Credits: Valparaiso (7-22) has struggled throughout the season, but has played better volleyball as of late. The Crusaders went through a recent stretch winning five of six matches, but have now lost three straight. Valpo is 0-5 against MCC teams this year, including a five-game loss to UWGB. The Crusaders have struggled on offense, hitting just .167 as a team.

Raider Rumblings: Wright State (10-12) pushed the Panthers to four games in their earlier matchup at the Klotsche Center, and the Raiders have won three of six matches since that time. Wright State has four players averaging at least 2.4 kills per game, led by Karis Day's 216 kills for the season. The Raiders hit .149 as a team, but have been strong defensively, averaging better than two blocks per game.

Bulldog Bytes: Butler (15-8) has played well all season long, and remain in the hunt for at least a share of the MCC title. The Bulldogs beat Cleveland State in their only MCC match this past weekend. Lynze Lysen led the Bulldogs this past weekend, posting 19 kills and 21 digs in the win over the Vikings. She is seventh on Butler's all-time kills list. Kylie Galbraith sets the Butler attack, recording 92 assists last week and over 1,000 for the year. The Panthers beat the Bulldogs in three games earlier this season at the Klotche Center. Butler was ninth in the last Midwest Region poll.

Litzau On The Weekend Ahead: "Valpo has some nice players. They'll keep us on our toes. Then, this weekend, both teams are tough. It's going to be a battle. Both teams have gotten better."

Up Next: The Panthers close out the regular season Nov. 11 at home against Cleveland State.