Nov. 8, 2000

MILWAUKEE - Riding a 12-match winning streak, UWM (21-3) returns to the Klotsche Center Saturday afternoon with a chance to claim at least a share of their fourth straight Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship. The Panthers close out the regular season against Cleveland State at 2 p.m.

Last Week: The Panthers won three matches, including two five-game thrillers in the MCC. Last Tuesday, UWM handled Valparaiso 15-6, 15-7, 15-7. Friday, the Panthers beat Wright State 13-15, 9-15, 15-8, 15-11, 17-15. Saturday, UWM overcame Butler 15-12, 11-15, 15-2, 2-15, 15-10.

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 are fifth in the latest Midwest Region poll.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 141-100 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 43-4 over the last three-plus seasons in MCC games.

Recaping The Wins Over Ranked Opponents: The Panthers knew their weekend road swing would not be easy, and they were certainly right. UWM fell down two games against Wright State, then battled back to win games three and four. In game five, the Panthers fell behind 13-10 and 14-12 before rallying. Things were no easier Saturday, as Butler and UWM traded the first four games before the Panthers won game five 15-10. Junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) had a strong weekend, hitting .442 with 23 kills and 31 digs against Wright State. She added 20 kills and 23 digs against Butler.

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 60-16. All three teams are also ranked in their respective regions. UWM now owns a 5-2 mark against teams ranked in the Midwest Region, and the Panthers own wins against teams in numerous conferences across the country, including Conference USA, the Big East, the Mountain West, the Missouri Valley, and the West Coast Conference.

Litzau On The Two Five-Game Wins: "I feel like we climbed a huge mountain. It was one big step we got over, being on the road and being down. When it was over Friday night, the team was a little bit astounded at their own accomplishments."

The Conference Title Picture: UWM holds its destiny in its hands for a fourth straight MCC regular season title. If the Panthers beat Cleveland State Saturday, they win at least a share of the crown. Then, Loyola would have to beat both Butler and Wright State this weekend to claim a share of the title. A combination of a Panther win and a Rambler loss would give UWM the title outright, and the top seed in next weekend's MCC Tournament.

Litzau On The Conference Title: "The team listed their goals at the beginning of the season, and this was definitely one of their goals. I think it's pretty big for a young team. What I said at the beginning of the season was that I wanted us to get better all year, and to be playing our best volleyball in time for the conference tournament. We're doing that. But to be 10-1 in the conference, I don't know that I expected that."

Checking The Record Books: A number of Panthers continue to move up in the school's record books. Dallenbach should move into second place all-time in career digs during Saturday's match, and should move in to second in career kills during the MCC Tournament the following weekend. Freshman Lindsey Spoden (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson Senior) has moved to fourth on two lists - single-season assists and career assists. Junior Chrissy Schurla (Chicago, Ill./Evergreen Park), hitting .288 this season, continues to stay atop the career hitting percentage list.

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 68-23 at home under Litzau, including 43-1 over the past three-plus seasons. Last year, UWM was 11-1 at home. This year, the Panthers are 11-0 at home, and have won 12 straight at home overall.

Speaking Of Streaking: The Panthers are in the midst of a 12-game winning streak that started with a win at UIC on Oct. 1. The streak equals the second-longest under Litzau. UWM's longest streak under Litzau is a 14-game streak in 1997. The Panthers have now put together 12-game winning streaks in each of the last three seasons. During each of the streaks - including the 14-game streak in 1997 - league-rival Loyola has been the team to break the streak.

Rankings Information: The latest NCAA Midwest Region rankings were released Nov. 1. Here are the rankings: 1. Louisville, 2. South Florida, 3. Cincinnati, 4. Houston, 5. UW-Milwaukee, 6. DePaul, 7. Loyola Chicago, 8. Southeast Missouri State, 9. Butler, 10. Tulane.

Viking Vital Signs: Cleveland State has not yet won a game in the MCC this season, but the Vikings remain a major offensive threat. The Vikings' Michele Smith leads the league in hitting percentage and is second in the league in kills. Setter Erinn Kingman is second in the league in assists. The Vikings problems have apparently come on the defensive side of the net, as they are sixth in the blocks and digs. Cleveland State will also host the MCC Tournament next weekend, and if the Panthers wind up as the second seed, the two teams would meet again in the quarterfinals.

Litzau On This Weekend's Matchup: "It's a good spot to be in, with the final match at home. We are going to have to play well. They have the number one hitter in the league."

MCC Tournament Information: The league's conference championship tournament is scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19 at Cleveland State. The champion of the conference tournament receives the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. With the final weekend of the regular season still to come, the seeding and matchups for the quarterfinal round of the tournament remain up in the air. The number one seed receives a bye into the tournament semifinals. Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are played Saturday, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday. A handful of teams are already locked into their slots for the tournament. Butler will be the third seed, UWGB the sixth seed, and Cleveland State the seventh seed. The official tournament pairings will be announced Sunday.

Up Next: The Panthers will head to Cleveland for the MCC Tournament. UWM will either play a quarterfinal match early Saturday, or receive a bye into a semifinal match late in the day Saturday.