Nov. 9, 1999

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team hits the road this weekend for its final two conference matches of the season. On Friday, Nov. 12, the Panthers face Butler at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Hinkle Fieldhouse, then travel to Wright State on Saturday, Nov. 13, to take on the Raiders at 4 p.m. EST at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium.

The Panthers, 22-2 overall and 9-1 in the MCC, are coming off a 2-1 week of play, dropping their first match in 12 outings to conference-rival Loyola, while sweeping both DePaul on Wednesday and Illinois Chicago on Saturday, 3-0. The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-1 loss last week to Cleveland State, while the Raiders split last week, losing to Xavier, 3-2, on Tuesday, and defeating Cleveland State, 3-1, on Friday.

A Look at Butler (13-13 overall, 4-6 in the MCC)

Junior outside hitter Lynze Lysen played well during her one-match reign as MCC Player of the Week. Lysen tallied 19 kills and 16 digs against Cleveland State. She has eight consecutive double-double matches in kills and digs, she has the team's longest active 10+ kill and 10+ dig match streaks (both eight) this season. Junior setter Kylie Galbraith has reached the 50-assist mark in five of her last six matches, and is averaging 12.60 assists per game during that stretch. Galbraith, who also is averaging 3.03 digs per game, had 50 assists and 15 digs at Cleveland State. Senior defensive specialist Cory Gulasey has reached double-digits in digs in eight of her last 11 matches, including 12 against Cleveland State. Butler had more kills than Cleveland State and had a much better hitting percentage than the Vikings, but the Bulldogs did themselves in with unforced errors. Butler had 17 service errors and just four aces.

The last time these two teams met was in Milwaukee on Oct. 16 when the Bulldogs took the Panthers to five games for the first time this season. Laura Dallenbach's 25 kills and 18 blocks charged the Panthers to the victory after losing two of the first three games. Butler caught the Panthers off guard to start the match, winning the first game 15-12. UWM came out with a vengeance in the second game, pounding the Bulldogs 15-3. UWM lost momentum early in the third game, falling behind 6-0 as Butler held on to win the game, 15-8. But, the Panthers refused to suffer their first home and conference loss of the season, winning game four 15-10. In the fifth and final game, both teams traded points in the rally scoring contest before Sue Raschka hammered the final two kills of the match and propelled the Panthers to a 15-9 game five win.

The Bulldogs lead the series with UWM, 8-6, with UWM winning the last three consecutive matches.

A Look at Wright State (10-17 overall, 5-5 in the MCC)

After dropping a five-game decision at home to Xavier on Tuesday, Wright State bounced back to pick up just its third win away from home and even up its MCC record at 5-5 with a four-game win at Cleveland State on Friday. The Xavier match was like two matches in one as WSU had 39 kills in winning the first two games, but only 25 in dropping the final three while the Musketeers went from 30 kills the first two games to 45 the final three. The Raiders close out the regular season this weekend with MCC home matches against Wisconsin-Green Bay and UWM.

The last time these two teams met was in Milwaukee on Oct. 15 when the Panthers topped Wright State, 3-0, with Sue Raschka leading UWM with 20 kills. UWM stayed in control for most of the match, systematically tallying points to take the win. In the first game, the teams exchanged points early on before UWM pulled away to win, 15-9. The Panthers trailed the start of the second game, 3-1, but exploded past the Raiders to take a 6-3 lead. UWM kept on the attack, taking game two, 15-10. The Panthers started slowly in game three, falling behind 4-1. At one point, the teams exchanged 16 consecutive side-outs before UWM took a commanding 9-4 lead. Katie Schneider's 50 assists in the match helped propel the Panthers to the 15-10 game-three victory and the 3-0 match win.

Wright State leads the series with UWM, 7-13, with UWM winning the last six consecutive meetings.