Nov. 14, 2000

MILWAUKEE - Riding a 13-match winning streak, UWM (22-3) heads to Cleveland, Ohio, to begin play in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament. After tying Loyola for the league crown, the Panthers will enter the post-season as the second seed, and begin play Saturday at 11 a.m. CST against Cleveland State.

Last Week: The Panthers won for the 44th time in their last 45 home matches, beating Cleveland State 15-7, 15-4, 15-11.

Panther Background: UWM has won four straight MCC titles. The Panthers now turn their attention to a second MCC Tournament championship, and a third straight NCAA Tournament bid. The Panthers were fifth in the latest Midwest Region poll, with another poll due out Wednesday.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 142-100 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 44-4 over the last three-plus seasons in MCC games.

Recaping The Cleveland State Win: UWM handled Cleveland State in relatively easy fashion Saturday at the Klotsche Center, holding the Vikings to a -.009 hitting percentage, and recording nine service aces. The Panthers pulled away to win games one and two, then substituted liberally in game three. Junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) led the Panthers with 10 kills, while sophomore Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn.) added eight kills and hit a stellar .467.

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 67-16. All three teams are also ranked in their respective regions, and both South Florida and Loyola are regular season conference champions. Ball State is in position to win the Mid-American Conference championship. 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 Conference Title: "Our goal was always to improve as the season goes along. It's been a good ride. They've found a way to win in every match. We're unbeaten in five-game matches, which is impressive for a young team. If you'd have asked me at the beginning of the year if this is where we'd be, I don't know what I would have said. The talent was there, but I certainly expected there might be a few more bumps in the road."

Checking The Record Books: A number of Panthers continue to move up in the school's record books. Dallenbach has moved into second place all-time in career digs, and should move into the number one spot in the MCC Quarterfinal match with Cleveland State. Dallenbach could also into the second place spot in career kills during the MCC Tournament. 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 .284 this season, continues to stay atop the career hitting percentage list.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: The Panthers again made the most of their impressive home court advantage this season, winning all 12 of their home matches. The home court numbers in the Litzau era are impressive. UWM is 69-23 at home under Litzau, including 44-1 over the past three-plus seasons.

Speaking Of Streaking: The Panthers are in the midst of a 13-game winning streak that started with a win at UIC on Oct. 1. The streak is now the second-longest under Litzau. UWM's longest streak under Litzau is a 14-game streak in 1997. The Panthers have now put together at least a 12-game winning streak 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 are due to be released Wednesday. The previous rankings date back to 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.

Recapping The Regular Season: Entering the season, perhaps no one was quite sure what to expect from a Panther squad that did not have a senior. After winning nine of their first 12 matches, the Panthers moved into a crucial month of October, with matchups against at least three ranked teams looming. UWM handled the entire month like a team full of veterans, winning at DePaul in four games, beating top-ranked Cincinnati in five games, then beating league rival Loyola in four games to move into position for another conference crown. UWM nearly let that share of the title slip in the final road weekend of the season, but the Panthers fought from behind to beat Wright State and Butler in five games apiece.

Litzau On The Regular Season: "From DePaul to Loyola - that's the best we've played all year. Those two weeks were very impressive, and to go unbeaten during the month of October was unexpected. But as we've said all along, we just wanted to get better as the year went along, and be playing our best volleyball come tournament time. We think we've done that. Plus, we're very healthy, so I think we're in good position entering the conference tournament."

Viking Vital Signs: The Panthers will see the hosts from Cleveland State for the second time in a week in the first round, and the Vikings remain a major offensive threat. Senior Michelle Smith continues to lead the league in hitting percentage, and has moved to number one in kills. UWM swept the regular season series with the Vikings, but were pushed in a 16-14, 16-14, 15-11 win in Cleveland earlier this year.

Litzau On The Cleveland State Matchup: "Playing against a team with three seniors on their home floor is definitely a concern. Those three seniors are really the core of their team, and Michelle Smith has been unstoppable. They know they can play with us on their floor."

The Tournament Field: If the Panthers should get by Cleveland State in the first round, they would face either Butler or UWGB in the semifinals. UWM swept both teams during the regular season, but had considerable difficulty with Butler, especially in the match two weeks ago. The Panthers and Bulldogs traded the first four games, before UWM won in a rally-scoring game five. Co-champion Loyola gets a bye in the first round and will face either Wright State or UIC in the semfinals. The Ramblers are heavy favorites to emerge from the top half of the bracket.

MCC Tournament Information: The winner of this weekend's league tournament receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, so there will be plenty on the line. Last year, UWM fell to Loyola in the championship game, but received an at-large bid to the field. Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are played on Saturday, with the championship match played Sunday afternoon. The Panthers have gone 5-3 in their last four MCC Tournaments, winning the championship in 1998 after claiming five-game wins over both Wright State and Loyola.

Litzau On The Tournament: "We're not going to count on anything as far as an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. We're going into the weekend figuring we need to win our three matches to move on and keep playing."

Up Next: Pairings for the NCAA Championships are scheduled to be announced Sunday, Nov. 26. First round matches would be played later that week at sites to be determined.