Nov. 22, 2000

MILWAUKEE - The UWM women's volleyball team saw their hopes of an MCC Tournament championship and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament dashed by Butler in a semifinal match. UWM will now sit and wait to see if their season will continue in the NCAA Tournament. The field of 64 teams will be announced on Sunday.

Last Week: The Panthers won their 14th straight match, beating host Cleveland State in the quarterfinals 15-8, 15-6, 15-9. Butler then beat UWM in the semifinals 9-15, 15-6, 9-15, 15-12, 15-13.

Panther Background: UWM has won four straight regular season MCC Championships. The Panthers have also played in the last two NCAA Tournaments. UWM was fifth in the final NCAA Midwest Region poll.

The Coach: Kathy Litzau (Notre Dame `90) is in her eighth season at UWM, recording a 143-101 career record. Litzau has been named MCC Coach of the Year four times - including this year - 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 regular season MCC games.

Recaping The MCC Tournament: UWM took care of business in brisk fashion in the quarterfinals, needing just 81 minutes to dispose of Cleveland State. Junior Laura Dallenbach (Waterloo, Iowa/West) led the Panthers with 19 kills and a .552 hitting percentage. Sophomore Tari Boutin (Burnsville, Minn.) added 11 kills. In the semis against Butler, UWM seemed to have control of the match after winning game one 15-9. Then, after dropping game two, the Panthers again seemed to regain control winning game three, 15-9. But, Butler squeezed out game four, then claimed a back-and-forth game five to move into the championship match. Junior Chrissy Schurla (Chicago, Ill./Evergreen Park) led the Panthers with 21 kills, while three other Panthers were in double figures.

NCAA Hopes: It's hard to assess just how good of a chance the Panthers have to make the NCAA Tournament field. UWM does have a number of things going for it, including wins over at least two other teams expected to make the field, and only quality losses on their season tally. But, much may well depend on how many upsets take place in other conference tournaments, stealing bids from potential at-large entrants on the bubble.

Tournament Announcement: The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday at 7 p.m. The team and fans will gather at Cunningham Hall, Room 151, to view the announcement via satellite.

Strength Of Schedule: UWM consistently faces a difficult schedule, and this season was no different. Take out the tournament loss to Butler, and the combined record of the three other teams that have beaten the Panthers is 73-18. All three teams are also ranked in their respective regions, all three are conference or division champions, and all three will make the NCAA Tournament field. UWM now owns a 7-3 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.

Checking The Record Books: A number of Panthers continue to move up in the school's record books. Dallenbach is now the career leader in digs, and is second in career kills. Freshman Lindsey Spoden (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson Senior) is fourth on the single-season assists list and third on the career assists list. Junior Chrissy Schurla (Chicago, Ill./Evergreen Park), hitting .286 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 equaled their longest winning streak in the Litzau era by winning 14 straight matches. UWM also won 14 straight during the 1997 season. UWM won 12 straight during both the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

Final Midwest Region Rankings: The final Midwest Region rankings were released Nov. 21: 1. Louisville, 2. South Florida, tie-3. Cincinnati, tie-3. Loyola, tie-5. UWM, tie-5. Houston, 7. Southeast Missouri State, 8. DePaul, 9. Butler, 10. UIC

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.

Up Next: If the Panthers would receive an bid to the NCAA Tournament, their first match would occur as soon as Thursday, Nov. 30. Sites, dates and times will also be announced on Sunday night.