Make it 10 in a row. That is how many matches the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers women’s volleyball team has now won consecutively after a win against the Butler Bulldogs and Wright State Raiders.

This winning streak has helped move the Panthers into sole possession of first place in the Horizon League and pushed the team’s record to 17-7 overall and 9-2 in conference play.

In the first match of the weekend, UWM traveled to take on the Butler Bulldogs, knocking them off in three games, 30-27, 30-17 and 30-22. Rachel Kuebbing led the Panthers offense with 13 kills, while Melissa David and Sarah Moore chipped in with 10 each.

The Panthers defense was the key to this win as Leanne Felsing helped lead the defensive attack with 24 digs. As a team, the Bulldogs were held to a dismal .095 hitting percentage. Becky Peters also chipped in with 19 digs, and Cheryl Heggemann added 13.

“It was a defensive match for us, and we were really on top of getting to a lot of balls,” UWM head coach Kathy Litzau said. “Leanne (Felsing), Becky (Peters) and Cheryl (Heggemann) all did a great job in the back row. Rachel (Kuebbing) was definitely a spark for us on offense tonight, but it was our defense that won the match.”

In the second match of the weekend, UWM took on the Wright State Raiders where they claimed a 30-21, 30-26, 30-28 win.

Junior outside hitter Melissa David had a career day with 21 kills in 30 attempts. Her 21 kills tied the fifth-most in a three-game match in school history. She was perfect in the first game, tallying eight kills in eight attempts, and hit .700 for the match while not committing a hitting error.

“Melissa was awesome,” Litzau said. “She was really on in that first game and then just kept it going. She also had some big kills at key times, especially at the end of game three.”

Kuebbing, Moore and Felsing also chipped in with double digits in kills, with 16, 13 and 10, respectively. Felsing also led the way with 15 digs and Becky Peters added 13.

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