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Panthers take opener at MSU Showcase
Peters tallies 14 kills
By Mike Kennedy
Florida A&M was no match for Susie Johnson’s squad as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team took down the Rattlers in the opening round of the Michigan State University Showcase, 25-13, 25-14, 25-20.
After taking an early 5-3 lead in the first set, the Rattlers (2-4) looked to have some magic in their back pocket, but Becky Peters had another idea when she helped the Panthers (5-2) rally back with six-straight points and take an easy first set 25-13.
Peters notched 14 kills on the night while Maddie Sueppel added 10 kills and five blocks. Lauren Felsing came up big as usual with 13 digs, making it 32-straight matches with double figures in digs. Kerri Schuh had another good game with 8 kills.
The second set was a replica of the first, with the Panthers pulling out to a lead and never looking back, scoring the final six points of the match to take a 2-0 lead.
"We came out focused and ready," Head Coach Susie Johnson said. "We didn't know a lot about this opponent coming in except they have experienced a lot of success in recent seasons. But we came out very disciplined and saw the match through to the finish. We've played a lot of long matches early in the season so it was good to finish the match off in the third set."
Going into the third set, the Panthers knew they needed to close it out. The Rattlers have made the NCAA Tournament in the last seven seasons, and the Panthers didn’t want them to sneak back into it.
In the third set the Rattlers’ power would show as they stayed close all the way to the end. Tied at 16, the Panthers finally tallied five-straight points to take a 21-16 lead. That wasn’t the end, the Rattlers rallied with two-straight points, but back-to-back kills by Peters and Natalie Schmitting, who had eight kills and five blocks, killed the comeback as the Panthers took the three-set win.
The Panthers will play host to the Northern Illinois on Tuesday at the Klotsche Center before travelling to Wright St. to take on the Raiders in their first Horizon League matchup of the year.
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