Aug. 28, 2012
Panther Invitational • Milwaukee, Wis.
Fri. Aug. 31-Sat. Sept. 1
Klotsche Center
Fri. Aug. 31 • 1:30 p.m. CST • vs. Bradley (3-0)
Braves open season 3-0 for 1st time since 2009
Fri. Aug. 31 • 7 p.m. CST • vs. Western Michigan (1-2)
Broncos made NCAA Tourney last season
Sat. Sept. 1 • 1:30 p.m. CST • SEMO (3-1)
Redhawks won Hawkeye Challenge this weekend
Sat. Sept. 1 • 7 p.m. CST • East Carolina (1-2)
Pirates beat Bethune-Cookman for lone win
Printable Weekly Notebook
Panther Points
• The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team plays at home for the first time in 2012, hosting the Panther Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Klotsche Center. The five-team event also includes Bradley, East Carolina, SEMO and Western Michigan.
• The Panthers went 2-1 this past weekend at the Duke Invitational, beating Fairfield and William & Mary before falling to the host Blue Devils.
• Rachel Neuberger and Kayla Price earned spots on the Duke Invitational All-Tournament team. Neuberger hit .449 for the three matches while Price averaged better than 10 assists per match.
• The Panthers have been picked to win the Horizon League championship again this year. UWM is looking for its third-straight regular season crown and its ninth in the last 10 years. In all, Milwaukee returns four starters and seven letterwinners but will feature a roster with 10 freshmen and sophomores.
• The Week Ahead
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team comes home for the first time in 2012, hosting its own Panther Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Klotsche Center.
• The Weekend Schedule
This weekend's event at the Klotsche Center includes five teams and runs all day Friday and Saturday, with matches beginning at 11 a.m. each day. The full schedule:
Friday, Aug. 31
11 am - SEMO vs. Western Michigan
1:30 pm - Milwaukee vs. Bradley
4:30 pm - East Carolina vs. SEMO
7 pm - Milwaukee vs. Western Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 1
11 am - Bradley vs. East Carolina
1:30 pm - Milwaukee vs. SEMO
4:30 pm - Western Michigan vs. Bradley
7 pm - Milwaukee vs. East Carolina
• Scouting Notebook
Milwaukee is back to hosting its own tournament after sharing hosting roles with Marquette over the last few seasons ... Western Michigan and UWM are the two teams in this weekend's field that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago ... this weekend's tournament includes Southeast Missouri State, which is led by former UWM standout Julie (Yankus) Folliard. She played for the Panthers from 1998-2001. Plus, East Carolina head coach Pati Rolf was previously the head coach at Marquette ... the Panthers claimed one in-season tournament title a year ago, winning the Drake Invitational. It was their first in-season tourney title since 2008 .... UWM has a total of four in-season tourney titles under Jonnson.
• Looking Back
Milwaukee went 2-1 this past weekend at the Duke Invitational, beating Fairfield and William & Mary before falling to the host Blue Devils. The weekend boasted a strong field, with Fairfield picked to win the MAAC and Duke having played in last year's NCAA Tournament before adding a top-10 recruiting class. Rachel Neuberger and Kayla Price each earned spots on the all-tournament team, with Neuberger hitting .449 over the three matches while Price averaged better than 10 assists per set. Julie Kolinske also had a big weekend, collecting a double-double in each of the three matches, including a 19-kill, 11-dig outing in the opener against Fairfield.
• Starting On The Court
UWM's starting lineup and opening weekend rotation featured plenty of youngsters. The starting seven included two freshmen and two sophomores, with Maggie Dunbar, Nicole Latzig, Kayla Price and Julie Kolinske all earning opening nods. Then, the rest of the rotation also included freshman Maisey Mulvey and sophomore Taylor Golabowski. Plus, sophomore Amber Simonton and freshman Sammi Herron also made appearances over the weekend.
• A Summary Of The 2012 Squad
UWM returns four starters and seven letterwinners while adding a talented group of newcomers in 2012. Honorable mention All-American Rachel Neuberger heads the list of returnees. She was also an All-Horizon League performer last season after being named the region freshman of the year in 2010. Elizabeth Egerer also returns for Milwaukee. The senior-to-be was an All-Horizon League performer last season before claiming league tournament most valuable player honors. Setter Kayla Price is also back. The sophomore was the AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year and Horizon League Newcomer of the Year.
• Seniors Leading A Young Squad
Elizabeth Egerer and Anna Bartz make up this year's two-person senior class, small compared to the six-person group the Panthers boasted a season ago. The duo actually tops a very young roster that has just one junior, meaning 10 of this year's 13 Panthers are freshmen or sophomores. Egerer and Bartz have combined to appear in 137 matches so far in Panther uniforms, with Egerer here the last two seasons after transferring from Michigan State while Bartz has spent the last three seasons in Milwaukee.
• Still Plenty Of Experience
Even though UWM will be fielding a young roster in 2012, it starts the season with a good bit of experience. The lone junior on the roster, Rachel Neuberger, has been a starter since her freshman year. Sophomore setter Kayla Price started all of last season. Plus, sophomore Julie Kolinske was a starter by the end of last year and, thanks to a redshirt, is starting her third season in Milwaukee.
• League Picks
UWM has been picked to repeat as Horizon League champions in a preseason poll of the league's coaches. The Panthers claimed seven first-place votes and 49 points in beating out Cleveland State for the top spot. The expectations are nothing new for Milwaukee, which will be seeking its third-straight regular season league crown and its ninth in the last 10 seasons.
• And The New League Honors
Three Panthers who earned recognition from the Horizon League following last season are on this year's preseason all-league team. Senior Elizabeth Egerer, junior Rachel Neuberger and sophomore Kayla Price were all named to the seven-person squad. Neuberger was an all-league performer and honorable mention All-American following last season, when she led the league in hitting percentage and total blocks. Egerer was the league tournament MVP in leading Milwaukee to the title. She finished fourth in the league in kills, hitting double digits in the category 19 times. Price was the League Newcomer of the Year and Midwest Region Freshman of the Year a season ago, topping the league charts in assists per set. Milwaukee was the only school with non-seniors on the list.
• Being Tested
As always, UWM will face plenty of tests during its 2012 season. The Panthers will face five NCAA Tournament squads and teams from the Big Ten, Big East and ACC. In all, the Panthers will play 10 matches against teams that won 20 or more contests a season ago. UWM faces crosstown-rival Marquette twice and also renews its series with Wisconsin.
• Classroom Excellence
Rachel Neuberger was named to the Capital One Academic All-District volleyball team and the league's all-academic squad. The sophomore has a 3.86 grade-point average and is a regular on the UWM Dean's List and Horizon League Honor Roll. This marks the seventh time in the last nine years a UWM player has earned academic all-region honors.
• Winning ... Winning ... Winning
The 2011 season added to an incredible legacy of success for Panther volleyball. UWM finished with 25 wins, marking the 14th 20-win season in the last 16 years. In league play, Milwaukee has won at least 10 league matches for 15-straight seasons and, in addition to this year's unbeaten run, has gone through the league slate with just one loss eight times. In fact, since the league expanded to a 16-match schedule in 2007, UWM has had a 16-win season, a pair of 15-win seasons and two seasons of 13 wins. UWM is 187-25 in league matches over the last 15 seasons. This marked the first time since 1994 a team went through the league season unbeaten. Now, the Panthers begin the 2012 season having won 25-straight and 39 of its last 40 regular season league contests. Milwaukee has won 17-straight league road matches.
