McGill Reaches Milestone as 'Dons Fall to Panthers

Saturday, September 3

Des Moines, Iowa

11:00 AM

Purdue Fort Wayne

2-3

Milwaukee

4-1

IPFW

Milwaukee

Tessa McGill became the program's 14th member of the 1,000-dig club with a dozen against Milwaukee

McGill Reaches Milestone as 'Dons Fall to Panthers

9/3/2011 1:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Des Moines, IA - Despite three players with double-figure kill totals, and a career-milestone reaching effort from Tessa McGill, the IPFW Mastodons fell to the Panthers of Milwaukee in four sets on Saturday afternoon 25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 31-29.

McGill became the program's 14th member of the 1,000-dig club after totaling a dozen against the panthers, giving her 1,006 for her career, nine away from passing former teammate Rebekah Roehm for 13th on the all-time program list.

Three players, led by Emily Spencer's 17, recorded double-figure kills, as Jessie Manwaring (11), and Kendall Wienkes (10) each, Wienkes representing her second consecutive career-high after knocking down nine less than 24 hours ago. Megan Steenhuysen dished out 45 assists, while also leading the team with two service aces. Wienkes added a team-high 17 digs, leading a trio of 'Dons with double-doubles, while Alli Hook had a team-leading three blocks.

The opening set saw the teams battling back-and-forth, with neither team able to take more than a two-point lead past the halfway point of the set. With the frame tied at 13, the Panthers erupted, scoring 12 of the last 14 points, including ending the set on an 8-0 run to take at 25-15 opening-set win in the contest.

The Mastodons led early in the second set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, and keeping that advantage until Milwaukee ran off a 4-0 run to turn an 11-8 deficit into a 12-11 lead. The back-and-forth continued with IPFW taking its last lead at 20-19, and the teams were tied at 22 before the Panthers closed the set with three straight points to go into the break ahead by two sets.

IPFW led for the majority of the third set, with Milwaukee only twice taking a lead at 2-1 and 16-15, as the Mastodons scored four of the last six points after the Panthers tied the set at 21 apiece, sending the match into a fourth set after IPFW's 25-23 fourth-set win.

The fourth set started out as all Milwaukee, as the Panthers jumped ahead 4-0 and 6-1, leading by as many as six at 18-12 before IPFW fought back, using a pair of 4-0 runs to eventually tie the set at 22 apiece, and taking its first lead at 26-25. The back-and-forth continued through extra points, as with the set tied at 29, the Panthers scored two straight to end the period and the match with a 31-29 fourth-set win.

Wienkes (10 kills, 17 digs), Spencer (17 kills, 13 digs), and Megan Steenhuysen (10 digs, 45 assists) all recorded double-doubles, while Manwaring added two blocks to go with her 11 kills.

Milwaukee's Kerri Schuh knocked down a game-high 24 kills, while Mary Beth O'Brien, Rachel Neuberger, and Mackenzie Millis had 12, 11, and 10 kills apiece.

The Mastodons return to action later tonight when they face off against the Cowgirls of Wyoming starting at 6:30 PM EST in IPFW's final match of the Drake Tournament.

~Dons~

NOTES: IPFW goes to 2-2 all-time against Milwaukee, and 2-1 against the Horizon League this season...Tessa McGill became the 14th member of the 1,000-dig club, and with 1,006 total digs, needs just nine to pass Rebekah Roehm for 13th, and 20 to pass Deanna Brown for 12th...Emily Spencer's 67 attempts are tied for the ninth most in a four-set match in program history, and the third most by a freshman in a four-set match...Kendall Wienkes' 17 digs are tied for the 10th most by a freshman in a four-set match in program history...With 17 kills, Spencer's streak of consecutive matches reaching double-figure kills to open her career runs to five, four away from the longest such streak in program history...Megan Steenhuysen's double-double was her first of the season, and 28th in her career, the ninth most for a career in program history...McGill's double-figure dig outing increased her streak of double-figure dig matches to 13, tied for the sixth longest such streak in program history, giving her two of the top six longest streaks...Spencer's double-double is the fourth of her career, while Kendall Wienkes' is her first...Alli Hook's eight kills ties her season-high, previously set in the season opener against Loyola...Wienkes set new career-highs in digs(17) and kills (10)...Defensive specialist Jen Milligan set a new career-high with two kills...