Olhava Leads 'Cats to Split at Panther Invitational

Friday, August 24

Milwaukee, WI

1 PM (ET)

University of New Hampshire

1-0

Milwaukee

0-1

New Hampshire

Milwaukee

8/24/2018 10:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The University of New Hampshire volleyball team opened the 2018 season Friday at the Panther Invitational with a 3-1 win against host team University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee followed by a 3-1 loss to Northwestern University.

After dropping the first set of the match, 25-22, UNH rallied to win the next three sets by scores of 25-12, 25-22, 25-18 to record the victory against MKE.

After a short break between matches, UNH carried that momentum into the match vs. Northwestern to claim Set 1 (25-20), but the other Wildcats took the next three sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) and the match.

"This was a fantastic way to start the season, beating a quality team like UW Milwaukee at their home," UNH head coach Jill Hirschinger said. "We came out strong against Big-10 Northwestern and really controlled the first set. We had too many unforced errors to close out the match but we were in it the entire time.

"I am very optimistic about what the team can do and how far we can go," she added.

Gabri Olhava (Mount Prospect, Ill.) led the 'Cats with 29 kills on a .407 hitting percentage. Hannah Petke (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) followed with 22 kills and four kills. Emma Patlovich (Lake Bluff, Ill.) guided UNH to a .215 hitting percentage with 79 assists, including a career-high 47 vs. Milwaukee.

Emily Tanski (Plymouth, Mich.) spearheaded the defensive effort with 63 digs (7.88 per set), including a career-high 35 vs. Northwestern and Maddie Wiedenfeld (Omaha, Neb.) contributed a team-high five blocks.

Up Next: Aug. 25 vs. South Dakota, 1 p.m. (Eastern)
Next Home Match: Sept. 11 vs. Northeastern, 7 p.m. [ESPN+]

UNH vs. Milwaukee Recap

UNH		MKE
56	Kills	40
22	Errors	19
.243	Hitting Pct.	.145
6	Service Aces	4
11	Service Errors	12
73	Digs	49
8	Blocks	5

Wildcat Leaders vs. Milwaukee
Gabri Olhava: 18 kills, .531 hitting percentage, three blocks
Emma Patlovich: 47 assists, 11 digs
Maddie Wiedenfeld: 11 kills, .364 hitting percentage, four blocks
Emily Tanski: 28 digs, five assists

NOTABLE

After dropping a close first set, UNH responded with a .522 hitting percentage while holding the Panthers to a .000 mark to win Set 2, 25-12.
The Wildcats closed out the match in Set 4 with a .323 hitting percentage while limiting the home team to .139.
Patlovich recorded her fifth career double-double with 47 assists and 11 digs.

UNH vs. Northwestern Recap

UNH		NU
52	Kills	58
22	Errors	21
.190	Hitting Pct.	.218
3	Service Aces	7
6	Service Errors	3
75	Digs	69
4	Blocks	9

Wildcat Leaders vs. Northwestern
Gabri Olhava: 11 kills, .259 hitting percentage
Kennedi Smith (The Woodlands, Texas): 11 kills, 226 hitting percentage, 13 digs
Emma Patlovich: 32 assists, 13 digs
Hannah Petke: 11 kills, three blocks

NOTABLE

Smith recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs.
Petke tallied 11 kills in this battle of the Wildcats to match her total from the match vs. MKE.
Patlovich recorded her sixth career double-double with 32 assists and 12 digs.

For the most up-to-date information on the volleyball team, visit UNHWildcats.com. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook or follow the 'Cats on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @UNHVOLLEYBALL.