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Volleyball

Four Standouts To Join Milwaukee Volleyball

Incoming players boast loads of success

MILWAUKEE – Four standouts have signed their papers and are set to join the Milwaukee volleyball team for the 2017 season, Panther head coach Susie Johnson announced today.
 
Sara Kartalovic comes to Milwaukee as a transfer, while Carmen Heilemann, Jenna Miller and Kailynn Mongan have all signed their papers and will be freshmen at UWM this coming fall.
 
Those four join Makenzie Mroczenski, who signed in the fall, and Katie Mahoney, who transferred at semester and is already enrolled at UWM, as the entire incoming group for next season.
 
"We have some impact players coming in," Johnson said. "This group is very versatile. Three of the four coming can play multiple positions, which is great. We're going to be very deep this year, one through fourteen, so it will be cool to see the impact and versatility of the hitters."
 
Kartalovic comes to Milwaukee after two years at State College of Florida. In her two seasons with the Manatees, Kartalovic appeared in 48 matches, registering 266 kills, 122 digs and 88 total blocks. All of those numbers were up significantly during her sophomore season, when the Belgrade, Serbia native was named second-team all-conference and earned FCSAA All-Academic honors.
 
"Sara has played this right side hitter position most of her life," Johnson said. "She started as a young age in Serbia and she has the physicality of a true right side at 6-4. She is very confident and comfortable in her blocking. She has experience from her junior college, so we're excited about the impact she can make right away for us."
 
Heilemann is another international player for the Panthers, hailing from Germany. She is a four-time West German Champ and won three German Championships with the select team from NRW/Bundespokalsieger. Heilemann also finished runner-up at the U20 German Championships with USC Münster.
 
"Carmen is another unique player for us in the sense that she's our first overseas recruit, coming from Germany," Johnson said. "She also already has a lot of experience at the age of 18 and really reminds me of (former Panther) Rachel Neuberger. Carmen is great off of one foot and we're looking forward to working with her this season."
 
Miller will kick off her college career next fall after four outstanding years just up the road in Appleton, Wis. Miller helped Appleton North reach the state tournament three times in her four years, helping carry the Lightning all the way to the semifinals as a junior. The middle has an impressive list of awards from her high school career, including being a Wisconsin Player of the Year Nominee each of her final two seasons.
 
"Jenna has been a part of a lot of winning," Johnson said. "She's been a big part of a great club and high school team. Her work ethic is one of her strongest traits, which was a big draw for us. She will have the ability to be versatile. She's very athletic and has a very high IQ for the game. We're excited to see where Jenna can fit and I really think she's going to push our team."
 
Mongan is a dual-sport athlete from nearby Germantown, Wis. She led her team in both assists and digs as senior, earning honorable mention all-state and second team all-conference honors. Mongan, who also played basketball for the Warhawks, is also a standout in the classroom. She has been named to the Dean's list, as well as being a part of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
 
"Kailynn is a very competitive player," Johnson said. "She has played a lot of volleyball and her specialty is back row. She's very well rounded and we're excited about the impact she can make at the Division I level."
 
Meanwhile, Mahoney is already on campus after transferring at semester from Eastern Washington. The 6-1 outside hitter started six times for the Eagles as a freshman last year and averaged over two kills/set. Mahoney was high school teammates with current Panther Bridget Wallenberger at Jacobs High School in Dundee, Ill., where she earned all-area honorable mention honors two times. She also served as team captain as a senior.
 
"Katie came to us as a transfer coming back closer to home and we're very excited about what she brings to the table," Johnson said. "She has the physicality and versatility to be impactful at the net right away. She has some Division I game experience and has quickly become very comfortable with our team. She's adapted very quickly to the coaching and it's been great to have her gain even more experience during our spring season."
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Bridget Wallenberger

#12 Bridget Wallenberger

MB
6' 2"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Bridget Wallenberger

#12 Bridget Wallenberger

6' 2"
Sophomore
MB