ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Milwaukee volleyball team fought back from a deficit to force a fifth set but fell to Oakland 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers struggled offensively, hitting just .197 in the five-set loss.
 
"Oakland did a really nice job of making it hard on us," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "We played well defensively but could not get in a rhythm on the offensive end. We were just not on point. We are going to get back at it this week and get better."
 
The Golden Grizzlies (10-8, 3-3 Horizon League) put the pressure on Milwaukee (18-2, 5-1 Horizon League) right away in the first set as they pushed out to a four-point cushion in the first at 13-9. Kleja Cerniauskaite landed a pair of kills and Louise Kiekhofer added another as the Panthers used a 6-2 run to pull back even.
 
After trading points back and forth, Jenna Miller put away her third kill of the frame and partnered with Carmen Heilemann for a block as Milwaukee snuck out a 25-23 victory.
 
The offense had a tough time over the next two sets, combining for just 19 kills as Milwaukee quickly found itself in a 2-1 hole. The Panthers hit just .090 in the second and third with a combined 12 errors.
 
After Oakland jumped ahead early in the fourth and threatened to put away, the match, the Panthers regrouped behind Heliemann and Cerniauskiate. Trailing 17-14, the two landed kills and Milwaukee took advantage of a few Golden Grizzlies errors to jump on top 19-17.
 
Oakland stopped the run with a kill but Heilemann followed with three consecutive slams and finished the frame with one more to help Milwaukee force a fifth set.
 
In the fifth, the teams continued to trade blows, totaling eight tie scores. Heilemann gave Milwaukee some breathing room with a pair of kills for a two-point lead, but Oakland used a 4-0 run to go on top 14-12.
 
Kylie Wilks then slammed home a kill, but Milwaukee fell after Oakland's Jamie Walling put away her 23rd kill of the match.
 
"Defensively, we were really strong and played well. It was the best blocking of the year for us for sure," Johnson stated. "But Oakland did a really nice job."
 
Heilemann was a bright spot for the Milwaukee offense as she totaled a season-high 20 kills while hitting .442.
 
Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn each recorded double-doubles for Milwaukee as Dore finished with 27 assists and 17 rebounds while Vaughn had another 20-20 match of 27 assists and 21 digs.
"Carmen was really amazing today. Jenn and Rylie did a great job of getting her the ball and were both incredible defensively," Johnson said.
 
As a team, Milwaukee totaled a season-high 13 blocks led by Ari Miller, who was a part of 10. The team also eclipsed the 100-dig mark for the first time this season, led by Jess Grabowski's 26 digs. Five different players had at least 10 digs for the Panthers.
 
Milwaukee's winning streak was halted at 15 matches, the longest since the Panthers won 18 straight in 2011.
 
The Panthers will return to the Klotche Center next weekend to host IUPUI and Wright State on October 18-19. Tickets and live coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.