MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Jess Grabowski totaled a career-high 35 digs to lead the Milwaukee volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Wright State on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers totaled 90 digs as a team to take down the Raiders and improve to 8-0 in the Klotsche Center.
 
"I thought our defense was really good today. We had to counter their defense because they are really strong, one of the best in the conference," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "We needed to out dig them, and we did. It was hard to get kills against them because they were working hard defensively."
 
As Johnson commented, defense was the key for Milwaukee (20-2, 7-1 Horizon League) as the Panthers held the Raiders (16-4, 5-3 Horizon League) to a .108 attack percentage. The 90 total digs are the most in a four set match this season.
 
The Panthers took control of the match early on with a pair of back-to-back victories. Milwaukee recorded 29 kills, hitting .324 against the Horizon League's top-rated defense.
 
In the first, a 6-1 run put Milwaukee in front and the Panthers never looked back. Louise Kiekhofer recorded four kills while hitting .375 in the frame.
 
With a 10-2 run to open the second set, Milwaukee threatened to run away early. The Raiders cut their deficit in half but kills from Carmen Heilemann and Kylie Wilks led an MKE run to go ahead 15-5.
 
Wright State pushed back and closed the gap to three points at 21-18 to force a Panthers' timeout, but Heilemann and Wilks combined for three more kills as Milwaukee pulled ahead 2-0.
 
Milwaukee was out to another early lead in the third, but the Raiders shook off a slow start and rallied back. The Raiders more than doubled their match total with 41 digs in the set, holding the Panthers to 12 kills and a .060 attack percentage.
 
The Panthers had a set-point at 24-22 but an MKE error and four straight Raiders' kills forced a fourth set.
 
The fourth frame was back and forth for the majority of play, but Ari Miller came up with some clutch plays near the finish.
 
Clinging to a 21-18 advantage, the freshman put away two kills and was a part of two blocks as Milwaukee took the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
 
Heilemann and Wilks reached double digit kills for Milwaukee with 12 and 11, respectively. Wilks added 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the year.
 
Four Panthers recorded double digit dig totals with Grabowski's 35 leading the charge. Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn had 12 and 13, respectively as each recorded a double-double with 21 and 29 assists.
 
"Our offense just keeps teams off balance. As long as we keep that balance, it's hard to beat us," Johnson continued. "This is a special team. The chemistry, competitiveness, and leadership are better than it's ever been in my time."
 
The Panthers captured their 20th victory, the first time hitting at least 20 wins since 2011. That season, MKE finished 25-5 overall and reached the NCAA Tournament.
 
Milwaukee will remain home for its next two matches. The Panthers will face Youngstown State on Friday, October 25 before hosting Cleveland State on October 26 for the College of Nursing Pink game. Tickets, live stats, and live video on ESPN+ can all be found on MKEPanthers.com.