MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Now at the midpoint of the Horizon League season, the Milwaukee volleyball team wraps up a five-match homestand this weekend. The Panthers sit in first place at 7-1 but with four teams within two games, each match is crucial. Milwaukee welcomes Youngstown State and Cleveland State to the Klotsche Center, two teams it has previously beaten this season. The Panthers swept the Penguins three weeks ago and went the distance with the Vikings.
 
Scouting the Competition
The Milwaukee volleyball team grabbed sole possession of first place in the Horizon League with a pair of victories this past weekend. The Panthers earned their 12th sweep of the season on Friday over IUPUI before taking down Wright State 3-1 on Saturday. The MKE defense was suffocating this past weekend, holding teams to a .070 attack percentage in two victories.
 
MKE dispatched Youngstown State 3-0 earlier this season on October 5 behind an impressive display from the back line. The Panthers recorded 76 digs, the most in a three set match this season, in the victory.
 
YSU currently sits in seventh place in the league with wins over IUPUI and Cleveland State. The Penguins have struggled offensively, ranking eighth in the Horizon League in attack percentage (.148), assists per set (10.71), and kills per set (11.32). Youngstown State has three players with at least 200 digs, led by junior Margaux Thompson's 290.
 
The last time MKE and Cleveland State met, the two went to five sets with the Panthers earning a slim 3-2 victory in Ohio. Rylie Vaughn and Jenn Dore each recorded a double-double for Milwaukee while Hannah Greene totaled 17 kills for CSU.
 
The Vikings are 1-7 in the Horizon League but have not been an easy victory for opponents at all. Cleveland State has not been swept this year in league play and has gone the distance in four matches.
 
Trinniti Hall and Greene have been key for the Vikings' offense raking fourth and fifth in the Horizon League with 3.33 and 3.05 kills per set, respectively. The two also combine for over two blocks per set.
 
Pink Night 
On Saturday, the Panthers will be hosting the College of Nursing Pink game. This game will feature $2 tickets for fans wearing pink to the game. There will be a giveaway for fans and those that donate at least $10 will receive a t-shirt. Additionally, fans can pledge money for every kill during the game with the amount up to the individual. All proceeds will be donated to Chix4aCause.
 
Hitting the 20 Mark
For the first time since 2011 and fifth time overall under head coach Susie Johnson, the Panthers reached the 20-win plateau. In each of the previous four seasons that Johnson's squad has reached 20 wins, Milwaukee has won either the Horizon League regular season or tournament titles. This is the fastest the Panthers have reached 20 victories since 2007 when the team was also 20-2 through 22 matches.
 
Home Sweet Home
The Panthers are currently 8-0 in the Klotche Center, the most wins since tallying nine in 2016. Milwaukee has not gone undefeated at home since 2000 when they finished 12-0.
 
Bring the Brooms
Milwaukee has swept 12 opponents already this season, the most since recording 19 sweeps in 2006.
 
The Great Grabowski
Sophomore Jess Grabowski captured her second Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honor on October 16, the first coming on September 16. Grabowski becamse the first player to capture two defensive awards in the same season since Morgan Potter in 2011. The Greendale, Wis. native leads the team with 429 digs, ranking second in the league with an average of 5.23 digs per set. Grabowski has recorded double-digit dig totals in every match this year, reaching the 20-dig plateau 11 times including a career-high 35 against Wright State. Grabowski will become the second player this year to reach 1,000 career digs as she has 990 in her two years so far.
 
A Fierce First-Year
Ari Miller put together another solid week for Milwaukee, hitting .400 with 20 kills (2.86/set) in  two victories this past weekend. Miller currently leads the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.312) and ranks second on the team with 235 kills.  The freshman has earned two Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week awards. Milwaukee has not had a two-time Offensive Player of the Week since Kerri Schuh in 2011.
 
The Heilemann Hammer
Carmen Heilemann added to her team-leading kill total with 23 more kills this past weekend. The junior has 241 kills this season and his hitting .304. In 22 matches, Heilemann has reached double digit kills in 14 including four straight contests and is on pace to put up the best statistical line of her career for the black and gold.
 
Double Trouble
Setters Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn have been a nightmare for the opposition in 2019. The two have combined for 18 double-doubles this year and are each averaging over 5.5 assists per set. Vaughn recorded her second 20-20 match of the season becoming the first player to have more than one in a season since Laura Dallenbach recorded six 20-20 matches in 2000. Thanks to Dore and Vaughn, Milwaukee leads the Horizon League and ranks eighth in the nation with 13.48 assists per set.
 
Joining the 1K Club
With 223 digs this season, Kylie Wilks now has 1,162 for her career which ranks 11th all-time for the Panthers. Wilks has been a huge help for the defense this season, reaching double digit digs in 12 contests this year. The dual-threat senior is on pace to become just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs and kills. Wilks ranks 11th in digs and 15th in kills.
 
Rylie Vaughn also joined the 1,000 club, recording her 1,000th career assist in a 3-1 win over Northern Kentucky. In just her second year, Vaughn is already close to cracking the top-10 career assist list at Milwaukee with 1,101 assists.
 
September to Remember
The Panthers finished the month of September with a 12-1 record and have already won the most contests since earning 17 wins in 2014.  Milwaukee started the year 18-1, the best start since 1999 when the team started 21-1. That year, the Panthers finished 25-4, won the MCC regular season title, reached the NCAA Tournament.
 
League Openers No Problem
With a victory over UIC on September 28, Milwaukee is now 12-1 in Horizon League openers during head coach Susie Johnson's tenure. Johnson is 135-64 all-time against league opponents.
 
Home Cooking
In total, the Panthers host 13 home games in 2019 including four straight from October 18 to October 26. Milwaukee is 240-101 overall and 145-46 in league play all-time at home. In Susie Johnson's 22 years with the Panthers, MKE is 211-61 in the Klotsche Center.
 
Panther Invite Success
For the 21st season, Milwaukee hosted the Panther Invitational. With its seventh sweep of the invitational, the Panthers are 46-25 at the home tournament since its inception in 1995.
 
Sophomore Studs
This year's sophomore class had an impactful freshmen campaign. Rylie Vaughn's 592 assists stand eighth on the freshman record board. Jess Grabowksi's 561 digs was a record for a Panthers freshman as was her 4.92 digs per set. Abby Koenen appeared in all 30 matches, totaling 217 kills and 64 blocks. Kleja Cerniauskaite started 25 matches for the Panthers and recorded 169 kills and 60 blocks. Lauren Spalding had an injury-plagued season but made the most of her appearances, tallying 101 digs and 10 service aces in 14 matches.
 
The Big 2-0-0
Entering her 13th season as head coach for Milwaukee, Susie Johnson had 198 victories. Thanks to an opening weekend sweep, Johnson earned win number 200 and even added another for good measure. Johnson became the third Panthers' volleyball coach to record at least 200 victories, joining Kathy Litzau  ('93 - '06) and Tom Pleyte ('78 - '92). Johnson has been a part of the coaching staff for 22 total years and has helped the Panthers to 13 20-win seasons.
 
I'll Take Milwaukee For 500
With the 3-2 win over Arkansas State in the season opener, the Milwaukee volleyball team earned their 500th program victory, adding to their rich history. Since entering into NCAA Division 1, the Panthers have 13 league titles and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Catch All the Action
Thanks to ESPN+, Milwaukee volleyball will be readily available for viewers. The Panthers have nine home games scheduled for streaming on ESPN+. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.
 
ESPN+, which will host the Horizon League women's soccer, men's soccer, and volleyball championships this fall, offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content, and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
 
For road games, visit www.MKEPanthers.com for live coverage links.