MILWAUKEE, Wis. - With just six more Horizon League matches left on the schedule, the Milwaukee volleyball team remains on the top at 9-1 in league play. Despite their success, the league remains tight at the top with three other teams within two games of first place. Three of the four teams over .500 in the Horizon League are on winning streaks of at least four matches. After two on the road, Milwaukee returns home for three of its final four contests.
 
Scouting the Competition
Milwaukee stretched its winning streak to four matches after another 2-0 weekend. The Panthers downed Youngstown State 3-0 for the second time this season before topping Cleveland State in four sets. As a team, Milwaukee hit .283 while averaging 16.1 kills and 14.8 assists per set in the two victories.
 
Wright State recorded victories over Northern Kentucky and IUPUI to halt a three-match skid and improve to 7-3 in Horizon League play.
 
The Raiders boast one of the top defenses in the conference, leading with an average of 20.16 digs per set to go along with a Horizon League best 1.94 digs per set. Jenna Story continues to rack up the digs as she was named Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this season. The sophomore leads the league and is second in the nation with an average of 6.34 digs per set.
 
IUPUI opened Horizon League play with victories over Cleveland State and Oakland but have since lost eight in a row and currently sit in eighth place. Earlier this season on October 18, Milwaukee swept the Jaguars. IUPUI tallied 18 errors in the loss while Milwaukee hit .310 with 40 kills.
 
The Jaguars have struggled offensively this season, ranking ninth in the league in hitting percentage (.136), assists (10.09), and kills (10.81) per set.
 
Seven different players have recorded at least 100 kills for IUPUI led by McKayla Wright with 170 and Maddie Dean with 168. Wright also leads the Horizon League with an average of 0.41 aces per set, totaling 24 in 58 sets this year.
 
Home Sweet Home
With two more wins at home, the Panthers are now 10-0 in the Klotche Center, the ninth time Milwaukee has reached double digit wins on its home court. The 10 wins are the most since Milwaukee recorded 12 in 2011. The Panthers have not gone undefeated at home since 2000, when Milwaukee finished 12-0. MKE hosts three more matches in the Klotsche Center this season and could match the 13-0 season from 1997, the best mark at home since joining NCAA Division I.
 
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.
 
Bring the Brooms
Milwaukee has recorded 13 sweeps this season, the most since tallying 19 sweeps in 2006.
 
Another 1K Club Member
In just her second year for the black and gold, Jess Grabowski reached 1,000 career digs, becoming the 15th player to reach the grand mark. The Greendale, Wis. native recorded her 1,000th dig in her 53rd career match, the fastest in Panthers history.
 
Grabowski has recorded double-digit dig totals in every match this year, reaching the 20-dig plateau 12 times including a career-high 35 against Wright State. The sophomore currently ranks second in the Horizon League and 14th in the nation with 467 digs this year. Grabowski also became the first player to capture two defensive awards in the same season since Morgan Potter in 2011.
 
Kylie Wilks also reached the grand mark for digs, now totaling 1,183 for her career which ranks 9th all-time for the Panthers. Wilks has been a huge help for the defense this season, reaching double digit digs in 14 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.
 
Additionally, Rylie Vaughn joined the 1K 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 1,144 assists.
 
Ready for Action
Makenzie Mroczenski stepped into the starting lineup on Saturday and made a major impact, recording 11 kills at a .556 clip. The junior has been impressive in her past two appearances, combining for 13 kills and a .524 attack percentage. Additionally, Mroczenski added four blocks, three digs, and an ace this past weekend.
 
Shari Volpis also played a key role in the Panthers' victories, leading the team with 24 kills. The senior put away a season-best 13 kills in the sweep over Youngstown State, hitting .357, before adding 11 more in a win over Cleveland State. Volpis has already surpassed her total kills from a year ago, now with 112 this season.
 
History in the Making
The Panthers have been impressive all season and have the numbers to show for it. Milwaukee is currently hitting .249 as a team which stands as the second-best team hitting percentage in school history. The 13.56 assists per game is the most since averaging 14.93 in 2007.
 
Dore Coming for More
Jenn Dore has been everywhere as of late, recording three consecutive double-doubles. In Horizon League play, Dore is averaging 5.43 assists and 2.57 digs per set with five double-doubles.
 
A Fierce First-Year
Ari Miller added two more double digit kill matches to her resume, now with 16 this season. The freshman leads the team with a .310 attack percentage and ranks second with 255 total kills, which ranks 8th all-time for a Milwaukee freshman. Miller has earned two Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week awards, the first time the Panthers have 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 22 more kills this past weekend. The junior has 263 kills this season and his hitting .294, both career-bests. In 24 matches, Heilemann has reached double digit kills in 16 including six straight contests.
 
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.
 
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.