MILWAUKEE, WIs. - It was not easy, but the Milwaukee volleyball team added two more victories last weekend to push its winning streak to 14 matches. The Panthers held off a tough Cleveland State team in a 3-2 victory before taking down Youngstown State in three straight sets. Milwaukee currently leads the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.253), assists per set (13.59) and kills per set (14.47). The Panthers head back to the Klotsche Center this week, where they are 5-0 this year.
 
Scouting the Competition
Milwaukee has had an unbelievable start to the 2019 season but next face a pair of Horizon League teams that were both predicted to finish top four in the league. Northern Kentucky is 3-1 in the Horizon League with its only loss coming at the hands of 15-1 Wright State. Oakland has started league play 1-3 but that includes a loss to Wright State and a five-set defeat to defending champion Green Bay.
 
Northern Kentucky wrapped up a tough non-conference schedule and has now won three of its four first Horizon League contests. Earlier this season, the Norse earned a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati, who was receiving votes in the NCAA Division I top-25 poll. Northern Kentucky also had tough battles with Notre Dame and (RV) Western Kentucky, but fell in both.
 
The Norse excel on both ends of serving, leading the conference with 101 aces and ranking second, allowing just 57 aces against. Offensively, four different Norse players have at least 100 kills, led by Laura Crawford, who has put away 188 attacks. Miranda Wucherer and Shelby Olsen facilitate the offense with 373 and 311 assists, respectively.
 
Oakland takes on Northern Kentucky Wednesday night before hosting Milwaukee on Sunday and currently hold an 8-8 overall record this year.
 
Taylor Dellinger is one of the most proficient hitters in the league as she leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with 3.54 kills per set. Jamie Walling is not far behind as she has totaled 195 kills, hitting .301 this season. Lindsay Wightman is a large part of the Oakland defense, leading  the team and ranking four the conference with 4.56 digs per set.
 
As a team, Oakland has struggled serving with 78 aces compared to 134 errors. The Golden Grizzlies rank near the middle of the pack in nearly every others statistical category in the Horizon League.
 
The Streak Doesn't Stop
With two more wins last week, Milwaukee stretched its winning streak to 14 contests, matching the longest since 2007. The Panthers' winning streak is currently the second longest in the country, one behind Horizon League foe Wright State. The last time Milwaukee won 15 straight matches was 2006.
 
Bring the Brooms
Milwaukee has swept five of the last six opponents and now have 11 sweeps already this season, the most since also notching 11 in 2011.
 
A Fierce First-Year
Ari Miller has continued her impressive freshman campaign, earning her second Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honor. Milwaukee has not had a two-time Offensive Player of the Week since Kerri Schuh in 2011. Miller currently leads the league with a .334 attack percentage and is seventh with 3.05 kills per set. In conference play, Miller is averaging 3.43 kills per set while hitting .402.
 
Double Trouble
Setters Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn have been a nightmare for the opposition in 2019. The two have combined for 13 double-doubles this year and are each averaging over 5.5 assists per set. In a 3-0 sweep of Youngstown State, Vaughn recorded 20 assists and 20 digs, the first Panther to hit that mark since Jenna Berg in 2009. Thanks to Dore and Vaughn, Milwaukee leads the Horizon League and ranks seventh in the nation with 13.59 assists per set.
 
The Great Grabowski
Sophomore Jess Grabowski has been tremendous for the Panthers, leading the team with 333 total digs and ranking second in the Horizon League with an average of 5.05 per set. Thanks to a spectacular showing at the Panther Invitational, Grabowski earned the Nike Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honor on September 16. Grabowski has recorded double-digit dig totals in every match this year. The Greendale, Wis. native has reached the 20-dig plateau eight times this year including a season-high 32 against Drake.
 
The Heilemann Hammer
Carmen Heilemann has been solid all season for Milwaukee and has totaled 188 kills and a .304 attack percentage. The junior recorded a season-high 19 kills in a 3-2 win over Drake and has reached double digit kills in 10 matches  this season. Heilemann is on pace to put up the best statistical line of her career for the black and gold.
 
Joining the 1K Club
With 33 digs at the Panther Invitational, Kylie Wilks surpassed 1,000 digs for her career. Wilks has been a huge help for the defense this season, reaching double digit digs in nine 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 is just outside the top 10 in digs and ranks 15th with 913 kills.
 
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.  With the 17-1 start, Milwaukee is of to its best start since 1999 when the team started 21-1. That year, the Panthers finished 25-4 and won the MCC regular season title and 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 237-101 overall and 142-46 in league play all-time at home. In Susie Johnson's 22 years with the Panthers, MKE is 208-61 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.
 
Exuding Experience
Of the 18 players on the 2019 roster, 15 of them have collegiate experience including 12 who played at least 50 sets a season ago. Milwaukee has six seniors and four juniors on the roster to make up the upperclassmen.
 
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.