MILWAUKEE, Wis. – With the Horizon League standings coming down to the wire, the Milwaukee volleyball team needed to bring its best and did not disappoint on Friday. The Panthers swept UIC 3-0 and now sit a half game out of first place with one match to play.  
 
"Everyone came together tonight and was really composed. Our blocking was better and so was our defense," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "I'm really proud of our team tonight."
 
The Panthers were clicking on all cylinders from the start, coming out to hit .467 with 15 kills and just one error in the first set. Milwaukee (24-5, 11-4 Horizon League) opened with a 7-2 run and later pulled ahead 13-5.
 
Following a kill from UIC (20-10 9-7 Horizon League), Jenna Miller served up five straight points and kills from Ari Miller and Carmen Heilemann had Milwaukee up 19-6. The Flames scored two of the next three but a pair of Kleja Cerniauskaite kills put an exclamation point on a 25-9 first set victory.
 
UIC calmed down and fought in the second frame as the two went back and forth with 14 tie scores and nine lead changes. Trailing 20-18, J. Miller landed a kill and assisted a block before Kylie Wilks put one away and Mati Jakscht landed an ace for a 22-20 advantage.
 
Milwaukee was in the driver's seat but UIC responded with a pair of kills and the two exchanged leads yet again. Tied 24-24, Cerniauskaite came through again with a pair of slams and Milwaukee earned a 2-0 lead with a 26-24 victory.
 
The Panthers poured it on early in the third set, jumping ahead 8-2 and later 14-7, but UIC was not ready to bow out. The Flames landed two kills and took advantage of four Milwaukee errors to cut their deficit to one at 14-13.
 
Up 16-14, A. Miller gave Milwaukee some breathing room with two more kills around a pair of Flames errors for a 20-14 advantage. The Flames came battling back yet again to cut their deficit to three but an opportune timeout settled Milwaukee down and Shari Volpis made it 23-19 with a kill.
 
UIC answered the next two Milwaukee points but Heilemann found the floor on her last swing to end the match in a sweep with a 25-21 win.
 
"Our focus was there tonight, and I was really happy to see that. We had everyone in a rhythm and were very organized," Johnson commented.
 
A. Miller led the Panthers will 11 kills and a .423 hitting percentage while Cerniauskaite added nine kills.
 
Rylie Vaughn recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 19 assists and 12 digs. Jenn Dore dished up 15 assists and added a pair of digs.
 
As a team, Milwaukee hit .282, its best hitting percentage in five matches. The Panthers recorded 53 digs and six service aces.
 
Milwaukee will wrap up the regular season tomorrow with a 4:00 pm contest against Green Bay. The match marks Senior Night for the Panthers, honoring Louise Kiekhofer, Dore, Allison Grzebien, Lexie Uselding, Wilks, and Volpis. Tickets and live coverage can be found on MKEPanthers.com.