MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee volleyball team remains atop the Horizon League standings with just four matches remaining in the regular season schedule. Three of the final four contest are at the Klotsche Center, where the Panthers are 10-0 this season. The league standings are packed on top with four teams within two matches of the top spot including two of the Panthers upcoming opponents.
 
Last Week
Milwaukee split this past weekend, falling to Wright State before taking down IUPUI on the road. The Raiders were nearly flawless on Friday, hitting .435 with just seven errors as the Panthers were swept for the first time this season. Milwaukee bounced back to close the two-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over IUPUI. The defense piled up 76 digs and three reached double digit kills in the win.
 
Scouting the Competition
After starting 0-3 in Horizon League action, Oakland earned four straight victories including handing Milwaukee its first league loss of the season. The Golden Grizzlies won three straight 3-2 results during the stretch. Oakland then loss three in a row before taking down Youngstown State 3-0 and now sit at 6-6 in the standings. Oakland battles Northern Kentucky on Wednesday before the Panthers host the Golden Grizzlies at the Klotsche Center.
 
Jamie Walling an Taylor Dellinger lead the offense as a one-two punch. The upperclassmen rank fourth and second in kills per set, respectively. Walling also ranks third in the league in attack percentage at .298.
 
Northern Kentucky sits at 5-7 in the Horizon League standings after winning two of the last three matches including a 3-0 sweep of fourth place UIC. The Norse are in the top four of nearly every offensive category including third in hitting percentage at .209. Additionally, Northern Kentucky leads the Horizon League with an average of 1.53 service aces per set.
 
The Norse have three different players with at least 200 kills, led by Anna Brinkman (257) and Laura Crawford (254).
 
Miranda Wucherer and Shelby Olsen quarterback the offense with 507 and 442 assists, respectively.
 
Northern Kentucky will have its hands full with three of the final four contests on the road.
 
Hang 10
With a 3-1 win over IUPUI on Saturday, Milwaukee reached 10 Horizon League victories. The Panthers had not had double digit league wins since 2014. Despite that stretch, Milwaukee now has eight seasons with at least 10 conference wins under head coach Susie Johnson.
 
Home Sweet Home
The Panthers are a perfect 10-0 in the Klotche Center this season, 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 they finished 12-0. With three of the final four regular season contests in the Klotsche Center, the Panthers could match the 13-0 season from 1997, the best mark at home since joining NCAA Division I.
 
Ready for the Call
Prior to this weekend, Abby Koenen had just five sets played under her belt. Koenen doubled that up with six sets played in the last two matches and made the most of her opportunity. The sophomore put away 15 total kills including a season-high 11 in the 3-1 win over IUPUI.
 
Earlier this year, Makenzie Mroczenski was called upon for a similar role. Mroczenski stepped into the starting lineup on October 26 and made a major impact, recording 11 kills at a .556 clip. The junior has been impressive in her last three appearances, combining for 15 kills and a .500 attack percentage.
 
Shari Volpis also played a key reserve role in the Panthers' recent victories. 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 115 this season.
 
The Heilemann Hammer
Carmen Heilemann has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Milwaukee rotation this season and proved it again this past weekend. The junior led the team with 24 kills and has now reached double digit kills in eight consecutive contests. Heilemann currently leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with a .301 attack percentage. With four more regular season matches to play this year, Heilemann already has recorded the best statistical line of her career.
 
On the Cusp
Kylie Wilks is fast approaching the 1,000-career kill mark with 981. The senior already ranks ninth all-time with 1,199 digs and could become just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs and kills. If Wilks continues her average of 1.92 kills per set this season, she could reach the mark by the end of the regular season.
 
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 16th 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 25 of 26 matches this year, reaching the 20-dig plateau 13 times including a career-high 35 against Wright State on October 19. The sophomore currently ranks second in the Horizon League and 16th in the nation with 489 digs this year. Grabowski also became the first player to capture two defensive awards in the same season since Morgan Potter in 2011.
 
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.
 
History in the Making
The Panthers have been impressive all season and have the numbers to show for it. Milwaukee is currently hitting .246 as a team which stands as the second best team hitting percentage  in school history. The 13.50 assists per game is the most since averaging 14.93 in 2007.
 
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.