MILWAUKEE, Wis. – All season long, the defense of the Milwaukee volleyball team has stymied the opposition and on Friday night, that was no different. The Panthers held Butler to a .166 attack percentage and racked up 80 digs in a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs at the Klotsche Center.
 
"We keep just talking about being organized. You want to play steady. Sometimes it is hard. Butler played really well," head coach Susie Johnson explained. "They were increasing their level of competition with us and we had to continue increasing as well."
 
The Panthers picked up in the first set right where they left off from the afternoon match, cashing in for 15 kills and rolling to a 25-16 victory. Milwaukee used an early 6-1 run to pull ahead by five and kept their distance throughout.
 
In the second, the Panthers fought for a lead at 14-10 before errors caught up with them and Butler put together a 7-1 run to pull ahead by one. Milwaukee committed nine attack errors and hit just .075 as they suffered a 25-23 setback.
 
Milwaukee regrouped in the third frame as the offense stepped up. Trailing 12-8, Ari Miller and Makenzie Mroczenski combined for a pair of kills to pull within two. The Bulldogs responded with a slam of their own but two kills from Carmen Heilemann and another from Kylie Wilks fueled a 5-0 run to put Milwaukee up 16-14.
 
The two teams traded points until Butler registered two kills to pull it tight at 23-22. After a strong rally forced a Bulldogs miscue, Miller tallied another kill to put Milwaukee up 2-1 with a 25-23 victory in the third.
 
The defense was all over in the fourth frame once again, holding Butler to just eight kills and a .062 attack percentage. Jess Grabowski led with six digs as the Panthers totaled 17 as a team in the fourth.
 
Down 16-15 and with Grabowski serving, Heilemann and Wilks each landed a pair of kills as Milwaukee put the game out of reach at 22-16. A service error had Butler within five but Milwaukee registered the final three points to take the match and move to 7-1 on the year.
 
The Panthers' setters played a huge role in the victory over Butler, each tallying a double-double. Rylie Vaughn finished with 23 assists and 14 digs while Jenn Dore totaled 23 assists and 11 digs.
 
"They mean so much to the success of this team," Johnson raved about her setters. "They are so fiercely competitive and committed. Defensively, they both worked so hard the last 12 months to get better and better and I'm just so proud of that. They are making good choices and good adjustments."
 
Grabowski finished with 20 digs, leading five in double digits. As a team, the Panthers registered 80 digs, the team's most in four sets this year.
 
For the seventh time this season, Milwaukee held its opponent to less than a .200 hitting percentage. The Panthers rank second in the Horizon League, allowing opponents to hit just .147.
 
The Panther Invitational will continue tomorrow as Milwaukee hits the floor at 2:30 pm against undefeated Western Michigan. Matt Menzl will be on the call on ESPN+ with live stats also available on MKEPanthers.com.