DES MOINES, Iowa – In the previous five contests this year, Milwaukee volleyball won the first set each time, so on Saturday, facing a 2-0 deficit was something new. The Panthers fought and showed their resiliency as they rattled off three consecutive set wins in a 3-2 comeback victory over Drake.
 
"Drake is a very good, physical team," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "We had to really fight and compete as a group. It was an enormous team effort."
 
Down 2-0 in the match, the Panthers knew that they had to make a stand and in the third frame, Milwaukee stood tall. MKE limited their errors and put away 16 kills as they jumped out to an early advantage and held on to extend the match.
 
Milwaukee used runs of 8-1 and 6-1 in the third as they worked for a 25-19 victory. Jess Grabowski was key in the set, leading the defensive charge for the Panthers as she recorded 11 of the team's 26 digs.
 
The Panthers continued their efficiency the rest of the way, hitting over .300 in each of the final two frames. In the fourth, a pair of kills from Louise Kiekhofer led to a 5-0 start and later, four kills from Carmen Heilemann rallied a 7-0 run for Milwaukee to pull ahead 14-6.
 
Kiekhofer and Heilemann combined for 11 of the team's 20 kills in the set as they rolled to a 25-18 set four win to force a deciding frame.
 
In the fifth, Drake jumped on top immediately, scoring three of the first four points, but the resiliency of Milwaukee showed yet again. The Panthers battled back and at 8-8, kills from Kleja Cerniauskaite and Ari Miller together with a Bulldogs error put MKE up 11-8.
 
Drake's Emily Plock cashed in on a pair of kills as she tried to keep pace with Milwaukee, but Jenn Dore set up Kiekhofer and Kylie Wilks back-to-back kills as the Panthers completed the comeback.
 
"I am very proud of everyone. The defense was really, really good," Johnson continued. "It was a gutsy match and we fought hard. I was really impressed by the toughness our team showed and how we bounced back to win."
 
As a team, the Panthers set season-highs in kills (74), assists (69), and digs (95). Milwaukee statistically dominated Drake on Friday, leading in nearly every category.
 
Grabowski led five in double-figure digs as she tied a career-high with 32. Wilks totaled 17 digs to go along with 10 kills, her first double-double of the season.
 
Rylie Vaughn and Dore each reached the 30-assist mark as they dished up 31 and 32, respectively. Both setters also recorded a double-double as Vaughn dug up 12 balls while Dore totaled 15 digs.
 
Offensively, Heilemann put away 19 kills and hit .342, her third match this season hitting over .300. Cerniauskaite slammed home a career-high 17 kills in the match.
 
The Panthers will next return to Milwaukee as the host the Panther Invitational on September 13-14. MKE will face SEMO and Butler on Friday, September 13 before battling Western Michigan on Saturday. Tickets and game coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.