MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Despite trailing 2-0 to the Horizon League preseason favorites, the Milwaukee volleyball team never quit and rallied all the way back for a 3-2 comeback victory against Wright State on Friday night.  
 
"The reality is, we started to battle and started to compete," head coach Susie Johnson stated. "They are a very good team and had a great game plan and we had to overcome that plan. We had to make some changes and we were able to make those changes and execute."
 
Madi Malone put away a career-high 29 kills while Rylie Vaughn also reached a career-high, dishing out 60 assists to go with 23 digs.
 
"That was awesome. I knew she [Madi] was on fire and she was very comfortable," Johnson said. "She knew what she needed to do and where she needed to hit it."
 
Wright State (8-6, 0-2 Horizon League) used a strong defensive front to put the Panthers in a 2-0 hole but Milwaukee would not go away, led by the right arm of Malone.
 
Milwaukee (10-6, 4-0 Horizon League) and WSU battled to 10 ties and four lead changes in the third set before Malone and Carmen Heilemann put away crucial kills to cut the gap in half with a 25-23 win.
 
Malone shouldered the load through three sets, leading the charge with 21 kills.
 
The offense stayed hot in the fourth set, hammering home 20 kills for the second straight set. Wright State built the advantage to four points at 19-15, but a 4-0 run quickly evened the frame.
 
Abby Koenen and Heilemann then put away four kills in a 4-2 run to lead 23-21. The Raiders pulled within one before Ari Miller and Malone sent it to a fifth set with consecutive kills in a 25-22 victory.
 
It was all Milwaukee in the deciding fifth frame as Bri Guerts and Carmen Heilemann aced WSU to go up 3-1. Koenen then registered three consecutive kills for a 6-1 advantage and MKE never let up.
 
The Panthers added a 5-1 run to push the lead to 11-4 and Malone capitalized for two more on the way to a 15-5 victory to complete the comeback.
 
Malone's 29 kills knocked off her previous career-best of 24 from earlier this season and ranks as the third most in program history for a five-set match.
 
Vaughn recorded her second straight 20-20 match, and fifth of her career. The 60 assists cleared her previous career-high by nine.
 
Miller shined late, as she put away 15 of her 20 kills in the final three sets. The junior hit .383 and added three digs and a pair of blocks.
 
Koenen came up big time for the Panthers as well, setting a new season-best with the 13 kills.
 
The defense was stellar all night, totaling 96 digs. Thanks to five players in double digits. Jess Grabowski led the way with 24.
 
The Panthers are back on the road next as they take on Oakland on Thursday, October 7 at 4:00 pm followed by Cleveland State on October 8.
 
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