MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Jess Grabowski totaled a season-high 26 digs to lead a stout defense as the Milwaukee volleyball team knocked off UIC 3-1 on Monday night. The Panthers totaled 95 digs as a team to hand the Flames their first loss of the season.
 
"That was a tough team, an undefeated team, and we really had to continue to fight through it tonight," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "Jess was super competitive tonight. She just had an incredible presence defensively tonight as well as serving."
 
UIC (6-1, 6-1 Horizon League) showed why it had an unblemished record in the first set as the Flames battled through 11 ties and five lead changes to earn a set one win 27-25.
 
Milwaukee (4-3, 4-3 Horizon League) battled back, however, and found its offensive rhythm in the second. Behind three kills from Carmen Heilemann, the Panthers ran out to a 9-3 lead and never looked back. As a team, MKE hit .343 in the frame to pull even at 1-1 with UIC.
 
Tied 10-10 in the third, Heilemann put away three kills in a 6-1 run which put MKE on top 16-11. The Panthers would keep that distance the rest of the way, led by Heilemann's five kills in six swings to help MKE grab a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
The Panthers brought the defense in the fourth, totaling 27 digs and four blocks to hold the Flames to a negative hitting percentage. Grabowski had eight digs alone while Rylie Vaughn and Abby Koenen each had four in the set.
 
UIC got the jump early and pulled ahead 9-8, but Milwaukee put together a 6-2 run for a 14-11 advantage and kept control the rest of the way to earn its third straight victory of the season.
 
The 95 digs for Milwaukee marked the most in a four-set match since October 12, 2012 when the Panthers totaled 101 digs in a win over Wright State.
 
Heilemann led the offense with 15 kills, hitting .357 while Kleja Cerniauskaite and Ari Miller each added 10 kills.
 
"I felt like Carmen was a big thret tonight," Johnson stated. "She scored a lot out of system which was helpful and found success in other ways as well. Kleja and Ari also had a really solid match."
 
Setters Rylie Vaughn and Kaley Blake combined for 36 assists and 33 digs in the win.
 
"Both setters had a great defensive night with timely digs," Johnson continued. "They were really good at reading and also did a great job leading on the court as well."
 
The Panthers and Flames will return to the Klotsche Center tomorrow at 12:00 pm to close the two-game series. Live coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.