FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Behind three players with at least 18 digs each, the Milwaukee volleyball team put together a 3-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday morning.
 
"It was such a tough match," head coach Susie Johnson commented. "They are a really good team and we had to earn every point. I'm proud of this team for fighting. They just had to trust in themselves and it happened."
 
As a team, Milwaukee (7-6, 7-6 Horizon League) led the dig column 87-77 thanks to a match-high 24 from Jess Grabowski. Sarah Schrader and Rylie Vaughn also dominated on defense, totaling 19 and 18 digs, respectively.
 
"Defensively, Jess, Rylie, and Sarah were so critical," Johnson continued. "Our defense and block were much better today than it has been. We had a ton of positive touches."
 
The Panthers seemed to get everything up in the first set, holding Purdue Fort Wayne to just 10 kills and a .073 attack percentage as MKE totaled 20 digs in the frame.
 
Tied 16-16 late in the first, Milwaukee rattled off a 9-2 run to close the set and grab a 1-0 lead.
 
The Mastodons (10-5, 10-5 Horizon League) raced out of the gate in set two and cruised to a win to tie the match 1-1 but the Panthers bounced back.
 
Milwaukee needed extra points in both the third and fourth sets but found a way to outlast Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Trailing 25-24, Kleja Cerniauskaite and Carmen Heilemann put way consecutive kills and a Mastodons' error had MKE up 2-1 in the match. Abby Koenen finished with seven kills in 10 swings in the third alone.
 
Ari Miller took over in the fourth set, landing eight kills in 13 swings to carry the Panthers. Milwaukee fell behind 20-16 but a pair of Schrader service aces sparked a 4-0 run to tie.
 
With the match on the line, Miller slammed home her final kill and another PFW error secured the win for the Panthers.
 
Miller finished the match with a season-high 19 kills, hitting .389 in the win. Koenen added 2 while Heilemann totaled 11.
 
Milwaukee and PFW will meet again at 4:00 pm to wrap up the regular season. Live coverage links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.