VERMILLION, S.D. – The Milwaukee volleyball team bounced back from a first-set loss to win three straight sets for a 3-1 win over Bradley at the South Dakota Classic on Friday morning.
 
The Panthers hit .339 as a team capped with a 12-0-21 (.571) performance in the fourth set to top the Braves. On the defensive side, Milwaukee racked up 57 digs and 11 blocks in the win.
 
"We talked to the team about getting in our rhythm," head coach Susie Johnson said. "Once we get in that rhythm, we are a great team. We found that in this match. Bradley came out to play and it started hard, but once we worked a few things out, our group grew as a whole."
 
After dropping the first set, Milwaukee (3-4) shook the errors in the second frame, putting away 19 kills with just two mistakes while hitting .447 in a 25-21 victory. Bradley pushed late with a 10-3 run, but Abby Koenen put away two late kills to end the frame 25-21 and even the match.
 
The Braves (1-6) kept control most of the third with an answer for every Milwaukee point, but the Panthers turned it on late. Ari Miller recorded a kill and two blocks before Madi Malone cashed in twice to tie it 23-23.
 
Kleja Cerniauskaite then hammered home her seventh kill and a Bradley error handed MKE a 25-23 third-second victory to pull ahead 2-1 in the match.
 
It was all Milwaukee in the fourth as the Panthers rolled out to a 9-2 start. The Braves pulled within five at 15-10, but MKE continued to capitalize and finished on a 10-2 run emphasized by kills from Malone and Carmen Heilemann.
 
Heilemann led all players with 16 kills, hitting .464, her fifth straight match reaching double digits.
 
Jess Grabowski led the defense with 16 digs to go along with nine assists and two aces. Malone added nine digs and nine kills with a .381 attack percentage.
 
The Panthers are back at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this evening to take on host South Dakota at 7:30 pm.
 
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