MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee volleyball team wraps up the regular season at home against in-state rival Green Bay on Friday, November 11 before gearing up for the Horizon League Championships.
 
Friday's match against the Phoenix will be carried on ESPN+ and will also feature live stats with coverage links available on MKEPanthers.com.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Green Bay had and impressive start to the Horizon League schedule but has cooled down some as of late, dropping three of the last five contests.
 
Last weekend, the Phoenix were swept by Cleveland State but followed up with a 3-0 win over Oakland. Win or lose, Green Bay has solidified the No. 3 seed for the Horizon League Tournament. 
 
Alexandra Zakutney leads the way with 3.49 kills per set which puts her third among the league rankings. The redshirt junior is second overall with 4.12 points per set. Cora Behnke and Shannon Coughlin also provide a punch with 273 and 242 kills, respectively.
 
On the back line, Green Bay has three players with at least 300 digs led by Kayla Lass' 332. The Phoenix rank third as a team in the Horizon League with 16.32 digs per set.
 
GB also ranks in the league's top three in three offensive categories including hitting percentage, assists, and kills.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers own a 50-22 all-time advantage over Green Bay, but the Phoenix own the most recent victory, a 3-0 triumph from October 14. Prior to that, MKE won six straight over the Phoenix.
 
During the matchup from earlier this season, Milwaukee was held to just 34 kills and a .184 attack percentage. Madi Malone finished with nine kills and 13 digs to lead MKE.
 
LOOKING AT THE LEAGUE
The top six in the league standings advance to the Horizon League Championships, which begin on November 18 and is hosted by Wright State, who locked up the No. 1 overall seed.
 
Northern Kentucky will be the No. 2 seed followed by Green Bay at No. 3.
 
Milwaukee, Youngstown State, and Cleveland State are most likely to be the three remaining teams in the bracket with seeds to be determined following this weekend's matches. If Oakland wins two, YSU loses two, and CSU wins at least one, the Golden Grizzlies could sneak in.
 
If MKE ties CSU in the standings, the Panthers hold the tiebreaker. If MKE ties YSU, the leader depends on whether or not YSU defeats Wright State this weekend. If it is a three-way tie between MKE, YSU, and CSU, the order would be based upon this weekend's results.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Despite having a 16-match home winning streak against league opponents snapped earlier this season, the Panthers have still put up strong numbers at the Klotsche Center.
 
Since 1990, MKE is 272-114 (.707) overall at the Klotsche Center and 168-49 against league opponents on its home floor.
 
The 16 straight wins over the Horizon League at home marks the longest undefeated streak since 2008 when Milwaukee recorded its fifth straight perfect home league schedule. From 2004-08, MKE won 36 consecutive home matchups against league opponents.
 
WELCOME BACK, ARI
Ari Miller was sidelined since October 18 but returned last weekend and made a big impact. In the win over Oakland, Miller hit .455 with 12 kills and four blocks. She followed that with 12 kills against Cleveland State.
 
Despite missing five matches, Miller has still put up big numbers this year. The junior is third on the team with 265 kills and leads with a .331 attack percentage. Additionally, she is second with 81 blocks.
 
Miller ranks in the league's top 10 in hitting percentage, kills, blocks, and points.
 
Miller has tallied at least 10 kills in 17 matches this season and has recorded at least six blocks on six occasions. 
 
GO OFF, GEURTS
Bri Geurts has put together a career-year so far with still one match left in the regular season. The sophomore hit at least .300 in six straight matches from October 14-29 and is hitting a career-best .261.
 
In addition to her hitting percentage, she has set new career highs across the board with 180 kills, 16 aces, 49 digs, and 85 blocks.
 
GETTING IN THE GROOVE
Madi Malone reached the 20-kill mark for the second time this season, putting up 20 against Northern Kentucky on October 28. The sophomore hit .333 and added eight digs against the Norse.
 
Malone averaged 3.30 kills per set in three matches last week and is now up to a team-best 278 kills. Additionally, Malone ranks second on the team with 275 digs.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Natalie Schmitz has been a huge impact for the Panthers' offense this year and ranks second on the team with 268 kills and third with a .219 attack percentage.
 
Schmitz has at least 10 kills in 13 contests including 15 on October 21 against Robert Morris which matched a career high at MKE.
 
BLOCK PARTY
In the win over Oakland on October, 8 Bri Geurts racked up a career-high nine blocks. As a team, Milwaukee recorded 10 blocks, its ninth match this season with double figure stuffs. On October 21, MKE added another match with 10 blocks. It marks the most matches with at least 10 blocks since 2016 when Milwaukee had 15 double-figure outputs.
 
The Panthers currently rank fifth in the league with 2.00 blocks per set in league play.
 
MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Natalie Schmitz is not the only freshman who has stepped into a pivotal role for the Panthers.
 
Josie Johnson has helped control the offense at the setter position. Johnson has dished up 457 assists and has added 152 digs and 12 aces, which is tied for third on the team.
 
Kara Erdmann currently ranks fourth on the team with 194 digs, reaching double digits in five straight matches and eight of the last nine.
 
Czhen Beneby has also made an impact, totaling 158 kills and 76 blocks in her first season with the black and gold.
 
YEAR 50
This year marks the 50th season of Milwaukee volleyball. Susie Johnson has been on the bench for more than half that time, spending 10 seasons as an assistant coach and embarking on her 16th at the helm this year. Johnson is just 10 victories away from surpassing Kathy Litzau for the most NCAA Division I wins in program history (271).
 
As a program since inception in 1973, the Panthers have claimed 14 league championships and have been to 10 NCAA Tournaments. Milwaukee volleyball also has 21 Bud K. Haidet Hall of Famers, 12 All-Americans, 11 league players of the year, and much more in its history.
 
A GRAND MILESTONE
On September 17 against San Jose State, junior Ari Miller put away 13 kills which put her over 1,000 for her career. Miller became the 15th player in program history to reach the milestone.
 
Additionally, Miller currently ranks sixth in career kills per set (3.16) and first in attack percentage (.337).
 
Against Northern Kentucky on October 28, Kaley Blake dished out 25 assists to reach 1,000 for her career.
 
PRESEASON POLL
The Panthers picked up four first-place votes and 93 total poll points as they were predicted to finish second in this year's Horizon League preseason poll. MKE was edged by Northern Kentucky, who earned six first-place votes and 96 poll points. Wright State was picked third (78 points) followed by Green Bay (69) to round out the top four.
 
CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Thanks to ESPN+, Milwaukee volleyball will be readily available for viewers. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.
 
ESPN+, which will host the Horizon League women's soccer, men's soccer, and volleyball championships, offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content, and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
 
For road games, visit MKEPanthers.com for live coverage links.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers will head to Dayton, Ohio for the Horizon League Championship which begins on November 18.