MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Milwaukee volleyball team looks to kick off 2022 on the right foot as the Panthers head to South Bend, Indiana for the Notre Dame Irish Invitational. MKE claimed its 14th regular season title last year, finishing 16-2 in league play and 22-9 overall. Head coach Susie Johnson will have plenty of new faces in 2022 after graduating six seniors from a year ago.
 
Despite the turnover, the 16th-year head coach returns plenty of firepower including Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year Ari Miller as well as Freshman of the Year Madi Malone.
 
Additionally, upperclassmen Mati Jakscht (Sr.) and Sarah Schrader (Jr.) will look to anchor the back line while setter Kaley Blake returns for her third season with the black and gold. Tatum Catalano and Bri Geurts are back for year two while Johnson added two transfers and six freshman to round out this year's squad.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Mississippi State rattled of 13 straight wins to end the 2021 regular season and finish 25-6 overall and second in the SEC. Behind senior Gabby Waden, who was named to the Preseason All-SEC squad, and six starters from a year ago, the Bulldogs were picked to place fifth in the SEC his year.
 
Last year, Texas Tech reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 behind a 17-13 overall record. The Red Raiders return a stacked lineup with seven seniors or above including Kenna Sauer and Karrington Jones who each earned All-Big 12 Honors a season ago.
 
Notre Dame enters a new era with Salima Rockwell taking the reigns as head coach. Rockwell is a four-time national champion and three-time All-American and spent nine years coaching at her alma mater, Penn State. The Irish will have plenty of new faces on their roster which is filled with six freshman, two sophomores, three juniors, two seniors, and three graduates.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee and Mississippi State have met just one other time in program history with the Bulldogs earning a 3-1 win at the Virginia Tech Hokie Fall Invitational in 2005.
 
The Panthers faced off with Texas Tech just one other time in program history. The Red Raiders took a 3-0 win on September 5, 1998.
 
MKE is 1-2 all-time against Notre Dame including a 3-1 victory a season ago at the Shamrock Invitational. Previously, the Irish earned sweeps over Milwaukee in 1994 and 2002 before the Panthers' victory in 2021.
 
YEAR 50
Not only is Friday the season opener for the Panthers, but it will also mark the beginning 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 18 victories away from surpassing Kathy Litzau for the most NCAA Division I wins in program history (272).
 
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.
 
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.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Milwaukee has seen plenty of success on its home floor, totaling a 266-111 (.706) record at the Klotsche Center since 1990. Last year, the Panthers finished 9-0 against league opponents at home, their 11th time going undefeated against the league in MKE. In total, the Panthers are 163-47 against league opponents at the Klotsche Center since 1990.
 
MILLER MAGIC
Ari Miller continued to add to her already-impressive resume last year as she was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-America,  Horizon League Player of the Year, and Offensive Player of the Year. Miller now has three First Team All-League mentions to her name, just one of 30 Horizon League players to ever do so. With one more nod, she could join Sammy Condon (Oakland) and Haley Libs (Northern Kentucky) as the only four-time First Team selections. 
 
Miller joined an elite group of just 11 other Panthers in program history with her AVCA Honorable Mention All-American accolade. It's the most recent All-American honor for the Panthers since Rachel Neuberger and Kerri Schuh was named in 2011.
 
CLOSING IN ON 1K
With 895 kills, Ari Miller is closing in on becoming the 15th Panther in program history to reach 1,000 kills.
 
Miller also currently ranks sixth in program history in career kills per set (3.16) and first in attack percentage (.336).
 
MAKING THE RETURN
In addition to Ari Miller, Madi Malone returns for her second season after lighting it up in 2021. Malone became the Panthers' third Freshman of the Year winner after putting together an impressive season with 371 kills and 283 digs while hitting .252, all of which ranks in the top 10 all-time for Milwaukee freshman.
 
NEW FACES
Head Coach Susie Johnson lost six players to graduation from one year ago but brought plenty of new faces ready make an impact. Transfers Czhen Beneby (Virginia) and Lakyn Graves (Omaha) have seen action at the college level while five new freshmen will get their first shot at this level. Kara Erdmann, Josie Johnson, Maddie Moan, Natalie Schmitz, and Rachel Scott will all look for playing time this fall.
 
HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPS
With a 16-2 mark in Horizon League play last year, Milwaukee clinched the title of regular season champions. It marked the 14th regular season title and first since 2013 for the Panthers.
 
CLEANING UP WEEKLY AWARDS
Milwaukee dominated the weekly honors last season, collecting nine Horizon League Player of the Week awards. Ari Miller led the charge with four while Madi Malone earned her first two awards. Currently, Miller is tied for sixth in league history with six career Player of the Week awards. Becky Peters (2005-08) and Kerri Schuh (2007-11) each finished their career with seven to lead Milwaukee.
 
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.