MILWAUKEE, Wis. - After one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history, the Milwaukee volleyball team looks forward to Horizon League action, beginning with Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday. The Panthers will then host Youngstown State and Robert Morris on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
 
Fans can watch all three matches on ESPN+. Matt Menzl will have the call for both of the Panthers' home matches this weekend. Links for video and live stats can be found on MKEPanthers.com.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the year with a pair of wins at its home invitational but most recently dropped consecutive sweeps against Duquesne and Toledo and sit at 4-7 through non-conference play. Offensively, Sidney Schiller and Iris Riegel lead the way, each averaging over 3.0 kills per set. Rachael Crucis anchors the back line and ranks third in the Horizon League with 5.08 digs per set. As a team, the Mastodons are second in the league in kills (13.03) and third in assists (11.97).
 
Youngstown State is led by sophomore Paula Gursching, who is tops in the league with 4.43 kills per set, hitting .271. She has shouldered the load and helped the Penguins to a 6-5 overall record. YSU has also been one of the top serving teams in the Horizon League, totaling 68 aces (1.66 per set). On the defensive end, Isidora Sisic leads with 143 digs while Nadia Pace is the top net threat, totaling 30 blocks.
 
Robert Morris used a six-match winning streak to post a 7-5 record in non-conference play. The Colonials bring a tough serve, leading the Horizon League with 80 aces (1.70 per set). Both Abby Ryan and Annie Monaco are over 100 kills this year while Ally Christman is averaging 2.75 kills per set at a clip of .254. Allena Carmody leads the back line with 179 digs and also has a team-best 17 aces.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee has dominated the all-time series with Purdue Fort Wayne, winning six of the seven matchups. The Panthers have won the last five contests and have only dropped two sets to PFW since the Mastodons joined the Horizon League.
 
Thanks to six straight victories over Youngstown State, MKE has pushed its all-time lead to 37-9 against the Penguins. The last time the Panthers fell against YSU was November 11, 2017. Milwaukee also owns a 19-3 record at home against the Penguins.
 
Robert Morris and Milwaukee have met just three times with the Panthers taking all three matchups via a sweep. Two of those three victories came in 2021 while the first was in 2014.
 
READY FOR HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY
After a tough non-conference slate, the Panthers will be relieved to get to Horizon League play to defend their regular season title from a year ago.
 
Milwaukee also opened the league schedule with Purdue Fort Wayne last season, earning a 3-1 win over the Mastodons to begin a 12-match winning streak.
 
The Panthers own the most wins and highest winning percentage in league history with 300 victories and a .725 winning percentage.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Milwaukee has seen plenty of success on its home floor, totaling a 266-112 (.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.
 
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.
 
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 17 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.
 
A GRAND MILESTONE
On Saturday 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 (.336).
 
Miller also currently ranks sixth in program history in career kills per set (3.12) and first in attack percentage (.332).
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Bri Geurts was named to the USC Trojan Challenge All-Tournament team over the weekend thanks to a pair of solid outings against New Mexico State and San Jose State.
 
Geurts put away 11 kills and added four digs and two blocks against the Aggies and followed with a 10-kill performance against the Spartans, hitting .368.
 
This season, Geurts is averaging 2.3 kills per frame with a .271 attack percentage. She is also tied for second on the team with 29 total blocks.
 
At the Purdue Reamer Club Xtra Special from September 2-3, Ari Miller earned All-Tourney honors after hitting .315 with 39 kills (3.0 per set) and 15 blocks . The junior recorded at least 12 kills in all three matches, opening with 14 kills and a .364 attack percentage against (RV) Utah. That afternoon, she helped the Panthers to a win over Bradley, totaling 12 kills and six blocks. On Saturday, Miller put away 13 kills against No. 11 Purdue.
 
MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Natalie Schmitz has wasted no time contributing in her first year for the black and gold. The freshman ranks third on the team with 97 kills (2.31 per set).
 
Fellow freshman Josie Johnson has helped control the offense at the setter position. Johnson has dished up 180 assists and has added 51 digs and five aces, which ranks second on the team.
 
NO SLOUCH IN NON-CONFERENCE
Head Coach Susie Johnson has put together one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history and that continues in California. The Panthers already have two ranked matches under their belts and on Friday, MKE will face its third team that is receiving votes in the top-25 poll.
 
The last time the Panthers saw at least two ranked opponents in a single season was 2014 when MKE took on No. 19 Minnesota and No. 25 Michigan State.
 
WIN NO. 1
The grueling non-conference schedule continued in West Lafayette, Ind. during the second weekend of play but the Panthers battled to their first victory of the 2022 season. Madi Malone put away 13 kills and Ari Miller added 12 as the Panthers topped Bradley 3-1 on September 2. The offense was clicking, hitting at least .300 in three of the four frames including at 16-kill output in the crucial fourth set.
 
PANTHER DEBUTS
All 13 active Panthers saw the floor during the opening weekend of play with six new faces making their debut for the black and gold. Natalie Schmitz put away 20 kills, averaging 1.82 per set while Czhen Beneby totaled 14 kills and seven blocks. Rachel Scott recorded five kills, four digs, and three blocks in nine sets played. Josie Johnson saw action in all 11 sets and racked up 36 assists and 13 digs. Maddie Moan (one block) and Kara Erdmann (eight digs) also made their debut for MKE.
 
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.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
Milwaukee hits the road for three matches next week, taking on IUPUI on September 27 followed by contests at Wright State and Northern Kentucky.