MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Following six straight matches away from home, the Milwaukee volleyball team finally opens its season at the Klotsche Center on Friday. Milwaukee will host LSU at 5:00 pm, just the second all-time meeting between the two teams.
 
The Panthers are hosting a Fall Welcome for campus during Friday's match, welcoming students back to campus with Floatie Fest. The match will feature free floaties and ice cream floats for all UWM students.
 
MKE will then head a few blocks south to take on Marquette on Sunday in the first matchup between the two since 2017.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
LSU opened the season 3-3 with wins over Samford, Troy, and Iowa State in head coach Tonya Johnson's inaugural year. The Tigers are led by a core group of returners including middle blocker Anita Anwusi, outside hitter Sanaa Dotson, and libero Ella Larkin. LSU was selected eighth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll while Anwusi was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team.
 
Marquette opened the year with a splash, taking down No. 11 Kentucky in five sets in Lexington and currently sit at 4-1. The Golden Eagles moved up to No. 23 in the AVCA Top 25 Poll with the solid start. MU finished the season 26-6 overall, capturing its second BIG EAST title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history. This year, the Golden Eagles earned two first place votes in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll as they were predicted to finish second. Carsen Murray was selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
 
SERIES HISTORY
LSU and Milwaukee have met just one other time in program history with the Tigers earning a 3-0 sweep on September 17, 2004.
 
Marquette leads the all-time series against Milwaukee 21-14 and have won the last 11 matchups against the Panthers. MKE has not topped the Golden Eagles since 2007 and is just 4-12 as the road team in the series. This meeting marks the first since 2017.
 
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.
 
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.
 
WIN NO. 1
The grueling non-conference schedule continued in West Lafayette, Ind. last weekend 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 the Braves 3-1. The offense was clicking, hitting at least .300 in three of the four frames including at 16-kill output in the crucial fourth set.
 
ALL-TOURNEY HONORS
Ari Miller was named to the Purdue Reamer Club Xtra Special All-Tournament team after hitting .315 with 39 kills (3.0 per set) and 15 blocks this past weekend. 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.
 
DYNAMIC DUO
The setter tandem of Josie Johnson and Kaley Blake impressed last weekend as the two totaled 123 assists, 40 digs, and four aces. Johnson recorded her first double-double in a Panthers uniform on September 2 against Utah, totaling 22 assists and 15 digs. Blake also notched a double-double against the Utes, her second of the season, with 25 assists and 14 digs. The two have helped the Panthers record the second highest attack percentage in the Horizon League through six matches.
 
GOOD GRACIOUS, GEURTS
Bri Geurts has impressed so far this season, averaging 1.79 kills per set with a team-best attack percentage of .351. Additionally, Geurts is tied for the team lead with 21 blocks. This past weekend, the sophomore totaled 27 kills and 14 blocks in the three matches. Against Utah, Geurts exploded for 11 kills and a career-high seven blocks.
 
CLOSING IN ON 1K
With 961 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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers wrap up their non-conference schedule on the west coast, heading to the USC Trojan Challenge. Milwaukee will face USC, New Mexico State, and San Jose State beginning on Friday, September 16.