CLEVELAND – Milwaukee volleyball dropped a conference decision to the Cleveland State Vikings at Woodling Gym on Saturday, with the Vikings winning the three sets 25-20, 25-22, and 26-24.
 
"It was a tough match for us today, we had a challenging time getting into a rhythm both offensively and defensively," said head coach Susie Johnson. "Credit to Cleveland State, who played great and were performing well on all levels."
 
The Panthers were held to a season-low three blocks, as the team was only able to collect 36 digs. Offensively, the Panthers had 38 kills on 118 attempts and committed 21 errors for a .144 hitting percentage.
 
For the seventh consecutive match, Madi Malone reached double figures in kills as she finished the match with 14 kills. Her previous career-long in double-digit kill performances came during a six-match stretch from October 17 to October 29 of her freshman season in 2021. Malone also added six digs, a block, and an ace on the afternoon.
 
Lakyn Graves had a team-best .385 hitting percentage with seven kills, while chipping in with a team-best two blocks. Natalie Schmitz had seven kills, while Czhen Beneby had five kills and hit .364 over three sets. Malone, Schmitz, and Ari Miller each had one block apiece on the afternoon.
 
Kaley Blake had 15 assists to lead the way, while Josie Johnson tallied a dozen. Kara Erdmann had a team-best 10 digs, while Sarah Schrader registered eight of her own.
 
After splitting the first eight points of the opening set, the Panthers took a 7-4 lead on a kill by Malone and a pair of errors by the Vikings. A 10-2 run by Cleveland State in the middle stages of the set propelled the Vikings to a 17-12 lead. Milwaukee was only able to get back within three, but CSU hung on for the 25-20 win.
 
The score was tied at seven in the second set before the Panthers opened a lead, which included a pair of kills by Beneby, as well as attacks by Schmitz and Graves to put MKE ahead on the scoreboard at 13-8. The Panthers held onto a slim lead until the Vikings evened the match at 17 and eventually closed out the set on a 4-1 run for the 25-22 win.
 
Cleveland State led by an 8-5 difference to open the third set but the Panthers refused to go down easily as Schmitz connected on a kill as well as one by Graves to knot the score at eight. The Panthers led 11-10 but the Vikings took five of the next six points to take a three-point lead.
 
MKE closed the gap to one on a few occasions in the waning stages including an ace by Malone at 23-22, before the Vikings moved into match point with a kill. Miller put down the next point on a kill, followed by one from Schmitz as Johnson collected the assists to help the Panthers pull even at 24. However, Cleveland State closed out the set with the final two points for the 26-24 win in the third set.
 
Milwaukee will continue its trip on the road for the next two matches beginning with Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. (CT).