GREEN BAY, Wis. – Ari Miller became the third Panther in program history to record 1,500 career kills as the senior led Milwaukee with 14 in the team's three-set loss to the Green Bay Phoenix on Tuesday evening at the Kress Center.
 
The Phoenix won by the set scores of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-22 as Green Bay won the season series from the Panthers having won at the Klotsche Center on October 3.
 
"There wasn't one aspect of our game that we could get going tonight," said head coach Susie Johnson post game. "Some matches are harder than others and tonight was one of those, but we need to learn from this and get back to competing for every point like we had been, that was just difficult for us to do tonight."
 
While Miller led the Panthers with 14 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, Milwaukee was unable to put together much of an offense against a stingy Green Bay defense. Madi Malone was second on the team with 10 kills and had her 11th double-double of the season with a team-best 12 digs.
 
Natalie Schmitz picked up nine kills on the effort, while Josie Johnson led the Panthers with 19 assists followed by Kaley Blake with 14. The Panthers had just two aces on the night, with Miller and Sarah Schrader each recording one apiece on the match.
 
Lakyn Graves had a team-best three blocks, as she also added four kills on offense. Bella Lipski was tied with Graves at three blocks including the team's lone solo block of the evening. Kati Goba registered eight digs.
 
The Panthers led early in the first set with a 6-2 lead following a service ace by Miller. Milwaukee extended its lead to as many as five on a kill by Miller to make it 13-8 before the Phoenix responded with a seven-point run to take a two-point advantage. A service error by Green Bay gave the Panthers service back, but MKE was unable to benefit with the serve.
 
Milwaukee scored three unanswered points to pull back within one at 18-17 following a block by Graves and Malone, however, the Panthers were unable to get any closer in the opening set as Green Bay won by a 25-21 margin.
 
In the second set, Milwaukee started out with an early lead again at 4-2 after back-to-back kills by Malone and Miller before Green Bay wrestled the lead back at 5-4. Malone and Miller connected on consecutive kills followed by a block by Lipski to put the Panthers up by a pair at 7-5.
 
The lead exchanged hands on the ensuing points with Milwaukee taking a 10-9 lead on a Phoenix error before Green Bay took the lead back at 12-11 on a service ace. Five-straight points by the Phoenix extended the advantage to 17-12. Two late scores on a block by Graves and Lipski and an error by GB was not enough as the Phoenix took the second set, 25-18.
 
It was Green Bay to take the early lead in the third set at 8-3 but Milwaukee scored four of the next five points including kills by Graves, Bri Geurts, and Malone to trim the deficit to two at 9-7. The Panthers regained the lead with four unanswered including a pair of kills by Schmitz and one from Graves to put MKE ahead 14-13.
 
After taking back the lead at 17-16, Green Bay did just enough in the closing stages of the third set to hold back the Panther offense despite Milwaukee rallying to close the gap to one at 19-18. MKE held off match point on three occasions with a pair of kills by Miller and a block by Lipski and Miller, but the Phoenix emerged with the 25-22 win.
 
Milwaukee is now in a tie for first place in the Horizon League and will battle with Wright State on Friday evening with first place on the line. Green Bay's win pulls the Phoenix into a tie with Northern Kentucky for third place, with the two teams just one game behind Milwaukee and Wright State. The Panthers and Raiders will meet in Dayton, Ohio with first serve slated for 5:00 p.m. (CT).