Milwaukee Athletics

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee volleyball team wrapped up regular season play on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers downed the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in three sets at the Klotsche Center.
 
The Panthers swept the match with set scores of 25-14, 25-18, and 25-22 to win the match and seal its 21st win of the season overall and finishes Horizon League play with a 13-5 record.
 
Prior to the match, Milwaukee celebrated its four seniors playing in their final collegiate match on their home court as the Panthers celebrated Kaley Blake, Mati Jakscht, Ari Miller, and Sarah Schrader.
 
Milwaukee saved its best for last and had its best hitting performance in league play, with a .396 attacking percentage as the Panthers had 45 kills against seven errors on 96 swings. The .396 hitting percentage is the second highest overall on the season, with the highest coming back on September 8 against Idaho, when the Panthers had a .459 percentage.
 
The Panthers led in all statistical categories with a 45-41 advantage in kills, 4-3 in aces, 5-2 in blocks, 42-40 in assists, and 53-42 in digs to control the duration of the match against the Golden Grizzlies.
 
Madi Malone had 15 kills and a .419 hitting percent, while Natalie Schmitz was also double figures in kills with 11 kills while hitting .400 on the match. Miller had nine kills and a .571 hitting percentage, with Lakyn Graves connecting on five kills and a .556 percentage. The Panthers also got four kills by Bri Geurts and one from Josie Johnson.
 
The Panthers had four service aces on the afternoon, including a match-high two by Malone. Miller and Schrader each had one ace on the day.
 
Johnson led the Panthers with 18 assists, while Blake had 14 and Kati Goba added six. Goba led Milwaukee with 13 digs on the defensive side, while both Malone and Schrader each had 10 digs apiece.
 
Also, on the defensive side of the ball, Graves led Milwaukee with three blocks, while Malone, Miller, and Schmitz each had two blocks aside.
 
Milwaukee stormed out of the gates with eight of the first nine points to take an early 8-1 lead capped off by a kill from Graves. The Panthers built up a 10-point lead at 14-4 and continued to pour on in the opening set with a 19-6 lead. The Golden Grizzlies were able to fend off set point on three occasions before Milwaukee capped the period on a service error by Oakland for the 25-14 first set win.
 
In the second set the score was tied at four in the early stages before Milwaukee scored the next three points on kills by Graves and Malone, along with an ace by Schrader. Oakland knotted the score at eight before Milwaukee put down the next four kills including a trifecta from Malone and a kill by Miller.
 
The Panthers built up a 20-14 advantage and extended the lead to 24-17 on a kill by Schmitz. After one point by Oakland, the Panther finished off the stanza on a set error by the Golden Grizzlies to give Milwaukee a 25-18 win to take a two-set lead.
 
In the third set, both sides were even through the early going with the first 16 points split at 8-8. Oakland scored the next two and then led by 12-10 before the Panthers scored the next three to regain a one-point lead. Milwaukee opened a three-point lead at 16-13 following a trio of consecutive kills by Malone before Oakland ended the run. The Panthers scored the next two on Malone and Miller kills to take an 18-14 lead.
 
Milwaukee led by three at 21-18 before the two sides exchanged points with Milwaukee ahead by a 24-22 score. For the third consecutive set it was an error to put an end to the set as Milwaukee took the final set by three to win the match in straight sets.
 
Milwaukee will next play in the quarterfinal round of the Horizon League Tournament, as the Panthers will enter postseason play as the three seed. Milwaukee will take on the sixth seeded Cleveland State Vikings at 2:00 p.m. (CT) on Friday, November 17 at CJ McLin Gymnasium on the Wright State campus as the Raiders earned hosting duties with the regular season championship.