EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – It took five sets, but the Milwaukee volleyball team recorded its fifth consecutive victory on Friday afternoon taking down the Western Illinois Leathernecks at First Community Arena as part of the Cougar Classic.
 
The win was Milwaukee's third all-time victory over the Leathernecks in what proved to be their first five-set bout in eight all-time clashes. The five-match winning streak is the longest for the Panthers since the 2021 campaign, when MKE rolled off 12 consecutive wins during the middle of that season.
 
The match was historic for the Panthers as it was the program's 1,000th Division I contest, dating back to the program's inaugural Division I contest. The Panthers' second-ever match was also against Western Illinois on the first day of the 1990 campaign.
 
"This was an important all-team effort for sure," commented Susie Johnson after the match. "Western Illinois played at a high level throughout the match, but out group continued to battle and push right back."
 
"Sarah [Schrader] was spectacular with 36 digs," added Johnson. "Offensively we were great as the setters ran the offense well and the hitters put themselves in great position to score."
 
Milwaukee once again had an all-around team effort as the squad continues to click in all facets of the game. Sarah Schrader once again re-set her career high in digs for the second time in as many weeks, recording 36 digs on the match. The 36 digs were tied for third-most in a five-set match in Panther program history, with the record of 41 atop the list for Milwaukee in five-set matches.
 
Josie Johnson and Kaley Blake both had double-doubles on the night, with Johnson leading the pair of setters with 32 assists to go along with 11 digs. Blake also finished the night with 11 digs and chipped in with 20 assists.
 
Milwaukee secured 71 kills on the night, while hitting .249. The team was led by Ari Miller with a team-best 19 kills, while Natalie Schmitz was second with 16 kills. Madi Malone and Bri Geurts were both tied for third on the squad with 15 kills apiece, as Geurts continued her strong Friday effort as she combined to hit .583 with 23 kills and just two errors between the team's wins over Idaho and Western Illinois.
 
The Panthers also had double digits in blocks for the fourth time this season, ending the night with 11 stops at the net on defense. Lakyn Graves led the way with a Milwaukee career-high seven blocks while Miller was second on the night with four including the team's two solo blocks in the win. Geurts added three blocks, while Malone and Schmitz each had two apiece.
 
After dropping the first set by a 25-22 score, the Panthers raced back in the second and third set with identical 25-18 wins to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Milwaukee was gritty in the second set after falling behind by a 10-3 score but ran off an 11-point unanswered streak to give MKE a 14-10 lead. After exchanging service throughout the remainder of the second set it was Milwaukee to cap things off with a Malone kill at 25-18.
 
In the third, the Panthers jumped out to an early 5-2 lead with kills by Malone and three consecutive kills by Schmitz. Western Illinois wrestled the lead back as the advantage continued to change hand until Milwaukee went ahead 14-11. Ahead by one at 19-18, the Panthers scored six straight points with two kills by Malone, a kill from Miller, an ace from Schrader, and two kills from Geurts to cap off the third set.
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth effort for both sides that needed extra serves, as Milwaukee led by a 25-24 score but dropped the next three points to the Leathernecks to send the match to a fifth and deciding set.
 
After the final set was tied at four on a kill by Schmitz, Czhen Beneby and Graves combined for a block to put the Panthers up by one followed by kill from Malone and Schmitz. The Panthers were first to eight and held a 12-10 advantage before winning back service on a kill by Miller, who then recorded another block to set up the Panthers with match point. Ultimately an error by Western Illinois sealed the victory for the black and gold in five sets, as Milwaukee took the fifth by a 15-10 score.
 
Milwaukee will look to finish off the weekend sweep against the host SIUE Cougars at 1:00 p.m. from the First Community Center. Coverage of the game will be available on ESPN+ and with live stats found at the links on MKEPanthers.com.