GREEN BAY, Wis. – Milwaukee volleyball improved to 3-0 in Horizon League play with a 3-1 victory over the Green Bay Phoenix at the Kress Center on Tuesday evening.
 
MKE took set one, 25-23, before Green Bay won the second set, 25-20. Milwaukee picked up the pace in the latter two sets, winning by identical 25-19 scores.
 
Natalie Schmitz led the Panthers with 16 kills on the night with a season-best .516 hitting percentage. Milica Tomic had 23 assists and Josie Johnson had 21 as the Panthers finished with 53 assists as a team on their 54 kills.
 
"It really helped that Natalie was able to contribute at a high level on the outside," commented head coach Susie Johnson postgame. "We also started to run the middle a little bit more and I think that made a difference when it came to holding their block."
 
The Panthers hit a season-best .302 on the night and improved throughout the match, hitting a combined .444 over the third and fourth sets. Milwaukee committed just one hitting error in the third set and three in the fourth.
 
"Statistically the match was similar … the difference was we were able to execute and compete at a high level down the stretch, where I felt we took better control of the match," Johnson added.
 
Green Bay ended the match hitting .230 but was just one kill behind Milwaukee's 54. The Phoenix performed well from the service line with nine aces to the four by the Panthers. MKE had a 5-3 lead in blocks, while also leading 59-52 in digs.
 
Ten different Panthers were credited with digs on the night including a match-best 18 from Kara Erdmann, while Tomic recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 digs. Kati Goba and Madi Malone each had eight digs apiece on defense.
 
Milwaukee used an early five-point run including four kills by Malone to take an 8-5 lead before Green Bay wrestled the lead back at 15-13. A service error by the Phoenix got the Panthers within one while a pair of GB errors plus kills by Lakyn Graves and Bri Geurts put the Panthers up by four. The home team got back within one at 24-23, but Schmitz put on the finishing touch with a cross-court kill.
 
In the second set, Green Bay built up an early 8-3 lead and did not allow Milwaukee to get much closer throughout, extending their lead to as many as seven at 17-10. MKE sliced the deficit to two, but did not have enough to get past Green Bay, who finished the set on a three-point run.
 
The third set was tied through the first 36 points before the Panthers won back service on an error by the Phoenix. With Tomic on the service line, MKE scored the next five to give the Panthers set point. After fending off the first, Green Bay was unable to defend set point any further as Czhen Beneby found the back line to seal the second set win of the night for the Panthers.
 
After Milwaukee and Green Bay were tied at eight in the fourth set, the Panthers took a lead they did not relinquish by building up a 20-15 advantage. Green Bay scored the next three, but the Panthers were able to finish off the match on a 5-1 run to clinch the victory.
 
Graves had four blocks to pace the Panthers up front, while Malone ended the night with three blocks.
 
Malone had 13 kills, while Rachel Scott added a half dozen. Beneby and Alexis Lewis had five each, while Geurts tallied four kills in the effort.
 
Green Bay was led by Katie Schulz with 19 kills, while Calli Gentry had 39 assists. Ellie Kurpeikis had a match-best four aces, while Abby Gardner led the Phoenix with 19 digs.
 
"This team is gaining confidence, and they should feel good about the results we've gotten over the first three conference matches," Johnson concluded. "We had to fight for these wins, and hopefully we can continue that momentum into the weekend."
 
Milwaukee will return home for the first time in almost three weeks as they host the IU Indianapolis Jaguars at the Klotsche Center. The weekend set will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, before a 2:00 p.m. start on Saturday afternoon.