MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee volleyball team took a break from Horizon League play for a non-conference tilt against in-city foe Marquette on Tuesday evening. The Panthers fell to their hosts in three sets at the Al McGuire Center.
 
Milica Tomic had a double-double for the Panthers with 12 assists and 14 digs, while Kara Erdmann reached double digits in digs with a team-best 18 on the night.
 
Marquette won the match by winning the three sets, 25-17, 25-16, and 25-17.
 
The Panther offense was only able to muster a .144 hitting percentage, including a .333 from Bri Geurts to lead the way. Geurts was one of four Panthers with at least five kills on the night, as MKE got seven from Madi Malone and six each from Czhen Beneby and Natalie Schmitz.
 
"It was really hard to get into a rhythm tonight," commented head coach Susie Johnson after the match. "Marquette is a very good team that is very efficient. We had a few good moments, but it was difficult for us to string together any type of sustained offense against them."
 
Marquette hit better than .400 in both the first and third sets and ended the match with a .366 offensive effort. Natalie Ring paced the Golden Eagle offense with 13 kills, while Aubrey Hamilton added a dozen. Yadhira Anchante had 41 assists on the 50 Marquette kills.
 
"We were able to make some adjustments as the match went on, and we did a better job of understanding what Marquette was trying to do," Johnson added. "It was good for us to face a high-level team as we head into the second half of conference play.
 
Three Panthers had a trio of kills in the opening set as Beneby, Alexis Lewis, and Schmitz led Milwaukee offensively. MKE hit a match-high .212 in the opening set as the Golden Eagles won the opening frame, 25-17. Erdmann had seven digs in the first.
 
Geurts led the Panthers in the second set with three kills and added a pair of blocks. Lakyn Graves and Beneby had two blocks apiece as the Panthers finished with four of their seven blocks in the second, as Marquette took the set by nine.
 
In the third, Milwaukee tied their total in the first set with 11 kills as Malone had five kills, while Beneby and Schmitz each had a pair. Graves and Schmitz also had a pair of combined blocks in the third, while Erdmann tallied six more digs.
 
Josie Johnson reached double figures and added 11 assists for Milwaukee.
 
Milwaukee returns home to the Klotsche Center on Friday evening, when the team begins the second half of Horizon League play against the Youngstown State Penguins. The opening service will commence at 6:00 p.m.