MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee volleyball improved to 5-0 in Horizon League play on Saturday afternoon, knocking off the IU Indianapolis Jaguars in straight sets at the Klotsche Center.
 
For the third straight match, Milwaukee improved upon their best hitting percentage of the season at .380 with 40 kills and a new season-low with just five hitting errors. The Panthers won the sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-16 to finish off the sweep of the Jaguars.
 
Five players had at least four kills for the Panthers, who were led by Madi Malone with a 15-kill afternoon while hitting .577. Bri Geurts connected on eight kills while Natalie Schmitz tallied seven. Rachel Scott chimed in with five kills and Alexis Lewis finished the day with four.
 
"Our attacking unit has been working hard and approaching with a lot of confidence," said Susie Johnson on the offensive effort. "We had a lot working for us on the passing side as well, especially against their tough service."
 
Josie Johnson led the Panthers with 17 assists, while Milica Tomic had 14, Kati Goba added three assists to Milwaukee's 38 on the afternoon. Goba also led Milwaukee with three service aces, while Tomic added a pair.
 
Defensively, Milwaukee outblocked the Jaguars by a 6-1 margin, with Lewis, Scott, and Lakyn Graves each being credited with three apiece. Kara Erdmann led the Panthers with 13 digs, while Malone finished with 10 digs for her eighth double-double of 2024.
 
"We were very disciplined and efficient on the defensive side," added Johnson. "We were redirecting their attempts and allowing our passers to dig the ball well. Our defensive scheme worked well against IU Indy."
 
Milwaukee broke out quickly behind the strong service of Goba, who helped the Panthers take an early three-point lead. IU Indy led by a 12-11 lead before Lewis tied the set and sparked a rally that saw Milwaukee cruise to a 25-17 finish as a block by Lewis and Schmitz gave the Panthers the first-set win.
 
The second set saw the early stages close as the Panthers led by just three at 9-6 before a five-point run behind Johnson's serve game helped MKE extend its lead to 14-6. Despite a late push by IU Indy with four unanswered to close the gap to 21-16, the Panthers got a pair of kills by Schmitz and a kill from Geurts along with a block from Lewis and Scott to take set two.
 
IU Indy led 8-6 after four consecutive points before Milwaukee called a key timeout and regained momentum to open a 15-12 lead following a strong service rally by Tomic, including a pair of kills by Malone.
 
"After four points in a row with one of their best servers up, I took the timeout to and said we needed to execute at a higher level," said Johnson. "Our team at this point understands what that looks like, because we were able to do that yesterday and most of today as well, so we got right back to it."
 
The Panther lead swelled to 20-15 before IU Indy got back a point on a kill. The Black & Gold put the set away with five unanswered, including a pair of kills by both Scott and Lewis, while Lewis and Malone combined for a block during the match-clinching run.
 
Briana Brown had a team-best nine kills for IU Indy, while also leading the Jaguars with three aces and combined on the team's lone block with Morgan Ostrowski. Grace Purichia had 19 assists, while Jordan Pax had a team-best 14 digs.
 
Milwaukee will be on the road this coming weekend as the team heads to Northern Kentucky for a pair of key league matches. The Panthers and Norse will first meet on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (CT), before a Saturday match at 1:00 p.m. (CT).