MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee volleyball won its 20th match of the season, including its eighth in a row, with the completion of a reverse sweep over the Cleveland State Vikings on Friday evening at the Klotsche Center.
 
Kara Erdmann finished the match with 34 digs to give her 664 on the season, setting a new single-season record in the process. Three other players also reached double figures in digs as Milwaukee finished the match with 96 as a team, Madi Malone had 17, Kati Goba added 12, and Josie Johnson finished the match with 11.
 
The defense was key for Milwaukee beyond its dig total, as the team had six of their eight combined blocks in the three winning sets. Lakyn Graves had a team-best seven blocks, including three solo blocks, while Czhen Beneby added a pair.
 
"I told the team after the match how proud I was of their composure and that they rose up to the occasion in a pressure-filled match," said head coach Susie Johnson after the match.
 
The team has been built on a balanced offensive attack all season long and Friday night was no different as six Panthers ended the night with at least eight kills. Natalie Schmitz led the way with 15, while Beneby added 11 with a team-best .429 hitting percentage.
 
Malone had a double-double with 10 kills to go along with her dig count. Graves had 10 kills, Rachel Scott had nine, and Alexis Lewis added eight.
 
Johnson notched a double-double as well as she and Milica Tomic proved to be as balanced as can possible, dishing out an identical 27 assists each. Tomic led the way in the service game with a trio of aces.
 
Milwaukee was able to erase a slow start with 19 of its combined 33 errors taking place over the first two sets. Cleveland State won the opener, 25-13, and narrowly escaped with a win in the second, 31-29, fending off five Milwaukee set points along the way after the Panthers led 24-21 late in the period.
 
"Cleveland State played so well today, but we were able counter and play our style of game to earn that win," added Johnson. "We knew it was going to be a hard match against one of the top defensive teams in the Horizon League, but we were able to fight through it."
 
After hitting just .108 over the first two sets, Milwaukee used the extended break after the second set to refocus and flip the script on Cleveland State. In the latter three sets, Milwaukee hit .214 including a match-best .286 in the match-winning fifth set.
 
Meanwhile the defense held the Vikings to just a .144 hitting percentage, after a fast start for CSU that saw the visitors hit .281 in the opening two periods.
 
The third set saw the teams have extended runs of scoring, but it was ultimately Milwaukee to score five of the final six points including the set-clincher by Malone to give the Panthers a 25-22 win in the third set.
 
Graves came alive in the fourth set with five kills and three blocks as MKE built up an 18-11 advantage. The Vikings refused to go down without a fight, and closed the gap before the Panthers were able to seal the fourth set with a 25-23 win.
 
The two sides were level at seven points apiece in the deciding fifth set, before Graves got a kill to switch sides and spark a five-point run. Schmitz and Beneby had important kills to thwart any extended run by the Vikings before Cleveland State gave Milwaukee the match-clincher with a service error.
 
The reverse sweep was the fourth of the season for Milwaukee, and third time they have done it in front of the home crowd, after doing so against Illinois State on Sept. 13 and Wright State on Oct. 18. The Panthers also had a reverse sweep on the road against Oakland on Sept. 27.
 
Despite the win tonight, Wright State swept the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in Michigan to clinch the regular season title and hosting rights to the upcoming Horizon League Championship. The Panthers are officially locked in as the two seed and will await a first-round winner in the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the CJ McLin Gymnasium in Dayton, Ohio.
 
Milwaukee will wrap up the 2024 regular season at home tomorrow with a 2:00 p.m. first serve against the Vikings. The team will recognize its six graduating seniors throughout the afternoon, so fans are encouraged to come early and stay through the post-match ceremony.