INDIANAPOLIS – Following a strong showing this week, helping Milwaukee to a 3-0 record in Horizon League matches, junior Natalie Schmitz has earned conference Player of the Week honors.
 
Schmitz led the Panthers with 46 kills this week while hitting at a .356 clip offensively as Milwaukee averaged better than 14 kills per set as a team. Schmitz also added five service aces on offense, while adding 19 digs and a pair of blocks on the defensive side of the ball.
 
This week, Schmitz helped the Panthers to a three-set sweep at home against Green Bay with 13 kills. She followed that up with a career-best 19 kills while hitting .486 and added eight digs in Friday's four-set win over Purdue Fort Wayne. On Saturday, she tallied 14 more kills and notched eight more digs, while tying her season-best with four service aces.
 
Schmitz is currently 12th in the Horizon League in both kills at 2.92 per set, and points at 3.29 per set. She is also 17th in the league in hitting percentage with a career-best .226 this season. This year she has 286 kills for a career-best 2.92 kills per set, she also has career-highs with 23 aces and 91 digs.
 
She becomes the second Panther to earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors this season following Kara Erdmann, who earned weekly recognition on Oct. 21. This is the first Player of the Week nod in Schmitz' career.
 
Milwaukee will play the final two road matches of its season on Friday and Saturday this week, when the Panthers pay a visit to Robert Morris in Pennsylvania. Friday's match at the UPMC Events Center begins at 5:00 p.m. (CT), while Saturday's match starts at 12:00 p.m. (CT).