ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Milwaukee volleyball team improved to 2-0 in Horizon League play with another five-set marathon victory over the host Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon.
 
Three Panthers reached double figures in kills led by Madi Malone with a team-best 16, while freshman Gabby Wire had a breakout with a 13-kill effort. Alexis Lewis saved her 10th and final kill of the match for the clincher in the fifth set, while she also led Milwaukee with a pair of blocks.
 
MKE was sluggish out of the gates and dropped the opening set to Oakland by a 25-13 score. The Panthers bounced back with wins in the second and third sets by identical 25-22 scores but were unable to close out the match in the fourth as the Golden Grizzlies forced a fifth set with a 25-21 set win. The Black & Gold came out on top with a 15-10 fifth set victory.
 
Oakland had the advantage in hitting percentage through the match with a .192 compared to the .183 hit by the Panthers, while the Golden Grizzlies did a better job limiting attacking errors with 23 in contrast to Milwaukee's 32.
 
"Oakland played with a lot of confidence, and tested us throughout the weekend," commented head coach Susie Johnson. "This was a full-team effort, but to be able to come out on top from the pressure we faced … I'm proud of how we responded."
 
Where Milwaukee excelled was in its kill total, holding a 10-point advantage at 67-57 over Oakland. In total, nine different Panthers found the floor, including nine by Rachel Scott, and six each from Bri Geurts and Lakyn Graves.
 
"We stayed resilient throughout the match," Johnson added. "Our team is trusting themselves … and we've been focused and able to make adjustments throughout the match, both from coaching decisions and our ability on the court."
 
Three Panthers reached double figures in digs as well in a strong effort, led by Kara Erdmann with 26, while Kati Goba, and Malone each finished with 13 apiece.
 
In terms of passing, Milica Tomic recorded a season-best 32 assists and Josie Johnson had 25 as the Panthers finished the match with 64 as a team comparted to 55 by Oakland.
 
The home team charged out quickly with an 11-3 advantage and were able to keep the Panthers in check while winning the set, 25-13.
 
The two sides were even throughout the second set until a four-point burst by the Panthers gave MKE a 23-20 lead including kills by Wire and Czhen Beneby. Lewis closed out the set with a kill to the tie match with a 25-22 set victory.
 
The Panthers led by as many as six in the third set following another four-point outburst to make it 16-10. The Golden Grizzlies clawed their way back into the set, but the resilient Milwaukee squad got a kill by Scott to finish off the third, 25-22.
 
A late rally in the fourth set by Milwaukee fell just short after Oakland had built up a hefty lead at 19-12. The Panthers had a 7-3 run to get back within three at 24-21, but the home side was able to hang on for the win to force the fifth set.
 
Milwaukee led 7-5 in the final frame before back-to-back kills from Geurts extended its lead to four. Wire and Lewis followed with kills of their own before the Grizzlies battled to get the score to within four at 14-10. It was ultimately Lewis to finish off the afternoon with her 10th kill to give MKE its second win of the conference season.
 
The Panthers will wrap-up its five-match road trip this Tuesday, when the Panthers visit the Kress Center in Green Bay for a 6:00 p.m. start in Horizon League play against the Phoenix.