MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee volleyball improved to 3-0 in Horizon League matches on Tuesday evening, defeating the Green Bay Phoenix in straight sets at the Klotsche Center.
 
The Panthers were led by Natalie Schmitz, who recorded 12 kills on 27 swings for a .296 hitting percentage. Bella Lipski had seven kills, while Ella Schuetz chipped in five, as Milwaukee had 34 kills and a .237 hitting percentage on the night.
 
Milwaukee also delivered seven service aces, including two from Josie Johnson, who led the team with 17 assists. Milica Tomic contributed with 10 assists of her own on the offensive end.
 
Defensively, Kara Erdmann paced the Panthers with 15 digs. The team totaled eight blocks , led by Josie Noble with sevent, while Annie Eschenbach and Emily Hansen each added three.
 
"We put together a really strong game plan, and our team executed it efficiently tonight," said head coach Susie Johnson. "Once again, I thought we played together and as a team. We faced some adversity in the second and third sets, but we were able to stay composed and push back, which is incredibly vital as we get into conference play."
 
The Panthers opened strong, winning the first four points of the match and extending their lead to as many as 11 following a service ace from Noble to make it 23-12. Schmitz set up set point with a kill at 24-13, before Lipski closed it out with her second kill of the set.
 
Set two was tighter, with Green Bay staying within three points until Erdmann connected on a service ace of the night to make it 18-14. Schmitz once again put Milwaukee on the bring with the team's 24th point. Though the Phoenix fended off four set points, Schmitz sealed the frame with another kill, making it 25-22.
 
Green Bay opened the third set with momentum, building a 10-5 lead before three straight Phoenix errors brought Milwaukee within two. Kati Goba tied the score at 16 with a service ace. The Panthers kept the pressure on, with Noble and Lipski notching key kills to take a 22-21 lead.
 
After Milwaukee went ahead 23-21, Green Bay responded with back-to-back kills to level the set at 23. The teams exchanged points to 24-24 before a pair of Phoenix errors handed Milwaukee a 26-24 win and a match sweep.


Green Bay hit just .112 on the night including 25 errors. Diane Pichelman and Gillian Koning led the Phoenix with 10 kills each, while Olivia Neumann with six blocks and Kennedy Schmitz with 10 digs led GB on defense.
 
The Panthers hit the road for their first away Horizon League matches of the season, traveling to IU Indy. Milwaukee and the Jaguars will meet at The Jungle at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on Friday, followed by a 1:00 p.m. (CT) matchup on Saturday.