MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee volleyball team fell in three sets to host Marquette on Sunday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles won 25-17, 25-20, and 25-19 in a competitive matchup.
 
Natalie Schmitz led the Panthers with 12 kills while Josie Johnson had 15 assists and Milica Tomic had 11 to pace the offense. Kati Goba dropped in a pair of aces with Kara Erdmann and Sam Vanda contributing one each.
 
Erdmann led the Panthers defensively with 11 digs, while Tomic was second on the team with eight. Vanda and Josie Noble combined on two Milwaukee blocks.
 
"We had a much-improved and significant fight today against a strong Marquette team," said Susie Johnson. "Our team responded well today and was really competitive … I'm really proud of the fight we showed today."
 
Marquette burst out of the gates with an early 8-1 lead and opened an 11-point advantage at 19-8. However, the Panthers rallied and fought back to make it a six-point difference at 23-17 following Goba's pair of aces. The lead proved to be too much to overcome, as Marquette took the opener by eight.
 
Milwaukee trailed the Golden Eagles by one in the second set at 11-10, but a six-point run by MU gave the home squad the advantage. The Panthers punched back again with a 7-2 run of their own to pull back within four at 24-20, before Marquette finished off the set.
 
In a similar sequence, Milwaukee trailed Marquette 9-8 before an 8-1 Golden Eagle run put the home side up 17-9. A three-point run on kills by Ella Schuetz, Bella Lipski, and Schmitz got the Panthers within five at 22-17 mark, but the Golden Eagles were able to get over the finish line to earn the win.
 
Marquette was led by Natalie Ring with 17 kills and a .405 hitting percentage, while Adriana Studer led MU with three aces and 15 digs. Hattie Bray had six kills and a pair of blocks, while Elena Radeff had seven kills without an error on a .636 hitting percentage.
 
Milwaukee will take on its second-straight Big East opponent on Wednesday evening, when the Panthers welcome the DePaul Blue Demons to the Klotsche Center for a 6:00 p.m. first serve.