GREEN BAY, Wis. – Milwaukee volleyball struggled to get its offense going on Tuesday evening, falling to host Green Bay in three sets, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23.
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The Panthers committed 24 hitting errors, had seven setting errors, and a pair of reception errors, finishing the match with an .094 hitting percentage.
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Bella Lipski led the Panthers with nine kills, while
Josie Noble had eight and
Ella Schuetz added seven.
Milica Tomic recorded 18 assists, and
Emma Duffy chipped in with 12. Noble and Duffy each had a pair of service aces.
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Defensively, the Panthers had seven blocks on the night, led by five from Noble and three from
Annie Eschenbach.
Kati Goba led all players with 20 digs.
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Green Bay was led by Diane Pichelman and Gillian Koning with 12 kills each, as both players hit .440 to help the Phoenix finish with a .243 hitting percentage. Olivia Neumann had five blocks, while libero Macy Kline secured 11 digs.
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"Green Bay played really well tonight, and credit to them for the way they competed," said head coach
Susie Johnson. "We needed to find a rhythm as a team and do a better job of building consistency on our side of the net."
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After the teams stayed within two points of each other through the opening stages of the first set, Green Bay took a three-point lead at 15-12 and began to pull away late to secure the five-point win.
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Milwaukee fended off three set points in the second set, scoring three consecutive points to trim the deficit to 24-20, but the Panthers were unable to complete the comeback.
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The Panthers built a four-point lead in the third set at 17-13, but a seven-point run by the Phoenix swung the lead and momentum back in favor of the home side. Milwaukee battled back to tie the score at 22 and again at 23, but Green Bay tallied the final two points on a kill an a block to seal the match.
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Milwaukee heads back on the road on Thursday evening, traveling to DeKalb, Ill. for a Horizon League matchup against host Northern Illinois at 6:00 p.m. Coverage will be available on ESPN+.
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