Milwaukee Athletics

DEKALB, Ill. – Finishing the match with a season-best .435 hitting percentage, the Milwaukee Panthers swept Northern Illinois on the road Thursday evening, 25-14, 25-16, 25-22.
 
The Panthers committed just six hitting errors all night, while four players hit .500 or better with at least 10 attempts. Josie Noble led Milwaukee with 12 kills and an .800 hitting percentage, while Bella Lipski hit .700 with seven kills. Annie Eschenbach and Kami Stover both hit .500, with Eschenbach recording eight kills and Stover adding five.
 
Milwaukee's .435 hitting percentage was its best in a match since the 2023 season, when the Panthers hit .459 against Idaho in early September. It was also Milwaukee's best hitting percentage in a Horizon League match since Nov. 4, 2021, when Milwaukee hit .467 against Cleveland State.
 
Milica Tomic dished out 18 assists and added two of Milwaukee's six aces, while Emma Duffy chipped in with 15 assists.
 
"What a great match," commented head coach Susie Johnson. "I'm so proud of the team and how they responded today. We played so clean and with so much confidence, and our offense was good throughout the match. I'm especially proud of our setters for the incredible decisions they made and the way they executed our game plan. They did a great job of putting our hitters in good positions to be successful, and the team really came together and played well as a group. It was a great effort from everyone."
 
Noble and Ella Schuetz each contributed a pair of service aces, while Schuetz added three kills and three blocks. Ella Parker finished the night with nine kills and four digs, while Kati Goba led the Panthers with 15 digs.
 
The first set was even through the first 16 points before Milwaukee pulled away, outscoring Northern Illinois 17-6 the rest of the way as the Panthers hit .440 in the set. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Milwaukee holding a slim 10-9 lead before closing out the frame on a 15-8 run and a match-high .452 hitting percentage in the set.
 
With a two-set lead, the Panthers jumped out to an early 12-6 advantage in the third. Northern Illinois responded with a run of its own to tie the set at 17, but Milwaukee regained control with four unanswered and held on to complete the sweep with a 25-22 victory. In the third, the Panthers had 16 kills against one error for a .417 hitting percentage.
 
Ava Grevengood led Northern Illinois with 10 kills, while Kylie Schulze tallied 20 assists and Charlotte Gramzow recorded a team-high eight digs. As a team, the Huskies hit .191 and committed 14 hitting errors, committing nine service errors, and had six receiving errors.
 
Milwaukee will return home for its next two matches, hosting IU Indy on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6:00 p.m. before welcoming Purdue Fort Wayne, Oct. 24 at 2:00 p.m. Both matches will air on ESPN+.