Milwaukee Athletics

MILWAUKEE – For the second time in the team's last three matches, the Milwaukee volleyball team hit .400 or better, as the Panthers defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in straight sets.
 
The Panthers topped the Mastodons by scores of 25-17, 25-22, and 25-22, committing just 13 hitting errors to finish the match hitting .400. Milwaukee also recorded 51 kills, tying its season high for kills in a three-set match.
 
Ella Parker led the way for Milwaukee with 18 kills and a .571 hitting percentage, while Ella Schuetz added 10 kills and hit .364. Annie Eschenbach hit .500 with nine kills, and Josie Noble contributed with seven kills and hit .417.
 
Both Parker and Schuetz each recorded service aces, while Milica Tomic and Emma Duffy combined for 40 of the team's 45 assists, with Tomic recording 22 and Duffy adding 18. Parker also led the Panthers with eight digs, while Schuetz added seven and Tomic had six.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne finished with 37 kills on 89 attempts, hitting .258 as a team. The Mastodons also committed seven service errors and a pair of blocking errors.
 
"We were efficient with our offense today," said head coach Susie Johnson. "We did a good job of making smart decisions, staying composed, and taking advantage of the opportunities we had. Defensively, our blocking was a big part of that, as we stayed disciplined and did a nice job of taking away their options at the net. Overall, I was really pleased with how we executed on both sides of the ball."
 
Milwaukee used a 9-1 run midway through the first to open a six-point lead before closing out the opener on a 4-1 rally capped by a kill from Bella Lipski.
 
The Panthers jumped ahead early in both the second and third sets and never relinquished the lead, holding off the Mastodons in each frame to secure the straight-set victory.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne was led by Riley Rosneck with 16 kills, while Mya Plemons had seven kills and hit .636 while Haiden Means dished out 24 assists and added a pair of aces, while Plemons also paced the Mastodons with four blocks.
 
Milwaukee heads back on the road next weekend for a pair of matches against Oakland in Michigan. The Panthers and Golden Grizzlies will meet on Friday at 5:00 p.m. before a Saturday matchup at 1:00 p.m. Both matches are scheduled to air on ESPN+.