Milwaukee Athletics

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Milwaukee volleyball team struggled in a road match on Thursday evening, falling to the host Youngstown State in three sets. The Penguins won the match by scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-21.
 
The Panthers were unable to get their offense going against the Penguins, committing 21 hitting errors while hitting just .125 as a team. By comparison, Youngstown State hit .246 while committing just 10 errors.
 
Kills were relatively even in the match with the Penguins holding a slim 39-36 advantage, while the Panthers led in digs, 61-52. Kati Goba recorded 18 digs to lead the way for Milwaukee while Ella Schuetz had a season-best 16.
 
Youngstown State also held advantages in aces (9-2) and blocks (9-3), limiting Milwaukee's opportunities to generate offense throughout the evening.
 
"We had a difficult time finding and maintaining our rhythm throughout the match," said head coach Susie Johnson. "We need to do a better job of creating opportunities offensively and generating points at a higher clip. It starts with being more consistent in our execution, making the most of our opportunities, and finding ways to put pressure on the other side. We know we are capable of producing more offensively."
 
Annie Eschenbach and Ella Parker both had eight kills, while Kami Stover added seven. Bella Lipski connected on five kills, while Schuetz added six. Emma Duffy recorded a team-high 18 assist, while Eschenbach and Lipski each had a pair of blocks.
 
Youngstown State was led by Layne Graffice with 10 kills, while Wrigley Takats added nine. Hayden Rodriguez dished out 14 assists with, Kameron Blizniak adding 13 assists and tying Graffice for the team lead in aces with three. Abbie Householder had a team-high 14 digs.
 
YSU strung together long rallies throughout the night, including scoring the first eight points of the match. The Panthers were able to close the gap to one at 21-20 on a kill by Schuetz, but the Penguins responded with four unanswered to take the set, 25-20.
 
Youngstown built early leads in both the second and third sets as well, holding the Panthers to 16 points in the second set. In the third, the Penguins opened a 21-10 advantage before Milwaukee tallied nine of the next 10 points to pull within three at 22-19. However, the Panthers were unable to finish the comeback as the Penguins took the match in three.
 
Milwaukee wraps up the regular season on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (CT) when the team visits Robert Morris at the UPMC Events Center. A win over the Colonials will clinch a postseason berth for the Panthers.