Milwaukee Athletics

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Milwaukee volleyball clinched a Horizon League postseason berth with a five-set marathon victory over Robert Morris at UPMC Events Center.
 
The Panthers won the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-21, before RMU bounced back to take the next two, 25-21and 25-18. In the fifth, Milwaukee was able to regain its footing and secured the set, 17-15, to take the match.
 
The win, coupled with Oakland's loss to Purdue Fort Wayne, locked Milwaukee into the seventh seed in the upcoming Horizon League Volleyball Championship, set to begin on Nov. 19 at CJ McLin Gymnasium in Dayton, Ohio. It marks the sixth-straight postseason berth for the Panthers.
 
Ella Parker, Ella Schuetz, and Milica Tomic all recorded double-doubles in the victory. Parker finished with 16 kills and 22 digs, while Schuetz added 17 kills and 14 digs. Tomic tallied 24 assists and 14 digs.
 
Kati Goba tied Parker for the team lead with 22 digs, while Emma Duffy matched Tomic with 24 assists.
 
Josie Noble had seven kills and led the defensive front with eight blocks, including the match-clinching solo block for the 17th point in the fifth set.
 
Milwaukee found success early in the match, stringing together long runs to take a 2-0 lead. The Panthers trailed 19-12 in the third set but rallied to pull within one at 19-18, before Robert Morris closed out the set on a 6-2 run. In the fourth, the Colonials held a 19-16 advantage and went on to secure the 25-18 win.
 
The fifth set was tied at six following a block by Noble and Annie Eschenbach, followed by consecutive kills from Parker and Noble. Bella Lipski later gave the Panthers a 13-10 lead, but Robert Morris battled back to pull within one at 13-12 and eventually tied the score at 14.
 
The teams traded points again to reach 15-15 before Schuetz recorded a kill to give Milwaukee its third match point. The Panthers capitalized on the opportunity as Noble recorded her third solo block of the night to seal the victory.
 
"That was a gutsy match," said head coach Susie Johnson. "One where we really had to dig in and find a way to finish. There were some challenging moments, but our team continued to compete, fight for every point and stay together throughout the match. I'm proud of the way this group battled all the way to the finish and found a way to get the job done."
 
The Colonials were led by Lauren Decker with 20 kills and 19 digs, while Kenlee Barnard held a team-high with 28 assists. Robert Morris hit .200 as a team compared to Milwaukee's .185 hitting percentage.
 
The Panthers had a season-high 88 digs to the 79 by Robert Morris.
 
As the seventh seed, Milwaukee will play the sixth seed in the first round of the 2026 Horizon League Volleyball Championship. The match is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m. (CT), with the opponent to be determined following the results of Saturday's matches.