Milwaukee Athletics

MILWAUKEE – The home schedule for the Milwaukee volleyball team came to a close on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers dropped a four-set decision to Wright State.
 
The Panthers won the opening set, 25-21, but the Raiders bounced back with 25-17, 25-19, 25-20 wins to remain unbeaten in Horizon League play.
 
A pair of sophomores highlighted the offensive attack for the Panthers as Ella Schuetz recorded a team-high 15 kills, while Josie Noble added 14. The duo also contributed defensively, with Noble tallying seven blocks and Schuetz adding four.
 
Kati Goba finished the match with 21 digs, while Ella Parker and Emma Duffy recorded nine apiece. Duffy also collected 16 assists, three behind the team-high 19 held by Milica Tomic. Tomic recorded three consecutive service aces in the second set and tied Duffy for the team lead in aces.
 
Wright State was led by Katie Sowko with 16 kills, followed by Reilly Zegunis and Haley Robinson with 15 apiece. Lauren Yacobucci dished out 52 assists and recorded one of the Raiders' eight service aces on the afternoon. Robinson led the defense with six blocks, while libero Taygan Corstange had a match-high 17 digs for WSU.
 
Milwaukee opened the match on a 9-2 rally and did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. Wright State threatened in the latter stages, closing the gap to 23-20 before the Panthers secured the set on a kill by Noble.
 
The second featured three ties and three lead changes, with Milwaukee holding an 11-10 advantage before Wright State strung together six unanswered points to extend its lead and take the set, 25-17.
 
The Raiders built an early lead in the third set, but Milwaukee responded to even the score at 13. Wright State did just enough to maintain its advantage and took the set, 25-19.
 
Milwaukee grabbed another early lead in the fourth set but was unable to stop a six-point run by Wright State, which took an 8-4 lead. Later in the set, Milwaukee strung together a 4-1 rally to pull within two at 20-18, but the visitors held on to secure the match with a 25-20 victory.
 
"We really competed today against the top team in the conference," said head coach Susie Johnson. "I'm proud of the way our team continued to battle throughout the match. We put ourselves in a position to be successful, but unfortunately, things didn't go our way in the end. There are certainly things we can learn from this performance, and we will take those lessons with us as we reset, get back to work in practice, and prepare for another important weekend ahead."
 
Milwaukee will head on the road for the final two matches of the regular season, beginning with a visit to Youngstown State on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (CT). The Panther will then take on Robert Morris on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (CT) to close out the regular season.