MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee volleyball returns for its 37th Division I season, while head coach Susie Johnson is back for year number 20 as head coach of the Panthers. Milwaukee heads to Iowa for a trio of matches against DePaul, South Dakota, and host Drake.

The opening match of the season will take place against the Blue Demons of DePaul at 3:00 p.m. on August 28, while Milwaukee is scheduled to take on the Coyotes of South Dakota and the Drake Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on August 29. The match against host Drake will be broadcast on ESPN+, while live stats will be available of all three contests. All links can be found on MKEPanthers.com.

WEEK AT A GLANCE & GAME LINKS
Friday, Aug. 28 | Milwaukee vs. DePaul | Knapp Center | Des Moines, Iowa | 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 | Milwaukee vs. South Dakota | Knapp Center | Des Moines, Iowa | 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 | Milwaukee at Drake | Knapp Center | Des Moines, Iowa | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ / Live Stats

FIRST SERVE
» Year 20 of the Susie Johnson era will begin this weekend as Milwaukee begins its 37th season at the Division I level, the Panthers will open the year with a trio of matches in Des Moines, Iowa at the Drake Tournament.
» The Panthers will first meet DePaul on Friday, meeting the Blue Demons for the fourth consecutive season. On Saturday, Milwaukee will take on South Dakota, who is led by Milwaukee Hall of Fame Student-Athlete Leanne Williamson (Felsing), who played for the Panthers from 2004-07. The weekend will wrap up against host Drake on Saturday evening, with the game broadcast on ESPN+.
» In 18 meetings at the Division I level, Milwaukee is 13-5 against DePaul. The Blue Demons have won the last two meetings, snapping an eight-game Panther winning streak. This will be the first meeting between Milwaukee and DePaul on a neutral court.
» Like DePaul, Milwaukee and South Dakota have not met on a neutral court but have only met three times in program history. The Panthers won the first in 2009, while the Coyotes have won the two most recent meetings in both 2018 and 2021.
» As for Drake, the Panthers and Bulldogs have matched up on the volleyball court nine times in program history, including four times in Des Moines, with the team's splitting those four meetings. Milwaukee has won the last five meetings, all coming this century, while Drake won all four meetings in the 1990s.

QUICK LOOK AT DEPAUL
In 2025, DePaul had a 14-13 overall record and look to make a jump in the Big East Conference in 2026, the Blue Demons were just 7-9 in league play and failed to qualify for the conference tournament. Last season the Blue Demons visited Milwaukee and escaped with a narrow five-set win against the Panthers, winning the fifth set by an 18-16 score. Milwaukee took the opening set by a 34-32 margin and led 2-0 before DePaul completed the reverse sweep.

DePaul was one of the top blocking teams in 2025, ranking 59th overall in Division I while leading the Big East at 2.42 blocks per set. Junior Jade Dudley-Epps led the Blue Demons and was in the top 100 of Division I with 119 blocks in 2025. Top digger Eva Hurrle is also back leading the DePaul defensive unit with 369 digs, which ranked just outside the top 100 of Division I players at 4.05 per set.

Kendall Timme led DePaul as a freshman with 301 kills in 2025 with classmate Morgan Stewart second on the team with 257. The Blue Demons amassed the most attacking attempts among all Big East teams a year ago, but were unable to finish and find the floor, finishing sixth in the 11-team league in kills per set at 12.71.

QUICK LOOK AT SOUTH DAKOTA
Coached by Panther Hall of Famer Leanne Williamson (nee Felsing), who leads South Dakota in her 13th season, has turned the Coyotes into a power in the Summit League. During her previous 12 seasons, South Dakota has won at least 15 matches in all her previous seasons, while reaching 20 wins in seven of her 12 years at the top of the program.

Last year, South Dakota went 20-9 overall with a 12-4 record in the Summit League. Earning the second seed in the league tournament, the Coyotes were upset in five sets in the semifinals against eventual champion St. Thomas.

The Coyotes return top hitter Lauren Medeck, who led the team with 345 kills and was also among the team leaders is 16 service aces, setter Avery Van Hook paced the offense with 1,153 assists. The team returns the top 10 kill producers from a season ago, but did lose defensive specialist Kamryn Farris, who departed with her team-high 536 digs from 2025.

QUICK LOOK AT DRAKE
Drake was 18-12 a season ago with a 12-4 record in the Missouri Valley Conference, earning the three seed in the MVC Tournament. After defeating the fourth seed Belmont in five sets, and the second seed Valparaiso in four sets, the Bulldogs were swept by top-seeded Northern Iowa in the league championship.

Caroline Smith made the All-Tournament team as a freshman and returns for her sophomore season with the Bulldogs after a 244-kill season a season ago. Smith also added 60 blocks up front for the defense, which is expected to once again be a valuable weapon for Drake. Leading blockers Bliss Beck (123 blocks in 2025) and Aniyah Davis (110 blocks in 2025) are both back in uniform for the MVC runners up.

Drake was one of the top digging teams in 2025, ranked 33rd nation with 16.05 digs per set a year ago, but lost each of their top five diggers including team leader Macy Daufeldt, who led the team with 377. The top returning defender in the back line is setter Katie Quick, who had 183 a year ago, Quick is also the top setter returning for Drake, who split time with Addison Beagle a year ago.

UP NEXT
After the weekend in Iowa, Milwaukee will head to the Twin Cities and take part inf the St. Thomas Tournament. The Panthers will take on UIC, Montana State, and host St. Thomas from Sept. 3-5.

RETURNING ROSTER
Back for their fourth seasons with the team are Bella Lipski and Kati Goba, the duo joined the team in 2023 and have increased their roles throughout their tenure with the Panthers. Goba is expected to be the team's starter at the libero position in 2026 following a season as a defensive specialist, while Lipski will also start in a middle blocker role for the second-straight season.

In their second seasons with the program after transferring in a year ago are Annie Eschenbach and Carol Herrero. Eschenbach has one of the strongest swings on the team and drives the ball with authority, a part-time starter in 2025, she is expected to see an expanded role in her second year with the Panthers. Herrero saw pockets of time during her first season with the team and played a vital role in the team's exhibition win over Northwestern during the preseason, potentially setting up for a big senior season.

Milica Tomic is back as Milwaukee's top setter, amassing exactly 1,000 assists through her first two seasons with the Panthers. The Dyer, Ind. native is another top server, like Goba, as Tomic added 19 as a sophomore following a freshman season with 28 aces.

A well-rounded group of sophomores closes out the returners, highlighted by a pair of freshman starters from 2026. Josie Noble was an All-Horizon League Second Team selection and earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team following a season with 118 blocks on defense, with 233 kills and a .287 hitting percentage. Ella Schuetz was third on the team as a rookie with 210 kills, and has been a consistent presence for the Panthers through their first two exhibition matches.

Julia Kellner looks to return to her high school form after battling injury throughout her inaugural season in college. Braylin Bosetski did not see any action in 2025, but has seen time on the court in a defensive specialist role during the preseason.

TRANSFER ADDITIONS
Milwaukee added a pair of transfers heading into 2026, the newcomers include junior Ella Parker, who joined the Panthers from St. John's (N.Y.) of the Big East Conference. Parker played in 21 matches at St. John's a season ago after three matches her initial season in 2024.

The Panthers also added Kami Stover, who played at Division II Walsh this past season. She was the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and earned First Team All-League honors. She averaged 4.30 kills per set with 452 kills on the season, starting in all 30 matches.

FRESHMEN NEWCOMERS
A class of four freshmen join the Panthers in 2026, Emma Duffy is expected to be a regular in the lineup as Milwaukee's second setter in its 6-2 rotation. The team also welcomes Liv Doerre, Kayla Landerud, and Hope Wagner.

THE COACHING STAFF
Back for season 20 as the head coach, and 30th season overall, head coach Susie Johnson boasts a 316-245 record in her 19 seasons as head coach, while amassing over 540 wins in her 29 years entering 2026.

Also back for her 20th season on her staff is Hall of Fame student-athlete Lindsey Vanden Berg (nee Spoden). Katie Adams is on the staff for her third season, while Raina Terry is back coaching Milwaukee's hitters for her second year. Joining the staff as a student assistant coach, while finishing up her degree, is Josie Johnson, who, like Vanden Berg, is top 10 in program history in assists.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Milwaukee has no first-time opponents this season but are playing a number of teams it has not seen in recent seasons. Notably, the Panthers have not played South Dakota since September of 2021, Drake since September of 2019, Indiana State since 1997. All of Milwaukee's remaining opponents have played against the Panthers over the last five seasons.

Among the team's that Milwaukee played in non-conference play in 2025 were DePaul, Wisconsin, and Marquette.

The Horizon League also expanded by one team in 2026 with the addition of Northern Illinois. While the number of opponents in league matches will remain at 20, the number of times the Panthers will see an opponent will reduce from two matches against each opponent to one match against four. Milwaukee will see IU Indy, Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State just once in 2026. The adjustment in conference play will now expand the volleyball championship to eight teams and four days, compared to six teams over three days of competition in recent history.

PANTHERS vs. RANKED
Milwaukee played two teams last season that garnered attention from the AVCA. The Panthers played No. 8 Wisconsin on Sept. 9 before taking on Marquette on Sept. 14, the Golden Eagles were receiving votes at the time. The schedule also featured preseason No. 13 Arizona State in Tempe on Sept. 21. The Panthers are 2-39 in all-time meetings against top-25 programs, which includes the losses earlier this season to Wisconsin and Arizona State.

In 2026, Milwaukee is scheduled to take on Wisconsin, who opened the season as the No. 6 team in the nation. The Panthers will also take on Marquette, who was receiving votes in the preseason poll, and put a scare into No. 2 Texas, taking the Longhorns to five sets in the AVCA First Serve event last weekend at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

WHO WAS LEADING TODAY?
Milwaukee loved to spread the ball around and had five different players lead them in kills last season including a team-best 17 matches by Natalie Schmitz. Josie Noble has led the team eight times, Bella Lipski and Annie Eschenbach four times each and  Ella Schuetz three times.

The Panther defense has also had six different players lead the team in blocks at various points throughout the season including a team-best 20 times by Josie Noble. Bella Lipski has led the team in blocking 14 times this season, followed by Annie Eschenbach five times, Emily Hansen and Sam Vanda twice, and Julia Kellner and Natalie Schmitz once each.

Kara Erdmann has led Milwaukee in digs 30 times last year, while Josie Johnson, Ella Schuetz, Milica Tomic each finished a match with the team lead on one occasion. Johnson has also led Milwaukee in assists 22 times, with Milicia Tomic leading the Panthers 11 times this season.

NOT SO BLOCK PARTY
In 2025, the Panthers were 1-13 this season in matches where they are outblocked by opponents, winning their first match in the team's four-set win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 31. Milwaukee was also 8-6 with more blocks than their opponents and 2-2 when blocks are equal.

NOBLE UP FRONT
With 118 blocks on the season, Josie Noble led Milwaukee with her efforts and is the first freshman to lead the Panthers in blocks since Ari Miller had 99 blocks her freshman season in 2019.

The freshman record at Milwaukee for blocks in a season is Natalie Schmitting, who had 123 blocks in 2007. There have been five first-year players in program history to record at least 100 digs in their rookie campaigns.

KILLS-BLOCKS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
With 13 Kills and 13 Blocks against Green Bay on Oct. 28, 2025, Josie Noble became the first Panther to record at least 10 blocks in a single match since Ari Miller did so against Oakland on Oct. 13, 2019, in Rochester, Mich.

The Kills-Blocks Double-Double is the first for a Panther since Rachel Neuberger had 15 Kills and 10 Blocks against Wright State on Oct. 12, 2012. They are the only two instances of Kills-Block Double-Doubles since the conclusion of the 2010 season.