Milwaukee Athletics

MADISON, Wis. – The Milwaukee volleyball team put a scare into No. 6 Wisconsin Friday night, taking the third set in a four-set decision against the Badgers.
 
The Panthers hit .210 and recorded 40 kills on the evening, including a match-best 12 kills and .345 hitting percentage in the team's winning set. Wisconsin hit .326 for the match, including a .387 in the first set, and a .371 in the fourth. Milwaukee dropped the first two sets by identical 25-18 scores before taking the third by a 25-22 margin. Ultimately, Wisconsin won the fourth by 10-point difference.
 
The set win was Milwaukee's first set victory over an AVCA Top-10 team since the 2002 season, when the Panthers took a set against No. 6 Northern Iowa in the NCAA Tournament. It was also the team's first set win against Wisconsin since the 2013 campaign.
 
Ella Parker tied her season best with 12 kills, while Ella Schuetz recorded eight and Josie Noble had six in the effort. Milica Tomic tallied 16 assists and the team's lone ace, while Emma Duffy notched 10 assists.
 
Defensively, Kati Goba had 21 digs and Parker chipped in with eight. Bella Lipski had a hand in four of Milwaukee's five blocks of the night. Julia Kellner and Schuetz were each credited with two blocks apiece.
 
Despite dropping the first two sets, Milwaukee kept it close late in each stanza. The Panthers leveled the first set at 17 before UW closed it out on an 8-2 run. In the second, Milwaukee trailed by as many as nine but fought back and outscored the Badgers 6-4 down the stretch.
 
"We competed every single point in a really tough environment," said head coach Susie Johnson. "I thought our team executed the game plan really well. We knew it was going to take a lot of fight and discipline, and I thought we did a great job of that."
 
The third set saw the home team jump out to a five-point cushion before the Panthers evened the score at 12 and then took a 15-14 advantage. Despite the Badgers regaining a 20-19 lead, Milwaukee continued to fight back and scored five of the next six points to set up its own set point at 24-21. The Badgers got a kill next, before Parker polished off the win with a kill off a feed from Tomic.
 
Wisconsin built an early lead in the fourth, which Milwaukee was unable to erase as the Badgers went on to win the match with a 25-15 set score.
 
"We kept battling, we kept trusting each other and we gave ourselves a chance," Johnson added. "We didn't come out on top, but I'm so proud of this team and the way they competed tonight. There's a lot we can take from this match and continue to build on."
 
Charlie Fuerbringer paced Wisconsin with 54 assists and 16 digs, while libero Anna Bardaro had 17 digs. Kymora Scott had 13 kills and Grace Lopez connected on 11 for the Badgers. Scott also had a hand in three of Wisconsin's five blocks.
 
Milwaukee has a quick turnaround for its next match, playing in its home opener against Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.