MILWAUKEE – Non-conference play comes to a close for Milwaukee volleyball on Tuesday evening, when the Panthers visit Iowa before the schedule shifts to Horizon League play with a pair of matches at Northern Kentucky on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

Milwaukee and Iowa will meet in Iowa for the first time since the 2015 season, while the two sides previously met in 2024 in Milwaukee. The Panthers recorded their first-ever win over the Hawkeyes in four sets, improving to 1-5 all-time against Iowa. Tuesday's match will be available on B1G+.

The Panthers will renew their in-league rivalry with Northern Kentucky on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (CT) before a 1:00 p.m. (CT) start on Saturday at Regents Hall in Highland Heights, Ky. Live stats for both matches in Kentucky, as well as Tuesday's match in Iowa, will be available at the links on MKEPanthers.com.
 
WEEK AT A GLANCE & GAME LINKS
Tuesday, Sept. 22 | Milwaukee at Iowa | Coralville, Iowa | Xtream Arena | B1G+ / Live Stats
Friday, Sept. 25 | Milwaukee at Northern Kentucky | Highland Heights, Ky. | Regents Hall | Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 26 | Milwaukee at Northern Kentucky | Highland Heights, Ky. | Regents Hall | Live Stats

FIRST SERVE
» After an 0-3 week, Milwaukee volleyball heads back on the road for its non-conference finale against Iowa on Tuesday evening at XTream Arena before beginning Horizon League play at Northern Kentucky this weekend at Regents Hall in Highland Heights.
» The Panthers traveled to No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday evening and played competitively with the Badgers, taking the third set from Wisconsin, 25-22, before ultimately falling in four sets.
» For Milwaukee, it was the program's first set win against a ranked team since 2022, when the team fell to Purdue, 3-1. The set win over Wisconsin was a first since the 2013 season, while it was Milwaukee's first set win over an AVCA Top-10 team since the 2002 season, when Milwaukee fell to No. 6 Northern Iowa in the NCAA Tournament, 3-1.
» After visiting Wisconsin, the Panthers played its home opener against Western Michigan and took the first two sets before the Broncos earned a reverse sweep over Milwaukee.
» Wrapping up the weekend at Marquette, the Panthers were swept by its crosstown foe.
» Ella Parker led Milwaukee with 30 kills on the weekend, while Annie Eschenbach added 26. The Panthers averaged 10.17 kills per set over the 12 sets played and struggled from behind the service line with eight compared to 26 by its three opponents.
» The Panthers had 20 blocks on the weekend including nine from Bella Lipski, eight from Julia Kellner, and seven by Josie Noble.
» Iowa is first up for Milwaukee, with the Hawkeyes 10-3 to begin the season, wrapping up non-league play against the Panthers before welcoming Ohio State and Rutgers this weekend to begin Big Ten play.
» Milwaukee then opens Horizon League play against Northern Kentucky against the Norse for the first of two on Friday evening. Last season's regular season champions, the Norse finished 5-6 in its non-conference schedule including consecutive wins over Miami (Ohio) this past weekend. The Norse also have a four-set win over Notre Dame, and took a set from Ohio State in late August.

THREE THINGS ABOUT IOWA
1. At 10-3, Iowa is off to its best start in a season since 2017, when the team was 12-2 to begin the year, the team was also 10-2 a year prior in 2016. With 10 wins this year, Jim Barnes has eclipsed 500 for his career, which includes stops at Lamar, Wyoming, Baylor, and Tulane before landing at Iowa.
2. Iowa ranks in the top-55 of multiple statistical categories in Division I, including 15th in kills per set at 14.23, 33rd in assists per set at 12.73, 52nd in blocks per set at 2.47, and 53rd in digs per set at 15.04.
3. Standing out among the Iowa student-athletes is Jenna Meitzler, who leads the nation with 526 assists. Meitzler made her collegiate debut at the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee on Sept. 13, 2024, taking over due to an injury, and later recorded 52 assists against Milwaukee in just her second collegiate start.

THREE THINGS ABOUT NORTHERN KENTUCKY
1. Last year's regular-season champions and hosts of the 2025 Horizon League Tournament, Northern Kentucky was projected to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, trailing just last year's tournament champions, the Wright State Raiders.
2. Liz Hart has challenged her Norse have the 126th toughest schedule in Division I, and toughest in the Horizon League, when including past and future competition. Milwaukee is second with the 178th toughest schedule.
3. Northern Kentucky's Daisy Cluxton has taken right over from older sister Lucy as the Norse's libero in 2026. Daisy tops the Horizon League in digs per set at 4.56 and is second in overall digs behind Purdue Fort Wayne's Becky Barrett. As a team, the Norse are 21st nationally in digs per set through games played on Sept. 20.

UP NEXT
After a weekend in Highland Heights, Ky., the Panthers return home to the Klotsche Center for its longest stretch of home matches with contests against Green Bay (Sept. 29) and Northern Illinois (Oct. 1), before a weekend series at home against Cleveland State on Oct. 9-10.

SET THREE IN MADISON
During the team's visit to No. 6 Wisconsin on Sept. 18, Milwaukee took the third set from the Badgers by a 25-22 score after dropping identical 25-18 scores in the first two sets.

The set win was Milwaukee's first set win over an AVCA ranked team since taking a set at No. 11 Purdue on Sept. 3, 2022. It was also the first set win against Wisconsin since the 2013 season, while the team's .210 hitting percentage against the Badgers was Milwaukee's best since at least the 2010 season.

Milwaukee has beaten an AVCA Top-10 team just once in program history (Home vs. No. 9 Wisconsin on Sept. 1, 1999), with its last set win against a Top-10 team coming back in 2002, when Milwaukee took a set from No. 6 Northern Iowa during their NCAA Tournament First Round matchup.

YEAR TWO LEAPS
For three Panthers in their second years with the program, Josie Noble, Annie Eschenbach, and Ella Schuetz have made large leaps in their development in helping Milwaukee to its early-season success.

Eschenbach had 137 kills over 87 sets last year (1.57 kills/set) and has bumped that to 2.65 kills per set.
Schuetz had 210 kills over 102 sets last year (2.06 kills/set) and has bumped that to 2.23 kills per set.

CAN YOU DIG IT?
Through the team's first 11 matches, Kati Goba is fourth in the Horizon League at 4.12 digs per set, with Daisy Cluxton of Northern Kentucky leading the league at 4.56 digs/set followed by Becky Barrett of Purdue Fort Wayne at 4.33 and Vayda Delventhal of Cleveland State at 4.14 digs/set. Goba enters play on Sept. 21 ranked 82nd among Division I players in digs per set, and 78th in the nation in total digs with 177.

EARLY SEASON BLOCKING
Milwaukee anticipated a strong blocking game heading into the 2026 season, and thus far in the early season it has been successful. The Panthers are fourth in the Horizon League in blocks per set at 2.02 with 87 blocks through 43 sets played. Northern Kentucky leads at 2.22 with 100 blocks over 45 sets played.

WHO WAS LEADING TODAY?
Through eight matches in 2026, five different Panthers have led the team in kills including Ella Scuetz, Bella Lipski, Josie Noble, Annie Eschenbach and Ella Parker. Milica Tomic has led Milwaukee in assists nine times, while Emma Duffy has done so twice this year.

Defensively, six players have led the team in blocks including Lipski (seven times), Noble (five times), Eschenbach (twice), in addition to Schuetz (once), Julia Kellner (once) and Kayla Landerud (once), while Kati Goba has led the team in digs in all but one of the team's matches this season, Ella Parker has led once.

NOT SO BLOCK PARTY
In 2025, the Panthers were 1-13 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.

So far in 2026, Milwaukee is 3-1 when outblocking opponents and 2-3 when being outblocked, and 0-2 when blocks are even.