Milwaukee Athletics

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Horizon League play began for the Milwaukee volleyball team on Friday evening, as the Panthers opened the league schedule on the road against Northern Kentucky and dropped a four-set decision to the Norse.
 
Northern Kentucky won the opening two sets, 25-22 and 25-15, before the Panthers bounced back for a dominant showing in the third, earning a 25-14 victory. The Norse ultimately finished off the match a 25-17 fourth-set win.
 
Most statistical totals were close, with NKU holding slight advantages in kills (52-51), assists (50-49), digs (56-50), and blocks (12-9). The Norse had a firmer advantage in hitting percentage, however, connecting at a .254 clip as a team to Milwaukee's .196.
 
Milwaukee had three players reach double figures in kills, including Annie Eschenbach with a team-best 14. Ella Parker added 11 kills, while Ella Schuetz tallied 10. Both of Milwaukee's setters, Emma Duffy and Milica Tomic, finished with 21 assists apiece, while Parker and Tomic each recorded an ace.
 
Kati Goba led the defensive effort with 17 digs, while Parker finished just two digs shy of a double-double. Josie Noble led the Panthers with six blocks, while Schuetz had three and Julia Kellner added a pair.
 
Milwaukee jumped out to a 6-1 lead to begin the match and held a 20-17 advantage late in the opening set. However, Northern Kentucky scored the next six points and eight of the next 10 points to take the opener by three. The Norse also used a 7-1 run in the middle stages of the second set and closed out the period with another 6-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
"Our team has to keep their composure when it gets hard," said head coach Susie Johnson.  "Northern Kentucky is a top team in our league, and we need to continue to push back and find ways to respond when things aren't going our way."
 
In the third, Milwaukee showed what it was capable of with a 15-6 run midway through the set to take a 21-11 advantage. The Panthers hung on for the set win, capped by a kill from Kayla Landerud, who finished the night with six kills.
 
"There were some good moments for us tonight, but we have to be more consistent and stay together when the momentum shifts," added Johnson. "We'll learn from this, make the adjustments we need to make, and get ready for tomorrow."
 
The Panthers were unable to sustain that momentum in the fourth, as the Norse pulled away late to secure the 25-17 set win and the four-set victory.
 
Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky will play their second match of the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. inside Regents Hall.