Milwaukee Athletics

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Annie Eschenbach tied her Panther-high with 15 kills and hit .433 as Milwaukee swept UIC by a 3-0 score to begin play at the St. Thomas Tournament at Schoenecker Arena.
 
The Panthers won all three sets by identical scores of 25-21, erasing sizable deficits in each of the first two sets. Milwaukee trailed 12-7 in the opening period before using a 16-6 run to rally and take the lead, then overcame an 11-6 deficit in the second with an 11-2 run to close out the set.
 
In addition to Eschenbach's team-high 15 kills, Josie Noble and Ella Schuetz each recorded 10 kills in the win. The Panthers were paced on offense by 20 assists from Milica Tomic and 17 from Emma Duffy, finishing the match with 50 kills and a .266 hitting percentage.
 
Meanwhile, Kati Goba continued her strong start to the season with another 18 digs, giving her a team-high 66 on the season, while Schuetz finished one dig shy of a double-double. Milwaukee also held a strong advantage at the net, recording a 9-4 edge in blocks. Bella Lipski had a hand in five, Noble added four, and Schuetz and Julia Kellner were credited with three apiece.
 
"Incredible team effort," said head coach Susie Johnson. "We had to compete together for that win, and I thought we did a really good job of staying connected throughout the match."
 
UIC had 38 kills on the contest, led by Gabi Peter and Martina Cerrato with nine apiece as the Flames hit .214 as a unit. Cerrato led the team with 10 digs, while Paulina Ströh dished out 19 assists.
 
"There were some moments where they put pressure on us, but we had good responses and didn't let those moments get away from us," Johnson added. "We stayed composed, trusted each other and found ways to make the plays we needed to make. That's what made this such a great team win."
 
The Panthers improved throughout the match, limiting their errors after a match-high seven in the first set. Milwaukee scored 18 points on kills in the third set on just four errors, finishing with a match-best .311 hitting percentage in the stanza.
 
The team also had a season-best with five service aces, coming from Tomic, Noble, Schuetz, Liv Doerre, and Ella Parker.
 
Milwaukee will have another 12:00 p.m. start on Friday, when the Panther take on Montana State in its second match at the St. Thomas Tournament.