The Milwaukee volleyball team secured a victory against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in a five-set match on Saturday afternoon, marking their second win in Horizon League play. The Panthers overcame a slow start, losing the first set 25-13, but rallied to win the next two sets with identical scores of 25-22. Despite dropping the fourth set 25-21, Milwaukee clinched the match with a 15-10 victory in the final set.
Madi Malone led Milwaukee with 16 kills, while freshman Gabby Wire contributed 13 kills. Alexis Lewis added ten kills and was instrumental in closing out the fifth set. Head coach Susie Johnson praised her team’s performance: “Oakland played with a lot of confidence, and tested us throughout the weekend,” she said. “This was a full-team effort, but to be able to come out on top from the pressure we faced … I’m proud of how we responded.”
Milwaukee excelled in total kills, recording 67 compared to Oakland’s 57. Rachel Scott added nine kills for Milwaukee, while Bri Geurts and Lakyn Graves each contributed six. Kara Erdmann led defensively with 26 digs.
In terms of assists, Milica Tomic achieved a season-best with 32 assists and Josie Johnson added another 25 as Milwaukee finished with a total of 64 assists compared to Oakland’s 55.
Despite Oakland having an advantage in hitting percentage at .192 over Milwaukee’s .183 and committing fewer attacking errors (23 versus Milwaukee’s 32), it was not enough to secure them victory.
Johnson emphasized resilience as key: “We stayed resilient throughout the match,” she stated. “Our team is trusting themselves … and we’ve been focused and able to make adjustments throughout the match.”
The Panthers are scheduled to conclude their five-match road trip this Tuesday against Green Bay at Kress Center at 6:00 p.m.
