The Milwaukee volleyball team secured a significant victory against Robert Morris in a five-set match at the UPMC Events Center, earning their 13th win in the Horizon League schedule. This triumph ensures Milwaukee a top-two seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Horizon League Championship, with their postseason play commencing on November 23.
The match was competitive, with Milwaukee winning the first set 27-25, dominating the third set 25-8, and clinching the fifth set 15-8. Robert Morris claimed victories in the second and fourth sets with identical scores of 25-21.
“Robert Morris came to play,” stated head coach Susie Johnson. “We responded and were able to keep our composure throughout the night and countered their effort.”
Milwaukee’s offensive lineup was led by Madi Malone with 16 kills. Other contributors included Natalie Schmitz with 11 kills, Rachel Scott with 10, Lakyn Graves with nine, Alexis Lewis with eight, and Bri Geurts with seven.
“Offensively we were really balanced throughout the match,” Johnson added. “Robert Morris is a strong defensive team and played at a very high level but we were able to adjust and had several players step up at some big moments for us.”
Josie Johnson achieved a double-double with 26 assists and a career-high of 23 digs. Kara Erdmann recorded 30 digs along with seven assists, while Milica Tomic contributed 16 assists.
Defensively, Milwaukee’s blocking was effective throughout the match as they totaled twelve blocks as a team. Graves and Lewis each had six blocks, while Malone, Schmitz, and Scott each contributed three blocks.
“This was one of our most complete defensive efforts so far this season,” said Johnson. “Both our blocking effort and our digs were essential in helping us get that win, notably the 53 digs by Kara and Josie.”
In an intense opening set, Milwaukee held a lead of 20-15 before RMU evened it at 21. The Panthers eventually won on kills by Lewis and Graves complemented by an Erdmann ace.
Despite losing the second set to Robert Morris at 25-21 due to hitting errors early on, Milwaukee improved their performance significantly in subsequent sets.
The third set saw Milwaukee overpowering Robert Morris with four blocks contributing to their decisive win. The fourth set was closely contested but ultimately went to Robert Morris after both teams recorded significant digs.
In the final set without any errors from Milwaukee’s side, they hit .500 offensively securing an efficient victory over RMU who also put up strong performances from Jasmine Purakal’s season-best digs alongside notable contributions from Hillarie Adams and Jaaliyah Evans among others.
Both teams are scheduled for another encounter on Saturday at noon (CT) at UPMC Events Center.
