Three players from the Milwaukee volleyball team achieved double figures in kills during their victory over Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, marking their fifth consecutive win. Natalie Schmitz led with 14 kills, Madi Malone contributed 12, and Alexis Lewis had a season-high of 11 kills while also leading the defense with six blocks.
Josie Johnson delivered three service aces and provided 27 assists. Milica Tomic added 12 assists, and Kara Erdmann achieved a career-best with 11 assists along with her team-leading 22 digs, earning her first career double-double. Erdmann’s final dig marked the 1,000th of her career.
The match featured significant competition with 13 lead changes and 25 ties. The Panthers narrowly won the opening set at 26-24 but lost the second set to Purdue Fort Wayne at 25-21. They regained control by winning the third set at 25-23 and secured victory in the fourth set at 25-20.
“Purdue Fort Wayne came out to play once again pushed us,” stated head coach Susie Johnson. “We were able to counter them throughout the match and come out on top in four sets.”
Milwaukee concluded with a total of 55 kills on 53 assists and a .208 hitting percentage compared to Purdue Fort Wayne’s .135 hitting percentage. Lakyn Graves and Rachel Scott each added five blocks for Milwaukee.
In an error-prone first set where Milwaukee hit .094, they managed to edge out a win thanks to Lewis’ performance. Panna Ratkai led Purdue Fort Wayne in the second set with seven of her team-best sixteen kills.
Milwaukee responded strongly in subsequent sets; Schmitz had five kills in one set while Malone added four more as they clinched a narrow two-point victory following a back-and-forth battle.
Despite late pressure from Purdue Fort Wayne in the fourth set, Milwaukee finished off their opponents through Malone’s decisive kill.
The Panthers will continue their season next weekend against Robert Morris in Pennsylvania.
