Milwaukee City Wire

Josie Johnson reached a significant milestone in her volleyball career by becoming the 10th player in Milwaukee Panthers history to achieve 2,000 career assists. The accomplishment occurred during Sunday’s match against No. 8 Arizona State, where the Panthers were defeated in three sets as they wrapped up their non-conference schedule.

Johnson entered the match with 1,998 career assists and surpassed the 2,000 mark early in the first set with five assists. Milwaukee struggled offensively against their highly ranked opponent, recording just 17 kills across the match. Four players—Annie Eschenbach, Bella Lipski, Josie Noble, and Natalie Schmitz—each contributed three kills to lead the team.

Head coach Susie Johnson commented on the team’s preparation through a challenging non-conference slate: "This non-conference schedule as a whole has prepared us for what is to come in the Horizon League. We had tough opponents each time we stepped on the court, and we have learned a lot during this time. We look forward to applying all the lessons we have learned to league play."

Defensively, Milica Tomic and Kati Goba registered service aces for Milwaukee. Goba also tallied six digs while Kara Erdmann led with 11 digs overall. At the net, Milwaukee finished with nine blocks; Lipski was responsible for six of those while Eschenbach and Noble added three apiece.

Arizona State was led by Bailey Miller’s eight kills and Colby Neal’s seven kills and six blocks. Sydney Henry contributed three service aces for Arizona State while Faith Frame recorded 11 digs.

Reflecting on facing strong competition early in the season, Susie Johnson said: "It's not often that we can play two top-ten opponents within a few weeks. Most of our other opponents will be top contenders in their respective conferences."

Arizona State took control of the first two sets with scores of 25-10 and 25-9, posting 21 kills and a .362 hitting percentage over that span. The third set was more competitive with multiple lead changes; however, Arizona State ultimately secured it 25-18 to complete their sweep.

Susie Johnson expressed optimism about her squad moving forward: "This team is united, and we're ready to battle as the season goes on."

With non-conference matches concluded, Milwaukee will begin Horizon League play at home with three consecutive matches—hosting Oakland on September 26 at 6:00 p.m., again on September 27 at 2:00 p.m., followed by Green Bay at Klotsche Center on September 30 at 6:00 p.m.