Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Panthers women's volleyball team is set to begin Horizon League play this weekend, hosting the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at the Klotsche Center. The matches are scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m., with both available for viewing on ESPN+ and live stats accessible through MKEPanthers.com.

After a series of eight non-conference games, including recent competition against Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, and Arizona State, the Panthers will return to their home court for the first time since September 17. In that last home match, Milwaukee narrowly lost to DePaul in a five-set reverse sweep.

Senior Josie Johnson recently became the 10th player in program history to reach 2,000 career assists during a match against Arizona State. Kara Erdmann has also advanced on the all-time digs list, now tied for seventh place with Leanne Felsing at 1,329 career digs.

Milwaukee enters this weekend with a ten-match winning streak over Oakland dating back to November 2019. Last season’s meetings were closely contested, both extending to five sets. The Panthers have also won their last four Horizon League conference openers.

Oakland comes into league play after starting its season with an 0-12 record—their worst start since 2006. Under head coach Krista Rice’s leadership in her fourth year, the Golden Grizzlies aim to recover and return to postseason contention after finishing fifth in the league last year. Statistically, Oakland ranks among the top teams nationally in digs and attacking attempts but has struggled converting those opportunities into kills.

Looking ahead, Milwaukee will host Green Bay next Tuesday before traveling for matches against IU Indy. October features only three home matches for the Panthers.

Josie Johnson’s achievement places her among notable program alumni; Katie Schneider holds Milwaukee’s all-time assist record with 5,276 from 1996-99. On defense, Erdmann was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and earned All-League First Team honors after posting a program-best single-season total of 718 digs.

Natalie Schmitz joined Erdmann as an All-Horizon League selection last season and recently surpassed 1,000 career kills—becoming the first Panther since Madi Malone (2023) to do so.

The roster includes several newcomers: graduate transfer Hailey Hutchings from Grand Canyon University beach volleyball; junior Carol Herrero from Iowa Western; sophomore Annie Eschenbach from McHenry County College; and five true freshmen led by Josie Noble from Michigan.

Head coach Susie Johnson is nearing another milestone with a current record of 196-92 in Horizon League play—just four wins away from reaching her 200th conference victory.

Raina Terry joined Milwaukee's coaching staff this summer following a collegiate career at Illinois and professional experience with Columbus Fury of Major League Volleyball.

This season’s schedule includes matches against ranked opponents such as Wisconsin (preseason No.8), Marquette (receiving votes), and Arizona State (preseason No.13). Historically, Milwaukee is 2-39 against top-25 programs.

Northern Illinois will join the Horizon League next season as its twelfth full-time member; NIU leads their all-time series versus Milwaukee but has lost three of their last four encounters.