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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jan 16, 2021 7:19:51 GMT -6
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 17, 2021 17:58:01 GMT -6
Along with the shortened schedule, the Panthers have a smaller roster, of 14 players (as opposed to 18 last year). The team consists of three seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen, so it is an experienced one. Last year's league and tournament runner-up relied heavily on the seniors who have of course moved on.
It's interesting that there is no mention of the season on horizonleague.com. Perhaps that will happen this week, since play begins the following week.
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Post by skrapheap on Jan 21, 2021 13:03:13 GMT -6
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 1, 2021 22:50:15 GMT -6
Last week against Wright State at hime, Milwaukee looked unready to play. From some comments Matt Menzel made, it appears that the Panthers had only limited opportunities to practice as a full squad. The Raiders swept both matches and none of the set scores were close.
Tonight the Panthers were in action at Cleveland State and they played much more like they expect to play. Milwaukee got behind early in the first set and though able to narrow the gap, were not able to cone all the way back. The Vikings won 25-20.
The Panthers then reeled off three set wins to take the match. The scores were three to four point wins. The Panthers took control late in each set.
Milwaukee was led by Carmen Heilemann, who had 16 kills on a .560 hitting percentage. Abby Koenen finished with 14 kills and a .256 hitting percentage, followed by Ari Miller with 10 kills and Jenna Miller and Emma Loveall with seven kills each. The Panthers outhit the Vikings .228 to .167, amassing 59 kills to 42 for the Vikings.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 8, 2021 20:01:22 GMT -6
Heading into tonight's match with Green Bay, the Panthers were 1-3, the result of very inconsistent play. They played better tonight, but still had some bad stretches.
In their previous four matches, the Panthers had lost the first set each time. They broke that chain tonight, but not until after they had appeared to have fumbled the set away. The teams played evenly up to the midpoint of the set, when a Panther run established a 15-11 lead, prompting a Phoenix timeout. A late run pushed the lead to 24-18, six set points. Milwaukee gave up the first set point on a service error, and then the Phoenix scored six consecutive points, five of them on service aces, to get to set point. The Phoenix appears to have taken the set, 26-24, but a Coach's challenge overturned the winner, and tied the score at 25-all. The Panthers then scored the last two points to take the set, 27-25. The Panthers hit at a blistering .356 pace in the set, compared to .091 for the Phoenix, but were nearly undone by serve reception.
The second set of the match was close throughout, as the teams traded leads to a 23-21 Green Bay lead. The Panthers fought through the two set points and then scored two more to take the set 25-23. The Panthers were led by Ari Miller with 10 kills through the two sets. They outhit the Phoenix .324 to .243.
The Panthers got out to a quick 5-1 lead in set three. Carmen Heilemann led the way as she matched Ari Miller's output with 10 kills. The Phoenix closed the lead to two at 8-6, prompting a Panther timeout. The Phoenix continued to play better and narrowed the lead to 10-9 and pulled into a 11-all tie, and took a lead on a Panther hitting error, directly into the Phoenix block. After the Panthers tied the score, the Phoenix scored two points, the second on yet another service ace (their 11th of the match). They maintained a 1-2 point lead to 19-17, when the Panthers tied the score and the Phoenix took their second timeout. The Panthers took their second time out after the Phoenix scored consecutive points to retake a 21-19 lead. The Panthers got the next point on an out-of-bounds hit, a call which the Phoenix challenged in vain. The Panther scored again to knot score at 21, and retook the lead on a service ace by Heilemann, only to tie the score for the Phoenix on a service error. After the Phoenix took a 23-22 lead, the Panthers scored the last three points of the match to take the set 25-23.
Ari Miller led the way for the Panthers with 15 kills on a .517 hitting pace. Heilemann had 12 kills hitting at .346 pace. Jenna Miller and Abby Koenen were just short of double-figures in kills with nine and eight, respectively. The Panthers had six aces and 14 service errors. The Phoenix had 11 aces to only two errors, largely negating a .331 to .171 advancing in hitting percentage by the Panthers.
The Panthers now have another chance at a series sweep, as they play the Phoenix again tomorrow at noon.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 9, 2021 19:44:29 GMT -6
Milwaukee got the series sweep against Green Bay this afternoon, but they had to work hard for it. The Phoenix took the first two sets, and had a late lead in set five that the Panthers had to overcome to win the match. The final was 17-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16, 15-12.
Ari Miller again lead the Panthers with 17 kills on the match (hitting .438), followed by Carmen Heilemann with 15 kills and Abby Koenen with 14 (hitting .310). The Panthers outdug the Phoenix 73-48, led by Rylie Vaughn with 23, along with 28 assists.
The Panthers are now 3-3 on the season, with a trip to Indianapolis to play IUPUI next Monday and Tuesday.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 21, 2021 0:22:24 GMT -6
An empty week on the schedule thanks to COVID 19 and the weather. The Panthers were scheduled to play two matches with IUPUI, which were cancelled because of a positive test for someone connected to Jaguar volleyball. The Panthers had enough lead time to schedule a Tuesday night match at DePaul, which the snowstorm caused to be postponed.
Next up is a home series with undefeated (!) UIC. The Flames are tied for first with pre-season favorite Wright State. The Flames were picked to finish sixth. The Panthers were picked to be third, but are currently in a three way tie in the standings with NKU and Oakland at 3-3.
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