The 3rd Man In

Milwaukee Panthers Women’s Sports Roundup

Once again the Milwaukee Panthers women’s soccer and volleyball teams were on the road, finishing up their non-conference schedule. It was a competitive week that saw both programs going up against talented opponents.

The Panthers women’s soccer team only had one game this week, traveling to Chicago, Ill. to square off against former Horizon League foe, Loyola, on Thursday evening. After giving up an early goal on a penalty kick, the Panthers stormed back and took control of the game.

Freshman defender Cassidy Blanchard sent a beautiful ball from the back line to a sprinting Kelly Lewers. She one-timed it to the far post, beating the Loyola goalkeeper for her fourth goal of the season, tying the game up at one apiece in the 16th minute.

Only seven minutes later the Panthers took the lead on a goal by Krissy Dorre. She dribbled around two defenders in the middle of the field before blasting a shot from right outside the top of the box, finding the back of the net for her second goal of the season. Milwaukee now held a 2-1 advantage over Loyola.

The rest of the way it was all Panthers.

Paige Lincicum had an outstanding performance in goal for Milwaukee. She recorded six saves against the Ramblers’ offensive attack.

This was a big win for the Panthers showing, that despite falling behind early, they are capable of winning from behind. Now the non-conference season has come to a close, and it is off to Horizon League play.

Conference play begins on Wednesday night at classic Engelmann Stadium when the Panthers host UIC. This will be the Flames’ first-ever Horizon League match as they just added women’s soccer this year. The Flames are only 1-7-0 on the year, recording their lone win against IUPUI. In the Flames’ eight games they have only found the back of the net six times, while opposing defenses have recorded 25 goals.

This should be an exciting game if you are a Panther fan, and hopefully this game can be the start to a successful conference season, as the Panthers look to win their 15th consecutive Horizon League crown.

Once again the Panthers volleyball team hit the road to take part in a competitive weekend tournament. The Panthers participated in the Michigan State Spartan Tournament, playing three matches in two days against Western Kentucky, LIU Brooklyn and 25th ranked Michigan State.

On Friday morning, Milwaukee went head-to-head against a talented Western Kentucky squad. This is the second time these two teams have met this seasons, with the Hilltoppers winning in four closely fought sets two weeks prior.

The Panthers looked for retaliation, but the Hilltoppers got the best of them, winning in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-17).

Milwaukee returned to the court later that day, to face LIU Brooklyn, who beat the Spartans earlier in the day. The Panthers were able to turn things recording a 25-22, 25-12, 25-21 sweep, as Myanna Ruiz recorded her first collegiate triple double.

Ruiz tallied 17 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs in the match.

Julie Kolinske also had a strong day, leading the Panthers with 13 kills to move her past 1,000 kills in her Milwaukee career.

Kayla Price recorded a team-high 20 assists.

In Milwaukee’s final game apart of the Spartan Invitational, they went up against the host, #25 Michigan State. After being upset by LIU Brooklyn on Friday, the Spartans came out with an attitude. The Panthers played hard, but their offense struggled, as the Spartans dominated the match, winning 25-19, 25-8, 25-16.

The Spartans are ranked for a reason, and based on their play against Milwaukee; they should continue to rise in the national rankings. This was a challenging match for the Panthers, but things should get a little easier for them when they return home this weekend to start Horizon League action against UIC and then a tough Valparaiso squad.

This was not an easy weekend for the Panthers against three potential NCAA Tournament teams. Although they struggled against Michigan State, the Panthers played well for the most part, which is a good sign.

Milwaukee has played one of its difficult non-conference schedules in recent memory, and now it will be exciting to see if they carry their high level of play over into conference play.

Horizon League play is finally here, and for Panther fans it should be an exciting time as both programs look to defend their title. The women’s soccer and volleyball teams played well throughout their non-conference schedule, and it will be interesting to see if they can carry that over to league action. Both teams will be competing at home this week, so if you want to catch some competitive matches and hopefully some Panther victories, this is your chance.

Stay tuned next week for the fifth edition of the Milwaukee Panthers Women’s Sports Roundup to be up to date on everything happening with these two successful programs.

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