INDIANAPOLIS - Again missing starters Alli Cook, Maddie Haines and Allie Pogue, the IUPUI Jaguars fell to the Milwaukee Panthers 3-0 in a Sunday matinee (Sept. 27) at the Jungle. As a result, IUPUI (2-12, 0-3 HL) remains winless in conference play on the season. On the other hand, Milwaukee (8-6, 2-0 HL) prevailed for the second game in a row thanks to a high-powered offense that hit .326 and a defense that limited IUPUI to .126 on the attack. 

"I know this was the third match in a row for [the Jaguars], and you can tell they're starting to get a little tired," said IUPUI head coach Lindsey Froehlich. "But they didn't stop competing." 

Set one began as a competitive affair, but freshmen Bri Geurts and Madi Malone combined for five early kills to stake the Panthers to their first meaningful lead. A rocket from Atlantis Clendenin and an ace from Brooke Phillips helped the Jaguars to within a point, only for Milwaukee to close on an 8-2 run, taking the first frame 25-18. 

The Panthers ripped off seven straight points to open set two, forcing Froehlich to burn both timeouts early. Milwaukee dominated the Jaguars on both sides of the ball, constructing a double-digit lead that was too much to overcome. Junior Ari Miller racked up 10 kills through two sets, and a swing by fifth-year Carmen Heilemann wrapped up a dominant 25-12 set win for the Panthers.

Froehlich gave due credit to the visitors.

"They did not make a lot of errors. [Milwaukee] is a very good team with a very powerful offense." 

The third set commenced with Milwaukee holding all the momentum, and they went for the jugular vein with two straight aces and a 4-1 run. The Jaguars fought to stay alive despite three service errors on their part, but a surging Panther offense widened the gap to nine. Phillips and Emily Alan did not go quietly, notching three straight kills late in the frame, but it was too little too late as Geurts fired an ace to win the final set 25-17. Miller finished with a game-high 14 kills, while Geurts added 11 and Heilemann eight. 

Despite the end result, both Froehlich and Millai Madison are proud of the energy that IUPUI showed late in the game as they continue to build chemistry without the services of Cook, Haines and Pogue. 

"We support each other regardless of the score," said Madison, the sophomore middle who had seven kills on the day. "IUPUI volleyball is going to fight. If we're down, if we're up, we're just always going to have that fight and that grit and our teammates behind us."

Alan scored a team-high eight kills with a .211 hitting percentage. Addie Evans and Briana Brown each contributed eight digs defensively and three Jags had a team-high 2.0 blocks.

IUPUI's next game is on the road, on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 6:00 p.m. at Cleveland State.