GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay volleyball shined bright under the Friday night lights at the Kress Center, sweeping in-state rival Milwaukee. The Phoenix (16-7, 7-2 HL) broke a six-game skid against the Panthers (6-14, 5-4).
The Phoenix attack was paced by Alexandra Zakutney and Shannon Coughlin, who finished with 14 kills each. Coughlin had an astounding .519 hitting percentage on 27 attacks, while Zakutney had a .387 hitting percentage after 31 attacks and a match-high 17.5 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | Milwaukee came out hot with a 4-0 lead. Green Bay would climb back into the set, pulling within two at 7-5. Later, two kills by MKE's Madi Malone would extend the Panthers' lead to 20-16. The Phoenix would storm back, going on a 9-2 run to take a 24-22 lead. GB scored five consecutive during the run, highlighted by two Zakutney kills and an Abby Gardner service ace. Zakutney would slam the door shut with a kill, giving the Phoenix a 25-23 opening-set victory.
SET 2 | Green Bay got off to a better start in the second set, going up 3-1. Both teams would go back and forth for a while before GB scored five of six to pull ahead 11-6. The Panthers would make it 13-10, still in favor of the Phoenix, and kept it within three for most of the stanza. However, Green Bay started to pull away again, garnering a 22-17 lead. MKE would make it interesting with two Natalie Schmitz kills and a couple of attack errors from the Phoenix. GB had the match at set point once again and finished it with a kill from Coughlin, who tallied four in the 25-22 set victory.
SET 3 | It was all Green Bay from the beginning of the third set, scoring 11 of the first 15 points. Zakutney recorded four of the first 11 points for Green Bay, including three consecutive service aces. The Phoenix would score four in a row to pull away even further at 17-6. Kills from Calli Gentry and Cora Behnke helped seal the deal to finish the third set with a 25-12 score, giving the Phoenix their 10th sweep this season.
GAME NOTES
» The Phoenix had a .331 team hitting percentage compared to MKE's .184.
» Ellie Kurpeikis had a team-leading three blocks.
» Of the 10 sweeps, four are at home, three on the road, and three neutrally.
» Green Bay got a match-high 15 digs from Annelise Sparks.
» Calli Gentry had a match-high 41 assists.
» The Phoenix held all Milwaukee players to under 10 points.
» GB out-blocked the Panthers 9-4.
UP NEXT
Green Bay will conclude their four-game home stand with a Tuesday night tilt against Purdue Fort Wayne, serving as the Student-Athlete Night game. The Phoenix will embark on a two-game road trip beginning next Friday at Youngstown State.
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