The scene more closely resembled that of a suburban high school than a Division I university in a major metropolitan market.

The players arrived early to set up the practice court inside a gym that typically sees fewer than 500 people come through the turnstiles.

“We don’t get much media coverage,” said head coach Susie Johnson, sitting at a makeshift table next to the practice court.

A Big Ten Split

Just a few days prior, an Iowa team, armed with five full-time coaches, arrived in Milwaukee with a contingency of fans. The Panthers sent them home in their chartered plane with a four-set loss.

The Hawkeyes were winless in Big Ten play last year; don’t call it an upset, but maybe Milwaukee just knows how to do more with less.

“We’re gritty,” said Johnson, whose 17-person team includes 11 upperclassmen. “I think the experience is going to translate. We’ve been waiting for this moment – to have a majority of the team be experienced.”

The matchup was part of the three-day Panther Invitational at the Klotsche Center, preceded by a date with No. 8 Wisconsin in front of 7,000 fans at the UW Field House. The underdog Panthers lost to their in-state opponents in straight sets, albeit competitively.

“It taught us all that we can hang with the best,” said senior Lakyn Graves. “If you can get kills against a girl who’s six-foot-nine, you can do it against this team.”

Added junior Natalie Schmitz: “Playing against a competitive team, we learned we were capable of so many things. Going into the weekend, I think that really helped.”

Five days later as they played the Big Ten-rival Hawkeyes, Milwaukee came within three points of a straight-set victory. Instead, Iowa mustered enough strength to force a fourth set.

“Iowa kept playing better as the match went on,” said head coach Susie Johnson, now in her 18th season leading Panther volleyball. “We had to fend that off – that was pretty impressive that we were able able to do that in such intense moments.”

The experienced Panthers stayed the course.

“If every player can make one or two more plays,” said Graves, “that would change the result of the whole set. Knowing that, it’s not that big of a deal… we’ll get the result and your team has your back.”

UW-Milwaukee volleyball beat Iowa with a 26-24 victory in the fourth set.

The win was just their fifth in 40 tries against Big Ten opponents, a conference widely considered the best in the country. Iowa’s annual athletics budget exceeds $150 million, while Milwaukee spends not even 15% of that total.

National Champions Set Foot at ‘The K’

A school boasting nearly the same nine-figure budget, Stanford, has finished three of the past seven seasons in NBA-level arenas vying for a national championship. Their road to the Final Four in Louisville began… at the Klotsche Center?

The Cardinal became the first ranked team in 16 years to play at UWM’s on-campus arena when they defeated Milwaukee on August 30. An uphill battle for the Panthers, yes, but a worthwhile one.

“The Stanford match was an opportunity that you’re not going to get hardly ever,” said Johnson. “We had a record crowd, I think our team gained a lot of confidence… we competed really well.”

For a chance at a rematch with one of their top-10 foes in early-December, they’ll need to maneuver their way through a difficult Horizon League. Despite their experience, coaches picked Milwaukee to finish just third in the league. Conference rival Wright State swept their way through last week’s Sports Imports Classic, defeating No. 20 Miami and Ohio State, each in just four sets.

The Horizon League slate begins on Friday at 5 p.m. against Oakland. Less than a month separates them from a marquee series with Wright State, both of which will take place at the Klotsche Center on Oct. 18-19.

“Can we put ourselves in a position [to be in the top of the conference]?,” said Johnson. “It’s tough, but I think this team is in about the best position we’ve been in in a really long time.”

Graves and Schmitz are among those who entered the year with experience, showed grit early and gained confidence through their early-season losses.

However, it didn’t translate in their final non-conference tune-ups over the weekend. The Panthers faced off with UIC, the third-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2023, and DePaul, who finished fifth in the Big East.

Milwaukee lost them both.

Will experience, grit and confidence be enough to wrestle the Horizon League trophy away from Dayton, Ohio and back to the Klotsche Center?

If so, perhaps it’s the eight-time conference champions should receive the attention they deserve.