WHITEWATER, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (27-7) saw its run in the WIAC Volleyball Championship come to an end in a five-set defeat at top-seed UW-Whitewater (26-6) on Thursday night.  The Pointers took a 2-1 lead, but feel in five sets by scores of 26-28, 25-23, 25-14, 20-25, 10-15.

Senior Bri Piepenbrok (Merrill, WI/Merrill) added 25 digs to her school record on the day she was named WIAC Defensive Player of the Year.  Fellow senior and All-WIAC team member Kelly Cefalu (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) had a team-high 18 kills and added 15 digs for her second-consecutive double-double.

Freshman Abby Majercik (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) also had her second-straight double-double and team high ninth of the year with 35 assists and 13 digs for the Pointers.  Junior Kelly Magliano (Chicago, IL/Mount Assisi Academy) had a team-high seven blocks as the Pointers tied a season high with 12 in the match.

Back-to-back kills by junior Bella Nelson (Luck, WI/Luck) sparked a 4-0 run and turned a seesaw first set in favor of the Pointers, 9-5.  The Warhawks strung together five-straight points later to jump ahead 19-15.  Cefalu spoiled the first set point with a kill and UWSP got three-straight points to get its own set point.  Senior Gabby Thomas (Henderson, MN/LeSueur-Henderson) added a kill for the second UWSP set point, but UWW rattled off three unanswered to take set one, 28-26.

Junior Ellen Drewry (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) had three-consecutive kills as the Pointers ran out to a 5-0 lead in set two.  Cefalu had a pair of late kills and freshman April Gehl (Hilbert, WI/Hilbert) provided a kill to put UWSP up 23-22.  Then on set point, Magliano served up an ace to seal the set.

Cefalu had three early kills in set three as the Pointers built a 9-2 lead.  Thomas and Magliano had back-to-back kills to spark a 6-0 run to up the advantage to 15-5.  Later in the set, Thomas powered back-to-back kills and Gehl finished off the set, 25-14.

Early kills in the fourth set by Cefalu and Thomas kept the Pointers close, but UWW led 10-6.  UWSP forced a number of Warhawks' errors to knot the set at 20-20.  But the hosts finished the set off with five-straight points to force a fifth set.

The Warhawks took an early 2-0 lead but a kill by Thomas brought UWSP back to within 5-6.  Three kills by Cefalu kept the Pointers close, but the Warhawks held the lead throughout the set for the match victory.

UWSP ends the year 27-7 and will await its fate for the postseason.  The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday (Nov. 7) at 11:30 a.m. CT and can be viewed on NCAA.com.