Almonte hauled in a team-high eight receptions in Saturday’s home opener against John Carroll, including two of the Pointers’ three touchdowns. He accounted for 80 yards receiving and combined with his return yards, 151 all-purpose yards. His 23-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter pulled UWSP within 21-14.
Other Nominees:
Sam Shafer: Shafer had four solo tackles and two assisted take down in Saturday’s game against John Carroll. He also broke up a pass on the opening drive to set the defensive tone for the day.
Sam Bliese: Bliese had a solid debut as the Pointers’ punter on Saturday against John Carroll. He recorded two punts of 50+ yards and pinned the Blue Streaks inside the 20 on one of his seven kicks. In total, he had 309 punting yards for an impressive average of 44.1.
April Gehl: Gehl recorded two double-doubles in the four matches in Texas over the weekend and just missed two others. She began the season with nine kills and 14 digs in a three-set match against #7 Gustavus Adolphus. Later on Friday, she had 13 kills and eight digs in three-sets against Aurora. On Saturday, she recorded her first double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs against #11 Trinity. She capped the weekend with 10 kills and 20 digs in a three-set win over Cabrini. Gehl is third in the WIAC with 3.38 kills per set, sixth with 3.73 points per set and seventh with 4.31 digs per set.
Lexi Ahrens: Ahrens began her senior season with a solid defensive weekend. In Friday’s win at St. Olaf, she helped the back line thwart a comeback attempt in the second half as UWSP earned the road win. Then on Saturday, she was part of a stout back line that did not allow a shot against Lawrence.
