STEVENS POINT – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team took visiting UW-Eau Claire to a fifth set on Friday night but was unable to overcome the Blugolds, falling 3-2 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) action.

The Pointers fell 25-18, 23-25, 23-25, 27-25, 15-7 to fall to 8-6 on the season, 1-1 in conference play.

The Pointers feel behind early 1-0 to the visiting Blugolds but rebounded with two straight victories in the second and third sets to pull in front 2-1.

In the pivotal game four, the Pointers rallied from a 19-15 deficit to pull in front 25-24, but three straight points by UW-Eau Claire, capped by an ace for the set win from Amy Bomgren, tied the game at 2-2.

In the fifth set, the Blugolds took an 8-4 lead early on and never looked back, cruising to the 15-7 fifth set victory.

Christina Brinkman (Bristol, WI/Westosha Central) led the way for UWSP with 18 kills on 51 attempts while Morgan Bartkowiak (Slinger, WI/Slinger) chipped in with 15. Ally Groth (Germantown, WI/Germantown) had a team-high 24 digs and Allison Davis (Rochelle, IL/Rochelle Township) had a team-best six block assists.

Three Blugolds finished with double-digit kills, led by 13 from Kelly Schuh.

UW-Stevens Point returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 24 with another home game against UW-Superior. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Berg Gym.