GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Kelly Cefalu (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) had 10 of her match-high 20 kills in the fourth set as the No. 15 and fourth-seeded UW-Stevens Point volleyball team topped No. 17 and fifth-seeded Elmhurst (Ill.) 26-24, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening at Calvin's Van Noord Arena.
 
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UW-Stevens Point (27-8) overcame big deficits in the first and fourth sets to defeat Elmhurst (24-12) for the third time this season. The Pointers advance to host and top-seeded Calvin in the second regional semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage will play the first semifinal at 5 p.m. ET.
 
The win improves UW-Stevens Point to 10-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 9-2 under head coach Abbey Sutherland. The win was UWSP's fifth four-set match of the season in 35 matches and the Pointers improved to 3-2 in those matches.
 
After totaling 10 kills in the first three sets, Cefalu tallied 10 kills and just one error on 24 swings in the fourth. Gabby Thomas (Henderson, MN/LeSueur-Henderson) joined Cefalu in double figures with a double-double of 15 kills and 23 digs. Brittany Laffin (Carpentersville, IL/Hampshire) orchestrated the offense with 44 assists.
 
Despite recording just two blocks in the match, UW-Stevens Point's defense made 101 digs, as Hannah Picel (West Bend, WI/West) matched Thomas' 23 digs and Marie Krengel (Eagan, MN/Eastview) made a season-high 20 digs.
 
After trailing by seven at 17-10, UW-Stevens Point stormed back to take the first set 26-24. The BlueJays used a 7-1 run to take the six-point lead but the Pointers then went on a 7-1 run of their own to get within a point. The teams then traded pairs of points until the Pointers took their first lead since 2-1 at 24-23. Elmhurst saved the set point but UW-Stevens Point used a kill by Brunkhorst and a Bluejay attack error to steal the set.
 
Early in the second, the Pointers won six consecutive points to take a 6-2 lead but the Bluejays came right back with four in a row to tie it at 6-6. After the score was tied at 9-9, UW-Stevens Point won seven of the next 10 points to build a 16-12 advantage. The UWSP lead stayed between two and four points until Elmhurst drew within one at 22-21. However, the Pointers won the next three points to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Neither team led by more than two in the third until the Pointers used a 4-0 run to go up 12-7. The Bluejays battled back to with an extended run of 12-3 to take a 19-15 advantage. Elmhurst then pulled away late in the set to send the match to the fourth set. UW-Stevens Point hit -.020 in the third.
 
UW-Stevens Point led 6-4 in the early stages of the fourth before Elmhurst went on a 4-0 run to lead 8-6. Trailing 10-7, the Pointers got within one at 10-9 only for the Bluejays to claim a 16-10 lead by winning six of seven points. After UWSP cut the deficit in half, Elmhurst won three in a row to reclaim a six-point advantage at 19-13. The Pointers stormed back with an 8-0 run after trailing 21-15 only for the Bluejays to tie it at 23-23.  UW-Stevens Point then closed out the win on a kill by Cefalu and an ace by Picel.
 
Elmhurst was led by Mel Lundin's 14 kills and .393 attack percentage. Mary Lawrence recorded 11 kills and four block assists, while setter Hannah Nimrick finished one kill shy of a triple-double with nine kills, 32 assists and 18 digs.
 
The Bluejays outhit the Pointers .135-.126 in the match and held a 6-2 advantage in blocks. Both teams hit .228 in the fourth set after neither team hit above .152 in the first three sets.