RIVER FALLS, Wisconsin – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (10-5) swept day two at the UW-River Falls Invitational. UWSP beat Hamline University (5-4) in the opening match of the day in four sets and took St. Catherine University (6-3) in straight sets in the second match.
 
Junior Tara Emme (St. Nazianz, Wis./Valders) led the Pointers with 35 kills on the day. April Gehl (Hilbert, Wis./Hilbert) got her ninth and tenth double-double of the season posting 13 kills and 24 digs against Hamline and 12 kills and 11 digs versus St. Catherine.
 
Sophomore Maddie Lawson (West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale) led the team with five blocks and Ellie Adams (Racine, Wis./William Horlick) posted a team-high 66 assists.
 
UWSP 3, HU 3 (25-15, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22)
 
The Pointers jumped out to a 10-2 lead with kills from Lawson, Emme, and Gehl and coasted the rest of the way, finishing with kills by Hailey Jarr (Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer), Reis Derousseau (Tomah, Wis./Tomah) and Jamie Schmitz (Cashton, Wis./Cashton).
 
The Pipers had the lead for most of the second set, but UWSP kept the score close, tying the game at 21. Hamline closed out the set on a 5-1 run.
 
UWSP started the third set strong with kills from Gehl and Jarr to take a 7-2 lead. The Pointers spread the offense with six different players recording kills along with service aces from Gehl and Lisa Bedessem (Burlington, Wis./Sauk Prairie).
 
The Pointers had to battle back in the fourth set after being down 5-1. They went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-11 lead with kills from Rachel Hein (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) and Emme and two service aces from Bedessem. UWSP got a kill from Jarr to win the game and take the match.
 
UWSP 3, St. Kate 0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-15)
The Pointers were neck in neck with the Wildcats the entire game with the lead changing nine times. At 25 all, kills from Lawson and Adams got the win for the Pointers.
 
The second set was just as close. The game was tied eight different times before UWSP closed out the game scoring six of the last seven points.
 
The Pointers ran away with the third set, racing out to a 6-1 lead. With a 9-4 advantage, three kills from Gehl and two kills from Taylor Keenan (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville Area) was too much for the Wildcats to come back from. The Pointers put together a 9-4 run to complete the sweep.
 
UWSP returns home on Wednesday (Sept. 19) to open conference play against UW-Whitewater at 7:00 p.m.