STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Junior April Gehl (Hilbert, Wis./Hilbert) had a career-best 35 kills, but the UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (3-4) was unable to rally in a four-set defeat to Concordia (Wis.) on Friday night.  The Pointers swept Saint Mary's to open this weekend's UW-Stevens Point Invitational.
 
Gehl continued to rack up big number as she recorded double-doubles in each match on Friday.  In the first game against SMU, she had 21 kills and 10 digs.  In the night cap, she added 14 digs to her career-high 35 kills.
 
Fellow junior Tara Emme (St. Nazianz, Wis./Valders) had double-digit kills in both matches.  She recorded 12 against SMU and totaled 13 more against CUW.
 
Sophomore setter Ellie Adams (Racine, Wis./William Horlick) had 39 and 51 assists, respectively on the day.  Adams led the Pointers in digs against the Falcons with 17.  Freshman libero Emma Peterson (Bloomington, Minn./Thomas Jefferson) had a team-high 13 digs against SMU.
 
UWSP 3, SMU 0 (25-17, 25-14, 26-24)
Gehl, Emme and Jamie Schmitz (Cashton, Wis./Cashton) launched the Pointers' offense to a 14-5 lead in the first set.  Hailey Jarr (Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer) sparked a 5-0 run with a kill as the lead grew to 19-7.  Four kills by Gehl closed out the first-set win.
 
Freshman Maddie Lawson (West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale) and Gehl combined for three kills as UWSP jumped ahead 6-2.  Gehl and Emme powered the offense to a .432 hitting percentage as UWSP took the second set.
 
Schmitz buried back-to-back kills to break an 11-11 tie in UWSP's favor. SMU battled back to a 24-all tie, but a Gehl kill turned the tide for good as the Pointers took the third set.
 
UWSP 1, CUW 3 (22-25, 22-25, 25-20, 30-28)
The Pointers fell behind 8-4 early in the first set, but a quartet of kills by Gehl got UWSP back within striking distance.  Gehl hit a pair of kills as UWSP put up a pair of 3-0 runs late to close within 23-21, but CUW prevailed to take the first set.
 
The second set began eerily similar to the first as UWSP trailed 8-3 before Emme snapped a 4-0 Falcons run with a kill.  Lisa Bedessem (Burlington, Wis./Sauk Prairie) turned momentum in UWSP's favor with a kill from the back row, sparking a 9-3 run before the Falcons completed the set win.
Gehl took over in the third set with eight kills, including a pair in a 6-0 run that put UWSP ahead 16-10.  Adams, Emme and Lawson added to the Pointers' offense that out-hit CUW .316 to .222 as UWSP took the third set.
 
Five kills by Gehl powered UWSP to a 6-1 lead in set four.  Gehl served up consecutive aces and added a pair of kills as the Pointers built a 13-7 advantage.  The Pointers thwarted three match point, but were not able to capitalize on a pair of their own set points as CUW finished off the match.
 
The Pointers remain at home with a pair of matches on Saturday to round out the UWSP Invitational.  UWSP plays Carroll at 12:00 p.m. and Bethel at 2:00 p.m. to cap the five-game homestand.