WHITEWATER, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (26-8) won the third WIAC Tournament title in program history on Saturday with a five-set win over top-seed UW-Whitewater (22-8). It was the Pointers second five-set victory in Whitewater in the last nine days. The win give UWSP the WIAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Senior
April Gehl (Hilbert, Wis./Hilbert) recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 30 digs. She became the first player in program history with 600 kills in a season and moved into third in league history in the category. It was her 25th double-double of the year.
Junior
Ellie Adams (Racine, Wis./William Horlick) also had a double-double with 42 assists and 17 digs, her 22nd double-double of the season.
Tara Emme (St. Nazianz, Wis./Valders) and
Megan Lau (Potter, Wis./Hilbert) were in double figures with 10 kills each.
Emma Peterson (Bloomington, Minn./Thomas Jefferson) led all players with 34 digs.
Mazie Nagel (Stratford, Wis./Stratford) and
Kelsie Belfiori (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) added 14 and 10 digs, respectively.
The Pointers fell into an early 6-0 hole in the first set and were unable to rally in a 25-20 UWW win. A pair of blocks by Gehl sparked a 9-2 run as UWSP took a 10-4 lead in the second set. Lau had four kills, including the set clincher, as UWSP evened the match with a 25-16 win.
A pair of kills by Gehl gave the Pointers a 5-2 edge early in the third, but a 16-3 run by the Warhawks put UWSP in a 2-1 hole after a 25-20 set win by UWW.
After UWSP trailed 16-12 in the fourth set, Lau and
Hailey Jarr (Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer) each had a kill and combined on a block to start a 13-3 run as the Pointers forced a fifth set with a 25-19 win.
Jarr had a kill and two blocks in a five-point burst as UWSP took an 8-4 lead. The teams traded four-point runs and a combined block by Jarr and Lau gave the Pointes a 13-19 lead. Two points later, Emme got a kill to reach match point. In the long final rally, it was an Adams dump for the title-winning kill.
The Pointers will await Monday's NCAA Tournament Selection Show to find out their first round opponent. The selection show can be seen on NCAA.com at 11:30 a.m.