AURORA, Ill. – The No. 21 UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (0-1) fell in five sets (25-20, 24-26, 22-25, 25-18, 11-15) in the season opener against No. 23 Cornell (1-0) at the Aurora Tournament on Friday.
Grace Michalske (Wausau, Wis./West) led all players with 45 assists and added 10 digs for a double-double.
Ashley Kopp (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) also posted a double-double on the night with a match-high 22 kills and 12 digs.
Tessa Erlandson (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon Wanamingo) racked up 28 digs, twice as many as any other player in the match.
Belle Shea (Appleton, Wis./Xavier) and
Carly Thomka (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) were in double figures with 12 digs and 12 kills, respectively.
Thomka recorded the first kill of the season as the Pointers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set.
Lauren Shaw (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) served three aces during a 7-0 run by the Pointers for an 18-10 advantage. Kopp added four kills down the stretch as UWSP took the opening set.
Sydney Mosinski (Nevada, Iowa/Nevada) had two kills as UWSP took a 5-4 edge early in the second. Michalske had a pair of service aces in a 6-0 burst to give the Pointers a 14-11 lead.
Zoe Kramer (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and Thomka had a pair of kills each, but Cornell rallied for a 26-24 win to even the match.
Kopp had three early kills in the third as the teams played to an 8-8 tie. Michalske served up another ace and Kopp added one of her own as UWSP used a 6-1 run to pull even at 16-16.
Belle Shea (Appleton, Wis./Xavier) added another ace and Kopp had a pair of late kills, but the Rams prevailed with the third set.
Erlandson served a pair of aces as UWSP cushioned the advantage at 15-11 midway through the fourth. Shaw added two kills and served up an ace as UWSP forced a fifth set.
Kopp and Thomka had a kill and a block each as UWSP inched in front, 4-3, in the fifth. Mosinski had consecutive kills for an 8-6 lead. Cornell, though, closed the set on an 8-2 run to take the match.
The Pointers will face Southwestern and host-Aurora on Saturday (Aug. 31) to wrap up the weekend. Start times are scheduled for 2:00 and 6:00 p.m., respectively.