COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (1-1) split matches on opening day of the Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado. UWSP swept MSOE (0-1) to begin the season, before suffering a reverse sweep at the hands of Edgewood (1-1) to close out the day.
Freshman
Hannah Strege (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) notched her first career double-double with a match-high 36 assists and 14 digs against Edgewood. Fellow freshmen
Jaiden Schneiderman (German Valley, Ill./Forreston) and
Maggie O'Brien (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) posted double figures with 10 kills and 13 assists, respectively, versus MSOE.
Ella Trieloff (Park Ridge, Ill./St. Viator) led UWSP with 16 kills against the Eagles.
Abby Nevins (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) led the Pointers with 15 digs in the nightcap.
Game 1 – UWSP 3, MSOE 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-18)
Bella Lucero (Antioch, Ill./Carmel Catholic) served up a pair of early aces in set one and the Pointers jumped ahead, 6-2. Schneiderman picked up her first kill to start a 3-0 burst for a 14-9 advantage. Schneiderman added three more kills as UWSP took the opening set.
Schneiderman had two early kills and
Samantha Kempinger (Oshkosh, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) added a pair of aces as the Pointers led, 14-6, in the second set. A 6-0 run late helped the Pointers cruise to victory in set two.
Delilah Hyland (Glen Ellyn, Ill./IC Catholic Prep) recorded two kills early in the third set and
Tessa Erlandson (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon Wanamingo) had consecutive aces for an 8-6 lead. Kempinger had a trio of kills and Nevins served up two aces as the Pointers pulled away to finish the sweep.
Game 2 – UWSP 2, Edgewood 3 (25-20, 25-21, 15-25, 25-27, 6-15)
Trieloff and Kempinger each had a kill as the Pointers went up 9-3 in the first. The duo added three kills each as the Pointers took the opening set.
Trieloff added four more kills in the second set and Kempinger had three as the Pointers took a 2-0 lead.
UWSP fell behind early in the third and never recovered as the Eagles avoided the sweep.
Jadynn Gruner (Portage, Wis./Portage) had two kills in the fourth as UWSP kept close early. Erlandson served three aces in a 6-0 run as the Pointers took a 15-12 edge.
Olivia Paukner (Prairie Du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) had two aces, but the Pointers couldn't hold off a late surge as the match went to fifth set.
Schneiderman, Nevins and Paukner each had a kill as UWSP stayed within 7-6. But the Eagles finished the match with an 8-0 run.
The Pointers face East Texas Baptist at 12:30 p.m. MT before closing out the weekend against host Colorado College at 5:30 p.m. MT.
