STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (8-6) dropped both matches of the Pointers Invitational on Saturday coming up short in five sets against Carroll (7-5) before falling to Bethel (6-6) in four sets.
 
Logan Cregan (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville Area) had season highs in both kills (19) and digs (20) to post her third-consecutive double-double against Carroll. Lauren Shaw (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) tied Cregan for the team-lead with 19 kills versus the Pioneers and led UWSP with 13 kills versus Bethel.
 
Hannah Strege (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) posted another double-double with 35 assists and 18 digs against the Royals. She had a team-best 45 assists versus CU. Abby Nevins (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) was in double figures with 13 and 22 digs on the day.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 2, Carroll 3 (18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 15-17)
Cregan and Shaw combined for six kills as the Pointers trailed 16-11 in the first set. Samanatha Kempinger had two kills late as Carroll held on to take the opening set.
 
Strege and Tessa Erlandson (Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon Wanamingo) each had an ace as UWSP opened the second with a 9-5 advantage. Carly Thomka (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) had a kill and an ace with Shaw adding three kills for a 17-13 lead. Shaw capped the set win with a kill to even the match.
 
Shaw had three kills and a service ace for an 8-6 lead in the third. Cregan had four kills as UWSP held a 14-13 edge. Shaw had three more kills and a block, but Carroll finished on a 6-0 run to take the third set.
 
Cregan had back-to-back aces early in the fourth set. She had four kills late as UWSP used an 8-2 run to force a fifth set.
 
Carroll jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the fifth before Shaw had a pair of kills to get UWSP within 8-6. Nevins served an ace for a 10-9 lead and Shaw game UWSP match point, 14-11, with a kill. But the Pioneers finished on a 6-1 burst to steal the match in five sets.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 1, Bethel 3 (19-25, 17-25, 25-17, 16-25)
After both teams moved to Quandt Fieldhouse for the match, Bethel started with a 6-3 lead. Ella Trieloff (Park Ridge, Ill./St. Viator) and Shaw combined for five kills as the Pointers got within one. Consecutive kills by Cregan tied the set at 12-12. Olivia Paukner (Prairie Du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) had two kills late as Bethel held off the Pointers.
 
Sadie Grabarski (Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee Community) had a kill and a block early, but the Royals surged to a 12-7 lead. Shaw and Trieloff combined for five kills late as Bethel took a 2-0 lead.
 
Shaw had three kills and Thomka added a pair of blocks for an 8-6 lead in the third. Jadynn Gruner (Portage, Wis./Portage) had consecutive kills and Trieloff and Paukner combined on back-to-back blocks in an 8-0 run. Thomka had a kill and a set-ending ace as UWSP took the third set.
 
Thomka, Shaw and Trieloff had two kills each and a Strege ace gave UWSP a 12-9 lead. Bethel closed the set on a 16-4 run to finish the match in four sets.
 
The Pointers return to league action with a 7:00 p.m. match at UW-Oshkosh on Friday (Sept. 26).