STEVENS POINT – The Lakeland University women's volleyball team continued its march through a taxing non-conference schedule with a pair of losses on the first day of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Invitational Friday.

The Muskies were defeated in three sets by nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College 25-18, 25-10, 25-22. Lakeland then was also taken down in three sets by Ripon College, 25-22, 25-19, 35-33.

The Muskies (2-5 overall) were unable to put much of a dent in the opener into the Gusties, ranked 20th this week in the latest AVCA/NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll. Lakeland hit .043 for the match, and the only players with more than two kills were Shannon Bishop (So.-River Grove, Ill.) and Shelby Block (Fr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) with six kills each.

The second match against Ripon also started on a sour note, as the Muskies never led in the first set and then quickly fell behind 10-2 in the second set. The third set was a thriller with 21 ties and six lead changes, but Lakeland couldn't capitalize on three early set points and the Red Hawks finally closed it out with two kills.

Block again shared the team lead in kills, as she and senior Brittini Scoles (Kewaskum, Wis.) both recorded seven kills each. Neenah Primas (Fr.-Oostburg, Wis.) posted 16 assists while Davan Fleming (So.-Cremona, Alberta, Canada) added 13 assists. Brianna Johnson (Jr.-Altoona, Wis.) posted 13 digs and Primas and Emma Bruder (Jr.-Frankfort, Ill.) both added nine digs, with Bruder following up a 14-dig performance in the first match.

Lakeland's schedule gets no easier tomorrow with the second and final day of play at the UWSP Invite. The Muskies take on Bethel (Minn.) University at 10 a.m. and then face Millikin (Ill.) University at noon. Millikin is ranked 12th in this week's Division III coaches poll, while Bethel also received 37 votes to rank ninth among teams just outside the top 25.