Abby Baumgartner (Jr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) notched a career high with 18 kills and the Lakeland University women's volleyball team pushed a strong opponent to the brink in a four-set loss to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Points Wednesday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

April Gehl piled up 26 kills for the Pointers and her team needed every one of them as the Muskies kept the pressure on all night before bowing 27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22. Lakeland lost its home opener and dropped to 2-3 overall, with all three of its losses coming against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams.

The first Lakeland home athletics event of the 2019-20 school year provided ample entertainment for a good crowd on hand, with a number of long rallies and the teams playing for nearly two hours. Even in defeat, the Muskies showed plenty of positive signs against a UW-Stevens Point team sitting only one spot outside the AVCA/NCAA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll this week.

Lakeland posted a higher hitting percentage-.191 to the Pointers' .149-and committed just 15 hitting errors in 178 attacks, and also doubled the guests in blocks-a 12-6 advantage. UWSP (3-1 overall) countered with a whopping 101 digs over four sets, which it turned into a 66-49 advantage in kills.

The Pointers' All-American Gehl finished with 26 kills, bettering her total of 21 kills in UWSP's three-set win over Lakeland last year. Eight came in a first set that had 17 ties and eight lead changes and in which the Muskies had a pair of set points before the Pointers rallied with the final three points to steal the set.

UW-Stevens Point appeared ready to take control of the match after jumping out to a quick 12-5 lead in the second set, but Lakeland rallied back with six of the next seven points to get within 13-11. The teams alternated points much of the rest of the set with the Pointers holding on, but the Muskies bounced back with a big rally late in the third set.

Davan Fleming (Sr.-Cremona, Alberta, Canada) came off the bench to serve late in the set with Lakeland trailing 17-15 after a sideout, and she would serve eight straight points. Shannon Bishop (Sr.-River Grove, Ill.) sent home a pair of kills, Emily Bringer (So.-Round Lake, Ill.) added a kill and a block, and the Pointers also committed five errors. By the time UWSP stopped the run, the Muskies held a 23-18 lead, plenty cushion to finish the set off and push the match to a fourth set.

Lakeland had the Pointers in trouble in the fourth set, too, taking an early three-point lead and still holding a 14-13 lead until the visitors scored a run of five straight. Tara Emme posted a pair of kills and Emma Peterson added a service ace, and the Muskies never got closer than two points again the rest of the way.

Baumgartner hit at a .319 rate with 18 kills and just three errors in 47 attacks. She also set a career high in digs for the second straight match, playing all six rotations and finishing with 18 digs.

Bishop also added 12 kills and 15 digs, and also added seven block assists, most coming in tandem with Erin Iwanski (Sr.-St. Francis, Wis.), who also added seven blocks (one solo, six assisted). Megan Goeser (Jr.-Plymouth, Wis.) added 10 kills.

Neenah Primas (Jr.-Oostburg, Wis.) finished with 40 assists, Sydney Pingitore (So.-Kenosha, Wis.) tied Baumgartner for team honors with 18 digs and Allison Byrne (Sr.-Luxemburg, Wis.) also added 14 digs.

Emme also added 16 kills for UW-Stevens Point, while setter Ellie Adams totaled 54 assists plus 23 digs. Mazie Nagel also added 23 digs, Peterson finished with 20 digs and Gehl also added 19 digs.

Lakeland returns to play Friday when it travels to Stevens Point for the Pointer Invitational, where it will face Ripon College at 5 p.m. and then nationally ranked Carthage College at 7 p.m.