STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Ben Busalacchi (Sr.-Muskego, Wis.) set a new career high with 28 kills but the Lakeland University men's volleyball team came out on the wrong end of a five-set marathon, falling to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Thursday night at Berg Gymnasium.

The Pointers outlasted the Muskies for a 19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 20-25, 22-20 victory in their first-ever varsity match. Lakeland played its longest-ever fifth set in its 11-year varsity history but dropped to 0-2 on the young season.

Busalacchi well surpassed his previous career best of 23 kills set last season against Concordia Chicago, breaking his prior mark by late in the fourth set. His 28 kills are the third-most in a match in Muskies varsity history, behind only Nate Vanderwaal's 29 kills against both Concordia Wisconsin and St. Norbert in 2020.

The Muskies and Pointers were close the entire night, combining for 44 ties and 13 lead changes, including 10 ties and four lead changes in the fifth set alone. Neither team led by more than five points at any stage of the match, though UWSP led by that many points on four occasions early in the fifth set before Lakeland rallied back.

Stevens Point scored the first five points of the fifth set, and after a 4-1 run was ahead by five again at 11-6, just four points from victory. The Muskies came back with six straight points, including three kills by Levi Everts (Jr.-Hartford, Wis.), and a service ace by Colin Kenney (Sr.-Shorewood, Wis.) put Lakeland ahead at 12-11.

The teams then went back and forth trading points, but the Muskies earned the first match point with a kill by Busalacchi for a 14-13 lead. UW-Stevens Point fought that off, but Busalacchi followed with kills at 14-14 and 15-15 for two more match points.

The Pointers came back to take a 17-16 lead for their first match point, but Lakeland went back ahead 19-18 after a kill by Everts, and was ahead again at 20-19 after a kill by Jordan Davis-Troller (So.-Cottage Grove, Wis.). A lift call tied the match again at 20-20, and UWSP finished it out with a pair of blocks.

Everts also added a career high with 14 kills and Kenney added seven kills for the Muskies, who hit .217 as a team with 64 kills but also 30 errors. Lakeland also finished with an 11-6 lead in service aces, but between attack and serving errors, the Muskies combined for 54 errors, 18 more than the Pointers.

Chase Anderson (So.-Hartford, Wis.) also set a career high with 52 assists and added 13 digs. Drew Green (Sr.-Brooklyn Center, Minn.) also added a career high with 17 digs and Kenney finished with a team-high five aces.

Zach Meyers led UW-Stevens Point with 14 kills and 13 digs and Dylan Niznik added 12 kills. The Pointers hit .204 with 48 kills and 20 errors.

The Muskies are back home for their next matches Sunday when they host a triangular with the University of Olivet (Mich.) and Illinois Wesleyan University. Lakeland faces Olivet at 1 p.m. and Illinois Wesleyan at 5 p.m., with the two visiting teams also facing each other at 3 p.m.