The UMSL Tritons went 3-0 at the Midwest Region Crossover in Indiana this weekend. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Midwest Region Crossover | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #19 Ferris St. (19-6) | 18 | 19 | 20 | (0) |
| #4 UMSL (20-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
HAMMOND, IN — Another big game. Another big victory.
That’s what the No. 4-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team delivered on Saturday, when it won the top seed match of the Midwest Region Crossover at the Hammond SportsPlex by defeating No. 19 Ferris State, three sets to none by scores of 25-18, 25-19, 25-20.
The Tritons got big performances from senior hitters Lexie Rang and Delaney Humm. Both players had a match-high 15 kills to lead the UMSL offense, in a contest where the Tritons outhit the Bulldogs .272 to .139 and finished with 45 total kills to Ferris State’s 33.
UMSL sophomore Caitlin Bishop had 36 assists and 15 digs.
The Tritons opened the match on an 8-3 run but Ferris State countered with a 12-5 run to take a 15-13 lead after Bishop was called for a ball handling error. The Tritons used a 6-1 run to regain the lead at 19-16 after Mya Elliott blocked Syann Fairfield on a hit attempt that fired up the entire UMSL bench. The Bulldogs got back to within two, but wouldn’t get any closer as UMSL closed out the set scoring six of the final seven points to win 25-18.
Humm had six kills in the stanza, while Rang added three and Elliott and Hailey Flowers had two kills apiece.
The Tritons led by as many as seven midway through the middle frame but FSU made a run getting to within 18-17 after an error by Elliott. UMSL responded scoring seven of the next nine points to take the set 25-19 and the commanding 2-0 lead.
Humm and Rang combined for 13 of the team’s 17 kills in the stanza while Bishop had 15 assists and six digs in the frame.
The Tritons led by three early in the final frame but the Bulldogs fought back to take a 19-18 lead after a kill from Olivia Henneman-Dallape. That would be their last lead as UMSL ended the match with a 7-1 run behind two kills from Rang and one each from Humm, Flowers and Hannah Copeland and a service ace from Rylee Edson.
Rang and Flowers had 10 of the team’s 14 kills in the stanza while Humm and Copeland had two each.
UMSL is now 20-0 on the season and remains just one of three unbeaten teams left in women’s NCAA Division II volleyball.
The Tritons will return to Great Lakes Valley Conference action next weekend, when they’ll host Missouri S&T and Maryville in matches at the Mark Twain Building on Friday and Saturday. The Friday match against S&T will begin at 6 p.m., and the Saturday contest against Maryville will start at 3 p.m.
2023 UMSL Tritons Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 20, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Missouri S&T | Mark Twain Building |
| October 21, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Maryville | Mark Twain Building |
| October 27, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Upper Iowa | Fayette, Iowa / Dorman Memorial Gymnasium |
| October 28, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Truman State | Kirksville, Mo. / Pershing Arena |
| November 3, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Illinois Springfield | Mark Twain Building |
| November 4, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Quincy | Mark Twain Building |
| November 10, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Drury | Springfield, Mo. / O’Reilly Family Events Center |
| November 11, 2023 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Southwest Baptist | Bolivar, Mo. / John Q. Hammons Court |
| November 17-19, 2023 | TBA | Neutral | GLVC Tournament | Williamsville, Ill./Williamsville High School Fieldhouse |