UMSL’s Mya Elliott had 14 kills and five blocks in the Tritons’ win over Missouri S&T on Friday. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| NCAA Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri S&T (11-9, 2-5) | 11 | 25 | 23 | 17 | (1) |
| #4 UMSL (21-0, 6-0) | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
NORMANDY, MO — The No. 4-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team had three players reach double-figures in kills on its way to its 21st straight win, a three sets to one victory over Missouri S&T, Friday night at the Mark Twain Building.
UMSL is now 21-0 on the season and 6-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, while the Missouri S&T fell to 11-9 and 2-5 on the year.
UMSL opened the match on an 8-1 run and never looked back as it cruised to a 25-11 win. The Tritons hit .324 in the frame with 12 kills against one error in 34 swings and were led by Lexie Rang with four kills while Hannah Copeland added three and Mya Elliott and Delaney Humm had two apiece.
UMSL led by three midway through the second stanza but S&T wouldn’t go away rallying to take a 16-14 lead after Hannah Feltz blocked Copeland.
The Tritons ran off three in a row to retake the lead but couldn’t shake the Miners. UMSL led 21-20 after a kill from Humm but S&T scored five of the final six points of the set to win it 25-22 and even the match at a set apiece.
The Miners jumped out to a 4-1 lead to begin set three but the Tritons rallied grabbing a 16-14 advantage after a kill from Humm. S&T went on a 6-2 run to retake the lead at 20-18 after an error by Humm.
UMSL got a kill from Humm and a then Copeland and Hailey Flowers blocked Jordan Burton to even things at 20. The Miners regained the lead after Rylee Edson’s serve went into the net.
Copeland sparked the game winning run first with a kill and then served three straight points to put the Tritons ahead 24-22. The Miners closed to within 24-23 after Copeland’s serve was long but UMSL never relinquished the lead as Elliott ended the frame with a kill on the next rally.
The Tritons built a five-point lead early in the fourth stanza and led by as many as nine at 21-12 after Rang blocked Feltz. S&T ran off three straight points to get within six but wouldn’t get any closer as UMSL got back-to-back kills from Humm to end the match.
The Tritons hit .233 for the contest with 55 kills against 20 errors in 150 chances and were led by Rang with 16 kills while Elliott added 14 and Humm finished with 11. Caitlin Bishop handed out 48 assists, Elliott finished with five blocks, Trysta Foster served three aces and Kylie Adams had 18 digs.
The Miners were held to a .131 attack percentage with 47 kills against 26 errors in 160 swings. Burton finished with a match-high 17 kills while Madelyn Mason had 12 kills. Elise Mehaffey had 24 assists, Feltz finished with eight blocks and Mia Alessio had a match-high 29 digs.
UMSL is back at home on Saturday afternoon hosting crosstown rival, Maryville at 3 p.m.
UMSL sports information contributed to this story.
2023 UMSL Tritons Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |