UMSL middle blocker Maya Elliott had 13 kills in the two Triton wins on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| Game 1 – Sept. 2, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10 UMSL (3-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
| Alabama-Huntsville (1-2) | 16 | 23 | 22 | (0) |
| Game 2 – Sept. 2, 2023 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson-Newman (1-3) | 14 | 21 | 25 | 12 | (1) |
| #10 UMSL (4-0) | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | (3) |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
NASHVILLE, TN — The No. 10 University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team finished off a perfect opening weekend by picking up two more wins on Saturday to close out the Ray Thrasher Classic with a 4-0 record. The Tritons defeated Alabama-Huntsville in straight sets in their first match of the day, then knocked off Carson-Newman in four sets in its afternoon contest.
Despite coming into the event as one of the top 10 teams in country, UMSL was tested more than it anticipated by a couple of unranked teams.
No. 10 UMSL 3 Alabama-Huntsville 0
UMSL fell into an early hole trailing 3-1 before running off six of the next seven points to grab a 7-4 lead. The Chargers (1-2) countered with a 5-1 run of their own to take their final lead of the set at 9-8 after back-to-back Triton attack errors.
UMSL responded with a 7-1 run getting kills from five different players to retake the lead at 15-10 and wouldn’t relinquish it. The lead grew to 20-12 after an ace from Trysta Foster. UAH cut the deficit to five but wouldn’t get any closer as the Tritons scored five of the final six points to win the opener 25-16.
There were six ties and two lead changes in the middle stanza. UMSL led by as many as four at 13-9 but the Chargers fought back thanks to an 10-3 run to grab a 19-16 lead after an attack error by the Tritons. UMSL regrouped going on an 8-2 run of its own to get to set point at 24-21 after a kill from Mya Elliott.
UAH wouldn’t go quietly scoring back-to-back points to cut the Triton lead to 24-23. After a timeout, UMSL clinched the set with a kill from Lexie Rang to win it 25-23.
The Tritons and Chargers went back-and-forth in the final frame with neither side having a lead bigger than four points. UMSL led 17-13 and appeared to be in control but UAH fought back tying the set at 18 after an ace serve from Gracie McGee.
The Tritons retook the lead at 20-19 after a kill from Hailey Flowers sparking a 4-0 run for UMSL. The Tritons got to match point at 24-20 after a Charger error but UAH fought off the first two match points but not a third as an attack attempt from Smith sailed long to end the match.
UMSL hit .191 in the contest with 42 kills against 20 errors in 115 chances. Rang finished with a match-high 18 kills and was joined in double figures by Lauren Minick with 10 kills. Caitlin Bishop finished with 33 assists and Rylee Edson and Kylie Adams had 14 digs apiece.
The Triton defense held the Chargers to .072 hitting percentage with 27 kills against 20 errors in 97 chances. Smith led UAH with seven kills in the contest.
No. 10 UMSL 3 Carson-Newman 1
In UMSL’s final match of the weekend it jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and wouldn’t look back as it led wire-to-wire in a 25-14 victory. The Tritons hit .270 in the frame with 15 kills. Rang, Flowers and Delaney Humm combined for 12 of the team’s kills in the stanza.
The Eagles (1-3) led 16-15 midway through the second frame before UMSL made its run scoring four of the next five points to seize a 19-17 lead after a kill from Arika Richardson. Carson-Newman cut the deficit to one at 20-19 but wouldn’t get any closer as the Tritons scored five of the final seven points of the frame to win 25-21 and take a 2-0 lead.
The third set was the tightest of the contest as there were 11 ties and six lead changes. The Eagles soared out of the gates to 5-2 lead but the Tritons answered with an 8-2 run to build a 10-7 advantage.
UMSL still led at 20-19 but couldn’t complete the sweep as Carson-Newman scored five straight points to get to set point first at 24-20. The Tritons fought off three set points closing the gap to 24-23 after a kill from Flowers. After a timeout, the Eagles got a kill from Calla Shotwell to win the set 25-23.
The fourth set was al UMSL as it raced out to a 6-1 lead and wouldn’t allow Carson-Newman to get closer than five points the rest of the stanza. The Tritons led by as many as 14 points in the frame on its way to the 25-12 win. UMSL hit .296 in the stanza while holding the Eagles to a negative .069 attack percentage.
The Tritons hit .257 in the contest with 57 kills against 22 errors in 136 attempts. Rang led the way with 15 kills in the match while Humm added 12 kills and Flowers had 11 kills. Bishop had 34 assists and Adams finished with a season-high 22 digs.
UMSL will be back in action next weekend as it travels to St. Augustine, Fla., for the Flagler Saints Classic. The Tritons open the tournament against Embry-Riddle next Friday at 2 p.m.
2023 UMSL Tritons Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2023 (Friday) | 2 p.m. (CDT) | Neutral | Embry-Riddle | St. Augustine, Fla. / Flagler Gymnasium |
| September 8, 2023 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. (CDT) | Away | Flagler | St. Augustine, Fla. / Flagler Gymnasium |
| September 9, 2023 (Saturday) | 10 a.m. (CDT) | Neutral | Converse | St. Augustine, Fla. / Flagler Gymnasium |
| September 9, 2023 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. (CDT) | Neutral | Missouri Southern | St. Augustine, Fla. / Flagler Gymnasium |
| September 15, 2023 (Friday) | 11:30 a.m. | Neutral | Harding | Lebanon, Ill. / Harry Statham Court |
| September 15, 2023 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Neutral | Maryville | Lebanon, Ill. / Harry Statham Court |
| September 16, 2023 (Saturday) | 11:30 a.m. | Neutral | Illinois Springfield | Lebanon, Ill. / Harry Statham Court |
| September 16, 2023 (Saturday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | McKendree | Lebanon, Ill. / Harry Statham Court |
| September 22, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | William Jewell | Mark Twain Building |
| September 23, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rockhurst | Mark Twain Building |
| September 30, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | McKendree | Mark Twain Building |
| October 6, 2023 (Friday) | 5 p.m. (CDT) | Away | Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Ind. / Ruth Lilly Fitness Center |
| October 7, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Lewis | Romeoville, Ill. / Neil Carey Arena |
| October 13, 2023 (Friday) | TBA | Neutral | Midwest Region Crossover | Hammond, Ind. / Hammond Sportsplex |
| October 14, 2023 (Saturday) | TBA | Neutral | Midwest Region Crossover | Hammond, Ind. / Hammond Sportsplex |
| 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 |