The UMSL Tritons will play home matches against William Jewell and Rockhurst this weekend. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
UMSL Tritons Volleyball – Gameday Info
Match No. 13 – William Jewell (5-6) at #5 UMSL (12-0)
Date/Time – September 22, 2023 – 6:30 pm
Match No. 14 – #25 Rockhurst at #5 UMSL (12-0)
Date/Time – September 23, 2023 — 3 pm
Location – Mark Twain Building — Normandy, MO
Broadcast – GLVC Triton TV
Live Stats – UMSL Live Stats
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
NORMANDY, MO — The No. 5-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team hosts William Jewell and No. 25 Rockhurst to begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play this Friday and Saturday at the Mark Twain Building. Friday’s night match against WJC will begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s match against Rockhurst is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
Last Time Out – UMSL went 4-0 last weekend at the McKendree Invitational to improve to 12-0 and matched its best start in school history which was set in 2019. Caitlin Bishop was named MVP of the tournament while Delaney Humm and Lexie Rang were also named to the all-tournament squad. The Tritons opened the weekend with a four-set win over Harding and then swept Maryville, Illinois-Springfield and McKendree.
ICYMI – UMSL took home two of the three GLVC Volleyball weekly awards this week. Bishop was named Setter of the Week while Kylie Adams took home Defensive Player of the Week honors. For Bishop it’s her first weekly honor while Adams receives her second career weekly accolade.
NCAA Statistical Rankings – The Tritons rank in the top 20 in six different categories in this week’s NCAA statistical rankings. UMSL is fifth in kills per set with 14.78, sixth in assists per set (13.65), 12th in hitting percentage at .271, 15th in team assists with 546, 16th in aces per set at 2.30 and 18th in team kills with 591.
Individually, Bishop ranks third in the country in assists per set with 11.65 and fifth in total assists with 266 while Rang ranks third nationally in attacks per set (12.79), fourth in points per set with 5.33, sixth in kills per set at 4.61 and 10th in total attacks with 486. She is also 14th in the country with 175 total kills.
AVCA Rankings – The Tritons remained in fifth this week’s AVCA/Taraflex Division II Top 25 polls. The top five teams were the same as last week’s rankings but the order changed. Wayne State (Neb.) moved up from third to first after sweeping top ranked Concordia-St. Paul last weekend. The Golden Bears dropped to second while West Texas A&M fell to third. Tampa remained fourth in this week’s rankings.
UMSL is one of four GLVC teams receiving attention in the national polls. Lewis is ranked 20th, Rockhurst entered the poll at 25 and Quincy continues to receive votes.
About William Jewell – The Cardinals enter Friday night’s contest with a record of 5-6 and have dropped two of their last three including a straight set loss against Missouri Southern on Tuesday evening.
Bella LaPorta and Alex Dvorak lead the William Jewell attack averaging 4.59 and 2.57 kills per set respectively while Anna Godfredsen is contributing 2.30 kills/set. Samantha Thompson and Jesa Wallace have split time at the setter position this season, with Thompson averaging 5.54 assists and Wallace is averaging 4.78 assists per set. Defensively, Dvorak and Katy Garrison lead the front line with 32 and 30 blocks.
About Rockhurst – The Hawks enter Friday’s GLVC opener at McKendree with a record of 9-1 and have won five straight after defeating Central Missouri in a five-set thriller on Tuesday evening.
Rockhurst has a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging over two kills per set and are led by Sarah Pyle with 2.92 kills/set. Tera Reberry, Ali Olson, Lexi Theis and Sydney Raszler are averaging 2.55, 2.19, 2.06 and 2.03 kills per set respectively.
Sarah Montague and Molly Trachta are the team’s primary setters with 5.92 and 4.98 assists per set each. Rockhurst ranks third in the GLVC in blocks per set with 2.20 per set and have three players ranked in the top 10 in the conference in blocking.
Series History – Friday’s contest marks the 15th meeting all-time between the Tritons and Cardinals with UMSL having won 10 of the first 14 meetings and four straight in the series. Last season the Tritons defeated Jewell 3-1 at the Mark Twain Building.
Saturday’s contest with Rockhurst is the 33rd meeting all-time between the two schools. The Hawks hold a 21-11 advantage in the series but UMSL has won five of the last six contests.
Last season the Tritons won two of the three matches against Rockhurst. UMSL won the regular season meeting in Kansas City 3-0, the Hawks returned the favor with a straight sets victory in the semifinal round of the GLVC Tournament while UMSL won in straight sets in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Quincy, Ill.
Up Next – The Tritons conclude their three-match homestand with a contest against McKendree next Saturday (Sept. 30) at 3 p.m. at the Mark Twain Building.
UMSL sports information contributed to this story.
2023 UMSL Tritons Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22, 2023 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | William Jewell | Mark Twain Building |
| September 23, 2023 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | #25 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 |