The UMSL women’s volleyball team is 28-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country, following Saturday’s win over Southwest Baptist.
| NCAA Women’s Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 UMSL (28-0, 13-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
| Southwest Baptist (14-15, 3-10) | 13 | 16 | 16 | (0) |
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, MO — The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team played 28 regular season games in 2023 and they won all 28 of them.
It’s the first time in school history that the Tritons played a perfect regular season.
UMSL completed that journey, Saturday afternoon, when it swept Southwest Baptist University, three sets to none, in a match at the John Q. Hammons Center.
Three Triton players reached double-digits in kills, led by senior outside hitter Lexie Rang, who had a match-high 14 kills. Fellow seniors Delaney Humm and Mya Elliott added 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
Sophomore setter Caitlin Bishop had 40 assists, senior libero Kylie Adams added 17 digs and four aces, while sophomore middle blocker Hannah Copeland finished with four blocks.
UMSL never trailed in the opening stanza as it began the match with three straight points. SBU closed to within two early, before the Tritons put it away with six straight points to build a 13-4 lead, following a kill from Humm. UMSL led by as many as 12 in the frame before eventually winning the set, 25-13.
The two sides traded points to begin the middle stanza and were tied at four when UMSL pulled away thanks to a 7-1 run to grab an 11-5 lead after a kill from Humm. The Bearcats cut the deficit to four at 19-15 but wouldn’t get any closer as the Tritons closed the set scoring six of the last seven points to win 25-16.
The final set was tight early before the Tritons pulled away with another run to grab a 17-11 lead after a ball handling error by Katie Pogue. SBU wouldn’t get closer than five points the rest of the match as UMSL scored eight of the final 12 points to win 25-16 and complete the sweep.
Next up for the Tritons, will be the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, which will be played next weekend in Williamsville, Ill. As champions of the GLVC regular season, UMSL will be the No. 1 seed and will begin its postseason journey with a first round match on Friday, November 17, against No. 8 seed Upper Iowa.
The winner of that match will play the winner of the 4-seed/5-seed match in the semifinals on Saturday, November 18, with the winner of that contest advancing to the GLVC Tournament championship game on Sunday, November 18.
2023 UMSL Tritons Women’s Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2023 | 11:30 am | GLVC Tournament – 1st Round | #8 seed Upper Iowa | Williamsville, Ill. |
| November 18, 2023 | 2:30 pm | GLVC Tournament – Semifinals | TBA | Williamsville, Ill. |
| November 19, 2023 | 12 pm | GLVC Tournament – Championship Game | TBA | Williamsville, Ill. |
| Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2023 | TBA | NCAA Midwest Regionals | TBA | TBA |
| Dec. 7-9, 2023 | TBA | NCAA Championships | TBA | TBA |