The UMSL Tritons celebrate winning their first ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
| NCAA Women’s Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 Quincy (24-6) | 23 | 19 | 27 | 23 | (1) |
| #1 UMSL (26-4) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | (3) |
WILLIAMSVILLE, IL — The old saying is “the third time’s the charm”.
Well, it didn’t work that way for the University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team.
It turned out it was the fourth time that proved to be the one.
UMSL had made it to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship game three times before Sunday and each time they lost.
But on Sunday, it was the fourth time that proved to be the charm, as the Tritons defeated longtime rival Quincy University, three sets to one, to win the program’s first ever GLVC Tournament title.
The UMSL Tritons, along with head coach Ryan Young, celebrate winning the program’s first ever GLVC Tournament championship. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
UMSL won the match by scores of 25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 25-23. Those set victories included a pair of dramatic comebacks.
In the first set, UMSL trailed 22-16, with Quincy owning all the momentum. But the Tritons rallied with a 9-1 run, which included three kills by sophomore Alayna Santel and three attack errors by Quincy.
The second set was also tight near the end, with UMSL ahead 21-18, following a pair of won points by the Hawks. But UMSL won four of the final five points to claim the set and move just one set victory away from its first title.
Quincy wouldn’t go down without a fight though, as the Hawks lead the entire third set before eventually winning 27-25.
The fourth set was also tight. Quincy led 22-19, before three straight UMSL winners tied the match. The Hawks won the next point to go back ahead, but a kill by Hannah Copeland and two straight kills by Santel clinched the match and the championship for the Tritons.
The UMSL Tritons are 26-4 and have won 19 matches in a row, heading into the NCAA Tournament, which will begin in December. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Santel finished with a match-high 18 kills and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Maggie Johnson had 17 kills and was also named to the All-Tournament Team, as was Caitlin Bishop, the 2025 GLVC Player of the Year, who finished the night with 57 assists.
UMSL, which has a 26-4 overall record and boasts a 19-match winning streak, will now advance to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin in December.
The Tritons were the No. 1 ranked team in the Midwest Region in last week’s poll and will likely be selected to host the Midwest Regionals.
UMSL won the regional championship at home in 2023 and on the road in 2022.
UPDATE: The NCAA announced Monday evening that UMSL will be the No. 1 seed and host the Midwest Regionals at the Mark Twain Building, December 4-6.
The Tritons will play the No. 8-seeded University of Indianapolis in the first round on Thursday, December 4, at 4:30 p.m.
The other teams invited to the Midwest Regionals were No. 2 seed Ohio Dominican, No. 3 seed Ferris State, No. 4 Wayne State, No. 5 Findlay, No. 6 Quincy, and No. 7 Rockhurst.
Each team will play its first round game on December 4. The regional semifinals will be on December 5, with the regional championship game set for December 6.
2025 UMSL Tritons Volleyball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2025 (Friday) | 9 a.m. | Neutral | Michigan Tech | Lebanon, Ill. | McKendree Invitational | W, 3-0 (1-0) |
| September 5, 2025 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Purdue Northwest | Lebanon, Ill. | McKendree Invitational | W, 3-0 (2-0) |
| September 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 9 a.m. | Neutral | Southwestern Oklahoma State | Lebanon, Ill. | McKendree Invitational | W, 3-0 (3-0) |
| September 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 4:30 p.m. | Neutral | Minnesota Duluth | Lebanon, Ill. | McKendree Invitational | L, 3-0 (3-1) |
| September 12, 2025 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | South Dakota Mines | Kearney, Neb. | Rosella Meier Fall Classic | W, 3-2 (4-1) |
| September 12, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Nebraska-Kearney | Kearney, Neb. | Rosella Meier Fall Classic | L, 3-0 (4-2) |
| September 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 10:30 a.m. | Neutral | Sioux Falls | Kearney, Neb. | Rosella Meier Fall Classic | W, 3-1 (5-2) |
| September 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Adams State | Kearney, Neb. | Rosella Meier Fall Classic | W, 3-0 (6-2) |
| September 19, 2025 (Friday) | 1 p.m. | Away | #1 Lynn | Boca Raton, Fla. | Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach | L, 3-0 (6-3) |
| September 19, 2025 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Neutral | Flagler | Boca Raton, Fla. | Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach | W, 3-1 (7-3) |
| September 20, 2025 (Saturday) | 9 a.m. | Away | Palm Beach Atlantic | West Palm Beach, Fla. | Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach | L, 3-1 (7-4) |
| September 26, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Drury | Springfield, Mo. | W, 3-0 (8-4) | |
| September 27, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Southwest Baptist | Bolivar, Mo. | W, 3-0 (9-4) | |
| October 3, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Illinois Springfield | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-0 (10-4) | |
| October 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Quincy | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-2 (11-4) | |
| October 10, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Upper Iowa | Fayette, Iowa | W, 3-0 (12-4) | |
| October 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Truman State | Kirksville, Mo. | W, 3-1 (13-4) | |
| October 17, 2025 (Friday) | 11:30 a.m. | Neutral | Hillsdale | Hammond, Ind. | MIDWEST REGIONAL CROSSOVER | W, 3-1 (14-4) |
| October 17, 2025 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Neutral | Davenport | Hammond, Ind. | MIDWEST REGIONAL CROSSOVER | W, 3-0 (15-4) |
| October 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Wayne State | Hammond, Ind. | MIDWEST REGIONAL CROSSOVER | W, 3-1 (16-4) |
| October 24, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Missouri S&T | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-1 (17-4) | |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Maryville | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-1 (18-4) | |
| October 31, 2025 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Away | UIndy | Indianapolis, Ind. | W, 3-1 (19-4) | |
| November 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Lewis | Romeoville, Ill. | W, 3-2 (20-4) | |
| November 7, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | McKendree | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-0 (21-4) | |
| November 14, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | William Jewell | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-0 (22-4) | |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rockhurst | Mark Twain Building | W, 3-1 (23-4) | |
| November 21, 2025 (Friday) | 11:30 a.m. | Neutral | #8 Lewis | Williamsville, Ill. | GLVC Tournament | W, 3-2 (24-4) |
| November 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Neutral | #8 UIndy | Williamsville, Ill. | GLVC Tournament | W, 3-1 (25-4) |
| November 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 12:30 p.m. | Neutral | #3 Quincy | Williamsville, Ill. | GLVC Tournament | W, 3-1 (26-4) |
| December 4, 2025 (Thursday) | 4:30 p.m. | Home | #8 UIndy | Mark Twain Building | NCAA Midwest Regionals |