UMSL senior Mya Elliott was a key figure in the Tritons picking up three wins in four matches over the weekend. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s volleyball team hosted the Triton Invitational over the weekend and came out of it with victories in three of the four matches it played. UMSL lost its season opener on Thursday to Missouri S&T, but finished the weekend by winning three straight against Emporia State, Southern Arkansas, and St. Leo.
The match against S&T didn’t go well at all, as the visiting Miners handed the Tritons a three-set loss. S&T outhit UMSL 30 percent to 11 percent, with 46 kills to UMSL’s 36. The Tritons also hurt themselves with 22 hit errors to just 12 by the Miners. S&T also had nine blocks.
On Friday, things went much better for UMSL, as it defeated both Emporia State and Southern Arkansas.
In the match against Emporia State, UMSL won three sets to one. Seniors Hailey Flowers and Charlotte Richards, and freshman Hannah Copeland all had fantastic matches for the Tritons.
Flowers had a match-high 16 kills and Copeland added 12, while Richards also had 12 kills and added a match-high 15 digs.
The match against Southern Arkansas was a three-set for UMSL. The Tritons outhit the Muleriders 38 percent to 1 percent.
Another senior hitter, Mya Elliott, was the star of that match, as she led all participants with 14 kills and six blocks. Richards also played well. She posted 12 kills and nine digs.
In the final match of the weekend, UMSL dominated St. Leo in a three sets to one win. That contest proved to be the Tritons’ best hitting match so far this season, as they connected on 48 percent of their hits, which led to 55 kills.
Another UMSL senior, outside hitter Lexi Rang, had a weekend-best 18 kills, while teammate Caitlin Bishop had 48 assists.
The Tritons will be back in action this coming weekend, when they’ll travel to Indianapolis to play in the UIndy Invitational. Like this past weekend, UMSL will play four matches total, with two of them coming on Friday and two more on Saturday.
UMSL’s next home match will come on Friday, September 23, when the Tritons will host Great Lakes Valley Conference foe, Truman State at the Mark Twain Building. That contest is slated to tipoff at 7 p.m.