Bob Sundvold, Head Men's Basketball Coach | Missouri St. Louis Tritons
Bob Sundvold, Head Men's Basketball Coach | Missouri St. Louis Tritons
The University of Missouri-St. Louis volleyball team opened play at the Nebraska-Kearney Rosella Meier Fall Classic on Friday, splitting its two matches at the UNK Health and Sports Center in Kearney, Nebraska.
In their first match, the Tritons secured a 3-2 victory over South Dakota School of Mines. UMSL dropped the opening set but responded by taking the second frame after building an early lead. The third set saw UMSL edge out their opponent 27-25, with Lydia Hartman delivering an ace and Alayna Santel adding a kill to secure the set. Despite holding a five-point advantage in the fourth set, UMSL was unable to close it out as South Dakota School of Mines forced a decisive fifth frame. The Tritons then went on an eight-point run in the final set and ultimately won after Hannah Copeland and Brooklyn Young blocked Grace Mak for match point.
UMSL finished with a .181 hitting percentage in the first match, recording 68 kills against 29 errors in 215 attempts. Alayna Santel led with 20 kills, Maggie Johnson added 17, and Iyannah Jackson contributed 13. Caitlin Bishop registered 54 assists while Skylar Weaver collected a match-high 30 digs.
In their second contest of the day, UMSL faced No. 8-ranked Nebraska-Kearney and fell in straight sets (12-25, 27-29, 23-25). After dropping the first set, UMSL pushed back in the second and held a late lead before Nebraska-Kearney closed out with three consecutive points to win the frame. The third set remained close until Nebraska-Kearney scored three of the last four points to complete the sweep.
UMSL improved its hitting percentage to .221 over the final two sets of that match but ended with a .186 overall mark—44 kills against 20 errors on 129 attempts. Santel again led with 12 kills; Jackson had 11 and Johnson finished with ten. Bishop tallied another 33 assists while Weaver posted 25 digs.
The Tritons are scheduled to continue tournament play Saturday against Sioux Falls at 10:30 a.m., followed by Adams State at 2 p.m., both matches taking place at UNK Health and Science Center.
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