Dr. Holly Sheilley, Executive Director of Athletics | Missouri St. Louis Tritons
Dr. Holly Sheilley, Executive Director of Athletics | Missouri St. Louis Tritons
The University of Missouri-St. Louis volleyball team secured two victories on Saturday at the Rosella Meier Fall Classic, held at the UNK Health & Science Center in Kearney, Nebraska. The Tritons defeated Sioux Falls 3-1 and Adams State 3-0, improving their season record to 6-2.
In the first match against Sioux Falls, UMSL built a five-point lead midway through the opening set. Despite a late rally from the Cougars, the Tritons closed out the set 25-21 after an attack error by Aubrey Gates. Sioux Falls responded in the second set with an early 8-0 run and maintained their advantage for a 25-21 win.
The third set saw both teams exchange leads before UMSL pulled ahead at 17-all with key plays from Maggie Johnson, Iyannah Jackson, and Hannah Copeland. The Tritons finished strong to take the set 25-20. In the fourth frame, UMSL overcame an early deficit with a six-point run and eventually sealed the match with a 25-18 victory.
UMSL recorded a .242 hitting percentage in this match, tallying 57 kills against 19 errors over 157 attempts. Alayna Santel led with 17 kills, followed by Johnson with 14 and Bridget Cassady with 11. Caitlin Bishop contributed 45 assists and collected 15 digs. Reese Baker served three aces while Santel and Copeland each registered two blocks.
Against Adams State in their second match of the day, UMSL never trailed in the opening set and took it convincingly at 25-16 following a kill from Copeland. The second set was closely contested until late errors by Adams State allowed UMSL to edge out a win after another kill from Johnson.
The Tritons controlled much of the third set against Adams State, building a substantial lead before closing out the sweep with a final score of 25-18.
UMSL hit .198 for this contest with Johnson posting a match-high of 14 kills; Santel and Copeland added seven each. Bishop handed out another solid performance with 30 assists while Santel delivered three aces. Skylar Weaver led all players defensively with 22 digs.
UMSL will return to action next Friday when they travel to Boca Raton, Florida for the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach tournament. They are scheduled to face top-ranked Lynn at noon (CDT) followed by Flagler at 3 p.m. (CDT) at de Hoernle Sports Center on Lynn’s campus.