Freshman rightside hitter Alayna Santel had a team-high seven kills in UMSL’s season-ending loss to top-ranked Ferris State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Championship in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Volleyball
The University of Missouri–St. Louis women’s volleyball team had its season come to an end Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship. The 25th-ranked Tritons fell to unbeaten and top-ranked Ferris State in straight sets, 25-21, 25-19, 25-12, in Big Rapids, Michigan. UMSL played a back-and-forth first set with the Bulldogs even leading 19-18, but Ferris State scored seven of the last nine points to pull out the set. The Bulldogs won 13 of the final 20 points in the second set after being tied at 12, and they dominated the third set with 12 kills against two errors while holding the Tritons to a negative .147 hitting percentage. UMSL hit just .020 in the match. Alayna Santel had a team-high seven kills and Maggie Johnson added five in the loss. Setter Caitlin Bishop had a season-low 21 assists, and Skylar Weaver had 12 digs. Olivia Henneman-Dallape had a match-high 11 kills for Ferris State. UMSL finished its season with a record of 19-9, including 8-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year and eighth time overall, but it was their earliest exit since 2019 after they reached the national semifinal each of the past two years. Ferris State reached this year’s Elite Eight after following Thursday’s victory with wins over Lewis and Findlay to claim the regional championship.
Women’s Basketball
The Tritons picked up commanding home victories against Maryville and Indianapolis but had their six-game winning streak snapped in a loss to Lewis at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. UMSL beat Maryville 75-53 on Monday evening. Alex Wolff led the way with 21 points, Katie Hamill had 19, and Morgan Ramthun added 12 along with a game-high 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double. The Tritons held the Saints to 32.3% shooting while going 50% from the field, including 6 for 14 from 3-point range. UMSL had four players in double figures in Thursday’s 64-49 win over UIndy. Kate Rolfes scored a team-high 16 points, Wolff added 14, Audrey Martinez-Stewart had 13 and Hamill finished with 11. The Tritons again shot 50% from the field and went 9 for 19 from beyond the 3-point arc. The offense was stifled in Saturday’s 56-50 loss to Lewis. UMSL’s output was a season low, and it had only seven points in the fourth quarter after leading 43-42 entering the final 10 minutes. Cierra McNamee scored a game-high 17 points for the Flyers. Wolff led the Tritons with 10 points but was the only player in double figures. UMSL committed 15 turnovers. The Tritons (7-2, 3-1 GLVC) will play in the Puerto Rico Classic beginning Sunday when they face Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
Men’s Basketball
UMSL went 2-1 last week at home, beating Maryville 83-53 on Monday and Indianapolis 66-59 on Thursday but falling to Lewis 81-61 on Saturday. Emanuel Prospere II and Janeir Harris combined for 29 points off the bench to propel the Tritons over the Saints. They also got 11 points from Savon Wykle and 10 from Troy Glover II. UMSL’s defense was strong throughout, holding Maryville to 33.3% shooting, including 28.1% shooting in the first half as it opened up a 41-22 lead. The Tritons had another stingy defensive effort against the Greyhounds, holding them to 34.5% shooting in Thursday’s victory. KC Udolisa led four UMSL players in double figures with 16 points, Wykle had 15, Harris scored 13 off the bench and Glover added 10 along with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. The Tritons won despite 21 turnovers. Ball security was a bit of an issue again on Saturday as UMSL committed 15 turnovers, but the bigger problem was Lewis’ hot shooting. The Flyers shot 63.5% from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, and outscored the Tritons 48-16 in the paint. Matt Enright scored a career-high 30 points in the loss, but Udolisa was the only other UMSL player in double figures with 11 points. Coach Bob Sundvold‘s team (3-6, 3-1 GLVC) is idle until Dec. 17, when it will take on Pittsburg State in the first game of the River City Holiday Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming
The Tritons’ swimming teams swept dual meets against Quincy, winning a total of 18 events in the competition on Saturday afternoon at the UMSL Swimming Pool. The women’s team beat the Hawks 141-59 to improve to 4-1 while the men won 119-82 and are now 3-2. The women won all 11 contested events with Justice Beard and Audrey Lantz posting two event wins each. Beard won the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly with times of 1 minute, 55.78 and 2:10.43, respectively. Lantz won the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke in times of 24.91 seconds and 2:14.25. Chiara Alberola was the first to touch the wall in the 1,000-yard free in 11:26.04, Romina Itzkovich won the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:01.28, Kate Nelson took first in 100-yard free in 54.68 seconds, Isabella Gruidl won the 500 free in 5:30.56, and Cheyanne Godleski claimed first in the 200 breaststroke in 2:29.19. UMSL also won the 200-medley and 200 freestyle relays with Beard and Lantz both contributing to the win in the latter. The Tritons’ men’s team won five individual events and two relays. Metehan Saruhan had two of the victories, taking first in the 100 and 200 freestyle races in 47.66 seconds and 1:44.83, respectively. Ethan Boehle won the 200 butterfly in 1:57.13, Ryan Connor won the 200 backstroke in 1:55.42, and Dylan Bonnett took first in the 200 breaststroke in 2:12.96. Saruhan contributed to UMSL’s win in the 200 freestyle relay. The Tritons will return to the pool on Friday as they play host in a winter triangular against Maryville and Missouri S&T.
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field
UMSL’s track and field teams opened their indoor season with strong performances in the Illinois Wesleyan Titan First Chance meet Saturday at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Kennedy Moore had a fifth-place finish in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 1.75 inches, and Rebekah Vail finished 14th in the weight throw with a toss of 37-1 1/4 and 16th in the shot put with a mark of 31-8 3/4. On the men’s side, Caleb Cody-Jackson finished second in the 300 meter run with a time of 35.24 seconds and was sixth in the 60 meters at 7.11 seconds. Rashad Smith finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 45-4 1/2, and Bailey Riley finished ninth in the triple jump with a jump of 41-1. Jared Dunn took 16th in the triple jump with a mark of 36-6 3/4. UMSL will next compete in the Illinois College Snowbird Open on Jan. 25 at King Fieldhouse in Jacksonville, Illinois.
