Sophomore outside hitter Alayna Santel had a team-high 15 kills and seven blocks in the UMSL volleyball team’s season-ending loss to Indianapolis Thursday evening in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. (Photo by Patrick Clark/Athlete’s Eye Photography)

In sports, the season almost always ends before a team is ready, and that was the case for the University of Missouri–St. Louis volleyball team on Thursday evening.

The Tritons, ranked 22nd in the country, appeared to have all the ingredients for a deep run in the NCAA Division II Tournament as it took on Indianapolis in its opening-round match, with All-American senior setter Caitlin Bishop directing a multipronged attack that had pounded opponents throughout a 19-match winning streak.

Coach Ryan Young’s team was coming off the first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title in school history after an unbeaten conference season. It was seeded first in the Midwest Region Championship, with the privilege of playing on its home court in the Mark Twain Athletic Center, a place UMSL had not lost since its 2022 season opener.

But the Tritons were also facing the challenge of knocking off the Greyhounds for a third time after two closely contested four-set victories earlier this fall, the last one coming less than two weeks ago in the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament. UMSL was not sharp enough, ceding two of the first three sets to UIndy and falling too far behind in the fifth in a 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11 loss.

The Tritons hit just .184, their lowest mark since their last defeat against Palm Beach Atlantic on Sept. 20.

“Obviously, there was familiarity playing them a third time, and pretty recently,” Young said in a post-match press conference. “It’s really hard to beat a good team three times, and we learned that tonight. Spelling and transition, we could have been a little bit cleaner to score more points, and I think that’s where they ultimately beat us in that fifth set.”

Young took no issue with his team’s effort, but UMSL struggled to solve the Greyhounds’ defense.

“They made those reads tonight really well and got a lot more defensive ups and digs than we’re normally used to when we play them,” Bishop said.

UIndy also registered 15 blocks, including eight from middle blocker Kaitlin Fasbender.

“They definitely were running good schemes,” said sophomore outside hitter Alayna Santel, who finished with a team-high 15 kills. “It was just kind of hard to get around that. I would say the block was definitely very effective.”

On the attack, Fasbender registered 12 kills after totaling 10 combined in the first two matches against UMSL. Outside hitter Maddie Lynch had a match-high 18 kills for UIndy, including five in the decisive set, and Paige Parlanti had 14 kills and 22 digs for her 21st double-double of the season.

The Tritons (26-5) never led in the fifth set and fell behind 13-10 after a kill from Lynch and a block by Fasbender on Iyannah Jackson. Santel’s final kill cut it to 13-11, but the Greyhounds (21-11) took the final two points, closing it out with kills by Lynch and Makenzie Pflederer.

Bishop, the GLVC and Midwest Region Player of the Year, who had 51 assists in her final collegiate match, was certainly not ready for the season or her career to be over. She had to take a moment to quell her emotions when asked what she’ll take away the experience.

“It’s been amazing playing for Ryan, playing for my teammates, getting to make best friends, and I wouldn’t change how the season went for anything,” she said as she sat beside Young and Santel in the interview room. “I found my bridesmaids. That’s a crazy feeling to have, and you don’t get that a lot at college. I think this is where I was meant to be, and I wouldn’t change anything of what happened and how it happened.”

She and classmates Jackson, Rylee Edson and Hannah Copeland are leaving behind a legacy that will be difficult to top. Those that played four years were part of back-to-back regional championship teams that twice advanced to the national semifinals. They finished first in the GLVC regular season three times in addition to this year’s win in the conference tournament. The regional championships, national semifinal appearances and tournament title had never been done before in school history.

“We’re going to miss the seniors,” Young said. “Obviously, Cait running the show for the last four years, she exceeded expectations, in my mind and probably everyone’s minded throughout the country. I think she’s one of the best setters, about the best pure setter in the country at the D2 level. We’re lucky to have her. I couldn’t be more grateful for the kids coming to play for me. That senior class brought this program to new heights that we haven’t seen before, so really proud of them.”