UMSL setter Marly Burbach prepares to deliver a pass to one of her teammates in No. 24 UMSL’s 3-1 victory over No. 23 Gannon on Saturday in the Cedarville Invitational. Burbach finished with 39 assists, eight aces, seven digs, three kills and a block in Saturday’s victory. (Photo by Scott Huck/Cedarville)
Volleyball
The 24th-ranked University of Missouri–St. Louis volleyball team opened its season in the Cedarville Invitational, where it bounced back from a tight five-set loss against host Cedarville and scored a pair of victories over No.1 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 23 Gannon in Cedarville, Ohio. The Tritons got outhit .268-.189 in Friday’s opener, committing 35 errors, as it fell 25-21, 26-28, 25-23, 19-25, 15-17. But UMSL turned things around quickly against the top-ranked Golden Bears. Alayna Santel, Addison Voorhees and Bridget Cassady combined for 51 kills in a 25-12, 24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 15-7 victory. The Tritons outhit Concordia-St. Paul .264-.194. They kept the momentum going Saturday against the Golden Knights in a 25-15, 25-15, 24-26, 25-23 victory. UMSL held Gannon to a .127 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Marly Burbach had 39 assists, eight aces, seven digs, three kills and a block on Saturday. Cassady finished with a team-high 17 kills, and Santel added 12 along with five aces. The Tritons (2-1) will next travel to Florida for the Tampa Volleyball Classic, which begins Friday. UMSL will take on Oklahoma Baptist, Francis Marion, Florida Southern and No. 2 Tampa in the two-day event.
Men’s Soccer
Newcomer Brady Freeman‘s goal in the 24th minute proved decisive in the Tritons’ season-opening 1-0 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday at the Don Dallas Soccer Field. It was UMSL’s first season-opening win since the Tritons defeated Lewis 1-0 in the Covid season of Spring 2021 and the program’s first win over Kentucky Wesleyan since 2012, snapping a four-game winless streak against the Panthers. Benjamin Ocampo and Gibson Hunt both assisted on Freeman’s goal. Freeman, a transfer from Columbia College, nearly added a second goal in the 65th minute, driving a shot in the back of the net, but Hunt was ruled offside on the play. UMSL outshot Kentucky Wesleyan 14-3, and transfer Will Meyer made one save in the shutout victory. The Tritons (1-0) will be home on Wednesday, taking on Roosevelt at the Don Dallas Soccer Field, before visiting Southwest Baptist to kick off Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer
No. 9 UMSL had a tough start to the regular season, falling 5-0 at Pittsburg State in Thursday’s opener, but the Tritons rebounded with a strong showing in a 1-1 draw at No. 4 Washburn on Saturday. The match was a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division II quarterfinal, which the Ichabods won 3-2 at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. Washburn grabbed the upper hand with a goal by Bricelyn Betts in the fourth minute of the match, but UMSL didn’t let things spiral. The Tritons had several chances to pull even in the first half and continued to press until Maryville transfer Ashtyn Fry finally leveled the match with her first goal at UMSL in the 86th minute. Josie Maddox assisted on the goal. Alyssa Wolf made nine saves for the Tritons to keep the match a draw. UMSL (0-1-1) will make its home debut on Wednesday when it takes on Wisconsin-Parkside at the Don Dallas Soccer Field, and it will also travel to Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
