Coach Ryan Young, left, and the UMSL volleyball team recognized seniors Samantha Lewis (4), Gaylynn Jones (14) and Lexi Rogers (11) before Saturday’s sweep of Bellarmine, which completed a 2-1 week for the Tritons.
Volleyball
UMSL went 2-1 last week at home, sweeping Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents Southern Indiana and Bellarmine. Its lone loss came to Lindenwood earlier in the week. Senior Lexi Rogers hit .407 and averaged 2.89 kills and 1.22 blocks per set, while freshman Kylie Rudsinski also averaged 2.89 kills per set. The Tritons (15-11, 9-6 GLVC) will host Maryville on Tuesday night in their final home contest of the season before closing out the regular season at Missouri S&T and Drury on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Women’s Soccer
Rockhurst scored six minutes and four seconds into last Friday’s GLVC Tournament semifinal match to give the second-seeded Hawks a 1-0 victory over the No. 3 seed Tritons. Despite the loss, UMSL (12-4-1) landed an NCAA Tournament bid as an at-large team when the bracket was unveiled on Monday evening. It is the program’s second straight NCAA berth and fourth overall. The Tritons are seeded fifth in the Midwest Region and will play Rockhurst again with the winner advancing to meet top-seeded Grand Valley State, the three-time defending NCAA Division II champion.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming
The Tritons women’s swimming team finished fourth and the men were fifth at the 2016 Drury Invitational, held last Friday and Saturday. The women totaled 274 points in a performance highlighted by the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Aga Blocka, Zofia Pilarska, Merel Visser and Amber Visser, which swam to a fifth-place finish. The men recorded 355 points with top finishes from Radoslaw Chupka in the 200-yard backstroke (fourth) and Mike Trefler in the 200-yard breaststroke (fifth). UMSL returns to the pool Saturday at the Lindenwood Invite.
Men’s Basketball
UMSL battled NCAA Division I Southern Illinois to the end but came up short in a 72-67 loss to the Salukis in exhibition play last Thursday night. SIU scored the final seven points of the game to escape with the victory, erasing a two-point Tritons lead with under three minutes to play. Senior Joseph English led the Tritons with 13 points, while senior Hunter Reine followed with 12 points and 12 rebounds. UMSL will now turn its focus to the regular season, tipping off its 51st season next weekend by hosting Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Ferris State in the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge. UMSL plays GLIAC member Grand Valley State as the event continues Saturday.
Women’s Basketball
UMSL fell to NCAA Division I Bradley 62-45 in exhibition play last Saturday despite playing even with the Braves in a 28-28 second half. Senior Robneisha Lee scored 12 points and added seven rebounds and two steals, while junior Shelby Dahl followed with nine points, connecting on 3 of 4 shots from the floor. UMSL now turns its attention to the regular season, where it will tip off its 43rd season of intercollegiate play next Friday and Saturday at the Pops Duncan Classic, hosted by Trevecca Nazarene, in Nashville, Tenn. The Tritons will meet the host school on Friday before facing Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday.
