Romeoville, Ill.-  The Lewis University women's volleyball team played the RV- University of Missouri St. Louis on Nov. 1 at the Neil Carey arena and fell in five sets.

With the win, the Tritons advanced their record to 20-4 and a conference record of 10-0. The Flyers now sit at 13-11 and a conference record of 4-5.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Flyers and Tritons traded points back and forth in the beginning of set one. It wasn't until back-to-back kills by Avery Holubar (Bargersville, Ind./Center Grove) which allowed the flyers to gain their lead and they never looked back. Lauren Buxton (Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) had two kills in a row which brought the score to 19-13. The Tritons were never able to fully comeback and Flyers secured set one at 25-19.

Lewis struck first in the second set with a kill from Buxton. UMSL gained their lead early in the set at 10-4. Flyers tried to creep back after the help of a kill from Emma O'Neill (Papillion, Neb./Papillion La Vista South) and Buxton followed by a service ace from Chloe Fornetti (Caledonia, Mich./East Kentwood) bringing the score to 17-15. Ultimately, the Flyers could not recover, and the Tritons took set two at 25-20.

Down early on in the third set, the Tritons had a six-point lead at 11-4. The gap didn't stop the Flyers as they crept back from behind. With a kill from Emma Skogman, the red and white secured six consecutive points to tie the score at 22-22. They continued to battle and were able to take the third set with an incredible comeback, 26-24.

UMSL flipped the script in the fourth set as they used multiple long scoring runs to win, 25-17 and force a fifth set. 

The Flyers started hot, leading 3-1 with a kill from Sarah Newberry (Fairfield, Ohio/Stephen T Badin) and a service ace from Buxton. The Tritons were able to string along some points and lead the match at 11-10. The Flyers could not catch up, and the set ended at 15-10 with UMSL winning the match, 3-2. 

Ann-Kelly Velikov led the Flyers with 13 kills and Lily King (Channahon, Ill./Kent State) had a total of 27 assists. Kynzie Lilly (Richmond, Texas/Southwest Baptist) topped off a total of 31 digs. Lewis ended the match with a hitting percentage of .226 (62-19-190).

Maggie Johnson and Alayna Santel led the Tritons with 20 digs each. Caitlin Bishop had 63 assists and Slykar Weaver had 32 digs. UMSL ended the match with a hitting percentage of .224 (75-26-219).

MATCH NOTES

• Lewis had over double the number of blocks compared to UMSL.
• Lilly had a season high number of digs (31) and assists (7).
• Lewis is now 5-5 from the last 10 matchups against the Tritons.
• This was the sixth five set match of the year for the red and white. 

UP NEXT
The Flyers will take on William Jewell College on Nov. 7 at 6:00 pm in Liberty, MO.

50 YEARS OF WOMEN'S ATHLETICS (WATCH)
Lewis University is also organizing several alumni and family events throughout the women's athletic seasons to commemorate this historic milestone. These special gatherings will provide an opportunity for former athletes, families, and supporters to reconnect and celebrate the achievements of women's sports at Lewis. The scheduled events include:

• Women's Volleyball (Nov. 14)

For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis women's volleyball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewisuwvb on Instagram and @LewisWVBall on X