Williamsville, Ill. - Despite forcing five sets against top-seeded Missouri-St. Louis, the Lewis University women's volleyball team fell 3-2 to the Tritons in the first round of the GLVC Women's Volleyball Championship.
With the win, UMSL, who currently is ranked #1 in the Midwest Region, improved to 24-4 and advanced to the next round of the tournament while the Flyers dropped to 15-14.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After splitting the first two sets, the Tritons hit at a clip of .500 (20-2-36) and used multiple long scoring runs to claim the third frame, 25-14 and take a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth set with their backs against the wall, Lewis found itself down 9-3 early on. The red and white began to claw their way back into the set and a kill from All-GLVC Second Team honoree
Sarah Newberry (Fairfield, Ohio/Stephen T Badin) spurned a 7-1 run that tied the match, 15-15. After exchanging the next handful of points, the Flyers took the lead for good as a kill from
Reese Renfrow (Prosper, Texas/Prosper High School) sparked an uninterrupted 5-0 spurt and made it 22-20. Lewis rattled off three of the next four points to win the fourth frame, 25-21 and force the fifth set.
In the final set, both longtime GLVC rivals traded scores with the sides knotted at 8-8 midway through. UMSL took the lead for good as an Iyanah Jackson kill served as a start of the Tritons match-winning 7-2 run that let them win the fifth set, 15-10 and win the match, 3-2.
Alayna Santel led UMSL with 25 kills and 12 digs for a double-double while Caitlin Bishop tallied a match-best 57 assists. On the defensive side of the ball, Skylar Weaver paced UMSL with 19 digs in the win. The Tritons ended the match with a hitting percentage of .278 (74-20-194) compared to .232 (57-18-168) for the Flyers.
Newberry paced Lewis with 11 kills with
Lauren Buxton (Springfield, Ill./Pleasant Plains) chipping in 10 of her own.
Lily King (Channahon, Ill./Kent State) provided 17 assists while
Elena Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) and
Kynzie Lilly (Richmond, Texas/Southwest Baptist) each had 15 digs. At the net,
Mya Bajramovic (Cary, Ill./West Virginia Wesleyan) tallied a career-high six total blocks (2S, 4A).
MATCH NOTES
- Lewis is now 5-4 against UMSL in neutral site matches.
- Lewis was eliminated in the first round of the GLVC Championship for the first time since the 2014 campaign.
- The Flyers are now 3-5 in five set matches during the 2025 campaign.
- Newberry tallied 10-or-more kills for the 12th time this year.
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.
