ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Despite three Flyers recording 10 or more kills, the Lewis women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to RV Missouri-St. Louis Friday night at the Mark Twain Building.
With the win, the Tritons improved to 17-5 (9-0 GLVC), while the Flyers fell to 12-11 (5-3 GLVC).
IMPACT PLAYERS
Ann Kelly Velikov (Orvault, France/C.E.N.S.) led the Flyers with 16 kills, while
Marin Grossman (Hortonville, Wis./Hortonville) and
Kyra Marciniak (Potterville, Mich./Potterville) added 12 and 10, respectively.
Grace Malek (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) led Lewis with 22 assists, followed closely by
Kaileigh Krawiec (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) who ended the night with 21. Krawiec also recorded 11 digs for her first double-double of the 2026 campaign.
Kynzie Lilly (Richmond, Texas/Southwest Baptist) led the Flyers with 14 digs, while
Sarah Newberry (Fairfield, Ohio/Stephen T Badin) paced the Flyers at the net with five total blocks (one solo, four assists).
Addison Voorhees led all players with 17 kills, while Marly Burbach dished out a match-high 54 assists for UMSL. Skylar Weaver recorded 23 digs, and Mandy Gant finished with six total blocks (one solo, five assists) in the Tritons' victory. UMSL ended the match with a .300 (66-18-160) hitting percentage compared to .176 (56-28-259) for Lewis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After dropping the first set 25-11, the Flyers found themselves trailing 18-16 in a back-and-forth second set. Lewis broke the deadlock and took the lead for good after an untimely UMSL service error sparked a 7-1 run that put the Flyers ahead 23-19. Despite consecutive points from the hosts, Lewis closed out the set with a
Hannah Dietzenbach (Fall River, Wis./Fall River) kill followed by a Krawiec service ace to secure a 25-21 set two win and even the match at 1-1.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle, with the teams tied at 23-23 late in the frame. The sides traded the next few scores with a Velikov kill tying the set at 25-25. Alayna Santel gave UMSL a 26-25 lead with her seventh kill of the set, but the Red and White responded with consecutive kills from Velikov and Grossman to retake the lead, 27-26. An UMSL attack error on the next point sealed a 28-26 Lewis victory, giving the Flyers a 2-1 match advantage.
The Tritons controlled the fourth set, scoring 10 of the first 16 points before using an uninterrupted 7-0 run midway through the frame to secure a 25-17 set four win and force a deciding fifth set.
UMSL opened the fifth set with a 2-0 lead, but another timely kill from Velikov sparked a short 3-1 run that gave the Flyers a slim 4-3 advantage. Lewis' lead was short-lived, as the Tritons used an 8-1 run, highlighted by consecutive kills from Brooklyn Young, to move ahead 11-5. The Red and White responded with a 3-1 spurt featuring a pair of Marciniak kills to cut into the deficit. However, the hosts scored three of the next four points to take the fifth set 15-9 and secure the 3-2 match victory.
MATCH NOTES
- Friday's contest marked the 49th all-time meeting between Lewis and UMSL.
- The last four meetings between the Flyers and Tritons have gone five sets.
- Krawiec recorded the seventh double-double of her collegiate career.
- Velikov's 16 kills marked a season high.
- Lewis is now 2-1 in five-set matches this season.
- Marciniak reached double figures in kills for the first time in her collegiate career.
UP NEXT
Lewis heads back across the Mississippi River to face McKendree on Saturday. First serve in Lebanon, Ill., is set for 3 p.m.
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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.
