AURORA, ILL. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis volleyball team hit .268 en route to a 3-1 win over Davis & Elkins on Friday as the Tritons opened play at the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament.
 
Sophomore Selena Nolte led the offense with 17 kills and hit .571 and was one of three players in double figure kills.
 
UMSL 3, Davis & Elkins 1 (25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-17)
Records: UMSL (12-6), Davis & Elkins (7-12)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UMSL jumped out to a 6-2 start and after Davis & Elkins pulled within 12-9, the Tritons used a 5-1 run to pull ahead 17-10. A kill from redshirt sophomore Maddy Russell made it 23-18 before the Senators pulled within 23-21.
- A pair of service aces from senior Madyson Abeyta during a 4-0 spurt in the second set helped UMSL to a 12-6 advantage, while back-to-back kills from Russell during a 5-1 run made it 20-13. Davis & Elkins fended off three straight set points before a block by sophomore Kylie Rudsinski ended the threat.
- In the third set, UMSL used a 5-2 run to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 23-22 lead and fended off set point at 24-23, tying it on a Russell kill.
- After the Senators tied it at 14-14, the Tritons finished the match by outscoring their foes, 11-3
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Russell and junior Alex Miner added 16 and 11 kills each, respectively.
- Senior Madyson Abeyta (30) and freshman Payton Kennelly (23) combined for 53 assists, while Abeyta also finished with three aces.
- Senior Danielle Waedekin tallied 17 digs, while sophomore Morgan Childers finished wth15.
- UMSL served up nine aces to help overcome 10 service errors, while Davis & Elkins held a 7-4 blocking advantage.
 
UP NEXT
UMSL wraps up Crossover play tomorrow with matches against Purdue Northwest (10 a.m.) and Ashland (4 p.m.).