ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Ever since falling to Drury in five sets Oct. 22, the UMSL volleyball program has been on a mission.

The Tritons now have authored back-to-back-to back wins since that night in southwest Missouri, with the latest coming Tuesday evening at home at the Quincy Hawks' expense: 25-22, 25-18, 25-19.

The Hawks came out swinging with authority, taking multiple early leads. In the first set, the Tritons, though, leveled the field as they tied it up early at 10.

And in classic UMSL fashion, they dug deep and responded in each of the three sets. The Hawks would not go quietly, as they extended the first-set lead to 15-11.

The Hawks then went up 19-16.

Enter Mya Elliott, whose presence on the front line netted two consecutive points for UMSL, forcing Hawks head coach Mark Jones to call a timeout.

Elliott's presence on the front line was felt throughout the duration, and the junior middle blocker said she likes the current state of the defense, and the loss at Drury has been flipped into a positive.

That loss simply epitomizes life in the GLVC.

"It really just taught us that anyone in the conference can beat anyone else," Elliott said. "That you have to take every game seriously."

While the offense gets credited night in and night out -- no matter the sport, no matter the venue -- tonight the defense made a resounding statement, as Elliott and company could be seen spending as much time in the air as on the hardwood.

"I feel like our defense is in a really good place," she said. "Any holes we have with blocking, I trust our back row to fill it in really well."

The Tritons tied it up at 19 and never relented, as Elliott added yet another kill, putting the Tritons up 20-19. Elliott then asserted her blocking dominance as the Tritons pulled ahead, 22-21, and UMSL closed out the opening set as Paige Yoder set up set point for the Tritons.

Charlotte Richards set up on the front left and delivered a dominating kill to close out the opening set. With the win, the Tritons move to 18-6 overall and 11-2 in the GLVC.

In short: the Tritons get everyone's best shot each and every game, and this time of year the target widens just a bit.

"It makes us a better team, Elliott said of the aforementioned target. "It is easier to play our best if everyone else is playing their best against us."

In the second set, the Hawks once again took the early lead. Then Paige Yoder was spotted levitating above the right side of the net as she took out some frustration on the ball and the Hawks' defense.

The Tritons were up 13-9 before the Hawks called for a timeout. Richards dug in for the serve and the Tritons rattled off three consecutive points, putting UMSL up 16-9.

UMSL, by way of Elliott's defensive dominance, extended the lead to 20-13, as the Hawks took another timeout. The Hawks closed in, 24-18, until Richards placed the capper on the second set with the cross-court attack.

In the deciding set, both teams swapped blocks on the front line to commence the scoring. Richards was credited with the kill before she and her counterparts served up consecutive points early in the set, going up 5-2.

The Tritons continued to assert their dominance on the front line. After coming up with the block, Elliott soared above the net once again for the kill before Richards' attack resonated throughout the gym.

But no matter what the concoction the Tritons served, the Hawks simply would not fade into the night. Sticking on the Tritons' heels, the Hawks began to find some spacing in the Tritons' defense.

Richards though delivered the ace, as UMSL created some added separation, 15-11. The Hawks matched the Tritons, three points each.

Sitting six points from a victory, UMSL channeled their intestinal fortitude with just a two-point separation, 19-17. Elliott once again came up with the powerful attack, and the Tritons headed to their 18th win of the season.

Head coach Ryan Young now sits two wins shy of 200.

And ... the Tritons just happen to have two more matches at home this weekend (Friday against Indianapolis and Saturday against the Lewis Flyers).

So, what is it like to suit up and play for a player's coach?

Elliott closed the interview with this: "I think there is a mutual respect between the coaches and the players. We trust him to tell us what to do, and we trust that he really knows what he's talking about."