Kirksville, Mo. – Truman Volleyball continued Great Lakes Valley Conference play at home over the weekend, facing McKendree on Thursday and league-leading Missouri–St. Louis on Saturday inside Pershing Arena. Despite dropping both contests, the Bulldogs put together strong performances against two quality opponents and continued to show growth midway through conference play.

McKendree 3, Truman 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22)

Truman opened the weekend with a tightly contested match against McKendree that featured 22 ties and 11 lead changes across the three sets.

The Bulldogs battled throughout, leading 20–18 in the first set before the Bearcats closed on a 7–3 run to take it 25–23. The second set followed a similar pattern, as Truman erased an early deficit and tied the score at 23 before McKendree again edged ahead in the final points. In the third, the Bulldogs stayed within a point as late as 21–20 but couldn't overcome a late McKendree push.

Offensively, Michaela Goad led Truman with nine kills on .375 hitting, while Autumn Erickson added eight kills and Hannah Hosty contributed five. Tori Creason and Molly Lambert combined for 30 assists, and Addy Janssen anchored the back row with 15 digs. As a team, Truman hit .190 while recording 14 blocks and 63 digs.

Missouri–St. Louis 3, Truman 1 (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20)

The Bulldogs returned to the court Saturday afternoon and gave the top of the GLVC, Missouri–St. Louis, all they could handle in a competitive four-set match.

Truman pushed the Tritons in every frame, highlighted by a gritty third-set win. Down 18–14 midway through, the Bulldogs caught fire behind kills from Hannah Hosty and Autumn Erickson, along with steady serving from Addy Janssen. Hosty's fourth kill of the set gave Truman a 24–23 edge, and Erickson finished it off with a kill to secure the 25–23 victory.

Hosty had a career night, posting 17 kills on .333 hitting to lead the offense. Erickson and Lily Porter each added nine kills, while Makayla Way hit .455 with six kills. Creason dished out 26 assists and Lambert added 18. Janssen collected 16 digs, and the Bulldogs totaled eight team blocks against one of the GLVC's top offenses.
 

Key Stats

Team Totals (2 matches):

• Kills: 91 (38 vs McKendree, 53 vs UMSL)

• Assists: 89 (37 / 52)

• Service Aces: 9 (2 / 7)

• Blocks: 22 (7 / 15)

• Digs: 125 (63 / 62)

Weekend Leaders:

• Kills: Hannah Hosty – 22 (5 vs McKendree, 17 vs UMSL)

• Assists: Tori Creason – 46 (20 / 26); Molly Lambert – 28 (10 / 18)

• Service Aces: Autumn Erickson & Jessie Julius – 2 each

• Blocks: Makayla Way – 7 total; Erickson – 6

• Digs: Addy Janssen – 31 (15 / 16)

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will travel to the Midwest Crossover Tournament in Hammond, Indiana. Stay tuned for the Bulldogs weekend matchups.