UMKC Volleyball Set To Host The 2008 Kangaroo Klassic
9/4/2008 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week - The UMKC volleyball team will host the five-team 2008 Kangaroo Klassic on Friday and Saturday at the Swinney Recreation Center. The tournament begins at 1 p.m. on Sept. 5 and ends with a 5 p.m. match on Sept. 6. A total of nine matches will be contested during the two-day tournament. The Kangaroos open play against Morgan State at 1 p.m. on Friday before taking on Samford at 7 p.m. later that evening. On Saturday, UMKC will face Florida Atlantic at 11 a.m. before closing out the tournament against Arkansas State at 5 p.m.
2008 Kangaroo Klassic Schedule
Friday, Sept. 5
Match 1 - Morgan State at UMKC - 1 p.m.
Match 2 - Samford vs. Arkansas State - 3 p.m.
Match 3 - Morgan State vs. Florida Atlantic - 5 p.m.
Match 4 - Samford vs. UMKC - 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Match 5 - Samford vs. Morgan State - 9 a.m.
Match 6 - Florida Atlantic at UMKC - 11 a.m.
Match 7 - Morgan State vs. Arkansas State - 1 p.m.
Match 8 - Samford vs. Florida Atlantic - 3 p.m.
Match 9 - Arkansas at UMKC - 5 p.m.
Follow The ?Roos Online - All UMKC volleyball matches can be heard online at www.umkckangaroos.com during the 2008 season. The “Voice of UMKC Volleyball” T.J. Jackson, who is in his third season with the program, will provide all the play-by-play commentary for the Kangaroos. New in ?08, all home matches will be video streamed online. Check out Roo Vision for more details.
Last Match - The Kangaroos welcomed No. 22 Wichita State to the Swinney Recreation Center for a mid-week match on Tuesday night. The Shockers left town with the win by the scores of 25-11, 25-19 and 25-9. Senior Mandy Tipton led UMKC with seven kills in the match.
Third Largest Crowd Packs Swinney For “Diabetes Night” - The Kangaroos had 613 fans in attendance at their home match against No. 22 Wichita State on Sept. 2. The figure is the third largest attendance total in UMKC volleyball history. The match was designated as “Diabetes Night” with half of the ticket proceeds going to the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Head Coach Geno Frugoli's teams have two of the top-10 highest attended matches in school history. Last season, 413 fans saw the Kangaroos top Oakland on Oct. 13, 2007.
Two Kangaroos Earn All-Tournament Team Honors in Fort Worth - Two members of the UMKC volleyball team - senior Mandy Tipton and sophomore Holly Schmidt - earned all-tournament honors at the TCU Molten/Nike Invitational. Tipton led the team with 24 kills (2.67 p/set) and a .358 hitting percentage on the weekend. She also had 19 digs in the three matches. Schmidt, meanwhile, finished with 10 kills and a .286 hitting percentage to go along with nine blocks.
Hitting Percentage On The Rise - The Kangaroos finished with 43 kills and a .295 hitting percentage in the 3-0 win over Louisiana Tech. The hitting clip was the second best mark for the Kangaroos under head coach Geno Frugoli. Last season, the team posted a .326 hitting percentage in the home victory over Centenary.
A New Offensive Weapon - The Kangaroos have a new weapon in their offensive arsenal with senior Mandy Tipton moving to the outside hitter position for the team. The Blue Springs, Mo., native has a team-best 31 kills through the first four matches of the season to go along with a team-high .253 hitting percentage. The offensive output for Tipton is staggering considering she entered her senior season as the starting libero with a grand total of seven career kills.
Toeing the Serving Line - Junior Jamie Hagerman finished with a career-high five service aces in the 3-0 victory over Louisiana Tech on Aug. 30. The five aces are tied for the most in a single match in The Summit League this season. During her initial season in Blue and Gold, the Iowa native had a single service ace in 31 matches.
UMKC Leading The Summit League In Blocks - After the first weekend of the season, the Kangaroos sat atop The Summit League in blocks. UMKC finished with 20 blocks (2.22 p/set) at the TCU Molten/Nike Invitational with three solo blocks and 34 block assists on the weekend.
One Freshman of a Debut - After playing a grand total of two sets in the first two matches of the season, freshman Kate Humphreys made a splash for the team in the third match - a 3-0 win over Louisiana Tech. The Omaha, Neb., native made her first career start, where she became the first Kangaroo to reach double-digits in kills by finishing with 12 in 19 attempts. Humphreys finished with just three errors in the match to post a .474 hitting percentage.
Newcomers Leading The Way - Erin Wellwood and Nicole Kerkman have stepped in and made immediate impact during their freshmen seasons in Blue and Gold. Wellwood has a team-best 59 assists, while being in the starting line-up in all four matches. Kerkman, meanwhile, has led the team in digs in three-of-four matches. She currently has 42 digs (3.50 p/set) on the year.
Tipton Approaching School History - Senior Mandy Tipton is inching closer and closer to breaking the UMKC school record for career digs. The Blue Springs, Mo., native needs 122 digs to pass Angela Melka's 1,239 digs for the top spot in the record books.
Welcome Back - The Kangaroos welcome back a pair of players that missed significant time with injuries. Senior Jacqui Wood missed the entire 2007 season due to a knee injury, while fellow senior Liz Pollock was out the final eight matches after suffering a knee injury at Western Illinois on Oct. 19, 2007. Both players will provide valuable depth and senior leadership for UMKC this season.
Do I Know You? - The Kangaroos welcome eight newcomers to the team in 2008, which includes five players from the state of Nebraska, two Kansans and a Texan. Erin Wellwood, Kate Humphreys, Nicole Kerkman, Alexandra Miller and Elizabeth Beck all hail from the Cornhusker State, while Jayme Karlstrom and Christiana McQuin are both from Kansas. Brittany Fossier, meanwhile, comes to KC from the Lone Star State.
Coaching Staff In Tact - Head Coach Geno Frugoli returns for his second season as the head coach for the Kangaroo volleyball program, while Joan Rickert and Derick White return as his assistants. In new addition in ?08 is volunteer assistant coach Brett Ferguson. The former Park student-athlete helped the Pirates to the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship last season.
Frugoli To Be A Voter For AVCA Poll - Head Coach Geno Frugoli will be a voter for the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll for the 2008 season. Frugoli will be required to rank the teams in Division I women's volleyball each week based on their performance.
AVCA Academic Honor - The Kangaroos received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the second straight year in 2007. In order to receive the honor, the team must carry a 3.30 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. UMKC has now received the honor seven times.
2008 Media Guide Available - The 2008 UMKC volleyball media guide is now available. The guide features detailed player bios and history of the Kangaroo program along with opponent capsules for the upcoming season. An electronic version of the guide is available online at www.umkckangaroos.com, with print versions forthcoming. For more information or to request a copy of the media guide, contact the UMKC Sports Information Office.
A New Look For The ?Roos - At the end of the 2007-08 school year, UMKC Athletics and Kansas City, Mo., advertising firm Bernstein-Rein began work on transforming one of the most unique mascots in college sports. Two options were presented to the community, drawing 2,200 votes. On May 6, 2008, the new set of marks was unveiled.
The new identity encapsulates a strong competitive nature and fierce attitude. The Roo icon and typography establish a sense of motion and direction, with the kangaroo in one if its most iconic poses - side-on in full stride. Its eyes are focused with a snarl adding to its aggressive attitude.
The colors draw inspiration from the classic blue and gold of UMKC, with an addition of black to create a bolder presence. The iconography draws inspiration from UMKC's position as a part of a growing urban community.
The Opponents - Morgan State, which was picked to finish second in the MEAC North Division preseason poll, enters the weekend with a 0-4 overall record. The Bears dropped their four matches to Rhode Island (0-3), Quinnipiac (0-3), Towson (0-3) and Fordham (0-3) at the Quinnipiac Invitational. Setter Christa Rogers was named to the all-tournament team after finishing with 67 assists, 12 kills and 21 digs on the weekend. Ramona Riley Bozier is in her 21st season at MSU, where she is the school's all-time winningest head coach.
Florida Atlantic comes to Kansas City after posting a 2-1 overall record at the FAU Invitational last weekend in Boca Raton. The Owls topped North Florida (3-1) and Bethune Cookman (3-0) before falling to Northern Iowa (3-0). Morgan Johns leads the team with 39 kills, while Nicole Gerig has 47 assists. Kala Abdell, meanwhile, is pacing the squad with 30 digs.
Arkansas State defeated Tennessee-Martin, 3-0, on Tuesday night to push its overall record to 4-0 on the young season. The Red Wolves opened the season with a title at the Texas Southern Open with 3-0 sweeps of The Citadel, Mississippi Valley State and Texas Southern. ASU has not dropped a set this season.
Samford enters tournament play with a 2-1 overall record on the season. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 3-0 sweep of SEC foe Auburn at the War Eagle Invitational. The team then split its next two contests, falling to New Orleans (1-3) before beating Mercer (3-1). Outside hitter Ashley Adams was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week after finishing with 41 kills and a .317 hitting percentage last weekend. Adams had double-doubles in two of the team's three matches.
Series Records - UMKC leads the all-time series against Morgan State, 3-0... the two schools last met during the 2002 season... FAU leads the series over UMKC, 1-0, as the Owls claimed the lone meeting in the series against in 2006... Arkansas State holds a 5-0 advantage in the series with 3-0 and 3-1 wins in 2005 and 2006... Friday's match-up between UMKC and Samford will be the first meeting between the two schools.
