Kangaroos Head To Lawrence On Tuesday To Face Kansas
9/8/2008 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
This Week - The UMKC volleyball team will return to action on Tuesday night when they travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face Kansas. The Kangaroos and Jayhawks will square off at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center beginning at 7 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 Matches - The Kangaroos posted a 1-3 overall record at the 2008 Kangaroo Klassic last weekend at the Swinney Recreation Center. UMKC opened with a 3-0 victory over Morgan State before dropping matches to Samford (0-3), Florida Atlantic (1-3) and Arkansas State (0-3). Senior Mandy Tipton led the team on the weekend with 39 kills in the four matches.
Tipton Gets 10+ Kills In Two Straight Matches - Senior Mandy Tipton finished with a career-high 17 kills against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 6. The 17 kills are a team-high for the Kangaroos this season. The Blue Springs, Mo., native then recorded her second straight double-digit kill match against Arkansas State, when she finished with 11 kills.
On the season, Tipton is leading UMKC with 70 kills (3.04 p/set) to go along with a .199 hitting percentage. The senior has led the team in kills in six-of-eight matches on the year.
Beck Shines At Kangaroo Klassic - True freshman Elizabeth Beck was UMKC's most consistent performer at the Kangaroo Klassic on Sept. 5-6, which led to her being named to the all-tournament team. The Omaha, Neb., native finished with 29 kills and a team-best .339 hitting percentage in the team's four matches. Against Florida Atlantic, the outside hitter had a career-best 14 kills and a .476 hitting percentage. She then followed it up with eight kills and four block assists against Arkansas State.
Wellwood Notches Double-Double - Freshman Erin Wellwood recorded her first career double-double and UMKC's first double-double of ?08 last Saturday against Arkansas State. The Omaha, Neb., native finished with 19 assists and 11 digs in the 3-0 loss to the Red Wolves.
Hagerman On The Shelf - Junior Jamie Hagerman missed all four matches of the Kangaroo Klassic after injuring her ankle in practice leading up to the weekend. The Iowa native is day-to-day.
Five Freshmen & A Senior - The youth prevailed in the Kangaroo Klassic finale against Arkansas State as a total of five freshmen and senior Mandy Tipton were listed in the starting line-up for the Kangaroos. Head Coach Geno Frugoli has started at least two freshmen in every match this season and a total of four freshmen in each of the past two contests.
McQuin Puts Down 10 Kills Against Morgan State - True freshman Christiana McQuin finished with a career-best 10 kills in the 3-0 victory over Morgan State on Sept. 5. The Wellington, Kan., native posted a .500 hitting clip (10-1-18) in the match, which is a season-high hitting percentage for the Kangaroos.
Sperry Sets Career-High - Senior Danni Sperry finished with a career and UMKC-best 25 assists against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 6. The Fairway, Kan., native is second on the team with 102 assists on the season, while freshman Erin Wellwood is pacing the squad with 124 assists (4.96 p/set).
Wood Serves Up Five Aces Against MSU - Senior Jacqui Wood finished with a career-high five service aces in the win over Morgan State. The performance matches Wood with junior Jamie Hagerman for the single match-high in aces.
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 99 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.
UMKC All-Tournament Team Honorees - UMKC has had a total of three student-athletes earn all-tournament team honors this season.
Senior Mandy Tipton and sophomore Holly Schmidt earned the all-tournament nod at the TCU Molten/Nike Invitational on Aug. 30-31. Tipton led the team with 24 kills (2.67 p/set) and a .358 hitting percentage, Schmidt finished with 10 kills and a .286 hitting percentage to go along with nine blocks.
At the Kangaroo Klassic, freshman Elizabeth Beck was named to the all-tournament team after finishing with 29 kills and a team-best .339 hitting percentage. She also had a team-high nine block assists on the weekend.
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.
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 Selected As A Voter For AVCA Poll - Head Coach Geno Frugoli was selected as 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 received the honor a total of seven times.
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 Opponent - Kansas enters Tuesday's match with a 3-2 overall record on the season after posting a 2-1 mark last weekend at the Jayhawk Invitational. KU opened with a 3-0 win over Utah Valley State before dropping a 3-0 decision to Oregon. The squad rounded out the Invitational with a 3-1 win over Central Florida. Outside hitter Karina Garlington is leading the squad with 61 kills, while Nicole Tate has a team-best 155 assists (9.69 p/set). Melissa Manda has 53 digs and Natalie Uhart has 13 blocks.
Series Records - The Jayhawks are a perfect 14-0 in the all-time series against UMKC. The last six matches in the series have been 3-0 KU wins with the Kangaroos' last set victory coming in the 2001 season.
