UMKC Returns To Swinney To Host Oral Roberts and Southern Utah
10/13/2011 3:11:00 PM | Volleyball
The Opponents
Oral Roberts enters the match with a Summit League best 15-4 record overall and an 8-1 mark in league play after taking down North Dakota State and South Dakota State in a pair of five set matches last weekend. On the season, the Golden Eagles are led offensively by Elizabeth McVicker's 200 kills, while Laura Taylor has a team-high 752 assists. Defensively, Bruna Silva has twice been named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week en route to collecting 399 digs, while McVicker's 73 blocks are tops on the team.
Southern Utah, meanwhile, has posted a 5-15 record overall and a 2-7 mark in league play, collecting wins over UMKC and Western Illinois. On the season, the Thunderbirds have been led by Analaine Pelaez-Maoloto's 325 kills, as the junior is a two-time Summit League Offensive Player of the Week this season. Setting up the offense is Gabi Mirand (656 assists), while Pelaez-Mailoto has a team-high 236 digs.
Series Record
This will be the sixth meeting between the 'Roos and the Thunderbirds with SUU holding a 2-3 advantage after sweeping UMKC on Sep. 15. Last season each team won on the opponents home floor 3-2. ORU and UMKC will be playing for the 34th time with the Golden Eagles leading the series 39-4 after winning 3-0 on Sep. 17.
Last Week
The Kangaroos lost to Oakland, 3-0, on Oct. 7 in Rochester, Mich. In the match, senior Elizabeth Beck led the 'Roos with eight kills.
Against IPFW, UMKC lost, 3-1 at the Gates Sports Center. Leading the way for the 'Roos was junior Emily Lucas, as the outside hitter notched a team-high 16 kills, while fellow junior Ella Meier collected 34 assists and 23 digs for the squad.
Spreading It Around
The 2011 UMKC volleyball team has featured a balanced line-up to this point in the season. Through 19 matches, the squad has had seven different players lead the team in blocks, four in kills and digs, three in attacks and two in assists.
Setting The Mark
With her four block performance against IUPUI, UMKC senior Christiana McQuin became the 'Roos all-time leader in block assists with 333, passing Lindsey Zerr. The Wellington, Kan., native also sits sixth in school history with a .252 hitting percentage and eighth with 54 solo blocks.
Senior Nicole Kerkman, meanwhile, passed Mandy Tipton for the all-time digs record and now has 1,367 dogs. The Omaha, Neb., native, also sits second in school history with a mark of 3.68 digs per set. Fellow senior Kelsey Knoche ranks fifth in digs per set (3.10) and eighth in kills per set (2.66) while Erin Wellwood sits fifth in assists (1,364) and Brittany Fossier sits ninth in block assists (218).
Senior Power
The 2011-12 senior class consists of seven different student-athletes whose years in the Blue & Gold span from one to four years. In their combined 22 seasons, Elizabeth Beck, Nicole Kerkman, Kelsey Knoche, Christiana McQuin, Kara Thomas, Erin Wellwood and Demetria Williams have combined for 1,911 sets played over 549 matches, while amassing 2,588 kills, 1,739 assists, 323 service aces, 3,752 digs, 97 solo blocks, 722 block assists, 819 total blocks and a .176 hitting percentage.
Five 'Roos Honored As All-Tournament Performers
Five different 'Roos were honored this preseason as all-tournament performers, led by senior Nicole Kerkman who was named to the Black Knights Invitational and Kangaroo Klassic all-Tournament Teams. Teammates Emily Lucas and Christiana McQuin garnered honors at the Black Knights Invitational and Kangaroo Klassic, respectively, while Kelsey Knoche and Chloe Jarema earned all-tournament honors at the Radford Tournament.
First Tournament Sweep Since 2002
With its three game sweep and tournament title at the Radford Tournament on Sept. 2-3, the UMKC volleyball team captured its first 3-0 tournament performance since the Southern Illinois Tournament in 2002. That year, the 'Roos defeated Murray State, 3-1, Central Michigan, 3-1 and host Southern Illinois 3-2.
Players of the Week
The UMKC roster currently features six players who have claimed Summit League Player of the Week honors. Plano, Texas, native Brittany Fossier was the first to be honored, winning Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 15, 2008, during her freshman season. During their sophomore campaigns, Kelsey Knoche (10/26/09) and Elizabeth Beck (11/16/09) were each named Offensive Player of the Week, while Christiana McQuin (11/9/09) garnered Defensive Player of the Week honors. Last season, meanwhile, Nicole Kerkman (9/13/10) and Demetria Williams (9/27/10) each earned the Defensive Player of the Week award.
Last Season
In 2010, the 'Roos finished the campaign with a 9-21 record overall and a 6-12 mark in Summit League play, finishing eighth in the league. Offensively, the 'Roos were led by a trio of then juniors, including Elizabeth Beck (294 k), Kelsey Knoche (293 k) and Christiana McQuin (240 k), while then sophomore Ella Meier finished with a team-high 590 assists. Defensively, six Kangaroos recorded over 150 digs, led by Nicole Kerkman's 396 and Knoche's 360. At the net, McQuin (112 b) and Demetria Williams (81 b) were the squad's top two blockers.
Head Coach Christi Posey
Christi Posey was named the new head coach of the Kangaroo volleyball program on Feb. 14, 2011, after spending the past eleven seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at the University of Kansas. Prior to heading to Lawrence, Posey served as the head volleyball coach at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan., from 1993 to 2000. During that time, Posey led the Huskies to KSHSAA state tournaments in each of her eight season, winning the state championships in 1996 and 1997, while finishing third three times. While coaching the Huskies, she was named the 1997 Coach of the Year by the Kansas Volleyball Association and Kansas Sport Magazine after leading her team to a perfect 44-0 record, including a second-straight KSHSAA state championship and the 1996 Coach of the Year by Kansas Sport Magazine and Sports Connection after guiding her team to a 41-3 record and the state championship.
'Roos in The Classroom
Last season, eight 'Roos were named to The Summit League Academic all-Conference team, including current 'Roos Elizabeth Beck, Nicole Kerkman, Kelsey Knoche, Christiana McQuin, Ella Meier, Brittney Robers and Erin Wellwood. In order to be named to academic all-League team, each student-athlete must post a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the semester in which they compete. Additionally, five 'Roos were named distinguished scholars for posting a GPA above 3.6, including Beck.
Meanwhile, seven current player and eight total were named to the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence, including Beck, Kerkman, Knoche, McQuin, Meier, Kara Thomas and Wellwood, for posting a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
