Kansas City
South Dakota State
'Roos Stay Hot With 3-1 Win Over Jackrabbits
11/11/2011 10:02:00 PM | Volleyball
In the win, Knoche notched a career-high 26 kills for the 'Roos, to go along with 14 digs, two blocks, an ace and an assist. Meier, meanwhile, recorded a career-high 58 assists, while adding 10 digs, three kills, a solo block and an ace.
In the first set, UMKC fell behind 9-3 after a 6-0 run by the Jacks, but 9-2 Kangaroo rally put them in front for the first time, 12-11. SDSU moved back in front 16-14, but with the Jackrabbits holding a 17-16 lead, the 'Roos went on a 7-0 run, capped by five straight UMKC kills, to take a 23-17 lead. UMKC then went on to close the set out, 25-19, on a pair of kills by senior Christiana McQuin.
UMKC extended its lead to 2-0 with a 25-22 victory in the second set. This time, the 'Roos took an early lead, building a four point advantage on a Meier ace at 10-6. The Kangaroos then extended their lead to seven at 14-7 after an error by SDSU. The Jackrabbits then pulled to within one late at 19-18, but three straight by UMKC points extended the lead to 22-18. South Dakota State had one last rally in them, scoring the next four points of the set to tie the score at 22, but kills by Knoche and senior Elizabeth Beck and an SDSU error gave the set to the 'Roos.
Coming out of the break, the Jackrabbits cut the UMKC lead in half with a 25-17 third set win, but the 'Roos would take the match victory with a 25-23 fourth set win.
In set four, UMKC fell behind 10-4 after the first 14 points before battling back to tie the set at 19 on a kill by Knoche. After a UMKC error, a pair of Knoche kills and two SDSU errors put the 'Roos out in front 23-20. South Dakota State then cut the lead to one, but kills by Knoche and Beck on two of the final three plays gave the 'Roos the 3-1 match victory.
For UMKC, Beck finished with 14 kills and three blocks, while senior Demetria Williams had a team-high five blocks. In the black row, senior Nicole Kerkman led the 'Roos with 17 digs, while seniors Erin Wellwood and Kara Thomas chipped in 13 and 11, respectively. Offensively, junior Emily Lucas finished with nine kills, while McQuin added seven.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again tomorrow night when they wrap-up their season at North Dakota State at 7 p.m.
