Kansas City
Bryant
Kangaroos Drop A Pair Of Five Set Matches On Day 1 Of Black Knights Invitational
8/26/2011 10:01:00 PM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - The UMKC volleyball team (0-2) dropped a pair of five set matches on Friday, the opening day of the Black Knights Invitational. In the opening game, the 'Roos fell 3-2 to Bryant before dropping a 3-2 match to host Army in the night game.
On the day, junior Emily Lucas recorded a team-high 30 kills, 25 digs and six aces, while senior Kelsey Knoche finished with 16 kills and 24 digs.
Bryant 3, UMKC 2
In the opening match, the 'Roos fell to Bryant 3-2 after leading the match 1-0 and 2-1. Leading the way for the squad in the match were outside hitters Knoche and Lucas as the duo each notched double-doubles in the season opener. Lucas finished with a team-high 14 kills and 13 digs, while Knoche added 10 kills and 15 digs to the effort.
In the first set, the two squads were tied at 20, but UMKC reeled off five straight points, including two aces from senior Nicole Kerkman, to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
After the Bulldogs evened the match with a 25-22 win in the second set, the 'Roos reclaimed control of the match with a 25-19 victory in the third set behind three kills and three blocks from middle hitter Christiana McQuin.
Bryant again evened the match with a 25-17 win in set four to force a decisive game five between the teams.
In the game, the 'Roos jumped ahead 5-3, but Bryant fought back to tie the set at 6-6. UMKC again pushed the lead to two at 8-6, but a 9-1 run by Bryant ended the set and gave the Bulldogs the 3-2 match win.
In the match, the Kangaroos finished with 14 blocks, including seven from McQuin and six each from junior Brittany Fossier and Demetria Williams. In the back row, Kerkman finished with a team-high 25 digs, while setters Brittney Robers and Ella Meier notched 22 and 21 assists, respectively.
Army 3, UMKC, 2
In the night cap, the 'Roos jumped out to a two sets to none lead over the host Black Knights but three straight set wins gave Army the 3-2 win.
In the first set, UMKC won 25-20 after ending the match on a 7-2 run with the scored tied at 18. During the run, the Kangaroos scored the final three points on a kill from McQuin, an ace from Kerkman and a kill from Williams to go up 1-0 in the match.
The 'Roos pushed their lead to 2-0 with a dominating 25-11 win in the second set after jumping out to a 6-1 lead. UMKC then ended the set on a 5-0 run to capture the 14 point set win.
Army, however, did not go away as the Black Knights evened the match with a 25-16 third set win and a 25-22 fourth set win, forcing a fifth set.
In the final set, the 'Roos fell behind early 4-1, but rallied to take an 11-8 lead late in the set. Army, though, answered with four consecutive points before a 3-2 UMKC run tied the set at 14. In the end, the Black Knights would claim the 16-14 victory after scoring the final two points of the match.
In the match, Lucas again led the team with 16 kills, while Kerkman added 23 digs. At the net, Fossier had eight blocks, while McQuin chipped in seven and Williams six.
The Blue & Gold will wrap-up play in the Black Knights Invitational tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. after Hurricane Irene pushed the match forward six hours.
