UMKC Looks To Rebound In Virginia At Radford Tournament
9/1/2011 9:29:00 AM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - The UMKC volleyball team (0-3, 0-0) will look to rebound from its heartbreaking opening weekend when it heads to Radford, Va., for the Radford Tournament. On Friday, the 'Roos open with former Summit League foe Chicago State (0-4) at 3:00 p.m. before a pair of contests the following day. On Saturday, the Kangaroos will face USC Upstate (1-2) at 9:30 a.m. before closing out the tournament with host Radford (0-3) at 6 p.m. You can follow live stats for the 'Roos online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com.
The Opponents
Chicago State opened the season with four consecutive losses in Terre Haute, Ind., at the Quality Inn/ASICS Classic, falling to Indiana State, Coppin State, Miami (OH) and Eastern Illinois, before picking up a win over Judson on Tuesday. In the tournament, Rachel Levitt led the Cougars with 33 kills, five aces and 24 digs, while Alexandra Mason added 19 kills and a team-high 10 blocks. In the back row, Mysta Townsell registered 53 digs.
In the opening week of the 2011 season, USC Upstate went 1-2, picking up a win in their first game over Western Carolina in the Marriott Cavalier Classic. Emily Sanders led the Trojans over the weekend, as the junior tallied 76 assists to average 8.44 per set. She recorded 28 digs, averaging 3.11 per set to go along with five kills and a .938 serve percentage during the tournament.
Radford finished the opening week of play falling twice in Hempstead, N.Y., at the Asics Invitational, first to Hofstra and second to Manhattan, before dropping a match with Elon on Tuesday. In the tournament, the Highlanders were led by Rachel Brummitt, as the freshman was named the Big South Defensive Player of the Week after recording 54 digs and 5.40 digs per set for the Highlanders over the weekend. The rookie libero highlighted her weekend with a career-high 37 digs, including two sets with 10 digs against Manhattan on Aug. 27. Against Hofstra on Aug. 26, Brummitt posted a match-high 17 digs for Radford.
Series Record
This will be the 32nd meeting between UMKC and Chicago State with the 'Roos holding a 27-4 lead in the series, while winning five consecutive against the Cougars. The will be the first meeting between the Kangaroos and both USC Upstate and Radford.
Lucas and Kerkman Named to the Black Knights Invitational All-Tournament Team
A pair of 'Roos earned a place on the Black Knights Invitational all-Tournament Team after their performances last weekend. Junior Emily Lucas garnered the 'Roos first nod after recording a team-high 41 kills and seven aces, while finishing second on the team with 30 digs. Nicole Kerkman, meanwhile, was also honored after leading the team with 61 digs from the back row.
'Roos Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
The 'Roos were picked to finish seventh in The Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 25 points, trailing sixth place IUPUI by seven points for the sixth spot in the poll. First year 'Roo head coach Christi Posey returns all six starters and the libero from the 2010 squad, including 2009 Second Team all-Summit League selection Christiana McQuin. This year's UMKC line-up will feature six former Summit League Players of the Week and 12 upperclassmen on the 13 person roster. Leading the offensive attack for the Kangaroos will be seniors Elizabeth Beck (294 kills, 2.53 kills/set, 276 digs) and Kelsey Knoche (293 kills, 2.50 kills/set, 360 digs), while fellow senior Nicole Kerkman (3.88 digs/set) will lead the squad's defensive effort.
1,000 Digs
Nicole Kerkman became the sixth player in UMKC history to record over 1,000 career digs when the Omaha, Neb., native registered 22 on Oct. 16, 2010 against IUPUI. Entering her final season, the senior is fifth on the charts with 1,124 digs, placing her in the club featuring UMKC career-digs leader Mandy Tipton (1,336), Angela Melka (1,239), Katie Keating (1,217), Jana Lacer (1,206) and Julie Mohrfeld (1,049).
Creeping Up the UMKC Career Records
Christiana McQuin leads a quartet of UMKC senior who are steadily rising up the UMKC career record books as they enter their final season of competition, as the Wellington, Kan., native ranks third with 295 block assists, fifth all-time with a .254 hitting percentage and 10th all-time with 48 solo blocks. Nicole Kerkman and Kelsey Knoche each rank among the top-10 in digs per set, with Kerkman sitting second with a mark of 3.57 digs per set and Knoche sixth at 3.13 digs per set. Kerkman has also moved into fifth place all-time with 1,124 career digs, while Knoche sits fifth all-time at 8.76 attacks per set and eighth all-time with 2.62 kills per set. Erin Wellwood, meanwhile, is fifth all-time in assists, as the setter as registered 1,353 in over two seasons in the Blue and Gold.
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. At Kansas, Posey worked with the team's setters and defensive specialist and oversaw the development of many impressive Jayhawks, including 2010 team members Melissa Manda and Nicole Tate.
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 1999 Johnson County Volleyball Coach of the Year by the Kansas City Star, 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.
