Kansas City
Montana State vs. UT Martin
UMKC Splits Matches on Day Two Of Kangaroo Klassic
9/10/2011 11:02:00 PM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - The UMKC volleyball team (5-4) closed out the 2011 Kangaroo Klassic with a 2-1 record after splitting its matches on the second day of play. In the night cap, the 'Roos downed Montana State 3-1 after falling to Belmont, 3-0 earlier in the day.
In the tournament, UMKC senior Christiana McQuin and Nicole Kerkman each garnered all-Tournament recognition.
UMKC 3, Montana State 1
Against Montana State, the 'Roos took an early 1-0 lead with a come-from-behind victory over the Bobcats. MSU scored four of the set's first five points and built its lead to as many as six at 24-18 before senior Kelsey Knoche and the Kangaroos began their comeback. During the squad's final run, Knoche ripped off four straight kills before three MSU errors and a McQuin kill gave the 'Roos the 26-24 win.
In the second set, it was UMKC's turn to take an early lead, as the 'Roos took a commanding 11-4 lead 15 points in. The Bobcats though cut the lead to two late at 19-17, but a 6-4 UMKC run, capped by kills from senior Elizabeth Beck and junior Brittany Fossier, sealed the 25-21 win and put the 'Roos ahead 2-0 heading into intermission.
Coming out the break, MSU would cut the lead to 2-1 with a 25-23 third set win, but could not complete the comeback as the 'Roos would pull out the fourth set 25-22 for their fifth win of the season. In the fourth set, UMKC again gained an early advantage, this time going ahead 12-6. The Bobcats again battled back, trimming UMKC's lead to as little as two at 24-22, but another kill from Knoche cemented the win for the Kangaroos.
In the match, sophomore Chloe Jarema led UMKC with 15 kills, while Knoche added 13. McQuin and Lucas, meanwhile, each had nine kills, with McQuin hitting a team-high .400. Junior setters Ella Meier and Brittney Robers finished with 29 and 22 assists, respectively, while setting up the offense. Defensively, the 'Roos registered 14 blocks, seven from Fossier and six from Knoche, while Lucas (26), Kerkman (23), Knoche (16) and Meier (16) all had double digit digs.
Belmont 3, UMKC 0
In the opening match, the 'Roos fell 3-0 to Belmont, their only loss in their last six matches. Meier led the 'Roos offensive attack with a team-high 22 assists, while Robers added eight.
UMKC took an early lead in the first set, going ahead 8-1 and 10-3 before the Bruins used a 22-9 run to take the 25-19 victory.
In the second set, the two squads battled throughout the set, as neither team gained more than a four point advantage before Belmont closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the set 25-21 and go up 2-0 heading into intermission.
In the third set, the Bruins built a 13-8 lead, before UMKC fought back to pull within one at 20-19. The Kangaroos, rally though fell short as Belmont hung on for the 25-22 set win to capture the match.
In the match, Knoche led the 'Roos with eight kills, while Lucas and Kerkman each had a team-high 16 digs.
In the days other matches, UT Martin defeated Montana State 3-0 and Belmont beat UT Martin 3-2.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again on Thursday when they open Summit League play at Southern Utah at 8 p.m.
- 2011 UMKC Volleyball -
