UMKC Set For Home Opener, Kangaroo Klassic
9/8/2011 11:11:00 AM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - The UMKC volleyball team (3-3) will look to build on its three match winning streak win it hosts the Kangaroo Klassic this weekend. On Friday, the 'Roos open with UT Martin (4-3) at 8:00 p.m., while Belmont (3-5) and Montana State (0-7) open the tournament at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the Kangaroos will face the Bruins at 1 p.m. and the Bobcats at 6 p.m., while UT Martin takes on MSU at 11 a.m. and Belmont at 4 p.m. You can follow live stats for the all matches online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com, while all UMKC matches will also be streamed live at www.UMKCKangaroos.com.
The Opponents
UT Martin enters the tournament with a 4-3 record including wins over the SEC's Mississippi State, the A-10's Saint Louis and most recently over Alabama A&M. Offensively, the Skyhawks feature five players with 55 or more kills including freshman Emily Keaton (75), senior Ashley Doherty (73), senior Britany Wilburn (69) and junior Kelly Hogan (67), while senior Jenna Miller's 306 assists are tops on the team. Defensively, junior Kasey Elswick leads the team in digs, while Wilburn's 29 blocks are a team-high.
Belmont comes into the Kangaroo Klassic with a 3-5 record, picking up wins over Murray State, Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech. The Bruins are led offensively by senior Maggie Johnson's 109 kills, while sophomore Jen Myer has added 79. Sophomore Hannah Miranda leads the squad with 235 assists, while sophomore Jamie Lundstrom (122 digs), junior Amy Van Buren (14 blocks ) and sophomore Allison McCoy (14 blocks) lead the defensive efforts.
Montana State comes into the tournament with an 0-7 record after dropping three matches in Chicago last weekend. On the season, sophomore Sarah Horton has a team-high 77 kills, while junior Jennifer Lundquist (134 assists) and freshman Kasey Schlatter (110 assists) split the setting duties. In the back row, sophomore Nicole Baker has a team-high 110 digs, while senior Alex Penwell leads the Bobcats in blocks with 19.
Series Record
This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the 'Roos and UT Martin with UMKC winning all five previous contest. Belmont, meanwhile, holds a 1-0 lead over UMKC, while Montana State and the 'Roos have never faced one another.
Knoche Named Radford Tournament MVP, Jarema to All-Tournament Team
UMKC's Kelsey Knoche and Chloe Jarema were each honored as all-tournament performers at the Radford Tournament, with Knoche taking home MVP honors. In the tournament, Knoche led the 'Roos with 36 kills and a 3.00 kills per set average, while finishing second on the team with 31 digs. Jarema, meanwhile, registered 20 kills and nine blocks.
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.
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.
Summit League Leaders
The UMKC volleyball team sits atop The Summit League rankings in a pair of categories, including opponent hitting percentage (.144) and blocks (2.52 per set). Individually, Brittany Fossier (1.21) and Christiana McQuin (1.13) are first and second in the league in blocks, while Emily Lucas (0.46), Ella Meier (0.36), Nicole Kerkman (0.32) and Brittney Robers (0.32) rank second, eighth and ninth, respectively. Kerkman, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the league in digs with 4.24 per set.
'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 1,169 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 303 block assists, fifth all-time with a .256 hitting percentage and tied for eighth all-time with 50 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 3.10 digs per set. Kerkman has also moved into fifth place all-time with 1,169 career digs, while Knoche sits fifth all-time at 8.70 attacks per set and ninth all-time with 2.64 kills per set. Erin Wellwood, meanwhile, is fifth all-time in assists, as the setter as registered 1,360 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.
