Kangaroo Volleyball Set To Open 2012 At North Texas Invitational
8/23/2012 9:26:00 AM | Volleyball
The Opponents
Lamar enters the tournament under the direction of head coach Justin Gilbert who has recorded a 102-113 record at Lamar in seven seasons and a 235-157 mark overall in 11 seasons after leading the Cardinals to an 11-21 record in 2011. This season, Lamar returns nine letterwinners, including five starters and the libero, while losing just three players. Redshirt junior Sierra Whittaker leads the Cardinal attack after posting 345 kills a season ago.
The host Mean Green come into the weekend after finishing with a 17-17 record a season ago under now third year head coach Ken Murczek, who has posted a 37-30 record in his two season at the helm. This season, North Texas will feature a new look with 10 letterwinners lost, including four starters and the libero, and eight newcomers joining the squad. Leading the Mean Green this season will be three returning starters in Eboni Godfrey, Hallie McDonald and Courtney Windham.
Prairie View A&M enters the weekend under the guidance of head coach Alicia Pete, who has posted a record of 200-214 in 14 season leading the Lady Panthers. Last season PVAMU finished with a 12-19 record overall that included an 8-1 mark and a first place finish in the SWAC West. This season's edition of the Panthers will feature seven returning letterwinners, including three starters in Shanice Faison, Breanna McNeil and Bruna Menezes, while the squad will welcome in seven newcomers.
Houston Baptist comes into the tournament after finishing 22-9 overall, including 7-3 in the Great West. This season, the Huskies will be led by first year head coach Trent Hermn, who has posted a career mark of 43-33 in two previous season of coaching. On the court, HBU returns four starters and seven letterwinners overall , including senior Heather Leaverton who posted 296 kills a season ago, while four newcomers join the squad.
Last Time Out
In the Alumni match, the Kangaroos made quick work of the former 'Roos, taking the match, 3-0. The 'Roos opened up the match with a 25-15 first set win that featured three four-point runs with freshmen Taryn Miller, Jessica Hendin and Skyler Muff serving for the squad, before closing out the match with a 25-20 second set win and a 25-10 third set victory.
Last Season
In 2011, the Kangaroos finished the season with an overall record of 12-17 and a 6-12 mark in Summit League play to place eighth in the standings. The 'Roos, however, closed out the season winning six of eight league games, including five straight. During the course of the season, the squad finished 3-0 at a preseason tournament for the first time since 2002, while five separate players made all-tournament teams.
Summit League Preseason Poll
The Kangaroo volleyball team was picked to finish seventh in The Summit League's annual preseason poll in a vote by the league's head coaches. The 'Roos, who finished the 2011 season with a 12-17 record overall and a 6-12 mark in league play, garnered 23 points overall to finish just behind South Dakota.
Senior Leaders
The UMKC volleyball will feature a quartet of seniors this season who will provide leadership to the eight newcomers on this year's squad. Leading the way for the 'Roos in their final seasons are Ella Meier, Emily Lucas, Brittany Fossier and Brittney Robers.
Fresh Faces
The 2012 Kangaroos include eight newcomers, seven of whom are freshman. Sophomore Morgan Voorhes is the only non-freshman first year 'Roo after transferring from Pittsburgh State, while redshirt freshman Sydney Crimmins joins the squad after spending a year with the Kangaroo basketball program. The remaining freshmen consist of Lindsay Zych, Taryn Miller, Emma Hagedorn, Nicole Wemhoff, Jessica Hendin and Skyler Muff.
Kansas City Feel
The 2012 edition of the Kangaroo volleyball team will have a distinct Kansas City feel to it as six student-athletes come from the area, including Lindsay Zych (Lenexa, Kan.), Taryn Miller (Blue Springs, Mo.), Emma Hagedorn (Parkville, Mo.), Nicole Wemhoff (Kansas City, Mo.), Morgan Voorhes (Overland Park, Kan.) and Jessica Hendin (Overland Park, Kan.). Three others, Sydney Crimmins (Clay Center, Kan.), Emily Lucas (Sublette, Kan.) and Skyler Muff (Pittsburgh, Kan.) are from Kansas.
Preseason Tourneys
This season, the Kangaroos will open up the 2012 season with a trio of preseason tournaments starting on Aug. 24-25 at the North Texas Invitational where the 'Roos will take on Lamar, North Texas, Prairie View A&M and Houston Baptist. From there, the squad will head to Laramie, Wyo., for the UNIWyo Cowgirl Classic to face Bethune-Cookman, Florida Gulf Coast, George Washington and Wyoming. Kansas City will wrap-up its preseason slate in North Carolina at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic against Charlotte, host Gardner-Webb and Delaware State.
Coaches Return To Kansas
When the 'Roos head west to Lawrence on Sep. 4, it will mark a homecoming for both Head Coach Christi Posey and Assistant Coach Trent Jones. Posey returns to Kansas after serving as the Jayhawks' top assistant for eleven seasons, while Jones was a volunteer assistant from 2002-04.