Kansas City To Open Up Summit League Play On The Road This Weekend
9/13/2012 9:40:00 AM | Volleyball
The Opponents
IUPUI enters the match with a 6-5 record overall after finishing 1-2 in the Western Kentucky Invitational last weekend. The Jags are led offensively by junior Moriah Fair, as the 6-0 outside hitter has a team-high 123 kills, while senior Kelsey Hoefer and freshman Kaitlyn Hickey each have over 100. Defensively, sophomore Beth Howard, Hickey (143) and Fair (124) each have over 120 digs.
Western Illinois enters the weekend with back-to-back wins over Stephen F. Austin and Chicago State. On the season , sophomore Samantha Fournier leads the Leathernecks with 134 kills, while senior Katie Hosteng has added 113. Junior Sarah Fetter sets up the WIU offense with a team-high 392 assists, while senior Bridget Murphy is tops on the team with 182 digs.
Series History
IUPUI leads the all-time series 19-10 after the two teams split the matches a season ago. The Jags won the first match, 3-0 in Indianapolis, while the 'Roos won 3-2 in Kansas City. Western Illinois, meanwhile, leads the series 21-13, despite UMKC winning four of the last five, including a 3-2 decision in Macomb last season.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the 'Roos finished as the runner-up at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic in Boiling Springs, N.C. UMKC opened the event with a 3-2 win over host Gardner-Webb on Friday, before falling in five sets to Charlotte. The Kangaroos closed out the tournament with a 3-1 over Delaware State.
Preseason All-Tourney Team Selections
This season, three members of the Kansas City volleyball team were named to all-tournament teams, led by Skyler Muff who garnered honors at both the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic and the Runnin' Bulldog Classic. Freshmen Taryn Miller, meanwhile, was also named to the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic All-Tournament Team, while Emily Lucas was placed on the North Texas Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Aces High
Freshman Taryn Miller is off to a hot start serving in 2012 for the Kangaroos. To date, the Blue Springs, Mo., native has notched 19 aces in 12 matches, including twice landing four. Overall, her 19 aces and 0.43 aces per set each are tops in The Summit League.
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 that 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.