?Roos Go For School Record On Thursday, Host Think Pink, Cheer Blue On Saturday
10/29/2014 3:52:00 PM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team (20-3, 8-0) will look to set the school record for wins when it goes for its 21st of the season against Bakersfield (10-12, 6-3) on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Swinney Recreation Center. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the 'Roos will host their annual Think Pink, Cheer Blue match in honor of Cynthia Gable against Grand Canyon (14-9, 4-6) at 7 p.m.
The Opponents
Bakersfield enters the match with a 10-12 overall mark and a record of 6-3 in the WAC after defeating Texas-Pan American in their last outing. Danika Youngblood leads the Runners offense with 292 kills, while Kelsee Sawyer (259) and Molly O'Hagan (238) have each topped the 200 kill mark. Luiza Martins sets up the offense with 915 assists and defensively, Mariah is tops in digs at 412 and O'Hagan (74) leads in blocks.
Grand Canyon enters the weekend with a 14-9 record overall and a 4-6 mark in WAC play with wins over New Mexico State and Texas-Pan American last weekend. Shannon Dugan (316 kills) and Natalie Tardy (302 kills) lead the offensive attack with Michelle Steagall (545 assists) and Leigh Stonebrook (299) setting up the offense. Defensively, Mackenzie Phelps is tops in digs at 476, while Hannah Hicks has a team-best 78 blocks.
The Series
Bakersfield (3-0)
10/5/13 (A) W, 3-2
10/31/13 (H) W, 3-2
10/4/14 (A) W, 3-1
Grand Canyon (3-0)
9/26/13 (A) W, 3-2
10/26/13 (H) W, 3-0
10/2/14 (A) W, 3-2
First Meetings
The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team continued its hot season, picking up its school record tying ninth straight victory with a 3-1 win over Bakersfield on Oct. 4 at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif. Emma Hagedorn led the way for the 'Roos, nearly missing a double with team-high's of nine kills and nine blocks, while Melissa Hartsel also tallied nine kills to go along with five of the team's 15 blocks.
The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team notched its eighth straight victory of the season after knocking off Grand Canyon in its WAC opener, 3-2 on Oct. 2 at Antelope Gymnasium in Phoenix, Ariz. As a team, the 'Roos hit .240 in the match, with Sydney Crimmins leading the attack with 17 kills at a .350 clip, while Emma Hagedorn tallied 15 kills and a .448 hitting percentage and Melissa Hartsel notched 11 kills and a .476 hitting percentage from the middle.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the UMKC volleyball team picked up a pair of 3-0 wins over Chicago State to extend their winning streak to 16 matches and tie the school record for 20 wins in a season.
Week's EventThis week, the 'Roos will host a costume contest on Thursday against Bakersfield, while SAAC will have a photo area set up in the lobby where fans can get their pictures take with student-athletes in Halloween costumes. On Saturday, meanwhile, the 'Roos will host their annual Think Pink, Cheer Blue match in honor of Cynthia Gable.
In The Books
Taryn Miller is closing in on the UMKC record for digs, currently ranking second all-time at 1,594 digs, just 17 off the record. She also sits second in career digs per set at 5.04 and Emma Hagedorn ranks first in blocks pers et at 1.12, fourth in block assists at 292 and third in hitting percentage at .271, while Nicole Wemhoff is fifth in assists at 1,705 and Melissa Hartsel is second in hitting percentage at .273.
This season, Miller has amassed the sixth most digs (517) and the third best digs per set mark (5.62), while Hagedorn (.335) and Melissa Hartsel (.342) would have the top-two hitting percentage marks in school history.
Just Keep Winning
The 20 wins by UMKC ties the school record for most wins in a season. The 20-3 start by the 'Roos is the best start in school history, while the 16 straight wins eclipses the nine straight from the 1992 squad for the school record. The 8-0 conference start, meanwhile, is also the best mark in school history.
WAC Leaders
In overall games, the 'Roos sit atop the WAC in hitting percentage (.230), assists (12.735), kills (13.70) and digs (17.62), while Taryn Miller is tops in digs at 5.62.
In WAC matches, UMKC is first in hitting percentage (.263), opponent hitting percentage (.126), assists (12.74), kills (13.65) and digs (16.55), and second in blocks (2.77) and aces (1.52). Individually, Hagedorn (.424) is tops in hitting percentage.
RPI Rankings
The 'Roos currently sit 78th in the nation according to RPI, making them the highest ranked team in the WAC.
NCAA Leaders
Currently, the 'Roos have put themselves near the top several NCAA rankings, as the squad ranks in the top of the country in digs per set (7th - 17.62), digs (13th - 1,621), win percentage (10th - .870), assists (20th - 1,171), attacks (21st - 3,471), blocks (19th - 232), kills (20th - 1,260), opponent hitting percentage (22nd - .153) and attacks per set (17th - 37.73).
Individually, Taryn Miller ranks sixth in digs (517) and fifth digs per set (5.62), while Jessica Hendin is 55th in aces (31) and Emma Hagedorn (105) and Melissa Hartsel (107) are 31st and 26th in blocks, respectively.
In her career, meanwhile, Miller is eighth among active players in the NCAA at 5.06 digs per set and 28th in total digs at 1,579.
Killin' It
The 'Roos have notched the four of the top-six kill totals in the WAC this season, with 72 at Grand Canyon and 67 against Drake, Stephen F. Austin and Missouri. In the back row, meanwhile, UMKC has notched the top-two dig totals, while also recording the three of the top-four assist totals, the top two ace total, two of the three best hitting percentages and the first, third, and fourth (2x) most blocks.
Individually, Taryn Miller has amassed three of the top five dig totals, including the top two at 38 and 35, while Emma Hagedorn's 10 blocks vs. NDSU is tied for the most.
Taking Down The Tigers
On 10/13, UMKC beat Missouri, 3-1, marking only their fourth victory ever over the Tigers and their first since 1994.
Tournament MVP's
After the four preseason tournaments, the 'Roos have garnered a pair of MVP honors with Taryn Miller winning the accolade at the CEFCU Classic and Skyler Muff garnering the honors at the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Classic. Six other 'Roos have also received all-tournament honors, including Emma Hagedorn and Jessica Hendin at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Omaha Classic All-Tournament Team, Hendin and Melissa Hartsel at the Jackrabbit Invitational, Kaylyn Brandt and Sydney Crimmins in the CEFCU Classic and Emma Hagedorn at the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Classic. In all, seven different 'Roos have been recognized nine times.
Knocking-Off Familiar Foes
The 'Roos have squared-off with three former Summit League foes this season, coming out victorious in all three. On Aug. 30, UMKC beat Omaha 3-2, before taking down South Dakota State 3-0 on Sep. 5. On Sep. 12, meanwhile, the Kangaroos beat North Dakota State for the first time ever, 3-2.
Tourney Champs
The 'Roos went a perfect 3-0 at the CEFCU Classic, beating North Dakota State, host Bradley and Miami (OH) to claim the tournament title, their first since the 2011 Radford Tournament. On Sep. 20, meanwhile, the 'Roos won their second tournament of the year at the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Classic, marking the first time ever that they have won two tournaments in the same season.
Crimmins Named WAC POW
Sydney Crimmins was named the WAC Player of the Week on 10/13, as the Clay Center, Kan., native averaged 3.75 kills on .338 hitting, 2.12 digs, 0.75 blocks and 0.50 assists per set as the Kangaroos went 2-0 last week to extend their win streak to a school-record 11 matches. Crimmins opened the week with a season-high-tying 17 kills on 40 attempts with just one error for a .400 hitting percentage, her second highest of the season, to go along with seven digs and three blocks in a four-set win over Utah Valley. She followed it up with 13 kills, 10 digs and four assists in a four-set win over Seattle U on Saturday. It was her eighth double-double of the season. Crimmins now ranks fourth in the WAC in conference matches in points (3.85) and fifth in kills (3.22).
Miller Garners Second Straight POW
Taryn Miller was named the WAC Player of the Week after averaging 7.41 digs, 0.82 assists and 0.35 service aces per set over four matches last week. Miller opened the week with 22 digs and two assists in a four-set loss to No. 24 Kansas. Over the weekend, she was named MVP of the CEFCU Classic after averaging an astounding 8.00 digs, 0.92 assists and 0.46 service aces per set and leading the 'Roos to the tournament title with a perfect 3-0 record. Miller finished with 30 digs in three straight matches for the first time in her career, posting 35 against North Dakota State, 31 at Bradley and a career-high 38 vs. Miami (Ohio). The 38 digs was a Renaissance Coliseum record. Miller now sits in third place on the UMKC career digs list with 1,326, 10 digs shy of second place.
Hendin Named WAC Player Of The Week
Jessica Hendin was named the WAC Player of the Week after averaging 3.82 kills, 3.82 digs and 0.55 service aces per set over three matches last week en route to all-tournament team honors at the Jackrabbit Invitational, her second all-tournament selection in as many weeks. Hendin opened the week with a double-double of 15 kills and 17 digs in a four-set loss to Valparaiso. She then tied her career-high with three aces against South Dakota State and was just shy of a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 11 digs. Hendin closed out the week with a season-high 18 kills to go along with 14 digs in a win against Stephen F. Austin for her third double-double of the season.
All-Conference Returners
Last season, Sydney Crimmins and Taryn Miller were each named to the Second Team All-WAC, while freshman Kaylyn Brandt was named to the WAC All-Freshman Team in a vote by the conference's head coaches.
WAC Preseason Poll
The WAC volleyball coaches have selected Missouri-Kansas City to finish fourth in the preseason poll, as the Kangaroos garnered 27 points, while New Mexico State was chosen to win the WAC regular-season crown in 2014. New Mexico State received six of the first-place votes with Seattle U earning the other two. The Aggies earned 48 total points, followed by Seattle U with 43. Utah Valley was picked to finish third with 35 points, while just behind UMKC was Bakersfield in fifth with 26 and Grand Canyon in sixth with 22 points. Texas-Pan American and Chicago State rounded out the poll with 16 and seven points, respectively.
Preseason All-WAC Selections
The WAC coaches voted on the preseason award winners and Utah Valley junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker was the pick for WAC Preseason Player of the Year, with the 'Roos Sydney Crimmins and Emma Hagedorn named to the Preseason All-WAC Team.
Crimmins Reps WAC At SAAC
UMKC volleyball's Sydney Crimmins has been elected to represent the WAC as the conference's national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative where she will serve as a liaison between the NCAA and the WAC and its SAAC reps. She will serve as a SAAC rep on an NCAA committee and will actively engage the WAC membership about issues concerning student-athletes on a national level.
Last Season
In their first season in the WAC, the 'Roos finished with a winning record for just the third time ever and recorded back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history after going 15-14 overall and 9-7 in the WAC. Sydney Crimmins was named to all-tournament teams in each of the 'Roos preseason tournaments and capped it off by being named Second Team All-WAC, alongside teammate Taryn Miller.
New Kids On The Block
The 'Roos will welcome in a pair of true freshman this year in middle hitter Emma Dyer and defensive specialist Adasia Bromberger. Redshirt freshman Meagan Kerns, meanwhile, will make her debut in the Blue & Gold after sitting out last season with a knee injury.
Upperclassmen Return
This season, the Kangaroo lineup will have a heavy dose of upperclassmen with a total of nine on the roster, including seven juniors and two seniors. In all, a total of seven upperclassmen and nine total returners started 12 or more matches in 2013.
Academic 'Roos
Last season, Kaylyn Brandt, Sydney Crimmins, Taryn Miller, Skyler Muff, Morgan Voorhes and Nicole Wemhoff each garnered a spot on the Academic All-WAC Team for amassing a 3.2 or higher cumulative GPA.
