?Roos Put Nine Match Winning Streak On The Line As UVU, Seattle And Mizzou Come To Kansas City
10/8/2014 10:56:00 AM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team (13-3, 2-0) will look to break the school record for consecutive wins when it puts its nine-match winning streak on the line against Utah Valley (7-10, 2-1), Seattle (6-10, 2-1) and Missouri (11-7, 2-2). The 'Roos will open the weekend on Thursday with a WAC match against the Wolverines at 7 p.m., before squaring off in another WAC match against the Redhawks on Saturday at 1 p.m. On Monday, UMKC will then welcome their instate rival Tigers into the Swinney Recreation Center at 7 p.m. to close out their non-conference slate.
The Opponents
Utah Valley enters the match with a 7-10 record overall and a 2-1 WAC mark with wins over Seattle and UTPA. Lauren Bakker leads UVU with 152 kills, 66 blocks and a hitting percentage of .334, while McKenna Tait is tops in digs at 278.
Seattle comes into the weekend with a mark of 6-10 overall and 2-1 in WAC play with wins over UTPA and NMSU. Three Redhawks have topped the 100 kill mark including Matea Mamic (138), Martina Samadan (134) and Iris Ivanis (118), while Kerry Lane's 532 assists are a team-best. Defensively, Stephanie Stoll (63) and Samadan (61) lead in blocks.
Missouri enters the weekend with an 11-7 mark overall and a 2-2 record in SEC play with wins over Mississippi State and Tennessee. Whitney Little leads the offense with a .413 hitting percentage and 164 kills, while Carly Kan (239) and Emily Wilson (200) each have over 200 kills. At the net, Little leads in blocks with 72, while Emily Thater has 65.
The Series'
Utah Valley (0-2)
10/3/13 (A) L, 2-3
11/2/13 (H) L, 1-3
Seattle (1-1)
10/19/13 (A) L, 0-3
11/16/13 (H) W, 3-1
Missouri (3-21)
11/10/87 (A) L, Forfeit
10/9/88 (H) L, 0-3
10/25/88 (A) L, 1-3
10/6/89 (A) W, 3-1
10/31/89 (H) L, 2-3
9/12/90 (A) L, 0-3
11/6/90 (H) L, 0-3
9/10/91 (H) L, 1-3
9/17/91 (A) L, 0-3
9/16/92 (A) L, 0-3
10/21/92 (H) W, 3-1
9/15/93 (H) L, 2-3
10/9/93 (A) L, 0-3
9/14/94 (H) W, 3-2
10/19/94 (A) L, 0-3
9/20/95 (A) L, 0-3
10/10/95 (H) L, 1-3
10/10/99 (A) L, 0-3
9/6/00 (H) L, 0-3
10/10/01 (A) L, 0-3
9/11/02 (H) L, 0-3
9/6/05 (A) L, 0-3
9/12/07 (A) L, 0-3
9/23/09 (A) L, 0-3
Last Season vs. UVU and Seattle
Last season against the Wolverines, the 'Roos fell 3-2 in Orem and 3-1 in Kansas City. At UVU, Sydney Crimmins led the team with 14 kills, hitting .406, while at the SRC, Taylor Buhrow notched 12 kills.
Against the Redhawks, UMKC lost 3-0 with Jessica Hendin notching 10 kills, before responding with a 3-1 win in Kansas City behind 14 kills from Crimmins and 30 digs from Taryn Miller.
What's Goin' On
This weekend, the UMKC matches will feature 50-50 raffles several promotional events, including Pizza Night for all fans on Thursday. Monday, meanwhile, will be the Blue & Gold match with 'Roos student-athletes coming out to support the volleyball team. That same night the team will host a silent auction with many great items to help fund the 'Roos trip to Europe.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the 'Roos went 2-0, beating Grand Canyon 3-2 and Bakersfield 3-1. Offensively, Melissa Hartsel hit .409 with 22 kills and 11 blocks, while Emma Hagedorn hit .353 with 24 kills. In the back row, Taryn Miller had 49 digs.
Just Keep Winning
The 13-3 start by the 'Roos is the best start in school history, while the nine straight wins is tied with the 1992 squad for the school record.
WAC Leaders
In overall games, the 'Roos sit atop the WAC in hitting percentage (.209), assists (12.61), kills (13.50) and digs (18.42), while Taryn Miller is tops in digs at 5.91 and Emma Hagedorn in blocks at 1.26.
In WAC matches, UMKC is first in opponent hitting percentage (.095), assists (12.89), kills (13.44), blocks (3.33) and digs (19.67). Individually, Hagedorn (1.89) and Miller (5.44) are tops again.
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.
RPI Rankings
The 'Roos currently sit 81st in the nation according to RPI, making them the highest ranked team in the WAC and in Missouri.
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 (2nd - 18.42), digs (10th - 1,216) and attacks per set (4th - 39.17).
Individually, Taryn Miller ranks third in digs (390) and digs per set (5.91), while Jessica Hendin is 39th in aces (25) and Emma Hagedorn (83) is 18th in blocks.
In her career, meanwhile, Miller is seventh among active players in the NCAA at 5.08 digs per set and 33rd in total digs at 1,452.
Taking Down 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.
Killin' It
The 'Roos have notched the top-three kill totals in the WAC this season, with 72 at Grand Canyon and 67 against both Drake and Stephen F. Austin. In the back row, meanwhile, UMKC has notched the top-two dig totals, while also recording the top-three assist totals, the top ace total and the first, third, and fourth (2x) most blocks.
Individually, Taryn Miller has amassed five of the top eight dig totals, including the top two at 38 and 35, while Emma Hagedorn's 10 blocks vs. NDSU is tied for the most.
In The Books
Last season, Emma Hagedorn and Taryn Miller each continued to etch their names in the UMKC record books. Hagedorn set the record for block assists in a season (128) and blocks in a match (14), while Miller recorded the fifth most digs (537). In their careers, Miller ranks second all-time at 1,467 digs and second in digs per set at 5.06 and Hagedorn ranks fourth in block assists at 276 and fifth in hitting percentage at .258, while Nicole Wemhoff is sixth in assists at 1,564.
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.