Kangaroos Aim For First WAC Title Against UTPA, NMSU
11/12/2014 9:54:00 AM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team (22-5, 10-2) will host a pair of matches this week with at least a share of the WAC regular season title on the line when they face Texas-Pan American (6-21, 2-10) and New Mexico State (15-9, 9-3). The 'Roos and the Broncs will square-off on Thursday at 7 p.m., and if UMKC wins the 'Roos will clinch a share of the title. The match with the Aggies, meanwhile, will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. and with a win, the 'Roos win the title outright.
The Opponents
Texas-Pan American comes into the match with a record of 6-21 overall and 2-10 in WAC play with their two conference wins coming over Grand Canyon and Chicago State. Offensively, Haley Durham (264) and Alisha Watson (211) each have over 200 kills, while Mary Kate Clark tops the team in assists with 737. Defensively, Nausheen Merchant has a team-high 307 digs and Durham tops the team in blocks with 92.
New Mexico State enters the week with a 15-9 record overall and a 9-3 mark in WAC play after knocking-off Seattle, Utah Valley and Texas-Pan American in their last three matches. Bradley Nash leads the squad with 204 kills, while seven other Aggies have topped the 100 kill mark. Taylor Livoti (546 assists) and Ashlyn Brown (296 assists) set up the offense, while on the defensive end, Hannah Walker has a team-high 272 digs and Gwen Murphy has a team-best 99 blocks.
The Series'
Texas-Pan American (3-0)
10/10/13 (H) W, 3-0
11/9/13 (A) W, 3-1
10/18/14 (A) W, 3-0
New Mexico State (1-2)
10/12/13 (H) L, 0-3
11/7/13 (A) L, 1-3
10/16/14 (A) W, 3-2
First Meetings
After two high profile wins earlier in the week against Missouri and New Mexico State, the Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team did not suffer a let down on 10/18, taking down Texas-Pan American 3-0 at the UTPA Fieldhouse in Edinburg, Texas. With the win, the 'Roos extended their school record win streak to 14 matches and maintained the top spot in the WAC standings. The 'Roos were led offensively from the middle as Emma Hagedorn tallied nine kills, a .438 hitting percentage and six blocks and Melissa Hartsel recorded seven kills, a .467 hitting percentage and six blocks. Sydney Crimmins, meanwhile, added seven kills, five blocks and 11 digs, while Taryn Miller and Jessica Hendin finished with 19 and 10 digs, respectively.
The Missouri-Kansas City Volleyball team rallied from two sets down to knock-off defending WAC champ New Mexico State on 11/16 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. Offensively, Jessica Hendin (14), Sydney Crimmins (12), Skyler Muff (11) and Melissa Hartsel (10) all reached double-figure kills, with Hartsel hitting .444 and Muff hitting .429. Crimmins and Hendin, meanwhile, registered 13 and 12 digs, respectively to notch double-doubles. In the match, Taryn Miller led the 'Roos in the back row with 14 digs, while setters Kaylyn Brandt and Nicole Wemhoff finished with 26 and 23 assists, respectively.
Last Time Out
Emma Hagedorn hit a WAC season-high .750 with 16 kills and six blocks to lead the Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Seattle at the Connolly Center in Seattle, Wash., on 11/6. The 10 WAC wins by the 'Roos ties the school record for conference wins in a season, while the Kangaroos have clinched at least a second place finish in the conference standings and at least the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. For the 'Roos, Jessica Hendin finished with 12 kills and 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season, while Sydney Crimmins added 10 kills, five digs and four blocks. Defensively for UMKC, Taryn Miller notched a team-high 18 digs and Melissa Hartsel tallied five of the teams 11 blocks.
Hendin recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 15 digs, 11 kills and two aces, but the effort was not enough as the Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team fell 3-1 to Utah Valley on 11/8 at the PE Building in Orem, Utah, in their first attempt at clinching at least a share of the WAC regular season title. For the 'Roos, Miller finished with 11 digs, while Crimmins added nine kills, eight digs and three blocks and Hagedorn registered seven kills and four blocks.
Promotions
High School and Club Day including a pregame chat with Coach Posey.
Miller Named Academic All-District
Missouri-Kansas City volleyball's Taryn Miller has been named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 6 First Team it was announced today. This season, the junior libero has helped the 'Roos to school records of 21 wins and 17 consecutive wins, two preseason tournament titles and a current first place spot in the WAC standings. Individually, she was named WAC player of the Week on Sep. 15 after garnering MVP honors at the CEFCU Classic and now holds the school record for career digs with 1,662. This season, her 585 digs are the second most in school history, just 59 shy of the school record, and are the third most in the NCAA. Academically, Miller holds a 4.0 GPA in business administration and is a two-time Academic All-Conference selection, while serving as the squad's representative to SAAC.
New Record Holder
With her 36 dig performance against Bakersfield, Taryn Miller became the UMKC career record holder, passing Nicole Kerkman and now has 1,691. She also sits second in career digs per set at 5.08.
Emma Hagedorn ranks first in blocks per set at 1.12, fourth in block assists at 309, ninth in solo blocks (52) and second in hitting percentage at .277, while Nicole Wemhoff is fifth in assists at 1,795, Kaylyn Brandt is ninth in assists per set (5.81) and 10th in assists (1,273), Sydney Crimmins is seventh in block assists (238) and Melissa Hartsel is third in hitting percentage at .276.
This season, Miller has amassed the second most digs (614) and the third best digs per set mark (5.63), while Hagedorn has the highest hitting percentage (.344) and the fifth most block assists (105), Melissa Hartsel has the third most block assists (111) and the second best hitting percentage (.336) and Skyler Muff has the 12th best hitting percentage (.260).
Tournament Scenarios
The 'Roos enter the week as the No. 1 seed in the WAC tournament and can fall no lower than the No. 2 seed, clinching a first round bye. If the 'Roos win both matches this week or just beat New Mexico State they will be the No. 1 seed and if they lose both they will be the No. 2 seed. If they beat UTPA and fall to NMSU, they will tie for the WAC title and the No. 1 and No. 2 seed will come down to set tiebreakers.
Just Keep Winning
The 22 wins by UMKC sets a new school record for most wins in a season, passing the 20 wins by the 1999 squad. The 21-3 start by the 'Roos is the best start in school history, while the 17 straight wins eclipsed the nine straight from the 1992 squad for the school record. The 9-0 conference start, meanwhile, is also the best start in school history, while the 10 conference win tie the school record.
WAC Leaders
In overall games, the 'Roos sit atop the WAC in hitting percentage (.224), assists (12.54), kills (13.50) and digs (17.58), while Taryn Miller is tops in digs at 5.63.
In WAC matches, UMKC is first in digs (16.83) and second in kills (13.23), opponent hitting percentage (.148) aces (1.48), blocks (2.57), assists (12.31) and hitting percentage (.258). Individually, Emma Hagedorn (.415) is tops in hitting percentage.
RPI Rankings
The 'Roos currently sit 97th 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 - 17.58), digs (10th - 1,916), win percentage (22nd - .815), assists (14th - 1,367), attacks (16th - 4,107), blocks (17th - 269.5), kills (14th - 1,472), opponent hitting percentage (29th - .158) and attacks per set (23rd - 37.68).
Individually, Taryn Miller ranks fifth in digs (614) and fifth digs per set (5.63), while Jessica Hendin is 54th in aces (36) and Emma Hagedorn (123) and Melissa Hartsel (125) are 33rd and 30th in blocks, respectively.
In her career, meanwhile, Miller is seventh among active players in the NCAA at 5.13 digs per set and 24th in total digs at 1,676.
Killin' It
The 'Roos have notched the five of the top-seven kill totals in the WAC this season, with 72 at Grand Canyon, 69 against Grand Canyon and 67 against Drake, Stephen F. Austin and Missouri. In the back row, meanwhile, UMKC has notched the top-three dig totals, while also recording four of the top-five assist totals, the top two ace total, two of the three best hitting percentages and five of the top-10 block totals.
Individually, Taryn Miller has amassed the top two dig totals, while Emma Hagedorn's .750 hitting percentage against Seattle is tops and her 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.
