?Roos To Face Familiar Foes In Jackrabbit Invitational
9/4/2014 10:57:00 AM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team heads to its second tournament of the year when it visits Brookings, S.D., on Sep. 5-6 for the Jackrabbit Invitational. The 'Roos will open up the event on Friday when they take on former Mid-Con foe Valparaiso at 10 a.m., before facing host and former Summit League foe South Dakota State at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the 'Roos will close out the tournament against Stephen F. Austin at 12 p.m.
The Opponents
Valpo enters the tournament with a 3-1 mark with wins over IUPUI, Wofford and North Carolina Central on its resume. Emily Campbell leads the offense with 55 kills, while Morganne Longoria has a team-high 71 digs and Kelsey Victor has a team-high 12 blocks.
SDSU comes into the weekend with a 3-1 record, taking down UMES, Weber State and Fairleigh Dickinson last week. Ashley Beaner led the Jacks with 40 kills and 10 blocks, earning all-tournament honors.
SFA enters with a 1-3 mark on the season, falling to major conference foes Michigan and Arkansas before knocking off Tennessee State. Jill Ivy has a team-best 33 kills, while Jacque Allen is tops on the team with 14 blocks.
The Series
Valparaiso leads the all-time series between the former Mid-Con foes 21-8, including winning the last 10. The last meeting between the two teams was in 2006, while the 'Roos last win came in 2002.
South Dakota State holds a 10-4 advantage all-time over the Kangaroos, while UMKC has won the last three matches with its former Summit League rival, including the last in 2012.
Stephen F. Austin holds a 2-0 lead in the series, winning both previous matches 3-0 in 1992 and 1993.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the 'Roos opened up the 2014 season at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Omaha Classic finishing 2-1. UMKC opened with a 3-2 loss to Drake, before picking up a 3-0 win over Central Michigan and a 3-2 win over Omaha.
All-Tournament Honors
In the opening tournament, a pair of 'Roos earned all-tournament recognition as Emma Hagedorn and Jessica Hendin were each named to the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Omaha Classic All-Tournament Team.
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), pushing her to sixth all-time at 1,077 and second in digs per set at 4.81.
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.