'Roos To Take On Kansas On ESPN3
9/8/2014 3:27:00 PM | Volleyball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – The Missouri-Kansas City volleyball (4-2) will head west to Lawrence, Kan., to take on Kansas (5-1) at 6:30 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center with the match set to air on ESPN3.
The Opponent
Kansas enters the match with a 5-1 record on the season, picking up wins over Utah Valley, Creighton, Bradley, Sam Houston State and Denver, while claiming the title at the Denver Invitational. Chelsea Albers (64 kills) and Sara McClinton (59 kills) lead KU's offensive attack with Ainise Havili setting it up (245 assists). Defensively, Kayla Cheadle tops the team in blocks at 22, while Cassie Wait has a team-best 111 digs.
The Series
Kansas (0-19)
9/6/94 (A) L, 2-3
10/27/95 (A) L, 0-3
10/28/95 (A) L, 0-3
9/12/97 (A) L, 1-3
10/7/98 (H) L, 0-3
9/1/99 (A) L, 1-3
9/18/00 (A) L, 0-3
9/17/01 (H) L, 1-3
10/1/02 (A) L, 0-3
9/22/03 (A) L, 0-3
9/14/04 (H) L, 0-3
8/27/05 (A) L, 0-3
8/29/06 (A) L, 0-3
9/4/07 (A) L, 0-3
9/9/08 (A) L, 1-3
10/27/09 (A) L, 0-3
8/31/10 (A) L, 0-3
9/4/12 (A) L, 0-3
9/3/13 (H) L, 1-3
Last Time Out
The 'Roos went 2-1 this past weekend in the Jackrabbit Invitational, falling to former Mid-Continent Conference foe Valparaiso 3-1, before taking down host and former Summit League rival South Dakota State 3-0. UMKC closed out the tournament with a 3-1 win over Stephen F. Austin.
Hot Start
The 4-2 by UMKC ranks as the third best start in school history, trailing on the 5-1 start by both the 1989 team and the 2002 team.
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.
WAC Leaders
In the early going of 2014, the 'Roos sit atop the WAC in hitting percentage (.223), assists (13.17), kills (14.38) and digs (18.12).
Killin' It
Through two weeks the 'Roos have notched four of the top-seven kill totals in the WAC this season, including the top-two with 67 against both Drake and Stephen F. Austin. In the back row, meanwhile, UMKC has notched the second, third, fourth and fifth most digs.
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 Jackrabbit Invitational, Hendin repeated as an all-tournament performer, while Melissa Hartsel joined her on the squad.
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 sixth all-time at 1,200 digs and second in digs per set at 4.84 and Hagedorn ranks ninth in block assists at 221 and sixth in hitting percentage at .252, while Nicole Wemhoff is seventh in assists at 1,366.
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.