Kansas City
Grand Canyon
Roos Outlast Grand Canyon in Kansas City, 3-2
10/8/2016 5:22:00 PM | Volleyball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UMKC volleyball outlasted Grand Canyon on Saturday, 3-2, after hopping out to a 2-0 lead in the match at Swinney Recreation Center.
It was all Roos (10-8, 3-2 WAC) in set one, as they powered their way through the game with 17 kills, including six from junior Devan Porter (Bettendorf, Iowa) and five from senior Emma Hagedorn (Parkville, Mo.). The Lopes (4-13, 0-5 WAC) hung around until close to the midway point in the set, keeping it within two at 12-10, but UMKC finished the match on a 13-4 run to win 25-14.
UMKC used their defense to win set two, holding the Lopes to a .107 hitting efficiency in the set and recording eight team blocks. Freshman Mykal Sadler (Des Moines, Iowa) led the defensive efforts for the Roos with three block assists. Fellow freshman Alicia Harrington (Cedar Falls, Iowa) aided Sadler with two block assists of her own. Porter and senior Madison Mosier (Lee's Summit, Mo.) each accumulated three kills in the set, while Hagedorn and Harrington each added two.
Grand Canyon wouldn't go away easily, and took the third set 25-17. UMKC never led in the set, but kept things close, thanks to five kills from Harrington on a .500 hitting efficiency in the third game. The Roos hit just .114 as a team, and allowed GCU to hit .367 in the set.
The Lopes continued to battle the Roos, and scraped by in the fourth set, 25-23. UMKC recorded 17 kills in the game, but a .163 hitting percentage haunted the Roos in the long run. Senior Kaylyn Brandt (Sumner, Iowa) recorded 16 assists in the set, and Mosier led the team with six kills, while Harrington powered home five, and Porter recorded four. UMKC held the lead the majority of the contest, but GCU took the lead and 20-19 and the Roos couldn't come back from the deficit in the set.
Defense was key again in the final set, as the Roos recorded six total blocks in the deciding game. GCU led early, but an 8-0 run for UMKC gave them the momentum and the lead at 12-7, and despite the Lopes' best efforts to bounce back, the Roos came out victorious with a 15-12 win. Hagedorn capped a big day with five kills in the final set, and chipped in with three block assists. Harrington recorded two block assists also, finishing the day with four.
Hagedorn finished the day with a .375 hitting percentage and 17 kills, tying Porter for the team-high. Hagedorn also led the Roos with seven block assists, while Mosier, Sadler, and Harrington all recorded four. Brandt tallied 55 assists, one kill, 11 digs and three block assists to aid the UMKC efforts in the victory. Behind Hagedorn and Porter, Harrington tallied 15 kills and Mosier finished with 14 and a team-best .385 hitting percentage. Senior Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) finished the day with a team-high 17 digs, and freshman Rhegan Spiegel (Savannah, Mo.) finished with two service aces to give her 10 on the season.
UMKC continues WAC play at New Mexico State on Thursday, Oct. 13, and finishes the weekend in Edinburg, Texas, to face UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, Oct. 15.
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