Kansas City
Southern Miss
UMKC Falls to No. 25 K-State, Southern Miss at Arkansas Invitational
9/16/2016 7:53:00 PM | Volleyball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – UMKC volleyball fell No. 25 Kansas State to four sets in the opening match of the Arkansas Invitational, and dropped a 3-0 decision to Southern Mississippi on Friday, Sept. 16 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
UMKC (7-5) fell to the nationally-ranked Wildcats (9-2) 25-18 in set one, but didn't go down without a fight. The 'Roos fell behind 13-6 early in the set, but regained composure to bring it within three at 15-12. Following another mini-run by K-State, UMKC scored four straight points to threaten the Wildcats down 22-16, but couldn't complete the comeback. Senior Emma Hagedorn (Parkville, Mo.) led UMKC with four kills in the set, and combined with freshman Alicia Harrington (Cedar Falls, Iowa) for the only block in the opening game.
K-State never trailed in set two, holding the 'Roos to just 11 kills and a .194 hitting efficiency. Junior Devan Porter (Bettendorf, Iowa) notched four kills, but it was senior Kaylyn Brandt (Sumner, Iowa) who played the biggest role in keeping the 'Roos in the game in set two. The setter tallied seven digs in the second set alone, keeping the powerful K-State offense at bay as much as possible.
After a less-than-ideal set two, the 'Roos came out for set three with fire in their eyes. UMKC went point-for-point with K-State all the way to 11-11, before K-State took their biggest lead of the set at 14-12. UMKC tied things up again at 15-all, then went on a four-point rally to lead 19-16. Inching closer to taking the set, the Wildcats were doing their best to keep the 'Roos at bay. UMKC took it to set point at 24-21, but three-straight attacking errors for the 'Roos gave the Wildcats a 25-24 lead. On the brink of getting swept, the 'Roos benefitted from a KSU error and a kill from redshirt sophomore Emma Dyer (Higginsville, Mo.) followed by a block from Dyer and Brandt finished things off for UMKC to take the 27-25 victory.
UMKC was unable to hold off the Wildcats in the fourth set, and ultimately fell 25-17. Poster and senior Madison Mosier (Lee's Summit, Mo.) led the 'Roos with four kills apiece in the set, Mosier recording a team-best .800 hitting efficiency.
Mosier led the team with a .417 hitting percentage in the match, recording seven kills with two errors on 12 attacks. Porter posted her second double-double of the season, notching a team-high 16 kills to go along with 10 digs. Brandt recorded her fourth-straight double-double with 39 assists and a team-best 13 digs.
The 'Roos struggled to get anything going against Southern Miss, falling to the Golden Eagles in three sets. As a team, UMKC was held to a .152 hitting efficiency, committing 19 attacking errors. Hagedorn was the only Kangaroo to reach double-digit kills, tallying 12 in the loss. She was the only UMKC player to hit over .150 in the match, hitting .500 on 20 total attempts, and also accumulated five block assists for the team lead. Brandt notched 34 assists, and junior Adasia Bromberger (Omaha, Neb.) led the team with 10 digs.
UMKC is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 17 at noon when they face the tournament-host Razorbacks at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For more information on UMKC Volleyball, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
– UMKC –
