Kansas City
9-8,2-5WAC
NM State
16-3,6-1WAC
Volleyball Drops Clash with NM State
10/17/2019 10:15:00 PM | Volleyball
Harrington Finishes with Fourth-Straight Double-Double
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When Kansas City and New Mexico State met on Thursday, many knew it was going to be a battle of offense versus defense. NM State entered the match first in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage and third in total blocks. Kansas City, on the other hand was tops in the WAC in assists per set and second in kills per set. The defensive-minded Aggies prevailed over the Roos, dominating the outside and taking the match in four sets, 25-21, 25-18, 13-25, 25-18.
"They just had us beat on the left side," Head Coach Christi Posey said. "With the injury to Mikala (Wells), we're left with a freshman and a sophomore on the outside, and we're at the mercy of their learning curve."
In a highly competitive first set, the Roos were able to neutralize the net defense of the Aggies. They allowed only one block and kept the set close until attacking errors caught up. Coming out of the media timeout trailing by just a point, Kansas City misfired on the next two points and gave NM State all of the cushion that they needed. A kill by the Aggies' Savannah Davison ended the set, with the Roos tallying six attacking errors.
The Aggies jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the second set, and despite a comeback attempt by Kansas City, they could never get within reach. The New Mexico State block picked up, finishing with six in the second set alone, and holding Kansas City to a .000 hitting percentage.
Despite a disappointing second set, the Roos came out with great resilience in the third. Melanie Brecka found the hardwood for four kills on four attempts, and Kansas City's service game picked up big time. Kennedy Schritenthal sent over three aces, finishing with a career-high of five. The Roos picked their spots wisely as a team, finishing with six aces in the third set and running away with the victory.
"We have to be a good serving team," Posey said. "We aren't very physical, so we have to be aggressive on the serve and create openings in that way."
The fourth set was a battle of attrition. Both teams seemed worn down by the energy of the first three sets, and it came down to the diversity of the Aggies' attack. Five different NM State players logged multiple kills for a match-high 16 total. Kansas City was able to use the momentum of the third set to jump out to an early five-point lead, but the Aggies fought right back and controlled the rest of the set, taking home the W.
Match Notes
- Alicia Harrington notched her fourth-straight double-double, leading the way for Kansas City with 16 kills and 11 digs. She was continually targeted on serve, maintaining a perfect reception percentage on 39 attempts.
- Ty Lukes came through with a big kill in the first set to give Kansas City a 10-7 lead, the 500th of her career. She ended the match with six kills on a .357 hitting percentage.
- Schritenthal ended the match with five aces, a career-high. The freshman lefty tied her previous high of three aces in the second set alone.
- Discounting the second set, the Roos held the Aggies to just three total blocks in three sets. This falls far below their season average of 3.0 per set.
- Alli Schomers extended her streak of matches with 30+ assists to ten, finishing with an even 30. She added 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
