Kansas City
9-9,2-6WAC
UTRGV
10-12,5-3WAC
Volleyball Dominates at the Net in Victory Over UTRGV
10/19/2019 4:59:00 PM | Volleyball
Roos Finish with 11 Blocks, Hold Vaqueros to .163 Hitting
KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Kansas City Volleyball wanted to get back on the right track after falling to conference-leading NM State on Thursday, and Saturday's match against UTRGV was a good place to start. The Roos dominated at the net, blocking 11 attacks and holding the Vaqueros to .163 hitting en route to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 17-25, 25-16) victory.
The Roos came out in a balanced attack from the jump, with Alli Schomers spreading the ball well and finding Ty Lukes, Alicia Harrington, Melanie Brecka and Mykal Sadler for three kills each in the first set. With Harrington carrying the majority of the load in the last three matches, it was important for Kansas City to find equity against the Vaqueros.Â
"It's such an important thing for our offense," Head Coach Christi Posey said. "In a three-hitter [system], if (Brecka) is having a good day, and Alicia is having a good day, they're less inclined to be worried about Ty."
The Roos' defense was also staunch, especially at the net. After recording just four blocks against a hard-hitting Aggies team, the Roos focused on stopping the Vaquero attack and did so with major success. They held UTRGV's top hitters, Sarah Cruz and Victorie Nama to .034 hitting on 58 attempts.Â
"The past two or three matches we haven't defended the left sides very well," Posey said. "I think our kids responded better there. We didn't start off that way, but we certainly worked our way into it and were much more diligent about it."
Harrington led the Kansas City offense for the fourth-straight match, finishing with 13 kills, but was supplemented nicely by her teammates. Sadler and Lukes were a legitimate threat out of the middle, finishing with 12 and nine kills, respectively.
"That balanced our offense and disallowed the defense to capitalize on either pin hitter," Posey said. "If we're getting the ball to our middles, we're in system, which means our passers are doing a good job of getting the ball to Alli."
Brecka finished with a strong showing as well, using 31 attacks to put down 12 kills on .228 hitting. She has been a larger focus of opponents' defensive efforts this season, something she has had to adjust to as the year goes on.
"Things were fairly easy for her last season, but they're harder this year because she established herself as an important key to our offense," Posey said. "Today was a good day for her, and I was happy to see her rally and make meaningful swings."
With the win, the Roos remain in second place in the Western Athletic Conference, behind New Mexico State. They move half a game ahead of Grand Canyon, who takes on California Baptist in Riverside today.Â
Kansas City will be back on the road next week, first visiting CSU Bakersfield before looking for revenge against Grand Canyon on Saturday.
