Kansas City
17-9,12-4WAC
#6 Seattle U
13-18,4-12WAC
Volleyball Advances to WAC Semifinals Behind Harrington's Historic Night
11/21/2019 8:31:00 PM | Volleyball
OREM, Utah - Alicia Harrington is far from done. She has proven herself time and time again this season, earning a spot on the All-Western Athletic Conference First Team for the second year in a row. She showed her domination against Seattle U in the first round of the WAC Tournament tonight, tying her career-high in kills (24) on incredible efficiency, hitting a season-high .488. She was not only dominant in the attack, digging up 15 Redhawk attacks, sending across three aces, three assists and three blocks. The Roos defeated the Redhawks in four sets, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 25-19.
"Alicia had another outstanding performance in all areas. She is on a mission to leave everything on the court each match," Head Coach Christi Posey said. "With all due respect to Megan Hart, WAC Player of the Year, Alicia has had an equally impressive season."
The Roos came ready to play, jumping out to a a 6-1 lead and never relenting. Seattle U never led throughout the set, hitting just .135. Harrington threw down her fifth kill of the set to give the Roos a 23-20 lead, and move into sole possession of second place on Kansas City's all-time career kills list. She didn't dwell on the moment for long, securing the set with a kill on match point.
After a shaky second set, the Roos came out firing in the third. Kansas City jumped out to a 10-point lead behind a balanced attack, and never looked back. The Roos forced seven Redhawk errors, holding them to .086 hitting.Â
"Our veterans have set the tone with a cool confidence and a purpose this year, so they took charge and we got behind Alex (Ratzlaff) with a great serving run that gave us great momentum," Posey said.
The Roos did not hold back in the fourth set either. Between the third and fourth sets, Kansas City hit a combined .509. The Roos finished the match with a season-high .352 hitting percentage, sending home 59 kills on 125 attacks. This is as much a testament to WAC Setter of the Year Alli Schomers as it is to the Roos' hitters, as she finished with 50 assists, her sixth 50-assist match of the year.
"(Schomers) delivered the ball well and in rhythm to Alicia, and Melanie (Brecka) came on in the last two sets, getting nine kills on 10 swings," Posey said. "Mykal and Ty continue to be available so we're able to be well balanced."
With the win, the Roos move on to the WAC Semifinals for the second year in a row. They will take on Grand Canyon, who defeated Kansas City in four sets in both of their regular season matches. The Roos will have one more chance at the Lopes with a chance to advance to the WAC Finals for the first time in program history.
"GCU is playing well and so are we," Posey said. "We will expect both teams will be ready to play."
