Roos Pick Up Win over (RV) Missouri on First Day of the Season

Friday, August 27

Columbia, MO

10:00 AM

Kansas City

0-1,0-0Summit League

(RV) Creighton

1-0,0-0Big East

Kansas City

Creighton

Photo by: Cassie Florido

Roos Pick Up Win over (RV) Missouri on First Day of the Season

8/27/2021 11:15:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

After falling to Creighton in the season-opener, the Roos responded with their first win over a receiving votes team in program history

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After a disappointing start to the season in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-12) sweep at the hands of (RV) Creighton, Kansas City volleyball righted the switch in the day's second match, securing a 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 16-25, 28-26) win over (RV) Missouri. The Roos were led by Melanie Brecka's 20 kills in the victory over the Tigers, followed by a career-high 13 kills from Raina Smith.

KEY MOMENTS VS. CREIGHTON

S1 | After falling behind 9-1 early in the first set, the Roos forced 11 errors from the Bluejays to draw within one at 16-15.
S1 | A service ace by Leah Green tied the game at 21-21, but Creighton took four of the final six points to win the set.
S2 | A kill by De'Janae Arnold brought the Roos within a point before the Bluejays created separation to run away with the set.
S3 | Arnold paced the Roos again in the third set, finishing with two kills in as Creighton secured the match.

STATS TO NOTE VS. CREIGHTON

The match marked the first time that Brecka failed to lead the Roos in kills since the 2019 season. She finished with five.
Arnold paced the Roos with eight kills on .462 hitting.
Carly Gillen impressed at the net, finishing with five block assists.

KEY MOMENTS VS. MISSOURI

S1 | After dropping the first two points of the match, Kansas City rattled off seven-straight points, capped by an ace from Maddie Renn.
S1 | As play began to even out, Arnold sent a tip over the Tigers' front line to extend the Roos' lead to 13-6.
S1 | Brecka shook off her play against Creighton with six kills in the first set, including one to put the Roos in front 17-13.
S1 | With Mizzou threatening a comeback, Carly Gillen threw down her third kill of the first set and gave the Roos set point.
S2 | The Roos strung together back-to-back points, capped by a kill from Smith, to jump out to a 9-6 lead early in the second set.
S2 | With the teams trading points, Alli Schomers found Brecka to give the Roos an edge at 13-12.
S2 | Trailing 23-22 late in the set, Coach Christi Posey called a timeout to rally the troops. It worked in her favor, as a Schomers kill and back-to-back points from Smith gave the Roos a 2-0 lead.
S3 | After falling behind 8-4 early in the third set, the Roos took five-straight points on Schomers' serve to force a Mizzou timeout.
S3 | Smith put down a kill late in the set to bring the Roos within seven, but it was too little, too late and the Tigers took the third.
S4 | The Tigers earned a 10-7 lead early in the fourth, but a kill from Brecka and back-to-back aces from Kennedy Schritenthal tied the set up.
S4 | With the Roos trailing by one, Schomers and Brecka connected once again for a cross-court kill, tying things up at 13-13 midway through the set.
S4 | Brecka found the hardwood once again, putting the Roos up 18-16 and forcing a Missouri timeout.
S4 | After a KC timeout with the Tigers leading 23-21, a kill by Odyssey Warren and a block by Smith and Arnold tied things at 23-23 and forced Mizzou to use its last timeout of the day.
S4 | The Roos faced three set points from the Tigers, but kills by Arnold, Brecka and Smith kept them alive.
S4 | With the match tied at 26-26, back-to-back attacking errors by the Tigers gave the Roos the victory.

STATS TO NOTE VS. MISSOURI

The win over the Tigers is the Roos' first win over a ranked/receiving votes team in program history, and the first time that KC has defeated Missouri in Columbia since 1989.
The Roos' hitting impressed in the first set, committing just three errors and notching a .438 hitting percentage.
Brecka was next-to-perfect on the day, going for 20 kills and just three errors. She added 10 digs for her first double-double of the season.
Smith's 13 kills is a career-high, besting her previous high of 12 at Utah Valley in 2019.
Schomers dished out 46 assists on the match, just three away from her career-high.
Maddie Renn was a stalwart in the Roos' back line, digging up 20 Tiger attacks.
Schritenthal finished with a match-high three aces and a perfect serving percentage on 15 attempts.
Arnold finished with nine kills on .368 hitting, her 11th match of above .300 hitting in her Kansas City career.

COACH CHRISTI POSEY, QUOTED

"This was a big first win for us. I was really pleased with our effort and offensive execution in the first two sets, with Mel and Deja leading the way. We minimized mistakes and played pretty steady."
"We didn't execute well in the third, but MU was a big part of that. Raina was big for us down the stretch, along with Alli and Maddie."
"I'm really proud of our effort and grit in the fourth set, especially at end game."
"That level of fight, with the reward of a win, can be impactful to a team in the early season."
"We'll need another great outing tomorrow against a very good Saint Louis team to feel productive after the weekend."

UP NEXT
The Roos cap off the Mizzou Invite with a meeting with Saint Louis tomorrow at noon. The Billikens defeated Missouri before being swept by Creighton to begin their season.