Volleyball Begins Black & Gold Challenge with Pair of Wins

Friday, September 3

Boone, NC

11:30 AM

Kansas City

3-1,0-0Summit League

Appalachian State

2-2,0-0Sun Belt

Kansas City

App State

Volleyball Begins Black & Gold Challenge with Pair of Wins

9/3/2021 7:24:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score vs. App State Box Score vs. ETSU

Odyssey Warren and Maddie Renn put together career performances to set the tone for the Roos

BOONE, N.C. - Kansas City Volleyball began the Black & Gold Challenge strong in North Carolina today, blowing past Appalachian State, 3-1 and sweeping East Tennessee State, 3-0. Raina Smith, Melanie Brecka and Odyssey Warren posted double-digit kills in both matches, while Maddie Renn posted 49 digs on the day.

KEY MOMENTS VS. APP STATE

S1 | Appalachian State maintained a slight lead throughout the first set, but a Renn ace tied things up at 17-17.
S1 | The Roos fought off a pair of set points by the Mountaineers, but App State took the first set.
S2 | Kansas City jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the second set, capped off by a kill from De'Janae Arnold.
S2 | A swing by Smith coming out of a Kansas City timeout put an end to a four-point Appalachian State run and put the Roos up 19-16.
S2 | Three late-game kills by Warren gave KC the edge and a 27-25 second set victory.
S3 | Kills by Warren, Brecka and Alli Schomers put a cap on an 8-1 Kansas City run to open the third set and set the tone for the rest of the game.
S3 | The Roos put together six-straight points on Renn's serve to open up a 15-2 lead.
S3 | A kill by Smith gave Kansas City a 25-8 victory in the third set.
S4 | A pair of early kills by Brecka put Kansas City in command again in the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead.
S4 | With the Mountaineers threatening a comeback, Schomers found Carly Gillen in the middle to put the Roos back up by two, 20-18.
S4 | Appalachian State fought off three match points, but a kill by Warren put an end to things and gave the Roos the victory

STATS TO NOTE VS. APP STATE

Renn posted 29 digs against the Mountaineers, besting her previous career-high of 27, reached against South Dakota last season.
Brecka finished the match with 18 kills and 15 digs for her second double-double of the year.
Warren sent across a career-high 18 kills and dug up a career-high 11 attacks for the first double-double of her career.
The Roos tallied nine total blocks, led by six from Arnold. The Mountaineers, in comparison, had just two blocks.
The 25-8 third set victory marked the first time the Roos held an opponent to 10-or-fewer points in a set since a 25-10 first set victory over South Dakota State on Sep. 17, 2015.

KEY MOMENTS VS. ETSU

S1 | After trading points, a kill by Gillen midway through the set put the Roos up by a pair, 11-9.
S1 | Brecka came through with a kill to put the Roos up 16-15 and spark a 5-0 run.
S1 | An ace by Leah Green gave Kansas City the first set victory and was one of eight aces on the match for the Roos.
S2 | ETSU jumped out to a 10-4 lead, but a kill by Arnold turned the tides and sparked a 6-2 Kansas City run.
S2 | A kill by Smith in the late stages of the set put the Roos up 19-17 and forced an ETSU timeout.
S2 | The Roos responded to a 3-0 run by the Buccaneers with a 4-1 run of their own to take control of the set and take a 25-23 victory.
S3 | Kansas City put together another run on the serve of Renn, this time it was an 8-0 run with a pair of aces in the mix.
S3 | ETSU drew to within two points, but the Roos found Warren for four-straight kills and a block assist with Arnold to jump back in front by six.
S3 | Kennedy Schritenthal sent across two aces late in the set to give the Roos a commanding lead and guide them to the 3-0 sweep.

STATS TO NOTE VS. ETSU

The Roos finished with just five more kills than the Buccaneers, but finished with a .304 hitting percentage, compared to ETSU's .179.
The sweep is Kansas City's first of the year and the first since a 3-0 victory over Oral Roberts in March of last season.
Kansas City found efficiency in the middle of the court, getting 13 kills on .346 hitting from the duo of Arnold and Gillen.
The Roos finished with a season-high eight aces, led by four from Schritenthal.

COACH CHRISTI POSEY, QUOTED

"After the first set against App State, we settled into a much better rhythm in side out and that led to some quality transition work. Odyssey was really terrific offensively by working hard and creating good shots."
"Raina battled through some early errors and contributed on offense and defense down the stretch. Alli found Mel and Deja consistently in transition."
"Maddie continues to pace us with her grit and tenacity. That attitude was necessary against ETSU in our second match of the day. Another athletic and scrappy team, much like App State, the Buccaneers were always a threat to go on a run. Our team answered the challenge by staying steady and keeping pressure on ETSU's primary passers."
"I was really pleased with Kennedy, Maddie and Mel on how aggressive they served and defended at end game."
"Overall, it was a good day, but we'd like to have a great finish tomorrow against Old Dominion. We've put ourselves in a good position this tournament, now we have to stay hungry and finish strong."

UP NEXT

The Roos will finish their trip to Boone with a match against Old Dominion tomorrow at 10 a.m. ODU were defeated by ETSU 3-1 earlier today and will take on App State tonight.