Volleyball Suffers First Home Loss in League Play Against NSDU

Thursday, October 26

Kansas City, Mo.

7:00 PM

Kansas City

16-6,7-3Summit League

North Dakota State

15-7,7-4Summit League

North Dakota St.

Kansas City

Photo by: Ryan Weaver Photography

Volleyball Suffers First Home Loss in League Play Against NSDU

10/26/2023 9:16:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

The Roos have lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season

KANSAS CITY - Kansas City Volleyball (16-6, 7-3 Summit) played North Dakota State (15-7, 7-4 Summit) tough in two out of three sets, but suffered its first sweep of the season this evening, 3-0 (37-35, 25-18, 26-24). Sydney Henry collected a 35-assist, 10-dig double-double, her 15th double-double of the season.

SET-BY-SET

SET ONE / 35-37 | NDSU jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, but Odyssey Warren sent across her second and third kills of the night to bring KC back within three. Blair Taylor made a one-handed dig and Warren got another kill out of the back row to nullify the early Bison lead and give KC a 9-8 advantage. Following a joust at the net, Kaia Dunford tracked a ball from behind her head and found an angle for her second kill of the night, giving the Roos a 14-11 lead and forcing NDSU to burn a timeout. Kansas City would build a lead as large as five points, but a late-game rally by the Bison forced extra play. The teams traded points back-and-forth until an ace by NDSU secured the first set.
SET TWO / 18-25 | North Dakota State's momentum carried into the beginning of the second set as the Bison gained an 10-3 lead in the early going. NDSU maintained its lead, but a block by Dunford and Kimora Whetstone sparked a three-point run for Kansas City that brought the Roos back within six points. The Roos switched up their rotation, bringing Sydney Huyck in to serve, and Carly Gillen posted three kills and a block within the span of five points to give the Roos some late life. In the end, KC had no answer for the NDSU attack and the Bison would prevail.
SET THREE / 24-26 | After an even start, the Bison pulled ahead by three points, but Sydney Henry placed a ball for a kill and then went up for a block that brought the Roos back within a point. The Roos kept it close but could not claw back even, forcing a media timeout with the score at 15-12. Coming out of the timeout, Carly Gillen threw down a kill on a slide, Henry went for solo block and the Bison went for an error that allowed the Roos to draw even, 15-15. After KC gained the lead, a five-point NSDU run put the Bison ahead, 22-19. Kansas City went on a three-point run, capped by a Dunford kill to tie the set up and force a timeout by NDSU. Coming out of the timeout, KC continued its run and earned a set point, but the Bison ended the match on a four-point run to claim the sweep.

STATS TO NOTE

Dunford's third dig of the night, coming late in the first set, gave her 1,000 digs on her career. She now has 292 digs on the season.
The 72 total points played in the first set marked the longest set of the year played by Kansas City. The previous high was 54, coming in the first set of the Roos 3-0 win over North Dakota on Oct. 12.
On the match, Kansas City was 0-of-12 on set point opportunities, while the Bison went 3-of-5.
Warren finished the day with 15 kills on .361 hitting to lead the Roos in the attack.

UP NEXT
The Roos are on the road at Oral Roberts on Saturday evening. KC defeated the Golden Eagles, 3-0, on Sep. 30.