Roos Take Down Oral Roberts in Four Sets

Saturday, October 28

Tulsa, OK

1:00 PM

Kansas City

17-6,8-3Summit League

Oral Roberts

3-20,1-10Summit League

Kansas City

Oral Roberts

Photo by: Julia Kapros

Roos Take Down Oral Roberts in Four Sets

10/28/2023 5:58:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Odyssey Warren led the Roos, sending across 22 kills on .278 hitting

TULSA, Okla. - Kansas City emerged with the win in its contest against Oral Roberts, with a 3-1 win in set scores of 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19. Odyssey Warren played a key role, amassing 22 kills and 11 digs, marking her sixth double-double of the season and her sixth match with 20 or more kills.

SET-BY-SET VS. Oral Roberts

SET ONE / 25-23 | Sila Ozyurek secured the initial kill during the afternoon, leveling the score at 2-2. The Roos and the Golden Eagles engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle, but Warren stepped up, delivering a powerful kill. Ozyurek quickly capitalized on the momentum generated by Warren's performance. With the score at 14-12, Oral Roberts had no choice but to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Golden Eagles attempted to narrow the lead, but Warren continued to apply unrelenting pressure. This relentless effort led to Oral Roberts being compelled to take another timeout when the score stood at 21-16. The match was ultimately clinched by Kaia Dunford, who delivered her first service ace, securing set one for Kansas City.

SET TWO / 25 - 22 | Oral Roberts initially took a commanding four-point lead, but their momentum was halted by Dunford, who scored a kill for Kansas City. The Golden Eagles attempted to regain their momentum, but Warren executed a solo block, earning the Roos their first two points of the set. After a Kansas City error, Oral Roberts capitalized on the opportunity and went on a five-point run, bringing the score to 3-9 before a timeout was called. Warren then set up Dunford for back-to-back kills, allowing the Roos to narrow the deficit to just one point at 9-10 before another timeout by ORU. Sydney Henry and Kimora Whetstone played a pivotal role in shutting out Oral Roberts, propelling the Roos into their first lead of the set. Kansas City extended their lead further, with Caroline Keithley making a crucial play by feeding Whetstone, resulting in a successful kill and a score of 20-18. Although the Golden Eagles made an effort to stage a comeback, Warren's decisive kill sealed the set with a score of 25-22, allowing the Roos to claim the second set.

SET THREE / 23 - 25 | The set began with both Kansas City and Oral Roberts making a pair of errors. Sila Ozyurek initiated the set with a kill, and Gillen and Dunford quickly followed with their own, resulting in the score being tied at 6-6. Blair Taylor skillfully served an ace, placing the ball perfectly on the Golden Eagles' court, which extended the Roos' lead to 14-11 and prompted ORU to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Roos managed to score three consecutive points, with Henry and Gillen each securing a kill, bringing the score to 17-12. Despite the efforts of Warren and Ozyurek from the Golden Eagles to level the score, the Roos fell short in sealing the deal, and it was the Golden Eagles who ultimately won the third set.

SET FOUR / 25 - 19 | Kansas City started the set by applying early pressure. Leah Green delivered a service ace, and in quick succession, Gillen and Warren hammered home a kill each, forcing Oral Roberts to call a timeout with the score at 5-1. Warren continued her excellent performance after the timeout, adding two more kills and a service ace, increasing the score to 8-5. Both teams then engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with the score tied at 18-18. However, the Roos brought an end to this stalemate by going on an eight-point run, holding the Golden Eagles to 19 points. Sydney Henry delivered the game point for the Roos, and an error by Oral Roberts sealed the victory for Kansas City in the match.

STATS TO NOTE

Dunford contributed 11 kills and secured 19 digs during the match, which marked her sixteenth double-double of the year. Additionally, she reached a significant career milestone by achieving her 1,000th career kill with her third kill of the afternoon.

Henry amassed 52 assists, and this marks the fifth instance in the 2023 season where she has achieved 50 or more assists.

Green and Taylor made valuable contributions to the team with a total of seven aces, as both of them delivered two aces each.

Kansas City limited the Golden Eagles to 0.188 hitting, while swinging at a 0.226 clip themselves.

COACH CHRISTI POSEY, QUOTED

"We are always pleased with a road win, especially against a team who is continuing to get better. I felt we were really efficient in the first and second sets but Oral Roberts played well in game three, forcing the fourth. I was proud of our defense in the fourth at end game."

"There are certainly areas that need to be better and we'll focus on that in the next few weeks. It continues to be about learning and competing when things are good and when things are tough. Our team knows how good our league is so improvement and mental toughness is key."

UP NEXT

Kansas City will return to their home venue on Nov. 2, at 7 p.m., for a match against Omaha.