Roos Close Final Road Trip with Win over North Dakota

Saturday, November 11

Grand Forks, ND

1:00 PM

Kansas City

20-7,11-4Summit League

North Dakota

6-21,3-12Summit League

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Kansas City	18	25	25	25	3
North Dakota	25	23	19	16	1

Photo by: Ryan Weaver

Roos Close Final Road Trip with Win over North Dakota

11/11/2023 6:02:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Odyssey Warren and Carly Gillen led the Roos and secured the team's 20th victory

GRAND FORKS, N.D - Kansas City Volleyball secured a win in a four-set clash against North Dakota, sealing a 3-1 outcome with set scores of 18-25, 25-23, 25-19, and 25-16. This marked their 20th win of the season, setting the Roos up for an opportunity to share the Summit League Regular Season Title with a win next week.

SET-BY-SET VS. North Dakota

SET ONE / 18-25 | The Hawks started strong, securing the first point. The Roos and UND traded points, but Gillen and Henry quickly asserted themselves seting up a slide , taking the lead at 7-5. UND fought hard, initiating a 4-point scoring run to make it 11-14. However, Gillen's decisive plays allowed the Roos to close the gap to just 1 point at 12-14. A powerful kill by Dunford leveled the score at 14-14. The Fighting Hawks responded by extending their lead, but Whetstone's kill narrowed the deficit to 18-19. The Hawks continued to apply pressure, scoring six consecutive points to ultimately close out the set.
SET TWO / 25 - 23 | The Roos intensified their efforts in the second set, with Whetstone securing the opening point at 1-0. Warren added to the momentum with a decisive kill, granting the Roos a two-point lead. Despite the Fighting Hawks putting up a resilient fight, Henry orchestrated plays, leading to a back-and-forth point exchange until UND embarked on a four-point run, establishing a 13-9 lead. The Roos countered with a remarkable sequence, featuring an ace by Caroline Keithley and consecutive blocks by Henry, Whetstone, and Dunford, resulting in a five-point streak to reach 18-17. With no timeouts remaining for either team, the Fighting Hawks and Roos engaged in a closely contested battle, staying within two points of each other. However, a crucial kill by Sila Ozyurek ultimately secured set two for the Roos.
SET THREE / 25 - 19 | Both teams exert pressure early on, staying neck and neck, but the Roos initiate another 4-point scoring run, taking a 7-4 lead. North Dakota responds with a four-point scoring run of their own, tying the score at 13-11. The Roos counter with a formidable five-point scoring run, establishing a 16-13 lead over the Fighting Hawks. A kill by Dunford and solid blocks by Whetstone and Ozyurek secure the third set for the Roos.
SET FOUR / 25 - 16 | North Dakota secures the opening point, aiming to initiate an early push for a fifth set. However, Whetstone responds, and Ozyurek adds another point, giving the Roos a 2-1 advantage over the Fighting Hawks. Despite the score being leveled at 3-3, the Roos launch a 4-point scoring run, surging to a 7-3 lead. North Dakota strives to regain control, but Warren reacts swiftly, maintaining a narrow margin at 13-11. The match sees a series of kills and errors on the Roos' side, allowing the Fighting Hawks to once again even the score at 15-15. Despite North Dakota's attempts at a comeback, the Roos embark on a decisive 9-point scoring run, ultimately clinching the match in the fourth set.

STATS TO NOTE

Kansas City has secured its fifth 20-win season in program history. Four of the five have happened under Head Coach Christi Posey, and three have come in the last six seasons.
Warren led the way with an impressive 15 kills, Gillen closely followed with 14 kills, maintaining a solid hitting percentage of .367.
Henry contributed significantly with two aces, five kills, and an outstanding 43 assists.
Kimora Whetstone reached a milestone, notching her 100th block this season in the first set. She concluded the match with a total of 108 blocks for the season.
The Roos out-blocked the Fighting Hawks, securing a 12-7 advantage in blocks.

COACH CHRISTI POSEY, QUOTED

"It was a slow start for us and UND played well in game one. We challenged the team to focus more on serve pressure and and to lock in from a passing perspective. That gave us a lift to be a bit more balanced in sideout. We battled and showed some defensive grit throughout the rest of the match and finally got a on a few runs to close out the match. We're always excited about a road win but UND made it tough on us today."

"I thought both Carly was very good offensively, Kimora was terrific at the net and Odyssey had a terrific floor game!"

UP NEXT
Kansas City is set to host St. Thomas for its final home match of the season on Wednesday at 7 p.m. With a win, the Roos could clinch a share of the Summit League regular season title.