Kansas City
3-9,1-0Summit League
North Dakota
7-6,0-2Summit League
Kansas City Finds Footing in Conference Opening Win Over North Dakota
9/28/2024 4:51:00 PM | Volleyball
Dunford and Green guided the Roos to their most complete performance of the season
Kansas City – On an afternoon in which the Roos were honored for their 2023 Summit League regular season championship banner, Kansas City turned back the clock and rekindled some of their previous year's magic, defeating North Dakota in four sets (26-24, 25-22, 16-25, 26-24) to move to 1-0 in Summit League play.
The Roos rode tight victories in the first couple of sets before falling behind in the third set. Despite the Fighting Hawks climbing back into the match, the Roos stayed strong and ultimately earned a close two-point victory in the fourth set to gain the win.
Kansas City scored 93 points throughout the four sets and registered 50 kills in the match too. The Roos notched a .211 hitting percentage on their 142 total attacks and marked up a total of 10 service aces to go along with 46 digs across the match's four competitive sets. Kaia Dunford and Ryanne Wattree led the Roos in kills with 18 and 9 respectively.
SET-BY-SET
- Set One / 26-24 | Although the Roos took a set one advantage on the Fighting Hawks, they trailed for the majority of the set, not taking the lead until it was 22-21 in the late stages of the opening set. KC trailed North Dakota 19-16 before the Roos went on a 10-5 point run to gain the early edge on the Fighting Hawks. The late run was sparked by an excellent service ace from Sydney Henry and the momentum carried on for the Roos with a kill by Ledisi Kpea which tied the set at 21 apiece. Thanks to kills by Henry and Kimora Whetstone as well as a Blair Taylor service ace, the Roos were able to prevail narrowly in the opening set.
- Set Two / 25-22 | Set two began with an early storm by the Fighting Hawks. Once the Roos were able to weather that storm, Kansas City struck back in a big way, getting out to a 13-9 lead in the middle of the second set. Even when North Dakota clawed their way back, the Roos were able to stave them off thanks to huge contributions by Kpea, Dunford and Whetstone. The Roos were able to finish the job in the second set thanks to a Kpea kill, one of seven for the game.
- Set Three / 16-25 | Despite a 2-0 lead in the match, Kansas City couldn't finish off North Dakota in the third set. The Roos took an 4-2 early lead in the frame thanks to a service ace by Dunford, one of 10 total service aces by the Roos for the game. As the set waged on, the Fighting Hawks controlled the pace of the set and gained a five point advantage on the Roos, one they didn't relinquish until the set was complete.
- Set Four / 26-24 | The game-clinching set for the Roos was one they earned, as Kansas City notched three service aces, 14 kills and three blocks to defeat North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks held a lead for the majority of the set, but similar to the opening set, the Roos were money when it counted. Kansas City trailed North Dakota 18-15 before proceeding to go on a 11-6 point run to earn their first conference victory of the season. The Roos were aided late by a pair of kills by Wattree, service ace from Taylor, block from Henry and Kailee Defeebaugh and a final kill from Dunford to seal the deal.
STATS TO NOTE
- With the win, the Roos earned their first conference victory in Summit League play, making this the second year in a row Kansas City has won their conference opener. Last season, the Roos started their conference title winning regular season with a 3-2 win at Omaha.
- The Roos set a season high in service aces with 10, beating their previous high of nine which was set against Montana in the Kangaroo Klassic.
- Kaia Dunford delivered a sparkling performance of 18 kills on the offensive side for the Roos, tying her season high of 18 kills that she previously set against Howard.
- The Roos steady libero Leah Green set a season high in service aces with four over the course of the match.
UP NEXT
After moving to 1-0 in Summit League play, Kansas City will travel to Brookings, SD. to take on South Dakota State this Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
