Volleyball Falls to New Mexico on Day One of Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament

Thursday, September 5

Houston, TX

3:00 PM

Kansas City

1-3,0-0Summit League

New Mexico

3-1,0-0Mountain West

Kansas City

New Mexico

Photo by: Kansas City Athletics

Volleyball Falls to New Mexico on Day One of Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament

9/5/2024 10:10:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Kansas City looks to bounce back in their next match against Houston Christian

Houston, TEXAS - ??Kansas City Volleyball faced a tough start at the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament, falling to New Mexico 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-22). Despite the loss, Kaia Dunford led the Roos' offense with 13 kills, followed by Sila Ozyurek with 9 and Ledisi Kpea adding 6.

SET-BY-SET VS. New Mexico

SET ONE / 22-25: Kansas City started strong, trading early points with New Mexico, keeping the score close at 6-8. Key kills from Sila Ozyurek kept the Roos in the game, but a series of attack errors allowed the Lobos to edge ahead, 12-14.Midway through the set, despite excellent sets from Sydney Henry leading to kills from Maria Eduarda Motta and Kaia Dunford, Kansas City struggled to close the gap as New Mexico extended the lead to 20-15. Late efforts from Leah Green and Ledisi Kpea brought Kansas City closer, but they couldn't overcome the deficit, dropping the set 22-25 to the Lobos.

SET TWO / 21-25: Kansas City started strong, quickly taking a 2-1 lead after a kill from Ledisi Kpea. They maintained control throughout the set, with Maria Eduarda Motta and Kaia Dunford contributing key kills. The Roos extended their lead to 15-14 after a kill by Kialah Jefferson.Despite a late push from Kansas City, New Mexico found their rhythm, pulling ahead with crucial plays. Kailee Deffebaugh's serves and solid defense helped the Roos but it was not enough to close the match out, Lobos winning the set 25-2.

SET THREE / 22-25: Kansas City started strong, taking an early lead with key kills from Maria Eduarda Motta and Ledisi Kpea. However, New Mexico stayed competitive, tying the set at 8-8. The Roos briefly pulled ahead 15-14, led by strong setting from Sydney Henry and attacks by Kaia Dunford. But New Mexico found their momentum, capitalizing on Kansas City errors to take a 20-18 lead. Despite late efforts by Kansas City, including kills from Dunford and Kpea, New Mexico pulled through to win the set 25-22, giving them a 2-0 lead in the match.

STATS TO NOTE

Kaia Dunford led the Roos' attack with 13 kills on 49 attempts, hitting .204. She also contributed 7 digs and totaled 14.5 points.
Sydney Henry was key in setting up the offense, delivering 29 assists and adding 2 kills. She also contributed defensively with 9 digs and 2 block assists.
Leah Green anchored the back row with 13 digs, 5 assists, and added pressure from the service line with 2 aces. She handled 13 receptions without any errors.
Sila Ozyurek was efficient, recording 9 kills on 19 swings with a .316 hitting percentage, while Ledisi Kpea chipped in with 6 kills and 1 block assist for 6.5 points.