Kansas City
3-26,2-14Summit League
Omaha
10-15,7-9Summit League
Kansas City Falls in Straight Sets at Omaha to Close 2025 Season
11/18/2025 8:54:00 PM | Volleyball
Ledisi Kpea paced the Roos with a team-high 10 kills and a .381 hitting percentage
OMAHA, Neb. – Kansas City Volleyball (3-26, 2-14) dropped the season finale to Omaha (10-15, 7-9) in straight sets 3-0 Tuesday night at Baxter Arena. The Roos and Mavericks came out of the gate alternating points but Omaha got out to a 10-5 advantage. KC was within three to five points for the majority of the first but were unable to make a run to climb back into the thick of the set and dropped the opener 25-18.
Set two didn't go Kansas City's way as the Roos fell behind 8-2 to begin the frame. The Roos weren't able to establish a rhythm and ultimately fell 25-12 to go behind two sets to none against the Mavericks on the road. Set three was more competitive for Kansas City as the Roos had the Mavericks tied up at 12-12 halfway through the frame. Omaha proceeded to go on a 13-6 scoring run and closed the set 25-18 and took the match in straight sets.
Kansas City was outscored in the points department 58.5-38 while also being outdone in kills, 42-29. On the bright side, the Roos remained strong on the defensive side, edging out the Mavericks in blocks 8-7.5 in the match.
Ledisi Kpea led the way for KC, registering 10 kills, getting in on a couple blocks and recording a .381 hitting percentage. Stella Smith had one of her best outings of the season, recording nine kills on a .261 hitting percentage on the offensive side and getting action on five blocks on the defensive end.
While it wasn't the season they hoped for, Kansas City showed bright spots across the 2025 campaign. The Roos got a hard earned first win of the year against Jacksonville State in which KC overcame a 26-24 first set loss and rattled off the next three sets to close out the match with a 3-1 win.
Four matches into conference play, Kansas City put more grit on display, winning a five set thriller over North Dakota at the Swinney Center that included a 15-13 victory in the final frame to seal the deal. The Roos final win of the season came on the road over Oral Roberts where KC swept the Golden Eagles 3-0 to win their second match in their last four.
The Roos came into the 2025 season with lots of youth. KC tasked their freshman to step up and fill major roles, to which the likes of Emry Brown, Mia Weaver, Stella Smith and Megan Lawson did just that at each step of the way.
Brown showcased flashes of dynamite play as an outside hitter, playing in 18 matches while starting in 11 of them and notching 118 kills, 1.93 kills per set and 435 total attacks in her first year. Brown's best match came in the Roos win over UND as the freshman recorded a career-high 19 kills and a .367 hitting percentage.
Weaver filled a jack of all trades role as a freshman, recording 135 kills, 215 digs, 175.5 points and 25 blocks while playing in each and every one of KC's 29 matches this season. Weaver's best performance came against NDSU where the outside hitter marked up 16 digs, seven kills, two aces and two combo blocks.
Smith got her first action starting in conference play and made the most of it. The middle blocker recorded 71 kills, 90 points and 30 total blocks in her first collegiate season. Smith's most notable outing came against Denver where she posted a season-high 11 kills, six digs and recorded a .500 hitting percentage.
Lawson played a key role as a utility defensive specialist this season, appearing in 59 sets across 21 matches. The freshman libero had two matches of double figure digs, including a season-high 13 digs in the Roos 3-1 win over Jacksonville State.
Kansas City will head into the offseason with plenty of young talent to build around and with hopes that continued development will pay dividends for improved results in the near future.
