Roos Best Gamecocks in Four, Split Pair at Bradley Tournament

Friday, September 12

Peoria, IL

10:00 AM

Kansas City

0-7,0-0Summit League

Central Michigan

3-4,0-0MAC

Central Mich.

Kansas City

Roos Best Gamecocks in Four, Split Pair at Bradley Tournament

9/12/2025 8:20:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Kansas City rattled off three straight sets to take their first match of the season over Jacksonville State

PEORIA, ILL. - For a moment it seemed like things would remain the same for the Roos. Following a narrow 26-24 defeat in set one versus JSU, KC played with extra motivation and got out a substantial set two advantage which reached a seven point gap at its apex. However, like many of the Roos prior contests, the opposition fought back. The Gamecocks cut it to 21-20, forcing KC to either yield the momentum to JSU completely or respond with a run of their own to finish the job.

The latter materialized in spectacular fashion as Kansas City Volleyball (1-7) fought through adversity, ending set two on a 4-1 run that propelled them to take sets three and four and ultimately down Jacksonville State (4-4) to win their first match of the young season.

Immediately, Kansas City carried their newfound momentum into the next set as the Roos roared out to a 10-2 lead in the third which included an eight point unanswered run at one junction. KC continued the carnage to the tune of a 25-15 win in set three, taking advantage of 22 Gamecock attack errors in sets two and three combined.

Even with the Roos up by one, Jacksonville State hung in the match, going up 13-7 in set four with their backs against the walls. However, Kansas City completed the comeback, outscoring the Gamecocks by 10 points the rest of the way to take the set 25-21 and the match 3-1. Kansas City gets a monkey off their back and picks up their first victory of the 2025 campaign, showing lots of fight and resilience in the process.

Kansas City totaled 37 attacks as a team with 20 errors on 138 total attacks for a .123 hitting percentage. On the other side, JSU was plagued with more errors as the Gamecocks racked up 32 for the match and totaled a lesser hitting percentage than the Roos. KC also outshined Jacksonville State in several other areas including service aces 8-5 and blocks 9-5.

Ryanne Wattree led the squad in kills with nine, her fifth match of registering nine kills or more this season. The sophomore also recorded a hitting percentage of .364, her most efficient of the year. Kailee Deffenbaugh gave the Roos a big time boost defensively totaling seven blocks, six of them being block assists.

The Roos were well put together defensively as three players posted double digit digs, including Chloe Kaminski who sported 10 and 11 assists in her second consecutive double-double performance. Megan Lawson joined her with 13 to lead the team and Alaina Larson chipped in 12 of her own.

Earlier in the day, Kansas City lost a close duel with Central Michigan in straight sets. The Roos and Chippewas alternated points for the majority of the first set with Kansas City getting to points five, 10 and 15 first. Following a five point run from the Roos where KC led 17-12, CMU went on a 13-6 run to snatch the match's opening set in their favor.

Kansas City came close again in set two, going up by as many as five points in the early stages. After falling behind 19-16, Kansas City fought back valiantly, churning out a 7-2 run behind an effective offensive counter attack. With the Roos up 23-21 in set two, Doga Eski slammed a ball to the hardwood that was initially a kill but later deemed an attack error which swung the score from Roos up three to only up one at 23-22. The Chippewas took advantage of the break and stole the second set 25-23, going on a four point unanswered run to close it out. The Roos fell behind early and were unable to claw their way back, not holding onto a lead for the entirety of the final set which CMU took 25-21.

Kansas City was only outscored by Central Michigan 53-51 in the points department, their fewest margin of defeat to date this season. In several ways it was the Roos most proficient offensive output of the season as Kansas City set a team season-high in hitting percentage at .268 and set percentage at .374 against CMU. The Roos also recorded 45 kills as a team, the most in a three set match all season.

Eski delivered a career-high in kills with 11 which led the team and is tied for the most by a Roo in a three set match this season with Wattree against Radford earlier this year. Wattree joined Eski as the two Roos with double digit kills in the match. The sophomore outside hitter had 10 kills, giving her a third game of double digit kills this season. Kaminski notched her first double-double of the day 17 assists and 14 digs, giving the Oklahoma transfer five matches of crossing the double digit dig threshold this season.

Kansas City concludes the Bradley Family Weekend Tournament by taking on the host team Bradley at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.