Kansas City
1-13,0-1Summit League
St. Thomas
8-4,1-0Summit League
Roos Start Strong but Can’t Hold off Tommies in Conference Opener
9/25/2025 9:58:00 PM | Volleyball
Kansas City narrowly topped St. Thomas in opening frame but couldn’t maintain momentum, falling in four sets
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Kansas City (1-13) got off to a hot start, taking the first set 25-23 but ultimately fell short, allowing St. Thomas (8-4) to rattle off three straight set wins (25-11, 25-18, 25-15) and take the match 3-1 Thursday evening at Schoenecker Arena. The Roos and Tommies battled closely in the early stages with UST getting out to a 12-9 advantage before KC was ignited by an unexpected force.
In her first collegiate action, Stella Smith lit the fire in the Roos, notching three kills on three total attacks. Two of those kills for the freshman were go-ahead kills at that as Kansas City prevailed narrowly over the Tommies to take an early 1-0 lead. Fellow frosh Emry Brown showed out big with four kills in the opening set as the pair led the way offensively for much of the match.
As the match shifted to set two, so did the momentum with the Tommies grabbing hold of the reins and getting out to a 14-10 lead. Kansas City yielded a 11-1 run to St. Thomas concluded the second set at a 1-1 tie. The Tommies didn't look back as KC couldn't keep up on either end, surrendering a hefty lead as the third and fourth sets waned on. While the Roos improved in multiple areas, it wasn't enough to stay steady in the match.
The stats told a tale of night and day for Kansas City from set one to the rest of the match. In the opener, the Roos tallied 14 kills on a .323 hitting percentage. However, the rest of the match saw KC hit at a .073 clip and finish with just 36 kills to the Tommies' 60. The Roo were also outscored 78-46.5 in points 66-55 in digs defensively. On the bright side, Kansas City set up a strong front line on defense, registering over seven blocks in the contest.
Kansas City also struggled in service reception, allowing a dozen service aces from the Tommies while only notching three aces themselves. KC's team leader in kills was Brown, the freshman totaled 10 kills, 11.5 points and six digs, giving her a second match of double figure kills this season.
Ryanne Wattree poured in nine kills with a .231 hitting percentage to aid the Roos offensive effort. Smith tallied five kills for the match on a .333 hitting percentage. Defensively, Alaina Larson chipped in a team-high 17 digs while Ledisi Kpea registered five blocks for the third straight match in a row.
Kansas City remains on the road and heads to Denver to take on the Pios at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
