Volleyball defeats Mizzou amid 12-game streak
For just the fourth time in school history and the first time since 1994, the University of Missouri-Kansas City volleyball team (16-3) knocked-off in-state rival Missouri (12-8) 3-1 on Monday night in front of a Swinney Recreation Center record crowd of 1,217.
“This is a big win for our team, our program and the Kansas City community,” UMKC Head Coach Christi Posey said. “Our kids continue to play so hard and give our team a chance and we couldn’t be more proud of them. They responded when Missouri made a run and never let up. We talk about doing the little things every day and that is what our team has done and it has translated into wins.”
UMKC’s Melissa Hartsel finished with a .444 hitting percentage on nine kills, with a team-high six blocks against her former team. Emma Hagedorn notched nine kills and three blocks, hitting .238.
On the outside Jessica Hendin paced the Roos with 14 kills to go with 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Taylor Buhrow tallied season highs with 10 kills and a .429 hitting percentage, while Sydney Crimmins finished with 12 kills, a .375 hitting percentage and 14 digs for her eighth double-double this year. Skyler Muff added seven kills, a .294 hitting percentage, two aces and three blocks.
From the opening serve, the Roos controlled the match as Muff opened the first set with a kill before a Nicole Wemhoff ace capped a 6-2 run for UMKC. The Tigers would close the gap to one at 19-18, but UMKC held Mizzou to just one point the rest of the way, closing the set on a 6-1 run with Buhrow and Hartsel blocking the Tigers on the final point for the 25-19 win.
In set two, the Roos again built an early lead with seven of the first nine points, getting a pair of kills each from Hartsel and Buhrow. Missouri trimmed the lead to as little as four at 12-8, but the Roos went on to stretch the lead to as many as 11 at 24-13, before Hendin sent the ‘Roos to the locker room up 2-0 with a kill that gave UMKC a 25-15 victory.
Coming out of the break, UMKC once again controlled the set, but Missouri took its first lead of the match late in the third set at 24-23 before posting a 25-23 win.
The Kangaroos, though, would not be deterred, scoring the first five points of set four with Kaylyn Brandt serving. The Tiger battled back to tie the set at 16-16, but the Roos answered Missouri with a 9-2 run to close out the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
From the setter position Brandt handed out a team-high 28 assists to go along with six digs and two kills in four attempts. Her setting partner, Wemhoff, notched 22 assists, nine digs, three kills in three attempts and two aces.
In the back row, meanwhile, Taryn Miller again led the Roo defense, as the nation’s third leading digger recorded a match-high 24 digs.
As a team, UMKC out-blocked the Tigers 9 to 7, out-hit them .325 to .200 and out-killed them 67 to 55, while notching four aces and limiting Mizzou to just one ace.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again on Thursday when they resume WAC play in Las Cruces, N.M., against New Mexico State at 8 p.m. CT.