UMKC Volleyball Team: 'Roos Head To Western Illinois, IUPUI In Volleyball Action
This Week
The UMKC volleyball team (6-14, 3-6) will begin the second half of its Summit League schedule this weekend when they visit Western Illinois (6-12, 2-7) on Friday and IUPUI on Saturday (5-15, 4-5). The match with the Leathernecks is set to begin at 7 p.m., while the match with the Jaguars is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
Follow The 'Roos Online
All UMKC volleyball home and select road matches can be heard online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com during the 2010 season with all home matches being video streamed. The "Voice of UMKC Volleyball" T.J. Jackson, who is in his fifth season with the program, will provide all the play-by-play commentary for the broadcast. Check out Roo Vision for more details. You can also follow live stats for the 'Roos online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com.
The Opponents
Western Illinois enters the match with a 6-12 record overall and a 2-7 record in The Summit League with wins over IPFW and Centenary. Allison Gilbert leads the Leatherneck attack with 210 kills, while Cait Egan (173), Brooke Sittleburg (162), Katie Hosteng (127) and Krissy Bergquist (102) have also reached the 100 kill mark. Heather Smith leads the squad with 448 assists, while Ellen Miller has added 263. Bridget Murphy (247), Miller (199), Sittleburg (147) and Heather Smith (101), meanwhile, each have over 100 digs, while at the net, Egan leads WIU with 67 blocks, while Hosteng has chipped in 36.
IUPUI comes into the week with a 5-15 record overall and a 4-5 mark in The Summit League after picking up wins over league foes Centenary, Western Illinois, UMKC and South Dakota State and Big East opponent DePaul. Offensively, a trio of Jags have led the squad, as Kalyse Reimbold (186), Lindsey Weber (174) and Dana Gardner (135) have all eclipsed 100 kill mark. Setting up the offense is Alexis Meeks, as the freshman tops the team with 619 assists. Defensively, Shari Bernhardt (385), Weber (186) and Reimbold (1488) are the top three diggers for IUPUI, while Jessie Phelps (48), Gardner (36), Brittany Anglemyer (32)and Reimbold (28) are the team's top blockers.
Series Record
Friday's match with Western Illinois will be the 32nd between the two programs with the Leathernecks holding a 20-11 lead in the series. On Oct. 2, the 'Roos won 3-1 at home, while last year, Western Illinois won 3-1 in Macomb and the 'Roos took the match at the SRC, 3-0. Saturday's meeting between UMKC and IUPUI will be the 27th between the two schools with the Jaguars holding a 17-9 advantage in the series. Earlier this season on Sept. 30, IUPUI defeated the 'Roos 3-1 at the SRC, while last season, the two squads split their matches with IUPUI winning 3-1 in Indianapolis and UMKC winning 3-2 in Kansas City after trailing 0-2 in the match.
Last Time Out
The 'Roos dropped their match with Southern Utah last Friday night, 3-2, at the Swinney Recreation Center. In the match, junior Nicole Kerkman led the 'Roos, finishing with a career-high 28 digs, while Kelsey Knoche finished with a team-high 12 kills and 22 digs. In the match, junior Elizabeth Beck notched 10 kills and 14 digs, while Ella Meier registered 25 assists and 19 digs. Demetria Williams, meanwhile, finished with nine kills and four blocks, while Christiana McQuin recorded seven kills and five blocks, and Holly Schmidt tallied 17.
Creeping Up The UMKC Career Records
Christiana McQuin leads a quartet of UMKC juniors who are steadily rising up the UMKC career record books with an additional year of eligibility remaining, as the Wellington, Kan., native ranks third with 254 block assists and fifth all-time with a .254 hitting percentage. Nicole Kerkman and Kelsey Knoche each rank among the top-10 in digs per set, with Kerkman sitting third with a mark of 3.50 digs per set and Knoche sixth at 3.14 digs per set. Kerkman has also moved into sixth place all-time with 966 career digs, while Knoche sits fourth all-time at 8.69 attacks per set and eighth all-time with 2.73 kills per set. Erin Wellwood, meanwhile, ranks seventh all-time in assists, as the setter as registered 1,302 in over two seasons in the Blue and Gold.
Five-Set Matches
Friday's match with Southern Utah marked the fourth time in six matches that the 'Roos have played five sets. In those matches, the 'Roos defeated reigning Summit League Champion IPFW, while falling to Big 12 power Kansas State, SIU Edwardsville and Summit League foe Southern Utah. In the four matches, UMKC has out-blocked its opponents a combined 53-44.5, out-dug them 338-327 and equaled them in aces at 28.
Assists Assault
The UMKC lineup currently features a trio of setters who have all already reached the 100 assist mark this season. Sophomore Ella Meier leads the 'Roos in helpers, as the Lancaster, Pa., native has 299 assists in her second season as a 'Roo. Senior Holly Schmidt is second on the list, as the fourth-year 'Roos has notched 135 assists on the year, while junior Erin Wellwood sits at 125. As a team, UMKC has amassed 780 assists for a 10.26 assists per set average.
Junior Award Winners
In three season for the Blue and Gold, the UMKC junior class has claimed Summit League Player of the Week honors six times, all by a different player. Plano, Texas, native Brittany Fossier was the first to be honored, winning Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 15, 2008, during her freshman season. During their sophomore campaigns, Kelsey Knoche (10/26) and Elizabeth Beck (11/16) were each named Offensive Player of the Week, while Christiana McQuin (11/9) garnered Defensive Player of the Week honors. This season, meanwhile, Nicole Kerkman (9/13) and Demetria Williams (9/27) have each earned the Defensive Player of the Week award.
Carrying the 'Roos in League Play
A trio of 'Roos have taken over for the 'Roos in league play, as Kelsey Knoche (93), Christiana McQuin (84) and Elizabeth Beck (78) hold the squad's top three kill marks in league matches. The trio also rank as three of the squad's top four blockers in league action, with McQuin rejecting a team-high 31 attempts in Summit League play, while Beck and Knoche have amassed 19 and 18, respectively. In the back row, Knoche's 108 digs are second on the team and Beck's 84 are third, while Knoche's 12 aces and McQuin's 10 rank first in second on the squad.
Defensive Minded
This season, the 'Roos have put extra emphasis on the defensive side of their play, as the squad has finished with 10 or more blocks in eight matches, including six of the last eight, and 60 or more digs in 10 matches, including the last six. The 'Roos best match defensively came against the reigning Summit League champions, as the 'Roos finished with a season-high of 17 blocks and the second most digs of 87 against IPFW.
RPI Rating
The NCAA released its initial RPI Ratings this week and the 'Roos come in at No. 268, 14 spots behind fellow Summit League member IUPUI. North Dakota State ranks the highest among Summit League schools at 100th, followed by IPFW (123), Southern Utah (172), Oakland (221), South Dakota State (224), Oral Roberts (230), Western Illinois (299) and Centenary (319).
Rickert Named Interim Head Coach
Joan Rickert was named the Interim Head Coach for the UMKC volleyball program on Sept. 16, 2010. Rickert, who is in her fourth year with the 'Roos, served as the associate head coach prior to being elevated to the interim head coach. During her first three years at UMKC, Rickert served as an assistant coach.
During the 2009 season, Rickert helped lead the Kangaroos to a 15-16 overall record. The 15 victories were the third most in school history, while the 10 league wins tied for the most all-time. Additionally, Rickert coached Christiana McQuin and Jamie Hagerman to the all-Summit League Second team and Hagerman to The Summit League all-Tournament Team.
Coming on Strong
Kelsey Knoche has picked up her game in the 'Roos' last nine matches, as the junior has a team-leading 107 kills and 17 services aces over the stretch, while registering the second most digs with 127. The Lee's Summit native has also produced seven double-doubles, led the squad in kills six times and finished with 10 or more digs eight times in that time period. Christiana McQuin, meanwhile, has a team-high .302 hitting percentage and 40 blocks, along with 86 kills over that same stretch.
Battling with the Wildcats
Sept. 28 match-up with Kansas State featured the 'Roos best performance in 21 meetings against the perennial national power Wildcats. In the match, UMKC took two sets for the first time ever against the team that has landed 13 players on the all-Big 12 First Team, five on the AVCA all-American team and finished in top-25 of the AVCA Coaches' Poll seven times since 2001, while notching 13 blocks against the Wildcats.
Blocking the 'Dons
In the match at IPFW on Sept. 25, UMKC finished with a Summit League season-high 17 blocks. Leading the way at the net for the 'Roos was junior Demetria Williams who registered 12 blocks, a new UMKC record for blocks in a five-set match. Elizabeth Beck, meanwhile, finished with seven blocks, a new career-high, while Kelsey Knoche (4), Ella Meier (4), Christiana McQuin (3), Ella Meier (4) and Brittney Robers (1) all were in on the action.
Saturday Ballers
Thus far in the 2010 season, UMKC has loved playing on Saturdays and loathed playing on Fridays. On Saturdays, the 'Roos have a 6-2 record compared to an 0-6 record in matches on Friday.
Louisiana Dominance
This season, UMKC has had its two best matches of the season against teams from Louisiana. In the matches with Grambling State (Grambling, La.) and Centenary (Shreveport, La.), the 'Roos have combined to win 6-1, while finishing with nearly twice as many kills (98-50), assists (90-46), aces (23-7) and blocks (18.5-7). In the two matches, Kelsey Knoche has a team-high 20 kills, while Ella Meier and Holly Schmidt have added 30 and 29 assists, respectively.
Getting It Down
In the match with Centenary, the UMKC volleyball team turned in a complete and dominant performance with a 3-0 win over the Ladies. Most impressively in the match, the 'Roos out-hit Centenary .425-.011, committing only four errors in the match, while four players finished with four or more kills and no errors.
Kerkman Named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Nicole Kerkman was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13 after posting a career-high 27 digs against North Dakota State on Sept. 11. The junior added 16 digs against both Drake on Sept. 7 and South Dakota State on Sept. 10 to give her 59 total digs for the week with a 5.36 digs per set average. The honor was the first of the libero's career.
Williams Named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week
Demetria Williams was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 after posting a UMKC five-set record and Summit League season-high 12 blocks against IPFW. The junior added four blocks against Oakland on Friday to give her 16 total blocks for the week with a 2.00 blocks per set average. In the match with the 'Dons, Williams also registered 14 kills, giving her the first double-double of her career. The middle hitter has led the squad in blocks in three of the past four matches to give her a total of 31 blocks for the season.
Streaking 'Roos
Two 'Roos are in the midst of impressive steaks, led by Ella Meier, as the sophomore has reached the double figure mark in assists in 15 of her last 16 matches, while Nicole Kerkman has recorded 10 or more digs in 14 of the last 16 matches. Meier, in fact, has recorded 20 or more assists in 10 of the last 15 matches, while reaching double figures in all but two matches the entire season and setting her career-high with 42 assists against South Dakota State. Kerkman, meanwhile, has reached double-digit digs in 16 matches, with a career-high 28 against Southern Utah.
Aces Up
Kelsey Knoche and Elizabeth Beck have each recorded a team-high four aces in one match this season. Beck registered her four aces in the match with Grambling, while recording no service errors. Knoche, meanwhile, matched her teammate's feat with four aces against both Centenary and SIU Edwardsville.
Out-Play to Win
When the 'Roos out-kill, out-hit and out-assist their opponent they have a good shot at winning the match, as the squad holds a 6-0 record when they out-hit the opposition, a 5-0 record when they out-kill them and a 5-1 record when they finish with more assists than their opponent. In the six wins, the team has out-killed their opponents 279-198, out-hit their opponents .262-.070 and out-assisted them 253-188.
Beck Named To Arkansas Invitational and Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Teams
Junior Elizabeth Beck was named to the Arkansas Invitational all-Tournament team after posting team-highs of 38 kills and six service aces in the three matches, while also notching 30 digs, six assists and four blocks with a .252 hitting percentage. Beck was also selected to the Hampton Inn & Suites Northern Colorado Volleyball Classic all-Tournament team after leading the team with 52 kills and a .308 hitting percentage, while finishing with 20 digs and nine blocks.
New Career-Highs
Several 'Roos have already set new career-highs this season, led by Emily Lucas. Lucas, in her sophomore season, notched 13 kills against Grambling, besting her previous high of 10, while also recording six blocks against Georgia. Ella Meier's 42 assists against South Dakota State and seven blocks against Fairfield were also a new high, while Elizabeth Beck's 18 kills against Georgia, four aces against Grambling and seven blocks against IPFW set new personal bests. Brittney Robers' 11 kills and .409 hitting percentage against Kansas State and her eight digs and Holly Schmidt's .750 hitting percentage against the Tigers, meanwhile, were also career-highs. Also registering career-high this season for the 'Roos are Nicole Kerkman in digs (27), Chloe Jarema in kills (nine), hitting percentage (.421), Christiana McQuin in hitting percentage (.643) and digs (11) and Demetria Williams in kills (14), hitting percentage (.727) and blocks (12).
Double-Doubles
This season, juniors Elizabeth Beck and Kelsey Knoche have combined for 19 of the 'Roos 22 double-doubles. Against Arkansas, Knoche registered 10 kills and 17 digs for her 18th career double-double, while Beck finished with 11 kills and 12 digs against Stamford, 15 kills and 10 digs against Grambling, 10 kills and 14 digs against Oral Roberts, 16 kills and 14 digs against Western Illinois and 10 kills and 14 digs for her third through seventh career double-doubles. Knoche, meanwhile, picked up her 19th career double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs against Fairfield and her 20th with 10 kills and 10 digs at North Dakota State. The Lee's Summit native added six more in the matches with Oral Roberts, Centenary, Kansas State, IUPUI, Western Illinois and Southern Utah. Wellwood, meanwhile, has notched double-doubles against IPFW, IUPUI, Western Illinois and SIU Edwardsville. Also registering double-doubles for the squad this season are Ella Meier (2) and Demetria Williams.
Summit League Individual Leaders
Junior Demetria Williams leads a group of six 'Roos among The Summit League stat leaders, as the middle-hitter sits second in the league with 1.10 blocks per set. Ella Meier, meanwhile, is 10th in assists (5.39), while Nicole Kerkman is fifth in digs (3.93), Elizabeth Beck is 10th in kills (2.69) and Kelsey Knoche is fifth in aces (.32). Christiana McQuin, meanwhile, is 10th in the league with a .250 hitting percentage.
Summit League Team Leaders
UMKC sits in the top half of four categories in The Summit League, including leading the league with 2.19 blocks per set. The 'Roos also sit fourth in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.182), while sitting fourth in aces (1.37) and fifth in digs (15.97).
Summit League Individual Match Highs
Demetria Williams leads the squad on the Summit League's match high ranking, as the junior recorded a Summit League season-high 12 blocks against IPFW. Christiana McQuin (8 & 7), Ella Meier (7) and Elizabeth Beck (7), also make the rankings as the trio sits sixth and 13th, 13th, and 13th in blocks for all matches, while McQuin and Meier's totals are first and second in blocks for a three-set match. Beck's kills against Georgia (18), meanwhile, are ranked 18th, while her four aces against Grambling State and Kelsey Knoche's four aces against Centenary and Western Illinois are tied for 10th best.
Summit League Team Match Highs
The 'Roos sit among the league ranking as a team in several categories, including amassing the first, third, seventh, seventh and 19th highest totals in the league with 17 blocks in the match with IPFW, 15 blocks against Fairfield, 13 blocks against Kansas State and SIU Edwardsville and 11.5 against Centenary. The 'Roos also sit second, 3rd and 16th in hitting percentage with their .425 mark against Centenary, .314 mark against Western Illinois and .303 mark against Grambling State. The 63 kills against the Leathernecks and the 60 kills against the Tigers rank eighth and 16th in the league. The 99 digs against Southern Utah and the 87 digs against IPFW, meanwhile, are fourth and 10th best in the league, while the 12 aces against Grambling State and the 11 against Centenary rank second and seventh, respectively.
NCAA Statistical Rankings
As a team, the UMKC volleyball team ranks in the top-250 in six categories among the NCAA statistical rankings, including 82nd in digs per set (15.97), 90th in blocks per set (2.19), 115th in aces per set (1.37), 236th in hitting percentage (.164), 248th in kills per set (11.26) and 252nd in assists per set (10.26). Individually, Christiana McQuin is 197th in blocks per set (.96), while Nicole Kerkman is 172nd in digs per set (3.93) and Kelsey Knoche is 190th in aces per set (.32).
'Roos Picked Third In Summit League Preseason Poll
The 'Roos were picked to finish third in The Summit League preseason poll. UMKC, who returns five starters from its 2009 squad, finished with 54 points in a voting of a league's 10 head coaches. North Dakota State was the unanimous vote as the preseason favorite for the second straight season, earning nine first place votes and finishing with 81 points. 2009 Summit League Tournament champion IPFW earned the final first place tally and finished second with 64 points. Oakland was fourth, behind UMKC, with 53 points, followed by South Dakota State (49), IUPUI (47), Oral Roberts (39), Southern Utah (35), Western Illinois (19) and Centenary (9).
Captains Schmidt and Knoche
Senior Holly Schmidt and junior Kelsey Knoche were chosen as captains for the 2010 squad. Schmidt, who is entering her fourth season in the Blue and Gold, has played all over the court in her three seasons, including serving as one of the team's two setters in 2009, amassing 446 assists. Knoche, meanwhile, enters her second season at UMKC after transferring from the University of Memphis. Last year, the junior registered a team-high 312 kills, while finishing second on the team with 355 digs.
Looking To Take The Next Step in Year Two
The UMKC roster will feature three sophomores who will be looking to take a big step forward in year 2 of their careers at UMKC. Ella Meier, Emily Lucas and Brittney Robers combined for 20 starts a season ago and will be heavily relied on again this season as all three will see significant playing time and at least one will be in the starting lineup during this weekend's action.
In 2009, Meier registered her first career double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs against Iona en route to being named to Sacred Heart Invitational all-Tournament team, while picking up her second against Oakland with 12 kills and 16 digs. Lucas and Robers, meanwhile, each notched their best games against Holy Cross where Lucas finished with a career-high 10 kills and Robers a career-high 12 assists.
Last Season
The UMKC volleyball team had one of its best seasons in 2009, finishing the year with a 15-16 overall record and a 10-8 mark and fourth place finish in The Summit League. The 15-16 record was the second highest winning percentage in school history, while also being only the third time in school history that the team has reached the 15 win mark. The fourth place finish was good enough to put the 'Roos in The Summit League Tournament for the first time since 2003. The 10 league wins tied the school record for the most league wins in a season, while the squad's 7-3 mark in home matches was the best in school history. During the season, UMKC also swept Oral Roberts for the first time ever, snapping a 34-match losing streak and giving the 'Roos only their third and fourth wins over the Golden Eagles, while also taking their first set from Kansas State since 1993.
Adams Joins the Coaching Staff
Heather Adams joined the UMKC volleyball program as an assistant coach after serving as an assistant coach at Brush Middle School in Brush, Colo. Before her time at Brush, Adams worked as the junior varsity head coach and assistant varsity coach at Clear Creek High School in Idaho Springs, Colo. Adams played collegiate volleyball at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison, Colo., for five seasons, where she served as the team captain during her senior year. The middle hitter closed out her career as a Mountaineer by being named First Team all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Second Team all-Region honors. This came on the heels of earning second team all-conference honors as a junior.
Second Team All-League Honorees
2009 marked the first time since Vanessa Portela earned First Team all-Summit League honors in 2005, that the 'Roos put a player on either the first or second all-league teams, as last year both Jamie Hagerman and Christiana McQuin were selected as Second Team all-Summit League honorees. Last season also marked the first time since 2003 that two 'Roos were honored in the same season, as Lindsey Zerr was named First Team all-Mid-Con and Sara Foster was named Second Team all-Mid-Con that year. Hagerman, meanwhile, was also named to The Summit League all-Tournament team, marking the first time UMKC has had a representative since Noe Perreira was honored in 2002.
NCAA Public Recognition Award
The UMKC volleyball team was one of 841 Division I sports teams to receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their exceptional work in the classroom as part of the organization's Academic Performance Program. The awards are handed out annually to teams scoring in the top-10 percent in each sport with their APRs. High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards this year posted APR scores ranging from 978 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic year.
'Roos in The Classroom
Last season, 11 'Roos were named to The Summit League Academic all-Conference team, including current 'Roos Elizabeth Beck, Brittany Fossier, Nicole Kerkman, Kelsey Knoche, Christina McCarthy, Christiana McQuin, Ella Meier and Erin Wellwood. In order to be named to academic all-League team, each student-athlete must post a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the semester in which they compete. Additionally, three 'Roos were named distinguished scholars for posting a GPA above 3.6, including Beck.
Meanwhile, five current player and six total were named to the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence, including McCarthy, Beck, Fossier, Kerkman and Wellwood, for posting a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
