Spring Break
Undefeated Bison thunder thru Kansas City
Dan Stroud
Issue date: 10/27/08 Section: Sports
The UMKC volleyball squad started strong before finishing flat in a hard fought 3-0 defeat at the hands of North Dakota State University (NDSU) on Thursday evening at Swinney Recreation Center.
"That's a great team," Kangaroo Head Coach Geno Frugoli said. "They're undefeated in the [Summit] league. For us to show that we can play that close … shows that we're making strides as a program."
Playing without the services of freshman outside hitter Kate Humphreys, the Roos received extended work from a pair of all-too-familiar veteran players.
Senior outside hitter Mandy Tipton, UMKC's leader in career kills, and junior outside hitter Kelly Gettinger showed great leadership on the court, despite the loss to the Summit leaders.
"It was a big difference for us, playing without Kate [Humphries] on the floor tonight," Frugoli said. "But Kelly came in and did a really nice job filling in … she was really steady tonight."
Humphreys spent the evening in a black boot next to the coaching staff, cheering on her mates.
In game one, both squads came out stiff, piling up unforced errors on both sides of the net.
The teams traded the advantage back and forth, with neither able to gain more than a single point to their favor until the final four points of the game.
Gettinger led the way early with five digs and a pair of kills in the opening stanza of action. Junior outside hitter Jamie Hagerman held her own at the net, as she collected five kills and a dig.
But, in what proved to be a smartly played battle, the Bison pulled ahead late and held on for a 25-21 win, registering three of the final four points.
So even was the game that the squads traded eight leads while being knotted up on 21 occasions.
The Bison seemed to take control early in the second game, as they jumped out to an 8-5 advantage.
The Kangaroos continued to battle by pulling to within one point at 14-15 midway through, but NDSU, led by dominant freshman middle hitter Chrissy Knuth, cruised in with a 25-20 victory.
"That's a great team," Kangaroo Head Coach Geno Frugoli said. "They're undefeated in the [Summit] league. For us to show that we can play that close … shows that we're making strides as a program."
Playing without the services of freshman outside hitter Kate Humphreys, the Roos received extended work from a pair of all-too-familiar veteran players.
Senior outside hitter Mandy Tipton, UMKC's leader in career kills, and junior outside hitter Kelly Gettinger showed great leadership on the court, despite the loss to the Summit leaders.
"It was a big difference for us, playing without Kate [Humphries] on the floor tonight," Frugoli said. "But Kelly came in and did a really nice job filling in … she was really steady tonight."
Humphreys spent the evening in a black boot next to the coaching staff, cheering on her mates.
In game one, both squads came out stiff, piling up unforced errors on both sides of the net.
The teams traded the advantage back and forth, with neither able to gain more than a single point to their favor until the final four points of the game.
Gettinger led the way early with five digs and a pair of kills in the opening stanza of action. Junior outside hitter Jamie Hagerman held her own at the net, as she collected five kills and a dig.
But, in what proved to be a smartly played battle, the Bison pulled ahead late and held on for a 25-21 win, registering three of the final four points.
So even was the game that the squads traded eight leads while being knotted up on 21 occasions.
The Bison seemed to take control early in the second game, as they jumped out to an 8-5 advantage.
The Kangaroos continued to battle by pulling to within one point at 14-15 midway through, but NDSU, led by dominant freshman middle hitter Chrissy Knuth, cruised in with a 25-20 victory.
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