The Roos held together to take the win over the Jaguars.

Kangaroos get big win on road over Jaguars

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 10/6/08

The UMKC (8-12, 3-3 Summit) volleyball squad rocked the jungle in Indianapolis, Ind. Saturday night.

Playing in front of former Kansas Jayhawk basketball forward Brandon Rush, now a member of the Indiana Pacers, and past Kangaroo point guard Tim Blackwell, along with more than one hundred fifty Jaguar fans, the Roos won a hard fought match over IUPUI (9-8, 2-2 Summit), 3-2.

UMKC freshmen middle hitter Christiana McQuin and outside hitter Elizabeth Beck led the Kangaroo squad with 15 kills each. Freshman outside hitter Kate Humphreys also scored 12 points while junior outside hitter Jamie Hagerman made the Jaguars eat 10 volleyballs.

"The girls outstanding hitting and blocking offset [Jaguars] great defense," said UMKC Head Volleyball coach Geno Frugoli. "To get a win like this is special."

The Roos won the first game in turbulent fashion 31-29 with the squads experiencing 10 lead changes and 19 ties. The Jags clawed back in games two and three winning 25-19 and 28-26.

Frugoli couldn't talk enough about how strong his team played all evening.

"It feels really good," Frugoli said. "All these little signs that show how much the girls are moving forward really make this a lot of fun."

The coach said he told the team before the match that the game ahead of them was the type that would "built character." He spoke repeatedly about his pride in the effort of his squad.

Frugoli's commitment to a youth movement has at times this season led to five freshmen on the court at once and has frequently proven unpopular and hard for the Roos' faithful to swallow. But a big win on the road can sometimes put things in better perspective.

Along with McQuin, Beck and Humphreys, freshmen middle hitter Brittany Fossier, libero Alexandra Miller and setter Erin Wellwood saw significant action in the victory. They have also contributed heavily to several of the squad's early season defeats.

"We've seen the best of times and the worst of times with these [freshmen], but that makes it all the more interesting," Frugoli said. "When they're all clicking, our squad is hard to beat."

The coach spoke further about his senior leadership. He talked about the heart of his five seniors, libero Mandy Tipton, setter Danni Sperry, middle hitter Liz Pollock and outside hitter Jacqui Wood, both on and off the court.

"I think our seniors are all about winning," Frugoli said. "They contribute mightily when they're out there and if their contribution is only to help the younger players, well they're happy to do that too."

In the fourth game of the match, UMKC and IUPUI battled back and forth until the Roos pulled out to an 18-13 lead. The Jaguars continued to challenge but eventually fell short in a 25-19 Kangaroo win.

Tied at two sets a piece, neither squad seemed willing to cede victory to the other in the deciding fifth game of the match. Volleying back and forth to a 5-5 tie early, UMKC tried to pull away with a 9-6 advantage. The Jags would have nothing of it.

IUPUI scrapped and clawed to a 13-13 tie as the match neared conclusion. A Beck kill and a Jag error while on the attack ended the tumultuous game and match 16-14 to the Kangaroos advantage.

IUPUI entered the game leading the nation in digs. Against UMKC, they managed 109 to the Roos' 99 defensive stops.

But on this night, the Kangaroo offense proved to be too much for a Jaguar team picked to finish second in the Summit.

UMKC now heads home for a pair of weekend matches against Summit foes. Oral Roberts University (11-5, 5-1 Summit) comes to town Friday night, Oct. 10. The next night IPFW (8-9, 4-2 Summit) play at Swinney Recreation Center.

"I hope the fans come out and support us," Frugoli said. "Last year we took [ORU] to five sets. It's a big game to have our fans behind us."

Westerwinds knock over Kangaroos 3-1

UMKC made it clear to Western Illinois University (WIU) they came to play, posting a game three victory over their Summit foes 25-16.

Unfortunately, the Roos would be unable to sustain that effort throughout the match as they dropped the other three, picking up their third league defeat.

WIU won game one 25-21, the second game 25-12 and closed out the match in the fourth game 25-23.

Freshman middle hitter Christiana McQuinn and junior outside hitter Jamie Hagerman led the team in kills with 13 and 12 respectively.

Freshman libero Alexandra Miller led all Kangaroos with 15 digs as freshman Kate Humphreys posted 13 digs of her own in the loss.

Senior setter Danni Sperry and another freshman, setter Erin Wellwood added 21 assists each to the final totals.

dstroud@unews.com