The University News

Issue date: 9/11/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Susan Fry Sarah Johnson (shown here at a previous match) had 12 kills against Florida-Atlantic on Friday.

The UMKC volleyball team, still pushing for the win, lost at Ames and Iowa City last week.

The team went 3-0 against the Iowa State Cyclones - 30-9, 30-19, and 30-21 - on Wednesday night. Friday night UMKC took on Florida Atlantic and won one game, putting the team at 3-1 against the Owls at 27-30, 26-30, 30-26, and 18-30.

Saturday brought no joy. The Iowa Hawkeyes put the Roos again at 3-0 with 17-30, 19-30 and 18-30. Tulane came in to push the Roos back down 23-30, 29-31 and 17-30 again coming out 3-0.

The week was not without its high points. Previously injured Angela Melka, senior, jumped off the injured list to put in four kills at her first game against the Cyclones. Sadly, this was not enough to push the Roos up for the win. They only had 19 kills in that game at a devastating -0.065 against the Big 12 Cyclones' 56 kills at 0.426. The Roos would only do better in the week as they continued to reach for the win.

Senior Kim Freeman and freshman Caitlin Koenig played double digits in assists against Florida Atlantic going 12 and 20 respectively. Sarah Johnson, junior, and Jacqui Wood, sophomore, had double-digit kills, while Melka stepped up with nine.

Teamwork brought the Kangaroos closer to the win as they went 3-1 with 45 kills at 0.105, versus the Owls 64 at 0.297.

The Roos may be losing but that is not stopping Johnson and Wood from putting up kills this game - eight and six each - with Koenig again coming in with double-digit assists at 19. The team still seems to be struggling with errors and putting down the kills: they came in with just 25 kills at 0.009 against the Hawkeyes' 42 kills at 0.257.

The Roos finished out last week's games against Tulane again at 3-0. Junior Lauren Starks scored 13 kills, along with Melka, who went in for 12 kills. Starks came in with nine digs, followed closely by Melka with eight. Koenig pushes the team to excel again with 33 assists on the match.

Even with the force of these heavy hitters and spectacular assists, UMKC came out on bottom with 39 kills at 0.148 against Tulane's 51 kills at 0.364.

UMKC will be at home for practice before heading to South Dakota to play against some of the newest members of the Mid-Con. They will play three games in Brookings, S.D., at the Jackrabbit Invitational.

tcoleman@unews.com

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