Jessica Hendin led the UMKC volleyball team (5-3) to a pair of victories on the opening day of the Kangaroo Klassic, as the ‘Roos defeated Bradley (5-3) 3-0 in their home opener and SIU Edwardsville (1-7) 3-1 in the final match of the day at the Swinney Recreation Center.
In the opening match, Hendin finished with a team-high 12 kills with eight digs and three blocks, while in the nightcap, the Overland Park, native tallied 21 kills, hitting .312, with 14 digs for her second double-double this season.
Against the Braves, the ‘Roos built an early 1-0 lead, using an 11-3 run to end the set for the 25-15 win before taking set two 25-16. This time, UMKC scored eight of the first nine points before back-to-back kills by Madison Mosier and Sydney Crimmins ended the set.
In set three, Bradley hung tight throughout the match with neither team gaining more than a two point advantage the entire time. The ‘Roos, however, claimed the match with a kill from Mosier for the 25-23 win.
Offensively, Crimmins tallied nine kills, hitting .471, with Mosier adding eight kills and Taylor Buhrow seven. Kaylyn Brandt and Nicole Wemhoff, meanwhile, finished with 17 and 16 assists, respectively, while combining for 16 digs.
On the defensive side, Taryn Miller recorded 13 digs and Skyler Muff registered nine of the team’s 13 blocks.
In the evening match against the Cougars, UMKC quickly built a 2-0 lead, taking the first two sets by identical 25-21 margins. In set one, the ‘Roos led the entire way with Hendin finishing off the set on a kill from Brandt and in set two Kansas City erased a 12-6 deficit, first taking the lead at 19-18 before winning the set.
After dropping set three 25-20, the ‘Roos three times built five point leads, including lastly at 20-15. From that point, Hendin closed the match with an ace and four kills to send UMKC to the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match win.
In the match, Crimmins registered 11 kills, hitting .321, with six digs and seven blocks, while Miller finished with a season-high 28 digs and eight assists. Meagan Kerns, meanwhile, recorded seven kills, a .300 hitting percentage, four aces, three digs and two blocks.
Setting up the offense, Brandt and Wemhoff combined for 40 assists and 23 digs with Wemhoff tallying a double-double.
In the other two matches of the tournament, Omaha knocked off SIU Edwardsville 3-2 and beat Bradley, 3-0.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again tomorrow when they face-off against Omaha in the championship match of the Kangaroo Klassic at 1:30 p.m.