Purdue Fort Wayne
UMKC
Mastodons Swept by Kangaroos
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN – The IPFW Mastodons, in their final home weekend of the 2009 season, fell in three sets to the Kangaroos of UMKC, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22.
Senior middle hitter Rebekah Roehm had a match-high 18 kills, while adding 10 digs for her 15th double-double of the season, and 36th of her four-year career. Maya Schlindwein added 10 kills for IPFW, who tallied 43 overall, one less than UMKC for the match. Roehm and Schlindwein had a service ace apiece, with Megan Steenhuysen picking up a double-double of her own with a match-high 35 assists and a dozen digs. Taryn Parker had a team-best four blocks, while she and Alli Hook each added five kills.
Despite the loss, IPFW remains in the running for a top-three seed in the upcoming Summit League tournament, after Southern Utah knocked off the Oakland Grizzlies tonight in five sets. IPFW and Oakland are currently tied at 10-7 in league play, with the Mastodons holding the tiebreaker over the squad from Rochester, Michigan, due to their pair of wins in the season series.
With an IPFW win tomorrow night at home on senior night against Southern Utah, the Mastodons will be guaranteed no less than the third seed overall, and depending on the result of the IUPUI/Western Illinois game in Macomb, Illinois on Saturday, they could move as high as the second seed in the tournament, which will be hosted by North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota.
IPFW used an early 5-0 run in the opening set to lead 6-3, and led by as many as three at 22-19, before the Kangaroos, who have won eight of their last 11 matches to end the season, scored five straight points to lead 24-22. A Stephanie Lamberti kill cut the deficit to one at 24-23, but a service error ended the hopes of a Mastodon comeback in the first set.
The Mastodons again jumped ahead early, scoring four of the first five points of the second set, leading 4-1 before a furious Kangaroo run saw the visitors from Kansas City out-score IPFW 16-6, leading by seven at 17-10. The hosts would only close to as few as four at 20-16, but a 5-1 run closed the door on the Mastodons in the middle set.
In the third set IPFW jumped ahead early at 4-2, but a 4-0 UMKC run pushed the Kangaroos ahead, and the Mastodons would be playing catch-up for the rest of the match. IPFW was able to tie the game at seven, 10, and 11, before the ‘Roos ran off four straight points to lead by four at 15-11. The feisty ‘Dons would not back down, as no lead in the third set would be comfortable for the visitors, with IPFW closing the gap to one at 19-18.
A quick 3-0 run put the ‘Roos ahead again by four at 22-18, but four straight points, on kills by Stephanie Lamberti and Roehm, a combo block by Parker and Roehm, and a ball handling error knotted the match at 22. UMKC effectively called a timeout to attempt to put an end to the Mastodon momentum, and it worked, as the visitors proceeded to score the next three points after the timeout, ending the match on a Jamie Hagerman kill, her 10th of the match.
Kelsey Knoche and Elizabeth Beck each had 11 kills to lead UMKC, with Erin Wellwood and Holly Schmidt dishing out 21 and 16 assists, apiece. Nicole Kerkman had a match-high 17 digs, with Knoche adding 13 for the double-double. Summit League block leader Christiana McQuin helped her cause for the top spot in the conference with five blocks, as teammate Brittany Fossier chipped in six, as UMKC had 14 blocks in the three-set match.
The Mastodons return to action at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center with the final home match in the stellar career of IPFW’s three seniors, Roehm, Jamie Schwartz, and Shannon Reuter. First-serve is slated for 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
