Roos Clinch Summit League Berth Despite Road Trip Split
Kansas City volleyball secured its postseason destination over the weekend, though the journey through North Dakota proved far from straightforward. The Roos returned to Missouri with a Summit League Championship berth locked in, managing a split of two grueling five-set matches against North Dakota State and North Dakota.
The campaign in Fargo on Thursday night showcased both the ceiling and the margins of the Kansas City roster. The Roos charged out of the gate, capturing the first two sets cleanly against North Dakota State. Yet the momentum slipped away in a narrow 3-2 defeat, with set scores landing at 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 26-28, and 16-18. Kansas City squandered late advantages in both the fourth and fifth frames, holding a 25-24 edge in the fourth and a 14-11 lead in the fifth before the Bison orchestrated a comeback.
Rebounding in Grand Forks
Kansas City bounced back Saturday in Grand Forks to defeat North Dakota 3-2. The victory, sealed with set scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-15, 24-26, and 15-11, secured the season sweep of the Fighting Hawks and punched the program’s ticket to the conference tournament.
The decisive fifth set required another grit-check. The Roos fell behind 8-5 before clawing back to level the score at nine. Tied again at 11, Kansas City rattled off four straight points to close it out. Mia Weaver sparked the final surge with an ace, followed immediately by consecutive blocks—first a joint effort by Mila Zoric and Ryanne Wattree, then a match-ending rejection from Zoric and Emry Brown.
Stat Lines from the North Dakota Swing
The heavy statistical lifting over the ten total sets fell to a core group. Wattree and Brown finished the road trip matching each other stride-for-stride with 33 total kills apiece. In the Saturday finale, Wattree hit .375 with 15 kills, while Brown added 14 kills on a .313 hitting clip. Defensively, Chloe Kaminski anchored the back row with 53 total digs across the two matches.
60 assists. 16 digs. A HUGE reverse sweep. 🔥@NDSUvolleyball 's @sarahpfiffner earns Summit Standout presented by @sfjourneygroupafter leading the Bison to a 3-2 come from behind victory over Kansas City! #ReachTheSummit x #SummitVB x @NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/VfDa2wLJPy
Zoric made her presence felt at the net against North Dakota, totaling nine blocks alongside six errorless kills. Weaver contributed heavily across multiple statistical categories with five aces, 15 digs, and five blocks. Setting duties were shared by Coco Buschhorn and Savy Repinski, who distributed 26 and 16 assists respectively in Grand Forks.
Upcoming Home Schedule
With an even 11-11 overall record and a 5-5 mark in Summit League play, Kansas City now pivots back to the Swinney Center. The Roos host South Dakota on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m., followed by a matchup against South Dakota State on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. Both contests will air live on the Summit League Network.
