Kansas Cruises to Fifth-Straight Win at Jayhawk Invitational
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind 11 kills and five blocks from redshirt junior Caroline Jarmoc, Kansas defeated College of Charleston 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 in the second match of the 2012 Jayhawk Invitational at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center Friday afternoon.
With the win, Kansas improved to 7-1 and extended its season-long winning streak to five matches, while the College of Charleston fell to 3-3 on the season.
Kansas outblocked the Cougars 10-2 for the match and outhit them .316 to .150 in the three-set sweep. KU’s 10 blocks, three solos and 14 block assists, marked the fourth time this season the Jayhawks have recorded 10 total blocks – and the third time in their last four outings. KU’s .316 hitting percentage was the third time this season KU has hit .300 or better through eight matches.
KU senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree had six kills in 10 attempts for a .600 hitting percentage for the match, marking the third time this season Tolefree led Kansas in hitting percentage. Freshman Tiana Dockery and sophomore Sara McClinton each recorded eight kills in the win. For Dockery, the eight kills were a season high. Junior Erin McNorton, who leads the Big 12 Conference with 12.5 assists per set, had 37 assists on the afternoon.
In the opening set Kansas hit a blistering .545 as a team en route to a 25-15 win. The Jayhawks were paced by Jarmoc with six kills and just one error for an .857 hitting percentage, while Dockery hit .625 (5K-8TA) and Tolefree hit .600 (3K-5TA). Kansas jumped out to a 9-4 lead, forcing a College of Charleston timeout. The Jayhawks used a balanced attack to build its lead with two kills from redshirt junior Catherine Carmichael, Jarmoc and Dockery. KU would later go on a 6-0 run to go up 17-7 following a Dockery kill and cruise to the set win.
Hitting-wise Kansas would cool down in the second set but recorded eight total blocks and forced eight College of Charleston errors dominating to a 25-18 win. The Jayhawks hit just .176 for the set and were led by McClinton with four kills, while Tolefree and Jarmoc each had three kills. In the second set no team led by more than two until Kansas went on a 6-2 run to make the score 13-8.
Included in the run were kills by McClinton and Tolefree, a block by Dockery and an ace from junior Jaime Mathieu. The Jayhawks would increase the lead to 18-11 but then the College of Charleston would score five of the next six points closing the gap to 19-16. KU would then answer with a 5-0 run, once again cruising to the set victory. Jarmoc led KU with three blocks while Dockery had two in the second set.
KU held off a late College of Charleston run to defeat the Cougars 25-22 in the third set. Up 10-7, Kansas went on a 5-1 run highlighted two block assists by Jarmoc and a kill by Carmichael to go up 15-8. Carmichael and McClinton paced KU with four kills each in the third set. KU would later build a 23-15 lead but the Cougars would not go away, scoring seven of the match’s final nine points.
Kansas will continue play in the Jayhawk Invitational when it hosts Pac-12 foe Arizona State (6-1) Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Sun Devils lost their first match of the season earlier in the day to Wyoming, 3-2.
SCHEDULE
Friday: Kansas def. College of Charleston, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22)
Friday: Kansas vs. Arizona State, 7:30 pm
Saturday: Kansas vs. Wyoming, 6:30 pm
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