The Kansas City Roos volleyball team made last year count.
Behind Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Leah Green, coach Christi Posey and a slew of veteran teammates — three of whom have since left the program — the Roos put together their strongest season since 2021.
Going 22-9 — including 12-4 in conference play and 9-2 on the road — Kansas City finished atop the Summit League regular-season standings. From there, the Roos fell short in the Summit League Championship to a No. 2-seeded Omaha squad and later to Tulsa in the first round of the NIVC.
For Posey, that loss was devastating.
Devastating, yet encouraging.
“We had some really wonderful memories and triumphant moments throughout the season,” the coach said. “That’s what our kids want to be able to share with the newcomers: ‘This is what’s possible. … This is the standard.’”
With three seniors no longer sporting the blue and gold, the Roos face an uphill battle in acclimating new faces to their team culture. Enter Green, a “steady and balanced” leader focused on making her teammates better.
“I want to be the steady, consistent one (on our team),” Green explained at the podium during the Roos’ media day. “The one who holds everyone together.”
Green led the league in blocks last season — likely a swing factor in her DPOY Award — to help anchor a squad that was in serious contention for a postseason title. As a libero, it’s part of the job description, yet Green doesn’t take it lightly.
“I take pride in my defense,” the senior said. “I’m working really hard to get back to that. … Trying to repeat that (performance) next season.”
Before speaking on her personal growth, Green commended her teammates both in front of her and behind her for the effort they put in. Without them, she says, the Roos might not have gone on the run they did.
From her coach’s perspective, however, Green’s teammates benefited most from watching her.
“She is a great role model,” Posey said. “Not only how she carries (herself) on the court, but off it in the locker room. She provides positive energy to our team.”
And with a strong role model like Green, it makes the biggest challenge facing the Roos that much easier.
“It can be very rewarding, but it’s hard,” Posey said of integrating new players. “And it starts with (players) like Leah. Then, hopefully, our newcomers and freshmen see that and begin to integrate it into their habits.”
Whether it be showing out in practice, staying poised in high-stress moments or simply working as a collective, the Roos have some work to do for next season. Green will be the first to tell you that, and considering where they finished, that might be a strange sentiment to carry.
But it’s how they feel.
The Roos begin their 2024 campaign Friday, Aug. 30, at the Utah Valley Tournament in Orem, Utah. There, they’ll look to earn their first win in what’s become a redemption campaign.
They have “unfinished business,” after all.
“We had no idea that we would have the season we did last year,” Green said. “We worked really hard for that, and this year, we’re trying to do even more.
“We have that hunger now. We want to be better.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0