by By TYLER JONES
@TylerJonesLive
TOPEKA- The First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Championships came to Topeka for Friday and Saturday games at Landon Arena in Topeka. The Kansas Jayhawks would host the series in the Capital City, as Allen Fieldhouse was unavailable in Lawrence due to the Florida vs Kansas Men’s Basketball matchup.
Kansas came into Friday night with a 22-8 record on the season and a 2nd place finish in the Big 12 Conference. Their opponent would be the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock. Arkansas Little Rock was the champions of the Sun Belt Conference, with a 28-4 record before Friday. It was safe to say that the Jayhawks were on upset alert.
In the first set, Arkansas-Little Rock came out firing. The Trojans jumped out to an early lead. Later, the Jayhawks answered, but came up short, 27-25 in the first set.
Later on, Kansas would look to rebound after a rough start. The Jayhawks dominated the second set from start to finish. Arkansas-Little Rock never led in the second set and Kansas would win 25-19.
With the score even at one all, it was time to separate. The Jayhawks and Trojans went back and forth in a competitive set, but Kansas prevailed. Kansas captured the second set 25-22 and took a 2-1 set lead.
Down by one, Arkansas-Little Rock found themselves fight to survive and avoid elimination. Their backs were against the wall to say the least. Arkansas-Little Rock dominated Kansas in the second set, by a score of 25-18. Kansas and Arkansas-Little Rock would head into one more, winner take-all set, tied at two apiece.
With the score tied, the season was on the line for both sides in the final set. With momentum on their side from the fourth set, Arkansas-Little Rock pulled away with the victory. The Trojans defeated the Jayhawks in the last set 15-10 and won the overall matchup 15-10. Arkansas Little Rock would advance to the Second Round Saturday Night, to take on Oregon State.
The Jayhawks season would come to a close in their home state. Coach Ray Bechard called it, “Extremely disappointing.” Senior Chelsea Albers described the loss in her own words, “We did not end this season the way we wanted to.”
Freshman Setter Ainise Havili accounted for 54 assists for the Jayhawks, while Senior Outside Hitter Sara McClinton and Freshman Kelsie Payne led the way with 15 kills. Big 12 Honorable Mention Tiana Dockery (Navajo) attacked with 14 kills. Dockery said after the game, “We did good. We had a lot of fight.”
Tiana Dockery (Navajo) Reflects On Junior Season
While the Kansas Jayhawk Volleyball team ended their season on a low note with a loss to Arkansas-Little Rock in the First Round of the NCAA Tourney, it was a monumental season for Junior Tiana Dockery. Dockery is a native of Richmond, Texas and a graduate of Foster High School. In 2014, Dockery received Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition for her outstanding season.
At 5’10, Dockery found herself right at home playing the Outside Hitter position for the Crimson and Blue. She recalled this season as, “Absolutely wonderful.” Dockery, was apart of a Jayhawk squad that won 22 games and 10 conference games in the Big 12. Kansas had a winning percentage of 71% in 2014.
Dockery was one of three upperclassmen on this year’s team and was the only junior. Dockery said, “This year was a big difference between my sophomore and junior year. I had to take on more of a leadership role.”
Next year, the Jayhawks return 12 players to the squad, but Dockery will be the only senior. Dockery said, “I’m taking on THE leadership role as the only senior on this team next year.” She went on to say, “We will have the same expectations as we did this year. We’ll just try not to get knocked out of the First Round of the tourney again.”
This was the third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Dockery and the Jayhawks. With the same expectations, Dockery and the team have a goal of reaching it again in 2015.
Photo by Reid Williams:
