In a much anticipated volleyball matchup, No. 1 Kirkwood Community College hosted No. 3 Iowa Central, and the Eagles ended up with a statement sweep.
Johnson Hall was packed with fans, with supporters showing up for both teams to watch these two contenders face off.
The theme for the night was blackout. The Eagles stepped onto the court wearing all black, the student section was wearing all black, and fans throughout Johnson Hall were wearing black.
This unity between the team and fans was apparent throughout the match.
In the first set, Kirkwood saw itself down 2-0 right away. Then with a sequence where sophomore libero Abbie Staats dove full force to save a point, the Eagles managed to force an error on the Tritons for their first point of the day.
And for the first time of the day, Johnson Hall erupted with noise.
“This was the coolest atmosphere to play in,” said Eagles head coach David Brown. “In my four seasons here, that was the best fan section I’ve ever had.”
This first set was a testament to how good this Iowa Central team was. The Eagles were attacking the ball great, making crucial defensive plays, and were strong on the serving end.
Typically, the Eagles would win a set like this by 10 points.
However, the Tritons found a way to force a set point opportunity, and were leading Kirkwood 24-23.
Then, the Eagles showed why they are ranked number one in the nation.
In a three serve sequence, sophomore outside hitter Carly Wazac got a kill, freshman middle hitter Karley Belken blocked an attack and freshman setter Katie Scheckel got a kill to secure the first set win 26-24.
And again, Johnson Hall roared with noise.
Staats played a huge role in the first set, and used Kirkwood’s loss from last year as fuel.
“Last year we ultimately lost to them,” she said. “This game has been on the calendar for a long time. We came out there hungry and wanting the win, and that’s what we got.”
After the dramatic first set win, the Eagles used that momentum and cruised to a 25-18 second set victory.
In this set, the outside hitters shined. Wazac, the reigning All-American, picked up a handful of kills, and ultimately ended the match with 14. While sophomores Yasmine Sell and Sydney Brandmeyer contributed seven and five respectively.
“This is a big game for us,” Sell said. “When we play higher ranked teams it’s way more fun and it gives us that extra confidence.”
After going down 0-2, and having only lost two matches all season, Iowa Central was not going down without a fight.
The third set the Eagles jumped up to an early 11-6 lead. However, the Tritons responded with a 7-1 run and they were officially winning the set.
This turned into a back and forth affair, and with a slim 18-16 lead, freshman defensive specialist Grace Knock came in for her first serves in the day, after not appearing in the first two sets.
Her first serve of the day resulted in an ace, and it immediately forced an Iowa Central timeout. And after the Eagles scored another two points, Knock again had a service ace, forcing another timeout.
So after an ongoing run, Knock’s effort with serving created a six point lead for Eagles, 22-16.
“The entire game I was engaged, and I was ready if I had an opportunity that presented itself,” Knock said. “And luckily it did.”
After their second timeout, the Tritons came out hot, and responded with five straight points themselves. Kirkwood only had a one point lead, 22-21.
After a service error by Iowa Central, the next rally would end up being one of the longest of the day.
And with the Tritons leader in kills Cooper Griffen, who finished the night with 10 kills, attacked the ball, Knock was in the right place to pass the ball, but since it was hit so hard it ended up right back in the Tritont’s side of the court.
Nobody was there, and Knock recorded her second kill of the year.
That momentum was enough, and the Eagles secured an almost effortless 25-21 third set victory, and an overall sweep.
“It was a complete effort,” said Brown. “It wasn’t just one person. It was the six starters, it was our bench, it was the coaching staff, it was our players, it was the fans.”
He continued, “I attribute it not to just our team, but to everything. It was a complete Kirkwood win.”
The atmosphere was special, and everyone in the building felt the presence of a 31-0 volleyball team who just secured their 18th sweep in a row.
Scheckel shined tonight, putting up eight kills, 22 assists, seven digs and four service aces.
The Eagles wrap up their regular season on Oct. 28 against Southeastern Community College before the playoffs begin.
Categories: Sports, Volleyball
