Kirkwood Community College earned an automatic bid to the NJCAA DII National Tournament after defeating Des Moines Area Community College in the Region 11-A finals on Nov. 4.
The tournament will be taking place in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 18-21.
Kirkwood had its first undefeated regular season in the program’s history with 34 wins and zero losses. The team also completed 21 consecutive match sweeps, and 64 straight set wins.
After the clinching national tournament victory against DMACC, volleyball head coach Dave Brown said he thinks the team is ready for the national tournament.
“I’m glad we were tested before we got to the national tournament,” he said. “I think this time, from what I saw, I am ready for it.”
This performance has led the Eagles to being ranked No. 1 in NJCAA DII for 10 weeks in a row.
Of the top 25 ranked teams, Kirkwood has defeated 12 of them, including six top 10 schools, totaling 15 ranked victories for the Eagles before the national tournament begins.
Last year, Kirkwood secured the No. 1 seed in the national tournament, and it is likely to do the same this year. The official tournament bracket was released Nov. 11, after the Communiqué went to press. Eagles fans can find it online now on the official NJCAA website.
“How do you elevate your game at the right time? How do you peak at the right time? It’s hard. He said all the stars have to align. Luck has to be on your side. It takes a lot. It takes a village, and hopefully it comes together at the right time, but we’re just taking it one at a time.”
In the last two years, Kirkwood has not lost a match in Johnson Hall. The seven sophomores on the team have gone their entire Eagles career without losing at home.
“Johnson Hall feels like home,” said sophomore outside hitter Carly Wazac after the regional final. “It’s insane that I just played my last home game here, but it’s good to go out on a really good note.”
Wazac earned second-team all-American honors last season.
After a fifth-place national finish, Brown and the Kirkwood volleyball team have their sights on a bigger and better finish for the 2026 national tournament.
Categories: News, Sports, Volleyball
