On Sept. 11, the Kirkwood Community College Eagles (11-0) took on the Ellsworth Panthers (5-6) making for an exciting night of volleyball.
Heading into the match up, the Eagles started their season hot winning 11 straight. While Ellsworth had won three of their last five.
The Panthers jumped out of the gate hot in the first set, opening the game 5-2, led by sophomore outside hitter Juliana Nunez Restrepo and freshman right side hitter Elsa Raga.
However, the Eagles stayed strong and tied it up with the next three serves. From there, the Eagles took off and finished the set winning 25-13, led by freshman right side hitter Carly Wazac, who finished with clutch blocks.
“Our impact freshman Carly Wazac has done a really good job on the right side,” said Eagles head coach Dave Brown about players who are standing out this season.
However, Ellsworth wasn’t going down without a fight, starting the second set 4-0, then with a quick-paced back and forth tying the set 23-23.
Wazac tipped the volleyball over the net, and after a deflected block where the ball went out of bounds Kirkwood was now up 24-23. Then after a block by sophomore middle hitter Emily Naughton, the Eagles won a thrilling match to put them up 2-0 over the Ellsworth Panthers.
As the third set went underway, the Eagles were eager for the sweep.
After the first eight serves, the Eagles saw themselves up 8-0. The Panthers were able to tag on some points but not long after the Eagles were up by 10 making the set 13-3.
Kirkwood continued to dominate, and alas the game was 24-5, needing just one more win to seal the victory. Freshman middle hitter Madalyn Boyer had the game winning block and sent the Panthers home with a triumphant sweep.
“It took us a little bit to find our stride,” said Brown. “Then, on the third set we came back to our identity.”
What the Eagles do especially well is starting hot. “We preach aggressive serving on our first contact,” said Brown when reflecting on the Eagles’ early success.
Two notable players of the day for the Eagles Volleyball team were sophomore setter Kaci Johnson and freshman setter Avery Knoop. Johnson led the way for the Eagles, accumulating 11 kills across the three sets.
“Kaci does it all. From defense, to offense, to assists. She’s putting up triple doubles,” said Brown.
Knoop set up the Eagles offense all night, finishing the match up with 22 assists.
“I would talk about all 14 of them if I could,” said Brown while recognizing the undefeated start. “They’ve all provided, whether that’s on the court or off the court.”
Categories: Sports, Volleyball
