The Kirkwood Community College Eagles’ volleyball season has come to an end after they finished fifth in the NJCAA Division II Volleyball National Tournament. This concludes an astounding season, where the Eagles finished with an overall record of 37-3, as well as boasting an 18-0 record at home.
During the process, the Eagles won the North Central-B championship, which solidified their appearance at the Division II National Tournament. The Eagles, en route to their fifth-place finish, ended the season with a .282 hitting percentage, as well as 13.45 kills per set, 12.55 assists per set and 15.63 digs per set.
Going into nationals, Kirkwood was ranked the No. 1 seed, giving it an automatic bye into the second round.
There, the Eagles faced No. 16 Calhoun Community College (Ala.) and ultimately swept it, winning the match 3-0. However, in the third round it faced No. 8 Gulf Coast State College (Fla.) and were swept. This put the Eagles in the consolation bracket, where they were able to finish as high as fifth in the national tournament.
There, the Eagles faced No. 7 Iowa Central Community College and narrowly won a five-set match. They then went on to face Pensacola Community College (Fla.), and after being down 0-2, Kirkwood came back and won the match 3-2. The Eagles then faced No. 9 Mesa Community College (Ariz.) in the fifth-place game and won the match 3-1, clinching a fifth-place finish.
The team was led by multiple NJCAA standouts. Sophomore outside hitter Marrisa Cahoy, freshman right-side hitter Carly Wazac and freshman outside hitter Sydney Brandmeyer led the team in kills per set.
Freshman setter Avery Knoop and sophomore setter Kaci Johnson led the team in assists per set. Johnson joins sophomore defensive specialist Natalee Hartman, freshman defensive specialist Abbie Staats and freshman defensive specialist Gabbi Smith as team leaders in digs per set.
Sophomore defensive specialist Alex Tucker, sophomore middle hitter Chloe Baez, sophomore middle hitter Emily Naughton, freshman outside hitter Yasmine Sell, sophomore outside hitter Josie Bryan and freshman middle hitter Madalyn Boyer all made significant contributions to the team as well.
While the season did not end the way Kirkwood’s volleyball team wanted it to, it still saw a great deal of success and garnered serious national attention. This alone is a major win in itself.
The Eagles, led by head coach Dave Brown, look to expand on their 2025 season success and continue their prevalent winning culture.
Categories: Sports, Volleyball
