Coming off a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Division-II National Tournament last fall, Kirkwood is carrying its success into this season, starting the year off 14-0 and rising to the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
The Eagles just wrapped up an action-packed weekend where they competed against three top 15 teams and played a total of 17 sets. The outcome? Supremacy.
Kirkwood showed why it is the highest ranked Volleyball team in the nation right now.
The Eagles faced off against the number three team in the nation, Johnson County Community College and easily swept them. Then Kirkwood took on the defending National Champions, Heartland Community College, and beat them in a five-set match.
“I’m just more proud of their character throughout the weekend,” said head coach Dave Brown, “how they handled pushing through being tired and pushing through a little bit of adversity in that set five win.”
This adversity is something Brown tries to prepare his athletes for before the playoffs begin.
“I never want to feel unprepared. And in order to do that, you have to schedule tough,” Brown said.
Leading the pack this year for the Eagles is sophomore outside hitter Carly Wazac, who earned second-team all-American honors last year. She has improved her kills per set from 2.74 to 3.38. Even with an increased usage, her kill percentage has also improved, going from .341 to .388.
Wazac attributes her improved numbers to simply working harder on all assets.
“I really bought into the spring season. I knew I could get better, and I knew that if I actually bought into the things they were providing for us, then I’d become a better player,” Wazac said. “So I did that, and it really changed me. I worked really hard. I kind of changed my mindset, and I was like, ‘If I actually wanted to do better, I actually have to want to do it.’”
This mindset has carried down to the first-year players on the team, too.
Freshman setter Katie Scheckel and outside hitter Bri Clark are both key contributors to the team so far. Scheckel leads the team in assists and is second place for digs, while Clark is boasting an impressive 2.93 kills per set, good for second on the team, only behind Wazac.
“(Scheckel) is a dog,” Brown said when referring to her toughness. “And in order to win in November, you need a couple dogs on your team.”
Maintaining a strong mindset while being a top ranked team is crucial, and for Clark, she embraces the atmosphere behind being number one.
“Being the number one team, we’re always going to be the team that people want to beat,” Clark said. “That’s also the best part of being on this team, knowing that you’re the team that everybody wants to be.”
As the season progresses, teams will continue to give Kirkwood everything they have just in hopes that they can take down the best team.
“(Coach Brown) says we are every team’s Super bowl. Everybody hates Kirkwood. Everyone wants to be Kirkwood,” said Wazac.
Categories: Sports, Volleyball
