by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s young volleyball team rode a roller coaster of emotions in a frustrating 3-2 loss to Jayhawk Conference rival Highland Wednesday night.
Twice the Lady Blue Devils staged major comebacks, the first after Highland had won the first two sets and again in the decisive fifth set after the Scotties had taken a 6-0 lead.
One of three unbeaten teams in the Jayhawk (2-0), Highland improved to 12-3 while the Blue Devils fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Blue Devils go on the road to Cowley College next Wednesday before playing host to the 8-team KCKCC Invitational Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22-23.
Highland jumped in front 8-3 and KCKCC could never get any closer than four points in a 25-18 loss in the opening set. The Blue Devils were within a point at 20-19 in the second set only to have the Scotties score the next four points in a 25-20 win and put KCKCC on the brink of elimination.
Instead, the Blue Devils rebounded with a furious comeback. Taking leads of 7-1 and 19-6, KCKCC won the third set 25-11 and then scored the first nine points of the fourth set on the way to a 25-17 win.
However, Highland jumped in front 6-0 in the fifth set, forcing KCKCC coach Mary Bruno to use both of her timeouts. The Blue Devils responded with five straight points – but no more. Highland scored the final nine points for a 15-5 win.
“I was really proud of the way we fought back after being down 2-0,” Bruno said. “The first two sets we made way too many errors but really controlled the pace of the game in sets three and four. Unfortunately, in the fifth set we reverted back to the way we played in the first two sets. We helped Highland by making errors. We must do a better job of controlling our side of the net. It’s a very young team but one if it can learn to control the match will compete with anyone.”
