by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
With seven wins in the last nine matches, Kansas City Kansas Community College will try to even its volleyball record when the Lady Blue Devils resume Jayhawk Conference action at Allen County Wednesday.
The Blue Devils are 11-8 overall and 2-3 in ultra-tough conference play entering the 6:30 p.m. contest in Iola. All of the seven wins have been on the road for KCKCC, which does not return home until Oct. 30.
KCKCC divided four matches in the Central Nebraska invitational tournament in Columbus this past weekend, defeating Central 3-1 and North Platte 3-0 while losing to nationally ranked Iowa Central 3-1 and Northeast Oklahoma 3-2. The split came on the heels of a 3-2 win at Longview Community College in Lee’s Summit.
Outside hitters Katie Heeter and Brittney Winter and middle blockers Randi Johnson and Alissia Nevarez had big tournaments at Central Nebraska.
A freshman from Belton, Winter had 60 kills in the four games; Shawnee Mission South sophomore Heeter, 57. Johnson, a freshman from Lee’s Summit from Shawnee Mission South, added 42 and Turner sophomore Nevarez, 41.
Defensively, Kelli Sleefe of Wichita’s Andover Central, had at least 20 digs in each contest and 88 total while Heeter had 79, Omaha freshman Kelsey Rankin, 66; Winter, 49; and Belton sophomore Erin Reilly, 46.
KCKCC never trailed in its two tournament wins, defeating Central 25-21, 21-15, 13-25, 25-22 and North Platte 25-17, 25-23, 28-26. The Blue Devils took a 25-23 win in the first set against No. 16 ranked Iowa Central before dropping 25-11, 25-22, 25-18 decisions.
Northeast Nebraska escaped in KCKCC’s final tournament match, winning the fifth set 15-11 after the Blue Devils had led twice, 1-0 and 2-1.
The Blue Devils won the first and third sets 25-22 and 25-18 but dropped a pair of 2-point heartbreakers, losing 25-23 and 27-25.
However, it was the Blue Devils who took a 16-14 fifth game set in their 3-2 win at Longview. KCKCC won the first and third sets, 25-23 and 27-25, lost the second and fourth 25-14 and 25-16.
Winter had 11 kills, Johnson 10 and Heeter 8 for the Blue Devils, while Heeter had 22 digs, Sleefe, 20, Rankin, 15 and Reilly and Winter, 12 each.