No. 1 ranked Cowley County ended Kansas City Kansas Community College’s volleyball season Saturday but the unbeaten Tigers had to overcome early Blue Devil leads in each of three sets in a 3-0 sweep.
The Blue Devils led 14-13 in the first set and after Cowley had gone ahead 20-16, KCKCC closed to 22-20 before dropping a 25-22 decision.
KCKCC led the second set 7-5 and after falling behind 15-9, rallied to 23-20 before the Tigers prevailed 25-20. The Blue Devils also led the third set 13-12 only to have Cowley score nine of the next 10 points in a 25-19 win.
“We fought very hard in the championship match, played well and had opportunities to put ourselves in a successful position but could not capitalize at the end,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “It was an excellent year and I’m very proud of this team. As a group, we worked for a common goal and made it to the championship game.”
The loss in the NJCAA Plains championship game closed out a 22-11 season for KCKCC while Cowley improved to 38-0 in earning a berth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nov. 18-20. The title game was played at Friends University in Wichita.
“I thought we battled very well against a very tough KCKC team,” Cowley coach Steven Gream said. “We overcame some mistakes and continued to play for each other.” Gream credited a large vocal following with helping with the Tigers’ comebacks.
“I couldn’t even talk to the players because of how loud the crowd was,” he said. “I thought they really put a lot of pressure on KCK.”
The first of two NJCAA Division II national champions, the 2015-2016 women’s basketball team will be inducted into the KCKCC Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov.23.
The first national champion in Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball history will be enshrined in the KCKCC Athlete Hall of Fame.
The induction of the 2016 NCAA Division II national women’s champions will come Saturday, Nov. 13, as part of the annual KCKCC Basketball Classic. Ceremonies will follow KCKCC’s women’s game against Metropolitan Community College which will tip off at 4 p.m. The Blue Devil men will entertain Link Year Prep following the induction ceremonies.
Head coach Joe McKinstry said all 14 members of the 2016 squad and assistant coaches Chamissa Anderson and Dawn Adams are expected to attend.
“It’s awesome,” McKinstry said. “Reaching out to all of the girls has been one of the most gratifying and fulfilling experiences I’ve had and to have all of them back in the building is just awesome. It’s been six years since winning the national championship and everyone has gone in different directions so talking to them as adults has been very enjoyable.”
McKinstry said the induction is the icing on a historic season.
“We had so many great memories,” he said. “Winning the regional, the national championship, being recognized by the Senate and House in Topeka, the ring ceremony but it never crossed my mind that we would ever go into the Hall of Fame. It’s such a surprise,”
The national championship came in McKinstry’s first year at KCKCC.
“For those girls coming in and buying into a new coach was a whole new experience and very gratifying.”
The Blue Devils got to the national tournament by winning two of the most memorable games in KCKCC history. First, the Blue Devils trailed No. 4 ranked Highland by 11 points in the fourth quarter of the Region VI semifinals,
Led by Cheyenne North, who scored 25 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, the Blue Devils scored 14 straight points and closed out a 54-50 win on a 20-5 run. Defensively, the Blue Devils forced seven turnovers and gave up only one Highland field goal (1-13) in the final nine minutes.
The win propelled the Blue Devils into the Region VI championship game against unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Johnson County. The game played at Hartman Arena in Lake City came just 22 days after Johnson County had dealt KCKCC a stunning 30-point loss (91-61) at JCCC.
Again, it was the defense that stepped front and center in a 63-56 win that stands as the greatest upset in KCKCC history. During the first 31 minutes, the lead changed hands 18 times and was tied 11 times. JCCC’s last lead (48-47) came with 9:08 remaining. Nursing a 56-55 lead, the Blue Devils gave up only one free throw in the final five minutes.
Arrica Daye, a 5-4 point guard known more for her assists than points, led the way, knocking down 4-of-6 three-pointers in leading all scorers with a career high 17 points. North added 14 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Brooklyn Wagler a game-high 14 rebounds.
“In our game at JCCC, they disrespected Arrica as a scorer, laying off her on perimeter shots,” McKinstry said. “I told her they’d be giving her room and to take the shot.”
Once in the national tournament played at JCCC, the Blue Devils surged to the championship by taking down the No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 12 seeded teams by an average of a whopping 19 points.
Forcing 28 turnovers, KCKCC ended Waubonsee’ 18-game winning streak 72-53 in the opener. North had a career high 19 rebounds and 20 points in a 78-64 win over No. 5 Owens in KCKCC’s closest game. KCKCC rushed to a 17-4 lead in an 81-59 win over No. 1 seeded Monroe in the semifinals and then won the national title, beating No. 2 Illinois Central by an identical 81-59 score.
All five starters averaged in double figure scoring in the national tournament led by Erin Anderson (15.5) and Wagler (15.3). North added 13.3 points, Sierra Roberts 12.0 and Daye 11.0 while freshman Brie Tauai averaged 8.8 off the bench. North, the tourney’s Most Valuable Player, was joined by Anderson and Wagler on the all-tournament team.
Starting the season with 16 straight wins, the Blue Devils finished 33-3, the second most wins in history. Anderson (15.5) and North (15.4) led four Blue Devils in double digit scoring. Wagler added 11.5 and the 3-point leader, Sierra Roberts, 10.0 points a game. Tauai averaged 9.2 points and Daye 8.5 points and 3.8 assists, An injury kept sophomore Janay Jacobs (4.2) out of the national tournament. Other contributors included Valencia Scott (4.9), Kyliea Jarrett (2.4) and Brooklyn Bockover (1.1).
North became the fifth KCKCC player to earn NJCAA first team All-America honors. She was also the MVP in the Jayhawk Conference where she led in rebounding (10.9) and blocked shots (2.0) and was fourth in scoring (14.4).
“Us winning the national tournament had nothing to do with talent,” North said. “It was everything with how hard Coach Mac pushed us and made us tougher.” To show it was no fluke, the Blue Devils also won the national championship in 2019.
Thanks to a furiously fought 3-2 win over Neosho County Wednesday night, Kansas City Kansas Community College is one win away from a berth in the NJCAA Division II national volleyball tournament.
The final hurdle, however, is a big one – No. 1 ranked and unbeaten Cowley County in the Plains A championship game to be played Saturday at Friends University in Wichita. Tipoff will come about 3:30 p.m. following a Plains B championship matching Johnson County and Highland at 1 p.m.
Cowley (37-0) took a 3-0 win over KCKCC in their only meeting of the season at Arkansas City Oct. 15 although two of the sets were decided by two points – 25-23 and 26-24.
“We played them tough,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said.
Spurred on by a raucous crowd including more than 100 KCKCC athletes, the Blue Devils twice came from behind to defeat Neosho in Wednesday’s semifinal.
“Our fans were game changers; they made a huge difference,” Bruno-Ballou said.
Neosho took a 31-29 win in the opener in match that saw the Blue Devils fight off set points five times before falling. KCKCC got back even with a 25-20 second set win only to have Neosho push the Blue Devils to the brink of elimination with a down-to-the-wire 26-24 win.
If being down 2-1 served as a wake up call, it worked. The Blue Devils got even 25-12, then fell behind in the fifth set 4-0 before a stunning finish – allowing only one more point in outscoring the Panthers 15-1 in a 15-5 win.
The Blue Devils got outstanding performances from three veterans. Cassidy Crist had 38 kills and .349 kill percentage; Adriana Velez had 67 assists; and Kelcey Hund 38 digs. Crist and Velez are in their third year KCKCC; Hund is a sophomore.
