Category: Sports

KCKCC to hold volleyball playoffs for first time Nov. 8

Jubilant KCKCC volleyball sophomores, from left, Lily Cullers, Carlyn Walsh, Blair Russell, Peyton Pender, Andrea Aparicio, Junelie Irizarry, Kailee Dudley, Lily Thornberg and Jasdel Gonzalez celebrated wrapping up KCKCC’s first home playoffs with a 3-0 win over Independence Wednesday. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
Jubilant KCKCC volleyball sophomores, from left, Lily Cullers, Carlyn Walsh, Blair Russell, Peyton Pender, Andrea Aparicio, Junelie Irizarry, Kailee Dudley, Lily Thornberg and Jasdel Gonzalez celebrated wrapping up KCKCC’s first home playoffs with a 3-0 win over Independence Wednesday. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins
For the first time in Kansas City Kansas Community College volleyball history, the Lady Blue Devils will hold an NJCAA district championship with the winner advancing to the Division II national tournament.

The No. 8 ranked Blue Devils wrapped up Jayhawk Conference and division play Wednesday with a quick three-set win over Independence that gave KCKCC (9-1) sole possession of second place behind No. 7 Cowley College (10-0). Fort Scott (8-2) finished third with No. 13 Johnson County (7-3) finishing fourth after a narrow 3-2 loss to Cowley Wednesday.

KCKCC’s second-place finish means the Blue Devils will hold the four-team District N championship Saturday, Nov. 8. The No. 2 seed with an overall record of 26-9, KCKCC will open against No. 7 Labette (11-17) at noon with No. 3 Fort Scott (30-8) facing No. 6 Hesston (20-7) in the second match at 2 p.m.. The two winners will then collide at 4 p.m. with the winner advancing to the National Championship to be played at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 20-22.

KCKCC swept Labette 3-0 at Parsons Oct. 15 but had one of its toughest home tests of the season against Fort Scott, coming from behind in three of four sets for a 3-1 wins. KCKCC’s only conference loss of the season came 3-2 at Cowley Oct. 1, the Lady Tigers taking the final set 19-17. At the time, it was the 36th straight conference win for Cowley and the 65th win in a row at home.

As the No. 1 seed, Cowley (24-11) will host No. 8 Neosho County (15-19) in the District M playoffs Nov. 8 with No. 4 Johnson County (21-11) facing No. 5 Coffeyville (25-11).

Nine Blue Devil sophomores were honored after KCKCC’s 25-15, 25-13, 25-19 win over Independence Wednesday – co-captains Blair Russell and Lily Thornberg, Andrea Aparicio, Kailee Dudley, Peyton Pender, Jasdel Gonzalez, Junelie Irizarry, Lily Cullers and Carlyn Walsh.

The Blue Devils will close out regular season play Tuesday, Nov. 4, when they play host to Longview in a different sort of doubleheader. The match will begin at 6 p.m. with the KCKCC women’s basketball season to open its home season against Missouri Valley JV at 8 p.m.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director for KCKCC.

Sporting KC opens playoffs tonight with Red Bulls rematch in New York

sporting kc logo
Watch party to be tonight at Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park in KCK

Sporting Kansas City begins its quest to repeat as MLS Cup champions in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round against the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Red Bull Arena.

The one-game, single-elimination playoff match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The match will also be available on La Gran D 1340 AM and simulcast on Sports Radio 810 WHB, followed by The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show.

The club’s official watch party will be held in the Boulevard Members Club at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The doors will open one hour prior to kickoff and the watch party will be free for fans of all ages to attend. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Sporting Kansas City finished the 2014 MLS regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference (14-13-7, 49 points), one point behind New York (13-10-11, 50 points) after the Red Bulls defeated Sporting KC 2-0 at Sporting Park on Sunday.

The two teams – both charter members of Major League Soccer — will now meet for the first time in the postseason in a rematch that comes just four days after the regular season finale.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored in all three matches against Sporting KC this season, including both goals in New York’s victory on Sunday. Wright-Phillips tied the MLS single season scoring record with 27 goals in 2014 and became the first player in Red Bulls history to win the MLS Golden Boot.

Sporting KC’s Dom Dwyer finished the regular season with 22 goals, second most in MLS.

Sporting KC led all MLS teams with eight road wins in 2014 and conceded only 20 goals away from home, fewest in MLS.

However, the club is 2-12-1 all-time in road playoff games and will face a New York Red Bulls squad that ranked second in MLS with 38 home goals in 2014.

New York — seeking its first MLS Cup title — is 0-4-0 at Red Bull Arena in the postseason since the stadium’s opening in 2010 and has not won a home playoff game since October 2005, going 0-5-2 in seven home playoff matches since.

Thursday’s winner will advance to take on No. 1 seed D.C. United in the two-leg Eastern Conference Semifinals. If the score is tied at the end of regulation on Thursday, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety followed by a penalty kick shootout if necessary.
– Story from Sporting KC