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KCKCC volleyball team gains revenge with 3-0 win at Neosho

by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College passed its opening Jayhawk Conference test in impressive fashion Wednesday, gaining a measure of revenge with a three-set sweep of Neosho County at Chanute.

The win was the fifth in a row for the No. 12 ranked Lady Blue Devils, who improved to 5-1 with their only loss to Parkland, the No. 1 ranked team in Division II.

“This was a big win for us, especially playing on the road,” said KCKCC coach Mary Bruno. “Neosho beat us last year and will be in contention for a first division finish in the conference.”

Sophomores Kailee Dudley and Blair Russell led KCKCC with 10 kills each while Jasdel Gonzalez added eight.

“We played well as a group, very balanced,” Bruno said. “We’re still in the beginning part of the season.”

The Blue Devils will hold the home opener this coming Wednesday when the team plays host to Hesston in a District N contest at 6:30 p.m.

KCKCC then goes back on the road for 11 matches including tournaments at Highland Sept. 5-6 and New Port Richey, Fla., Sept. 12-13. The Blue Devils return home Sept. 24 against No. 2 ranked Johnson County.

KCKCC’s Russell, Aparacio sweep volleyball player of week honors

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College has made a sweep of Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week honors after the Lady Blue Devils’ outstanding performance in the power-laden SSC (South Suburban Conference) tournament in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., this past weekend.

Sophomore outside hitter Blair Russell was selected KJCCC Division II Player of the Week; sophomore libero Andrea Aparicio the KJCCC Defensive Player of the Week.

Ranked No. 12 in the first Division II rankings of the season, the Lady Blue Devils opened the year by defeating three ranked foes – No. 4 Illinois Central, No. 9 Des Moines Area Community College, No. 14 South Suburban College and Waubonsee, a team receiving votes in the preseason poll. KCKC’s only loss came in four sets at the hands of No. 1 ranked Parkland in the Blue Devils’ first match of the year.

A 5-10 outside hitter from Marysville, Kan., Russell averaged 3.58 kills per set on offense and 3.32 digs per set on defense and is currently No. 2 in the nation in total number of kills (68), sixth in kills per set (3.58) and 33rd in digs per set.

Aparicio, a 5-4 libero from Dorado, Puerto Rico, is the first Lady Blue Devil to lead the nation in a Division II statistical category, ranking No. 1 in both digs per set (6.26) on defense and the total number of digs (119).

RedHawks’ offense red hot against T-Bones

Fargo-Moorhead knocked around 14 hits, and took game two against Kansas City with a 6-3 win Wednesday evening at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D.

The RedHawks took their first lead of the series with a run in the second inning on an RBI double from Brandon Tripp that scored Travis Higgs.

Fargo broke the game open in the sixth inning, chasing T-Bones starting pitcher Casey Barnes, who gave up three consecutive hits opening the frame. Frank Salerno delivered the big blow with a two-run single. He later scored on a C.J. Retherford RBI single that capped off a four-run inning and extended Fargo-Moorhead’s lead to 5-0.

The T-Bones, down 6-0, scored three runs all with two outs in the eighth inning. Vladimir Frias led the charge with a two-out double and then scored on a single by T.J. Mittelstaedt. Matt Padgett drove in Mittelstaedt, and Ray Sadler reached on an error that allowed Danny Richar to score from third.

The T-Bones (42-52) conclude their three-game series at Fargo-Moorhead (40-54) Thursday afternoon at 12:30. The game can be heard in the Kansas City area on 1660-AM or worldwide at tbonesbaseball.com.

Box scores: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=178218
– Story from T-Bones