by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Some of the best collegiate volleyball in the Midwest will be on display this week at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
The week kicks off Wednesday when KCKCC hosts Hesston in a 6:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference clash with the No. 9 ranked Lady Blue Devils smarting over their first conference loss at the hands of Cowley College 3-0 last Wednesday.
Then on Friday and Saturday, KCKCC will host its annual invitational tournament, a 9-team tourney featuring teams from four states and five with national rankings.
In addition to the No. 9 ranked Blue Devils (11-2), the field will include No. 16 Cowley College, No. 17 Coffeyville and No. 19 Johnson County in NJCAA Division II; and Indian Hills of Ottumwa, Iowa, ranked No. 17 in Division I. Each team will play two matches each day. All will be best three out of five.
KCKCC will take on three of the ranked teams including a huge rematch with Johnson County in Friday’s final match at 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, the Blue Devils will play Indian Hills at 1 p.m. and Coffeyville at 7 p.m. KCKCC’s first match will come Friday at 3 p.m. against Southeast Nebraska. Iowa Lakes, Wentworth Military Academy and Longview round out the nine-team field.
Other clashes between ranked teams include Cowley vs. Indian Hills Friday at 5 p.m.; and JCCC vs. Indian Hills Saturday at 9 a.m. The tourney schedule:
Friday
COURT NO. 1 – Coffeyville vs. Southeast Nebraska, 11 a.m.; Iowa Lakes vs. Indian Hills, 1 p.m.; KCKCC vs. Southeast Nebraska, 3 p.m.; Cowley vs. Indian Hills, 5 p.m.; KCKCC vs. Johnson County, 7 p.m.
COURT NO. 2 – Wentworth vs. Longview, 11 a.m.; Longview, vs. Cowley, 1 p.m.; Coffeyville vs. Wentworth, 3 p.m.; Johnson County vs. Iowa Lakes, 5 p.m.
Saturday
COURT NO. 1 – Longview vs. Iowa Lakes, 9 a.m.; Southeast Nebraska vs. Wentworth, 11 a.m.;
KCKCC vs. Indian Hills, 1 p.m.; Cowley vs. Southeast Nebraska, 3 p.m.; KCKCC vs. Coffeyville, 5 p.m.
COURT NO. 2 – Johnson County vs. Indian Hills, 9 a.m.; Iowa Lakes vs. Cowley, 11 a.m.; Johnson County vs. Wentworth, 1 p.m.; Longview vs. Coffeyville, 3 p.m.