by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Sweeping four matches in a big-time volleyball tournament for the first time in several years, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s young Lady Blue Devils take on even bigger game Tuesday night.
Coffeyville, the defending NJCAA national champion and No. 1 ranked in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll, invades KCKCC Field House for a 6:30 p.m. Jayhawk Conference contest.
Both teams come into Tuesday’s match on winning streaks. The Blue Devils (7-1) have won seven in a row while Coffeyville is unbeaten in nine matches including a sweep of the Highland Invitational this past weekend.
The Blue Devils lost just two sets in sweeping their four matches in the 10-team, seven-state Jimmy John’s Invitational Tournament hosted by Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa, Friday and Saturday.
The wins were particularly pleasing to KCKCC head coach Mary Bruno-Ballou because of the way the Blue Devils finished each match. No team scored more than 14 points in the final set of any of the four matches.
Facing host Southeastern in the opening match Friday, the Blue Devils won 25-20, 25-21, 25-11, and then followed it up with a fiercely fought match with North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), winning the final two sets in the 25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 25-12 win.
Macomb (Mich.) jumped in front with a 25-22 win in the opening set of Saturday’s first match before KCKCC rallied 25-10, 25-20, 25-10 and then finished with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-14 cruise past Iowa Lakes.
“We played excellently as a team,” Bruno-Ballou said. “We saw some tough competition. NIACC and Iowa Lakes were two very tough opponents with great blocking and hitting. But even though we started slowly each day (10 a.m. and 8 a.m. matches), we were able to find a way to win. I am very proud of how we responded as a group.”