by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Thanks to a pressure-packed 3-1 at Hesston Wednesday night, Kansas City Kansas Community College is headed to the Region VI volleyball playoffs.
Faced with elimination from playoff consideration with a loss, the Lady Blue Devils dropped a 25-21 opening set before overcoming a big second set deficit for a 26-24 win and then closing with 25-18, 25-22 wins.
“We were down six or seven points in the second set and decided we were not going to lose,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “Hesston has a good team this year, their best in 11 years. But we really came together and played well, as a group. Once we won the second set, I felt we were in command the next two sets – a great team victory.”
The win closed out regular season play for the Blue Devils with an overall record of 18-15 and 3-7 in the Jayhawk Conference heading into the Region VI playoffs Saturday, Nov. 3. Where and against whom won’t be known until next Tuesday when No. 1 ranked Coffeyville (9-0) plays at No. 3 Highland (8-1) in a match that will determine the playoff seedings and pairings.
A Highland win would give the Lady Scotties the No. 1 seed; a Coffeyville win would drop Highland into a three-way tie for second with No. 4 ranked Cowley College and No. 5 Johnson County, all with 8-2 records.