Metro Sports Report

KCC men roll in opener, 99-57

SEDALIA, Mo. - Ajay Lawton led five players in double figures Friday with 17 points as 16th-ranked Kirkwood smashed the College of Faith, 99-57, in the opening round of the State Fair Classic in Sedalia, Mo.

Jalen Currie collected 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Eagles in their first game of the season under new coach Bryan Petersen. Myzeah Batie-Gaddy scored 12 points and had five rebounds for Kirkwood.

Chris Ward finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. J.C. Fuller also scored 11 points. Joe Tagarelli grabbed eight rebounds and Taylor Olson had five assists.

KIRKWOOD (99): Lawton 17, Currie 13, Batie-Gaddy 12, Fuller 11, Ward 11, Tagarelli 9, Atwater 6, Olson 5, Lassen 5, Weeks 4, Bussell 4, Swank 2, Gibson 0.

Ollinger powers J-Hawks by IC West

IOWA CITY - Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Amanda Ollinger does not need a hockey mask or chainsaw to be scary.

The powerful 6-foot-1 sophomore piled up 45 kills on Halloween and helped lead the J-Hawks to a 25-23, 16-25, 19-25, 27-25, 15-13 thriller over Iowa City West on Thursday in a Class 5A Regional semifinal at West High.

"Every time she hits, she's able to do anything from anywhere," Jefferson setter Kaylie Zitek said.

And Ollinger was everywhere Thursday, scoring the last two points to secure Game 4 and the last three to deliver Game 5. Her final spike sent her team and Jefferson students into a frenzied celebration on the court.

Thomas helps Marion to regional final

Alyssa Thomas remembers sitting in the stands at the U.S. Cellular Center and watching her sister Brittney help the Marion Indians win the Class 3A state volleyball title.

That was back in 2008, when Alyssa was in the fifth grade.

"I remember being a little person and cheering on TV and looking really stupid," she said Thursday night, laughing. "I just remember watching my sister play. How scared she was and nervous.

"I want to feel that nervousness, too. I love being nervous for volleyball. It's the best feeling."

Thomas helped Marion get a step closer Thursday with a strong performance as the Indians swept Davenport North, 25-17, 25-18, 25-12, in the Class 4A regional semifinals at Marion.

Saints earn date in 4A regional final

Several good runs, lots of big hits and not too many errors.

Fifth-ranked Xavier merely went about its business at home Thursday night in dispatching DeWitt Central 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 in the semifinals of the Class 4A Region 6 volleyball tournament.

The Saints (28-10) will likely face a tougher test for a state tourney berth when they meet third-ranked West Delaware (36-5) Tuesday night at Dyersville Beckman.

“We seem to play much better when we're playing up in competition,” said Xavier Coach Krista Johnson. “When we play higher-level teams, we play with more excitement and energy. We need to sustain that level of play.”