Kirkwood Volleyball

No. 9 Eagles clinch tie for volleyball title

BOONE - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood women's volleyball team defeated 15th-ranked Boone, 3-1, Wednesday night to clinch at least a tie for the ICCAC title.

The Eagles (25-7, 7-0) can claim the outright title with a victory at Northeast (Neb.) next Wednesday.

Kirkwood took the first set Wednesday night, 25-19, but DMACC squared the match with a 25-20 victory in the second set. The Eagles responded with 25-22 victories in the third and fourth sets for the verdict.

Erica Armstrong and Alex Miner topped a balanced attack for the Eagles with 13 kills. Madsy Richards had 12 kills, Morgan Grimm six kills and Margaret Micka five kills.

Caiti Peterson rolled up 44 assists for Kirkwood. Grimm had 17 digs, Richards 13 digs, Micka 11 digs and Jenna Laxton 11 digs. Miner blocked five shots. Armstrong and Micka had four blocks.

No. 9 Eagles sweep matches at DMACC

BOONE - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood women's volleyball team won both of its matches at the DMACC tournament in Boone Saturday.

The Eagles beat Highland, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-15, and blanked Longview, 25-15, 25-15, 25-23.

Madsy Richards led Kirkwood with 19 kills against Highland. Riley Longden had 10 kills, Alex Miner eight kills and Morgan Grimm seven kills.

Caiti Peterson rolled up 48 assists against Highland. Grimm had four service aces. Jenna Laxton contributed 28 digs and Richards blocked five shots.

Richards collected 16 more kills against Longview. Erica Armstrong had 10 kills, Margaret Micka eight kills and Miner eight kills. Peterson chalked up 40 more assists. Richards had 11 digs.

Kirkwood raised its record to 24-7.

Eagles fall to No. 18 Johnson County

BOONE - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles lost to 18th-ranked Johnson County, 3-1, in a tight match at the DMACC volleyball tournament Friday.

Johnson County prevailed 25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 25-21 on the first day of the tournament.

Kirkwood (22-7) gained a split for the day with a 25-15, 25-17, 25-16 verdict over Waubonsee.

Madsy Richards led the Eagles against Johnson County with 13 kills. Caiti Peterson rolled up 43 assists, Morgan Grimm had 16 digs and three aces, and Erica Armstrong blocked five shots.

Richards also paced Kirkwood against Waubonsee with 11 kills, 12 digs and four aces. Peterson had 33 assists, Jenna Laxton had 12 digs, Armstrong blocked four shots and Margaret Micka blocked four shots.

Tough schedule fuels Kirkwood volleyball

The Kirkwood women's volleyball team has a simple philosophy when it comes to playing the toughest opponents they can find in weekend tournaments.

Bring 'em on!

The Eagles have compiled a 7-4 record against teams that have been ranked in the national polls this season, including the top-ranked junior college team in Division II (Parkland) and the second-ranked team in Division I (Iowa Western).

Kirkwood whipped four straight ranked teams during a two-day swing in the Kirkwood tournament last month and the Eagles also have faced stiff competition in tournaments at the Wisconsin Dells, Norfolk (Neb.), Champaign (Ill.) and Overland Park (Kan.).

"Just jumping into it 12 years ago when I came here, I learned that if you want to hang with the Joneses you have to go do what the Joneses are doing," Kirkwood Coach Jill Williams said Wednesday night. "That's what the top teams are doing.

"It gives us a good perspective of where we're at."

Kirkwood finished seventh at the national Division II tournament last year and is currently ranked No. 9 in the country.

The Eagles stepped away from tournament competition Wednesday night and swept Southwestern Community College, 25-12, 25-12, 25-19, in a conference match at Johnson Hall to remain undefeated in the league.

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