No. 7 Eagles soar to national tourney
Alexa Aldrich-Ingram nearly quit college volleyball a year ago after a disappointing season at Drake, where the Bulldogs tried to convert the phenomenal kill-shot artist into a setter.
Now she's headed to the junior college national tournament with her new friends at Kirkwood with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Coming to Kirkwood has been one of the best decisions I've made," Aldrich-Ingram said Sunday afternoon after the Eagles punched their ticket to the NJCAA Division II tournament. "I'm so glad I came here. It's been an exciting year."
And it's not over yet.
The seventh-ranked Eagles spanked Metropolitan Community College of Missouri, 25-15, 25-22, 25-19, to win the District D championship and qualify for the national meet in Charleston, W.Va., from Nov. 15-17.
Aldrich-Ingram, a 5-foot-8 southpaw from Iowa City West, collected 16 kills and leads the nation with 632, many of them devastating rips that make opponents fear for their safety.
She has incredible hang-time, reminiscent of NBA great Michael Jordan, and swings that left arm with incredible force.
"She's a crowd-pleaser," said Kirkwood Coach Jill Williams. "She creates that energy. People love to see that.