Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Muhl has 'healthy' outlook for Eagles

Kim Muhl thinks he has the ingredients for another successful women's basketball team at Kirkwood Community College this year, but there's one thing he cannot control.

Muhl learned that painful lesson last season when injuries derailed another possible trip to the national tournament.

"I think the biggest thing is staying healthy," he said Monday. "We have some nice pieces, but we have to stay healthy."

Kirkwood finished 25-7 overall last season and 12-4 in the ICCAC Conference. That's an outstanding year for most schools, but Muhl has won six national titles during his 26 years with the Eagles and he'd like another.

He's got a veteran group and so far everybody is healthy (knock on wood).

"We've got nine sophomores, so that makes everything a little simpler as far as getting things in and done," said Muhl, who has a 734-135 record with the Eagles. "We've got a good group.

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Petersen ready for 2nd year at KCC

Bryan Petersen does not have to walk around Johnson Hall with the word "interim" hanging over his head anymore, not that it really bothered him last year.

Petersen, 27, is the full-time coach of the Kirkwood men's basketball team this season now that Doug Wagemester has decided to focus solely on being the school's athletic director.

Petersen was the "interim" head coach last year when the Eagles finished 21-10 overall and tied for second in the ICCAC conference with a 10-4 league record. Now there's nothing "interim" about it.

Like any coach, things are a little easier the second time around.

"I definitely feel more comfortable," Petersen said after practice Monday. "I'm not creating everything for the first time like I was last year, so that makes it a little bit easier. But I'm still learning."

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Alyssa Olson will pitch for Kohawks

Cedar Rapids Jefferson pitcher Alyssa Olson has accepted an offer to join the Coe softball team next year.

Olson has compiled a 39-10 record the past two seasons, helping the J-Hawks make consecutive trips to the Class 5A state tournament.

Olson went 18-6 with a 0.74 ERA this past year as a junior when Jefferson finished seventh at the state tournament. She struck out 188 batters in 160 innings and was named second team all-state.

Olson fashioned a 21-4 record and 1.03 ERA as a sophomore in 2013 when Jefferson finished fifth at the state tournament. She struck out 237 batters in 163.1 innings that season.

No. 9 Eagles win twice in volleyball

FORT DODGE - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles won both of their matches at the Iowa Central volleyball tournament Saturday.

Kirkwood (31-6) topped Fort Scott, 3-1, and blanked Southeast (Neb.), 3-0.

Heather Poula had 18 kills against Fort Scott. Erin Wenzel had 12 kills, Megan Allmandinger 11 kills and Becca Bell 10 kills. Halle Lueck contributed 44 assists and 12 digs.

Nicole Snyder had 24 digs, Kensley Heater 10 digs and Payton Hilton five blocks.

Lueck rolled up 33 assists and 10 digs against Southeast. Allmandinger and Reagan Menke had nine kills. Heater contributed 11 digs.

No. 9 Eagles raise record to 29-6

FORT DODGE - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood volleyball team raised its record to 29-6 Friday with a pair of 3-0 victories at the Iowa Central tournament in Fort Dodge.

The Eagles swept Carl Sandberg, 25-9, 25-16, 25-19, and took care of Neosho, 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.

Halle Lueck furnished 30 assists and 11 digs against Carl Sandberg. Raegan Menke collected 10 kills. Erin Wenzel and Payton Hilton had seven kills. Becca Bell blocked five shots.

Lueck had 36 assists and 12 digs against Neosha. Wenzel picked up 13 kills. Megan Allmandinger had 10 kills, Nicole Snyder had 14 digs and Bell had five more blocks.

Indian Hills 'foreigners' top Kirkwood

The talented young ladies from Serbia, Brazil and Norway were a little too tough for the talented young ladies from Ely, West Branch and Maquoketa Wednesday night.

Indian Hills and its international cast of characters topped Kirkwood, 25-19, 25-14, 18-25, 25-12, in a premier junior college volleyball match at Johnson Hall.

Indian Hills also has 12 players from Iowa, including Sarah Ryder from Cedar Rapids Kennedy, but Tamara Merseli of Belgrade, Serbia; Mirela Vasconselos of Monte Azul Paulista, Brazil, and 6-foot-3 Nora Buvarp of Sands, Norway were too tough to handle.

"That makes it a difficult battle, but still, we've done it before," said Kirkwood Coach Jill Williams, whose team is comprised entirely of Iowans. "We can compete with that, we have the size to match that, we can play with that."

Not this night, however.

It was Sophomore Night and Dig Pink Night to Beat Cancer, and Williams thought her club may have lost focus with the pre-game ceremony and personal distractions.

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No. 5 Eagles sweep NIACC in volleyball

MASON CITY - The fifth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles made quick work of NIACC Wednesday night in a junior college volleyball match in Mason City, 25-16,

25-9, 25-15.

Kirkwood (25-3-1) fell from No. 1 to No. 5 in the NJCAA Division II rankings this week after losing last week.

Erin Wenzel collected 12 kills for the Eagles. Halle Lueck had 36 assists and 10 digs. Heather Poula finished with nine kills.

No.1 Kirkwood upset by Waubonsee

BOONE - The top-ranked Kirkwood volleyball team was upset by Waubonsee, 25-22, 25-23, 25-15, at the DMACC tournament in Boone Friday.

The Eagles (24-3) topped Highland, 25-19, 25-13, 25-21, in their other match.

Halle Lueck collected 34 assists for Kirkwood against Waubonsee. Erin Wenzel had 11 kills, Heather Poula seven kills, Payton Hilton six kills and Megan Allmandinger six kills.

Lueck had 38 more assists against Highland. Wenzel had 10 kills and five blocks. Poula had 10 kills. Nicole Snyder had 14 digs.

No mistake: KCC volleyball is No.1

Kirkwood sophomore Becca Bell thought somebody in the Student Life department exaggerated a tad Wednesday morning when they were promoting Wednesday night's volleyball match against DMACC and encouraging students to attend.

"They said, 'Come support your No. 1 Eagles.' We thought it was just a mistake," Bell related. "Then someone checked it out and looked and she was like, 'Oh my gosh, they weren't kidding. We're really No. 1.'

"There were smiles all day," said Bell. "It was really exciting."

The top-ranked Eagles were still smiling Wednesday night after they swept No. 8 DMACC, 25-18, 25-21, 25-22, at Johnson Hall.

This is the first time Kirkwood has been ranked No. 1 in volleyball during Jill Williams' 10 years as head coach.

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