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Short-handed Eagles fall short

EAST PEORIA, Ill. - The ninth-ranked Kirkwood men's basketball team lost to Illinois Central, 72-66, in a non-conference game Saturday in Illinois.

Devonte Thedford and Seybian Sims, two normal starters for the Eagles, did not play in Saturday's game for unspecified reasons. Luke Appel and Connor Kasperbauer, who helped Kirkwood win the national title last season, did not play due to injuries.

Kirkwood defeated Illinois Central, 87-68, in the season opener Nov. 1 at the SCC tournament in West Burlington.

Jamal Stephenson and DJ Purnell led Kirkwood (5-3) with 16 points. Purnell grabbed 13 rebounds. Niko Gosnell blocked four shots.

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KCC volleyball aiming for 9th at nationals

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team won both of its matches in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Friday and will play for ninth place Saturday.

The Eagles (28-15) will face Gulf Coast State (23-7) at 8 a.m. in the final match of the consolation round.

Kirkwood began the tournament Thursday with a 3-0 loss to Illinois Central, but the Eagles bounced back with a 3-0 conquest of Mercyhurst North East and a 3-1 victory over Catawba Valley Friday.

Kirkwood, the No. 9 seed, swept Mercyhurst, 25-11, 25-12, 25-20. Anna Gorsich had 12 kills and Aubrin Dittmer had 10. Madi Wagaman collected 19 assists and Rachael Nelson had 17. Maranda Wheelock made 21 digs.

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KCC volleyball swept at national meet

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team was swept by Illinois Central, 3-0, in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Thursday at the Charleston Civic Center.

Kirkwood (26-15) will face Mercyhurst North East (19-8) in a consolation match Friday at 11 a.m. as it tries to battle back for ninth place in the 16-team tournament.

Kirkwood is seeded No. 9 for the national tournament and Illinois Central is No. 8, but the Eagles were swept 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.

Anna Gorsich had 12 kills for Kirkwood. Madi Wagaman and Rachael Nelson had 13 assists. Olivia Richards made 16 digs and Maranda Wheelock had 14. Maggie Peters blocked five shots.

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Clark sparks No. 9 Eagles by John Wood

Griffen Clark learned what it takes to win a national championship  last season as a freshmen when the Kirkwood Eagles captured the NJCAA  Division II national crown.

Now Clark is trying to impart some of that wisdom into this year's  team as a sophomore.

"I would say the biggest thing about last year is how together you  have to be as a team, especially when things get tough: How do you  respond?," he remarked Wednesday night.

"And I think we learned how important leadership is, to have guys in  the locker room who are going to keep everything under control. When  things are going well, keep them going well, and when they're not  going well, turn it around."

Clark helped turn things around Wednesday for Kirkwood when he popped  in three straight 3-pointers in less than three minutes to help the  ninth-ranked Eagles pull away from John Wood College and post a 64-48  victory at Johnson Hall.

The Eagles (5-2) were clinging to a 44-42 lead with less than nine  minutes left. His three triples ignited a 16-0 run as Kirkwood took  command at 60-42 and pulled out of danger.

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