Posted: Nov 23, 2019

KCC volleyball claims 9th at NJCAA National Tournament

Sunday, 24 November 2019 06:35 Metro Sports Report Kirkwood

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood Eagles got off to a slow start at the national volleyball tournament in West Virginia this past week, but there was no stopping them once they got rolling.

The Eagles claimed a 3-2 victory over Gulf Coast State Saturday morning to finish ninth in the NJCAA Division II tournament at the Charleston Civic Center.

Kirkwood won 20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 15-13. The Eagles were seeded No. 9 in the tournament and Gulf Coast State was seeded No. 6, so it was a mild upset.

Kirkwood lost to top-ranked Parkland in the opening round, but the Eagles bounced back with three straight victories in the consolation bracket to finish with a 3-1 record with triumphs over two higher-seeded clubs.

Kirkwood ended the 2019 season with a 29-15 record, highlighted by its sixth trip to the national tournament in 15 years under Coach Jill Williams.

Aubrin Dittmer led Kirkwood with 18 kills against Gulf Coast State and Anna Gorsich had 17. Madi Wagaman rolled up 31 assists and Rachael Nelson dished out 24.

Maranda Wheelock made 23 digs, Gorsich 18, Wagaman 17 and Olivia Richards 15. Taylor Carey and Maggie Peters both came up big defensively with 6 and 5 blocks for the match.