Eagles sweep Ellsworth; KCC tourney next

The eighth-ranked Kirkwood women's volleyball team swept Ellsworth, 25-19, 25-10, 25-13, in an ICCAC match at Kirkwood Wednesday night.

Emily Strauss led the Eagles (11-2) with 11 kills. Rachael Nelson had 32 assists. Defensively, Jada Golden-Smith and Danielle Stock each added four blocks and Kamara Dickerson had 15 digs.

Kirkwood will host a star-studded tournament this weekend at Johnson Hall. The Eagles will face four straight-ranked opponents with No. 3 Sauk Valley, No. 5 Johnson County, No. 14 Lincoln Land and No. 10 McHenry County.

Johnson County defeated Kirkwood, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the national tournament last year in a memorable match. They'll meet again Friday at 6 p.m.