#7 Eagles Start 2-0 at SEC Jimmy John’s Tournament

West Burlington, IA- The seventh ranked Kirkwood women's volleyball team began the SEC Jimmy John's Tournament on Friday with a 2-0 start. 

The first match against Sauk Valley went all the way down to the wire, with the Eagles taking it 15-10 in the fifth. Emma Cross and Makayla Howard carried the bulk of attempts, with Cross having 18 kills on 38 attempts (.263) and Howard having 23 kills on 39 attempts (.462). Lily VanSeveren ran the back court with 16 digs and Sydney Matthias dished out 53 assists.

In the final match of the day against Black Hawk College, Kirkwood held the advantage all of the way through in a sweep of the Braves (25-17, 25-19, 25-12). Sydney Matthias ran the offense well, distributing 27 assists and creating pressure behind the service line with 4 aces. Alyssa Tegeler was a force on the offensive side of the ball, racking up 7 kills on 9 total attempts, hitting .667. On the defensive side, Sophie Gaffney ruled the net with 5 block assists and 1 solo block. 

The Eagles will play tomorrow to finish the tournament at 2pm and 4pm. They play East Central College and Spoon River College, respectively.