#9 Kirkwood Volleyball Goes 3-1 on Opening Weekend

Rockford, IL- The ninth-ranked Kirkwood Eagles kicked off their 2024 campaign in Rockford, IL this weekend. The Eagles had four opponents on their schedule for the Opening Weekend Tournament at the UW Sports Factory, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Florida State at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, and South Mountain. 

Kirkwood kicked off it's season on Friday against a Kansas City team that recieved votes in the initial NJCAA DII Poll. The first set was a back and forth affair between the Eagles and Blue Devils with Kirkwood edging out Kansas City 25-20. The Blue Devils flipped the script in set two taking advantage of some aggressive serving runs, taking it by a score of 25-19. But the Eagles regained and closed the next two sets, -19, -20. Returner, Lily VanSeveren, fresh off her Second Team All-American season, put up 20 digs in the contest. Freshman, Kaci Johnson, a dual threat on the court, added 6 kills, 15 assists, and 9 digs. Sophomores Emma Meester and Ava Harris-Shepard each hit at a high clip, Meester at .381 with 10 kills and Harris-Shepard at .417 with 6 total kills. 

Next for the Eagles was the Manta Rays out of Jacksonville. This contest was an open and shut match for Kirkwood. They took the match in three sets with Jacksonville never scoring above 18 points. Freshman middle, Chloe Baez was extremely efficient, hitting .667 with 6 kills on 9 swings in the middle. Kaci Johnson wasn't too far behind with her 10 kills on 16 swings, hitting .625 while also adding 21 assists for the team. Meester continued to be consistent hitting .385 on 13 swings. But the most efficient Eagle was Ava Harris-Shephard, putting up a staggering .889 on 9 swings. Freshman defensive specialist, Natalee Hartman contributed 14 digs for the match. 

Saturday morning began with a marathon game for Kirkwood. Gulf Coast State College took the Eagles to 5 sets at the same tournament last year and the trend would continue this year. The Eagles would fall again this year, losing 11-15 in the fifth. But even in the loss, positive things can be taken away. Kaci Johnson put up the first triple double that Kirkwood Volleyball has seen in a minute with 10 kills, 27 assists, and 25 digs. Emma Meester, Ava Harris-Shepard, and newcomer Maggye Smith each put up 11 kills. Lily VanSeveren added 23 digs of her own and Chloe Baez hit .583 on 12 swings. Freshman Josie Bryan also added 7 kills of her own, hitting .211 on the outside.

The Eagles would bounce back in their last match of the weekend against South Mountain. Kirkwood would sweep the Cougars, -18, -13, -24. 

Next up for Kirkwood is their first home match at Johnson Hall on Wednesday August 28th at 6pm. They take on NJCAA D1 Indian Hills, currently ranked #9 in the NJCAA Poll.