Metro Sports Report

Coe netters advance at ITA regional

ST. PETER, Minn. – Five Coe College men’s tennis players remained alive after the first day of competition in the ITA Regional tournament Friday on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.

Fourth-seeded Brady Anderson and No. 17 seed Alex Bernt advanced to the Round of 16 in singles play with three wins.

Anderson and Josh Pudlo, seeded No. 7 in doubles, advanced to the Round of 32 for the Kohawks, as did Nate Ackert and Zack Decker.

Gavin seeks A.D. job at Mount Mercy

Paul Gavin has spent most of his adult life at Mount Mercy University as a successful student, athlete and coach. Now he's interested in becoming the school's new athletic director.

Gavin, 49, confirmed this week that he's one of four finalists to succeed Scot Reisinger as the athletic director at the NAIA school in northeast Cedar Rapids.

Gavin has been Mount Mercy's head basketball coach since 1992 and has compiled a 387-329 record, including three trips to the NAIA national tournament. The Mustangs finished 27-5 last year and reached the second round of the national tournament.

Gavin is also the head coach of the Mount Mercy men's golf team. He graduated from Mount Mercy in 1988.

Gavin declined comment about his reasons for seeking the athletic director's job, out of respect for the search process, but he's said in previous interviews that he loves Mount Mercy University and has greatly enjoyed his three decades at the school.

No. 13 Eagles chasing ICCAC title

Erin Wenzel ranks second in the nation in kills, Halle Lueck ranks second in assists and they're both terrific leaders on the young Kirkwood Community College volleyball team.

Coach Jill Williams appreciates their good work, but she'll keep pushing her best players until the last day of the season.

"If anybody knows me - and they know me well - I'm still asking for more," Williams said Wednesday night.

Kirkwood has only three sophomores on its 15-player roster - Natalie Demmel is the other - yet the Eagles are ranked 13th in the nation in the NJCAA Division II poll and have a perfect 5-0 record in their conference after cruising by Southeastern, 25-6, 25-13, 25-11, in a 60-minute contest at Johnson Hall.

Cougars clinch title without Goodall

Cedar Rapids Kennedy volleyball coach Michelle Goodall was halfway around the world Tuesday at a special event in the Philippines, but that did not stop her talented and well-coached team from having a successful night back home.

The fifth-ranked Cougars topped Jefferson, 25-16, 25-12, 25-21, at the Kennedy gym to clinch at least a tie for just the second Mississippi Valley Conference title in school history.

Kennedy can win an outright Valley Division crown with a victory at Dubuque Senior Tuesday night with Goodball back in the USA.

Kennedy has been a state volleyball power for many years under Goodall, but conference titles have been hard to come by in a tough league. The Cougars are 5-0 in the Valley Division and want to finish 6-0 with an unblemished flag.

"That would be amazing," senior Macy Anderson said. "That's huge for our program."