Megan Allmandinger figured her college volleyball career was over last winter when she transferred from Grand View University to Kirkwood after one semester.

Kirkwood Coach Jill Williams invited Allmandinger to join the Eagles once she learned the Linn-Mar grad was on campus, but it was a non-starter.

"She asked me to play and I said no," Allmandinger related Tuesday night. "And then a couple of months later I changed my mind and I was like, 'Yeah, I think I want to play.' And here I am."

Allmandinger, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker and outside hitter, has become an important piece of the puzzle for the seventh-ranked Eagles with her size, power and blocks.

Kirkwood raised its record to 21-2 Tuesday with a 25-19, 25-19, 25-23 victory over Marshalltown at Johnson Hall with another typically balanced attack.

Allmandinger contributed five kills, along with her court presence. "It's great to have size on that right side," said Williams.

Williams figured "no" meant "no" when Allmandinger turned her down last winter, but the coach kept Allmandinger's number in her cell phone anyway.

"And so I was home doing yard work one day and I had just lost a recruit," Williams said, "and all of a sudden I get this text from Megan and I was like, 'That's OK. I got the one I wanted.'"

Allmandinger lost interest in volleyball during her one semester at Grand View in Des Moines, saying it was not a good fit for her.

"I was kind of over playing, I guess you could say," she remarked. "But I realized how much I really missed it and decided to come back.

"I figured a new team, a new school, it would just get it going again. I really enjoy it. I like it a lot.

"It's awesome," said Allmandinger. "I'm really glad. I'm having a lot of fun."

Kirkwood played an up-and-down match against Marshalltown (7-13), with good streaks combined with a few choppy moments. "It was our own errors that let them keep getting back in each set," said Williams. "It was just errors."

The Eagles had too much size and talent for the visitors, however.

Heather Poula finished with 10 kills and 16 digs. Erin Wenzel had eight kills. Halle Lueck contributed 33 assists and 12 digs. Nicole Snyder had 11 digs and Becca Bell contributed four blocks.