Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Eagles finish 4th at national volleyball

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team finished fourth at the NJCAA Division II national tournament Saturday at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia.

The Eagles lost a squeaker to Johnson County, 3-2, to end their season with a 34-10 record.

The fourth-place showing is the best for Kirkwood since winning the national title in 2003.

Kirkwood finished fifth in their conference this season, then finished fourth in the national tournament.

Kirkwood made a spirited rally after losing the first two sets. The Eagles claimed the third and fourth sets, but Johnson County claimed  the fifth set for the third-place trophy.

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KCC volleyball eyes 3rd in nation

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team lost in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Friday and will play for third place Saturday afternoon.

Kirkwood (34-9) will meet Johnson County (29-8) at 2 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia.

The Eagles were swept by Coffeyville in the semifinals, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17, in the semifinals. Coffeyville will face Parkland for the championship Saturday afternoon.

Coffeyville is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Parkland is No. 2, Johnson County is No. 3 and Kirkwood is No. 5. The Eagles defeated No. 4 South Mountain, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.

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Kirkwood women iron out some bugs

The Kirkwood Eagles have been a mystery during the early part of the women's basketball season.

Normally a high-powered outfit, they scored only 30 points in their first game of the year. Three games later, they lost by 45 points and saw their record fall to 1-and-3.

It's hardly what you expect from Kirkwood, which won the national title in 2017 and finished second last year, but there were signs of hope Friday night at Johnson Hall.

The Eagles blitzed McCook Community College of Nebraska, 97-55, in their home opener in the first round of the Kirkwood Classic.

"It's a step," said KCC Coach Kim Muhl. "It's not a plunge, but it's a step."

Muhl was not happy with his club's energy, effort and execution during the 1-and-3 start, but he saw signs of life against McCook.

"The bottom line is how hard they want to play," he said. "You either get it done or you won't play here very long.

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KCC volleyball makes national semifinals

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team won both of its matches at the NJCAA Division II national tournament Thursday and will be playing in the semifinals Friday night.

Kirkwood (34-8) will face top-seeded Coffeyville (38-3) Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the right to play for the national title on Saturday.

The Eagles, seeded No. 5 in the tournament, rolled by Carl Sandburg, 25-14, 25-18, 25-13, in their first match Thursday at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia.

Kirkwood then knocked off No. 4 South Mountain in a five-set thriller, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 16-25, 15-13, in the quarterfinals with a clutch performance in the fifth and final set.

Alexa Aldrich-Ingram collected 18 kills and five blocks in the 3-0 victory over Carl Sandburg. Haleigh Durnin had 11 kills, Sami Johnson six, Taylor Carey six, Abbi Tunis five and Lauren Keane three.

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Pickens finds new home at Kirkwood

Allante Pickens never planned to become a scientist when he enrolled at Missouri University of Science and Technology last year, but he's obviously a smart guy.

"That was the only scholarship offer I had," he said Wednesday night. "I took the opportunity and I took advantage of it."

Now Pickens is taking advantage of a new opportunity at Kirkwood Community College.

Pickens scored 18 points and steered the fifth-ranked Eagles to an 84-71 victory over Marshalltown Community College in a non-conference game at Johnson Hall.

Pickens averaged 11.1 points at Missouri Science and Technology as a freshman, but the Miners struggled through a 3-23 campaign and he decided to transfer.

Kirkwood recruited him in high school in Chicago, so he contacted KCC Coach Bryan Petersen about the possibility of joining the Eagles. Kirkwood needed a new point guard and Pickens needed a new school.

"This is a great program," said Pickens, who plays a lot bigger than his listed size of 5-foot-8. "I'm having fun. It's the most fun I've had in a long time. It's going to be a great year."

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3 Eagles sign with next schools

Three members of the Kirkwood men's basketball team signed their national letters-of-intent Wednesday with four-year colleges.

Doug Wilson signed with South Dakota State, Kyle Arrington signed with Western Illinois and Connor Kasperbauer signed with Truman State. South Dakota State and Western Illinois are NCAA Division I schools, while Truman State is an NCAA Division II college.

Wilson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Des Moines, was an All-American for Kirkwood last season as a freshman when he led the nation in field-goal percentage. He's averaging 19.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks this season.

Arrington, a 6-10 center from Council Bluffs, has been plagued by injuries this season. He recovered from a preseason knee injury to begin the year in uniform, but now has a fractured bone in his ankle and will be sidelined for about four more weeks. He's averaging 5 points and 5.3 rebounds in three games.

"Doug and Kyle trusted the process," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen. "They are two of our guys that stuck around and trusted it and they got rewarded. That was my message to them and the rest of the team."

Kasperbauer, a 6-4 guard from Ankeny, was red-shirted last season at Truman State and will be returning there next season after one year with the Eagles. He's averaging 15.8 points for Kirkwood and scored 30 points against Morton College on Saturday, with eight 3-pointers.

KCC volleyball gets No. 5 seed for nationals

The Kirkwood women's volleyball team has been seeded No. 5 for the NJCAA Division II national tournament that will be played this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Charleston, W.Va.

The Eagles (32-8) will face Carl Sandburg (26-17) in the opening round of the 16-team tournament on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center. Carl Sandburg is the 12th seed.

Kirkwood swept Carl Sandburg, 25-15, 27-25, 25-17, in their only meeting this season at the Iowa Central Invitational in Fort Dodge Oct. 13.

Coffeyville drew the No. 1 seed for the tournament and Parkland got the No. 2 seed.

Alexa Aldrich-Ingram of Kirkwood ranks third in the nation with 632 kills. She was named the district MVP and the Player of the Year in the ICCAC conference this season.

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Kasperbauer nets 30 as Eagles roll

CICERO, Ill. - Connor Kasperbauer poured in eight 3-pointers and scored 30 points Saturday afternoon as the Kirkwood Eagles drilled Morton College, 96-64, in a non-conference men's basketball game.

Kasperbauer, a 6-foot-4 guard, played high school basketball at Ankeny Centennial and was red-shirted last season as a true freshman at Truman State University.

Doug Wilson, an All-American for Kirkwood last season, scored 17 points and snared 12 rebounds. Brady Sartorius, a freshman guard from Mount Pleasant, hit four 3-pointers and netted 16 points for the Eagles.

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Illinois Central drills No. 2 Eagles

EAST PEORIA, Ill. - The Kirkwood women's basketball team has gotten off to a rough start this season.

The Eagles were drilled by seventh-ranked Illinois Central, 94-49, in the second round of the Illinois Central Classic Saturday afternoon.

Kirkwood were ranked No. 2 in the country in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll after finishing second in the national tournament last year, but the Eagles have a 1-3 record with three lopsided losses.

Illinois Central outscored the Eagles, 52-18, in the second half after leading 42-31 at intermission.

Jheda Kennedy led Kirkwood with nine points. The Eagles shot 16 for 53 from the floor for 30.2 percent.

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