Kansas City Kansas Community College’s home volleyball game against Allen County Wednesday night will have a special “ring” to it.
Members of the 2014 Lady Blue Devil team will receive rings in recognition of one of the best seasons in KCKCC history. The rings will be presented between the second and third sets of the KCKCC-Allen County Jayhawk Conference match that tips off at 6:30 p.m.
Drawing the host team in the NJCAA Division II national tournament in Glendale, Ariz., the 2014 Blue Devils lost in the opening round to a Glendale team that would go on to win the national championship. Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils rebounded with three straight wins to win the consolation bracket and finish ninth overall, the second highest finish in college history behind the 2012 team which finished sixth in the NJCAA national tournament with a 32-8 record.
In addition, KCKCC won the 2014 District N championship and finished second in the Jayhawk Conference, the highest conference finish ever to earn head coach Mary Bruno Jayhawk Co-Coach of the Year. Record-wise, the Blue Devils finished 32-10 playing arguably one of the nation’s toughest schedules – eight of the 15 teams in the national tournament including three of the four teams in the championship semifinals along with five Division I powers including No. 1 Iowa Western.
“It proved we could play with the very best,” Bruno said.
Six Lady Blue Devils earned post-season honors including KCKCC’s first ever first team All-American in Blair Russell and the first second team All-American in Lily Thornburg. They were joined on the All-District N and All-Jayhawk Conference first team by Andrea Aparaicio and Kailee Dudley and Jasdel Gonzalez and Janelie Irizarry on the All-District second team.
The Blue Devils (14-9) will be trying to snap a four-match losing streak against Allen County after being swept in the Johnson County Volleyball Challenge Friday and Saturday. Three of the losses were to teams ranked sixth or higher in the national rankings. No. 4 Kirkwood (Iowa) edged the Blue Devils 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 in the tourney opener Friday and No. 6 Central Nebraska rallied for a 3-2 win, taking a 25-15, 25-17, 15-9 decision after KCKCC had won the first two sets, 25-19, 25-23.
In Saturday play, KCKCC took a 25-20 opening win over North Platte only to drop the next three sets 25-22, 26-24, 26-24. Iowa Western, the No. 2 ranked team in Division I, then showed its might with a 25-9, 25-10, 25-16 sweep.
