Three ICCAC teams competed last week at the Division I and Division II NJCAA National Volleyball Championships.
Representing Division I, Iowa Western finished in third place in Division I National Tournament after defeating Seward County 3-1 in the third-place match last Saturday. The Reivers lost their first set, then fired off three straight wins for the match win. After being defeated by Seward County (Kan.) back on Sept. 22, they got their revenge in the final match of the year. In their 13th straight trip to the National Tournament, this Reiver team was one of the best in their rich tradition of great volleyball. They finished with the third-best record in school history at 38-4, finishing just behind their 2006 National Championship team (60-4), and the 2016 Runner-up team (37-5). Iowa Western will look to build off this seasons momentum and get back to the National Tournament next year.
The Reivers were two points from reaching the championship match. In their semifinal game against Miami Dade (Fla.), Iowa Western pushed top-seeded Miami Dade to fives sets, only narrowly falling 15-13 to be eliminated from championship contention.
In West Virginia at the Division II Tournament, Kirkwood (34-10) ended their season with a fourth-place finish. The Eagles lost a close match to Johnson County (Kan.) in fives sets in the third-place game. Kirkwood lost the first two sets and fired back with two straight wins before falling in the fifth and final set 15-10. Before their tournament concluded, Kirkwood won their first two matches to advance to the national semifinals and met top-seeded Coffeyville (Kan.). The Ravens won 3-0 over Kirkwood on their way to a back-to-back Division II title.
The fourth-place finish Is the best since Kirkwood won the National Title in 2003. Speaking to the strength of the ICCAC volleyball league, Kirkwood finished fifth in the conference but ended the season with a fourth-place finish at the National Tournament.
This Kirkwood team could return eight freshmen for next season and hopes to make another post-season run.
Northeast, also in West Virginia, closed their season out with a seventh-place finish at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The Hawks ended their season with a win over Lincoln Land (Ill.), 3-1 in the seventh-place game, winning three straight sets after dropping their first one. They started their run in the National Tournament with a win over NDSCS (N.D.) in five sets during first round play but lost to No. 1 seeded and eventual champion, Coffeyville (3-0) in the second match. The Hawks also fell to match to South Mountain (Ariz.) in their pursuit of finishing in fifth place.
Northeast finished the year with a record of 21-15. Northeast loses only five sophomores to graduation and will return seven freshmen for next season with National Tournament experience in 2019.