Kirkwood Volleyball Clinches Victory Over Oakville

The volleyball team knew they had to come out strong against Oakville Tuesday night.

The Tigers were out for revenge after the Pioneers defeated them Saturday, knocking them out of their home tournament.

“We knew as soon as Saturday’s game was over, they were going to be ready for us,” said Kirkwood Coach Julie Goodman. “We came out with a different game plan, something new.”

Kirkwood’s defense was unstoppable in the first game as they took the Tigers by eight, 25-17.  At one point, Oakville was behind by 10 points.

That same defense was all but absent in the second game as Kirkwood let several balls hit the floor. The Pioneers also suffered from missed serves, tallying seven for the night.

“In the second game, we lost communication and our game plan,” Goodman said.

Four-year varsity player Jordan Berry had another standout game with 16 kills for the night.

“We moved her to outside hitter this year because of her control and knowledge of the game,” Goodman said. “That’s worked really well for us.”

The third game, the two teams battled point-for-point, with Oakville errors causing the final score to run 27-25 Kirkwood.

“We can’t finish,” said Oakville coach Morgan Lucas. “We had the opportunity to swing and put the ball away and we just can’t finish.”

Kirkwood volleyball now sets its sights on Webster Grove, as they take on the Statesmen at home Thursday at 5 p.m.