Early upset ignites Kennedy to a 5-0 day at the Michelle Starcevich Invitational

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kaycee Cory called it “a staple win.”

“That’s what (Coach) Doug (Palmer) said,” Cory said.

“Staple?” Or “statement?” It doesn’t really matter. Either apply.

You could say Cedar Rapids Kennedy saved its best for first at the Michelle Starcevich Invitational volleyball tournament Saturday at Prairie High School.

The Cougars snapped a 26-match win streak by Class 4A top-ranked Clear Creek Amana in the first of five rounds of the round-robin event. Then they survived some shaky moments to win their next four matches and capture the tournament championship.

“It’s something I thought about last night,” Kennedy’s Addy Phillips said. “We wanted to come in right away and make a statement. We knew it would be a big challenge.”

Kennedy (20-13) was up to it, prevailing by a 21-19, 21-19 count.

Saturday’s outcome ought to be enough to put the Cougars back into the 5A top-15 in time for the release of regional pairings, expected to be revealed late next week.

This has been a season of progress for the Cougars, who were 15-24 last season. Best thing is, most of the roster is made of juniors.

  Buy Photo

“It’s a huge difference from last year,” Phillips said. “I’m excited to see what we can be as seniors.”

Entering Saturday, Phillips was the Cougars’ leading hitter (2.22 kills per set, .295 kill efficiency). Cory is third on the team in kills, second in assists.

Three of Kennedy’s last four matches went the full three sets — against Benton Community, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Washington.

Each time, the Cougars got the job done in Game 3.

“We had some highs and some lows,” Cory said, and that “high” was about as high as it could be.

That early-morning setback certainly jolted Clear Creek Amana awake on homecoming week. The Clippers (31-2) swept their next four matches convincingly.

“We made a lot of errors (against Kennedy). We didn’t have that next-point mentality,” CCA Coach Jackie Clubb said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best game, and Kennedy played well, very well.

“People’s motivation is going to be to beat us, and it should be.”

Prairie went 3-2 Saturday for third place, followed by Benton (2-3), Washington (1-4) and Muscatine (0-5).

Washington’s Round 2 win over Muscatine was its second of the season.

Michelle Starcevich Invitational

At C.R. Prairie

Teams — 1. C.R. Kennedy 5-0, 2. Clear Creek Amana 4-1, 3. C.R. Prairie 3-2, 4. Benton Community 2-3, 5. C.R. Washington 1-4, 6. Muscatine 0-5.

Round 1

Benton Community def. Muscatine, 21-17, 21-11

C.R. Kennedy def. Clear Creek Amana, 21-19, 21-19

C.R. Prairie def. C.R. Washington, 21-9, 21-8

Round 2

C.R. Kennedy def. Benton Community, 21-14, 16-21, 15-8

C.R. Washington def. Muscatine, 15-21, 22-20, 15-11

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Prairie, 21-8, 21-17

Round 3

Benton Community def. C.R. Washington, 19-21, 21-12, 15-11

C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Prairie, 21-16, 19-21, 15-12

Clear Creek Amana def. Muscatine, 21-8, 21-8

Round 4

C.R. Kennedy def. Muscatine, 21-15, 21-18

C.R. Prairie def. Benton Community, 21-16, 12-21, 15-11

Clear Creek Amana def. C.R. Washington, 21-10, 21-9

Round 5

C.R. Kennedy def. C.R. Washington, 19-21, 21-13, 15-7

C.R. Prairie def. Muscatine, 21-10, 19-21, 15-13

Clear Creek Amana def. Benton Community, 21-11, 21-7

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com