Cowley is among four KJCCC teams selected for the NJCAA D2 Volleyball National Tournament
In addition to automatic berths being secured by Kansas City Kansas Community College and Johnson County Community College, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference had two teams, Cowley College and Neosho County, secure at-large berths to the 2025 NJCAA Division 2 Volleyball National Tournament, giving the conference four total teams as part of the 20-team field that remain in the hunt for a National Championship beginning next Wednesday, November 19th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Tigers and Panthers were rewarded for their strong metrics throughout the regular season to snag elusive bids. Other teams to receive at-large berths into the National Tournament include Gulf Coast State College and Pensacola State College, both out of Florida and NJCAA Region 8.
Winner of the NJCAA Plains District A Championship, Kansas City, Kansas, earned the highest seed out of the four KJCCC teams by receiving the number four overall seed, as the Blue Devils will await the winner of an opening round matchup between the number 13 seed Grand Rapids Community College and the number 20 seed Pellissippi State (TN). The Blue Devils will kick off their National Tournament at 5:30 PM inside the Alliant Energy PowerHouse following a fourth-place finish last season after receiving an at-large berth into the National Tournament.
Also earning an automatic bid by way of winning the NJCAA Plains District B Championship, Johnson County Community College received the number five seed and will take on at-large recipient and number 12 seed Pensacola State in their opening round at 1 PM next Wednesday afternoon. The Cavaliers and Lady Pirates met during the opening weekend of the season on August 23rd in Rockford, Illinois, with Pensacola State coming away with a 3-0 victory after JCCC earned a 3-0 win over PSC during the 2024 season. If Johnson County and KCKCC were to win their first matches of the tournament on Wednesday, the two teams would face off in the quarterfinal round on Thursday evening.
The highest-seeded at-large team, two-time defending National Champion Cowley College, was given the number six seed after falling in five sets to Johnson County in the Plains District B Championship match. It will see its 2025 National Tournament begin with a 3:30 PM first serve against the number 11 seed, Madison College (WI). The Wolves were Midwest District A Champions and hold a 33-4 overall record, with losses to Highland (KS), Iowa Central, Parkland, and Danville Area Community College. Cowley faced off against Madison last season in a tournament hosted by Iowa Central, earning a 3-0 win over the Wolves in the only previous matchup between the teams, dating back to 2011.
Making their first appearance in the National Tournament since 2020, Neosho County earned the final at-large berth and is the 14th seed with a 22-11 overall record. The Panthers faced nine of their regular-season matches against teams that qualified for the 2025 National Tournament and will take on the number 19 seed, St. Clair County Community College, in the opening round of the tournament at 11 AM on Wednesday morning. If NCCC were to win their opening-round match on Wednesday, the Panthers would then play a second match on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Parkland Community College.
Fans who want to keep up with all four KJCCC teams in action at the NJCAA D2 Volleyball National Tournament are encouraged to check out the conference's tournament central website, which can be accessed here: KJCCC Volleyball National Tournament Central. Included are links to live video for all matches, live statistics for individual matches played by KJCCC teams, and a daily schedule featuring only KJCCC teams in the NJCAA D2 Volleyball National Tournament.