KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It would have been easy, perhaps even tempting, to count out the Allen Community College volleyball team this season.
With new head coach Maria Aikins coming on board just weeks before the start of school, the Red Devils struggled in the early going, dropping four of their first five matches. A lopsided loss to Johnson County on Sept. 13 put Allen at 3-6, and in need of some confidence.
“The first two weeks were really tough on us,” Aikins said. “From the get-go, when you bring in a new coach to a team whose recruits came from another coach, you don’t know to expect. We were walking in wondering what we have to work with. We were constantly changing things to see what worked.”
But amid those growing pains, Allen soon found its groove. The Red Devils rattled off streaks of three and five straight matches to set the tone for conference play.
And that’s where things really got fun.
Allen steamrolled down the stretch, winning six straight and 16 of its last 19, capped by Wednesday’s 3-1 romp over Kansas City, Kan., in the first round of the Plains A District Tournament.
The Red Devils won the first two sets against KCKCC in come-from-behind fashion, scoring the final eight points after trailing 20-17 to win 25-20 in the opener, and then putting together a 6-0 run after trailing 20-17 in the second, to win 25-23.
Then, after the Blue Devils rebounded to win the third set, 25-19, Allen slammed the door for good with a 25-17 win to take home the match.
The victory extends ACC’s magical season, including one of its best-ever regular season marks with a playoff victory in the first time in recent memory.
“Kudos to the players,” Aikins said. “We played some really tough competition early on, and we’re never gong to shy away from tough competition. That’s how you get better.”
WEDNESDAY’S action turned in Allen’s favor late in the first set.
Trailing 20-17, the Red Devils rattled off eight straight points to claim the win, including the final salvo, a kill from Nadia Gallegos.
Then, after KCKCC opened the second set on a quick 4-0 run, Allen responded with a 9-2 spurt, including three straight service aces from Katy Harris.
The Blue Devils looked to retake the upper hand, pulling ahead 20-17 for the second set in a row, only to see Allen respond with another body blow. Kills from Abby Altic and Gallegos were part of six unanswered points from the Red Devils to take a 23-20 lead.
The Blue Devils made things interesting over the final few points, but Gallegos ended the second set in a row with a kill to cap the 25-23 victory.
There was little suspense in the third set. Kansas City jumped ahead 15-5 and never looked back in a 25-19 romp, but Allen didn’t flinch.
Back-to-back kills from Veronica Agostini put ACC ahead for good. Gallegos stretched ACC’s lead to 21-13.
