A large crowd packed inside Hodges Fieldhouse was greeted to another impressive performance by the top-ranked Iowa Central volleyball team.
The Tritons swept No. 6 Kirkwood here Wednesday night, moving one step closer to a fourth consecutive ICCAC regular season title.
Scores were 25-17, 25-23 and 25-23.
Fans flocked to the gym for a special 'Blue Out' evening.
"It was a great atmosphere," Iowa Central head coach Sara Horn said. "We really appreciate that kind of support from our fans. They were loud and helped will our team to victory. We'll definitely be paying that support back to all the teams that came out."
Angel Baylark and Katilyn Steffes each had 13 kills, Haley Alharithy added nine with six block assists, and Alesha Johnson recorded 34 assists.
Iowa Central (29-0 overall, 6-0 in league) has now won 31 consecutive matches dating back to the spring when they earned a third place finish at nationals. The Tritons have swept each of the past 11 opponents they have faced, including four ranked since this past Friday.
On the year, Iowa Central is a perfect 11-0 against teams ranked in the Top-14, adding Kirkwood (19-8, 5-1) to the list.
Baylark finished off the first set with back-to-back kills, picking up four. Steffes had five and Alharithy three blocks to get the night started.
"Angel is just an incredible player," Horn said. "There really isn't anyone else like her on the court. Even when she isn't getting kills, we tell her to stay active because just her presence on the court can bother the opposing team.
"Haley had a funeral for her grandpa earlier in the day, so we really didn't know what to expect from her. But she came and locked in and just played a great match. She is just so consistent and we can always rely on her for a big point when we need it."
In the second, Iowa Central battled back, overcoming a slim deficit as Steffes knocked in an ace to win it. In the third, the Tritons closed the door with a 5-2 rally to finish off Kirkwood.
Jori Hajek added seven kills and 18 digs, Baylyn Johnson had 24 digs and Alesha Johnson 13. Bailey Dugan added nine digs, as did Steffes, with Baylark picking up three block assists.
"This was just a really good team win," Horn said. "Kirkwood is always solid and this team is no exception. They play great defense and make you work for every point."
Prior to the start, Alesha Johnson was honored for reaching 3,000 career assists.
The Tritons have two league matches left before regionals, at both Southeastern and North Iowa Area.
Iowa Central heads to Lee's Summit, Missouri this Friday for a pair of matches against Metropolitan and St. Mary's JV.
-By Dana Becker