The Cavaliers volleyball team enters the 2023 season with a new head coach, three returning players and 10 new athletes. After several changes over the past few seasons, the team is adapting well to the new level of intensity brought by Coach White.
“When building a new culture in a program, athletes have to understand that desire, vision, and focus are the keys to move us forward,” Coach White said. “For our team this year and in years to come, we must play, practice, and live with purpose. We simply can’t just exist as athletes. We have to have a purpose in every move we make, and that takes discipline.” Coach White--who was previously a graduate assistant at Olivet Nazarene University--holds a lot of excitement and expectation for the team, and is ready to push her athletes to the best they can be.
The Kankakee Community College baseball team took a 13-7 victory over Prairie State College on Wednesday, powered by a team effort that saw the runs shared between six players.
Tyler Thompson led the Cavaliers’ effort offensively, driving in four runs on three hits. After doubling in the first inning to score one run, Thompson had an inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning, scoring three runs to confirm the Cavaliers’ win.
The Pioneers started the game off strong in the first inning, putting the Cavs at an early 3-0 deficit. They wouldn’t lead the game for long, though, as Jaeden Harris hit into a fielder’s choice to help the Cavs tie the game at three by the bottom of the fourth.
After Prairie State scored just one run in the fifth, KCC took the 5-4 lead when Curtis McKay doubled and Nathan King grounded out, each scoring a run.
The Pioneers managed the lead in the sixth, but the Cavaliers, led by a single from Amarion Paxton that drove in two runs, responded with five runs on four hits to take a 10-6 lead that they wouldn’t lose.
Thompson’s home run in the seventh inning put the Cavaliers ahead 13-7 to round out KCC’s scoring.
Ben Carlile secured the win for the Cavs from the mound, allowing one hit and zero runs over the first inning and the beginning of the second, striking out one and walking none. Aidan Nugent also assisted the Cavs, surrendering just six hits and five runs (four earned) over five innings, striking out eight and walking two.
Stat Book
The Cavaliers moved their record to 22-11 this season, continuing their success this month, as they have won five of six games.
The Lady Cavaliers shut out NJCAA Region IV opponent Moraine Valley CC Cyclones in double-header action Thursday afternoon 14-0 and 12-0 to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Game 1
In the first game, Takoda Morris drove in six runs on two hits to lead KCC to victory on the offensive. She doubled in both the first and fourth innings, scoring three runs each time.
The Lady Cavaliers got out to a strong start in the bottom of the first inning, as four players combined to give KCC a 7-0 lead. Marguerite Brown singled to score one run, Brynlee Wright had a double and scored one run, and Jaelyn Wiers singled to score one run.
The score remained unchanged until the fourth inning, when the Lady Cavaliers doubled their score, pushing their 7-0 lead to a 14-0 lead with eight hits. Tori Budde scored a run, Wright tripled to add another run, Wiers doubled and scored a run, and Estelle Audette singled to score a run.
KCC pitcher Katie Newberry played a big part in the first victory, allowing one hit and zero runs in five innings. She struck out nine and walked two Cyclones.
Game 2
In the second game, pitcher Jaelyn Latimer took the mound, quickly striking out two batters to hold the Cyclones to one base and no runs. Abby Lorenz singled and Wiers scored, before Anna Faber homered on a line drive to left field. KCC took the early 4-0 lead.
The Lady Cavaliers continued their dominance in the bottom of the third inning. Lauren Waller singled, Kaylynn Crotz tripled, and Wiers doubled, each scoring one run.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lady Cavaliers scored five runs on seven hits. Lorenz and Faber both doubled, scoring a run apiece. Waller, Wiers, and Dylan Rambally all added a single and a run each, finishing the Lady Cavaliers’ scoring in their 12-0 victory.
KCC held the Cyclones to no runs again in the second game, as Latimer did not allow any hits or runs over two innings. She struck out three and walked one.
Stats
The Lady Cavaliers improved to 17-2-1 this season and will travel to take on the Prairie State College Pioneers in another double-header Friday afternoon at 3pm and 5pm.
The Kankakee Community College Cavaliers used a strong first inning to defeat the Morton College Panthers 22-7 Tuesday afternoon in NJCAA Region IV play.
After the Cavaliers held the Panthers to a scoreless first inning, Cole Freeman hit a single to give the Cavaliers a strong start in the bottom of the first inning. Curtis McKay walked to load the bases for KCC early in the inning, before a double from Tyler Thompson brought Freeman and McKay home to put the Cavaliers up 2-0.
Amarion Paxton matched the double to give KCC a 4-point lead, before coming home to make the score 5-0. Dylan Coty hit a triple to bring Nate King and Freeman home, before McKay completed the play with a single that put KCC up 9-0.
After two outs, the Panthers managed to load the bases before KCC pitcher Kaleb Waller struck out a final Morton batter to carry the Cavs’ nine-point lead into the bottom of the second inning.
Nolan McCrossin hit a single to kick the second inning off for the Cavs. Amarion Paxton and Chris Suchowski both walked to load the bases. McCrossin scored; and Paxton and Suchoski made it home on a double from Freeman to put the Cavaliers ahead 12-0 to close out the second.
Morton responded with two runs in the third inning, but it would not be enough to narrow KCC’s lead.
McKay walked to first and stole second, before Thompson hit a single to push McKay to third. Morton struck out two KCC players in one play, but KCC responded by loading the bases and pushing McCrossin home again. Gavin Noreus recorded a single and the Cavs were up by thirteen. King scored to end the inning by expanding the lead to 16-2.
The Panthers did not score in the fourth, as Waller struck out two batters back-to-back and allowed just three bases before securing a third out. After an early out, KCC’s Thompson hit a double and McCrossin had a single to push the score to 17-2.
In the fifth inning, the Cavaliers sent freshman pitcher JJ Calmes to the mound. Morton hit a double, before three batters in a row found themselves out. The score remained unchanged as KCC entered the bottom of the fifth.
King and Noreus each had a single, and Freeman walked to load the bases without any outs immediately into the inning. Coty walked to bring King home, before McKay had a home run that put the Cavaliers up 22-2. KCC ended the inning with a twenty-point lead.
Calmes struck out two batters in the top of sixth, leading the Cavaliers in holding a Morton effort to one run. Noreus had a double and advanced to third after tagging up, but three outs saw the Cavaliers’ first scoreless inning.
The Panthers attempted a comeback in the seventh inning, recording five more runs to close the Cavaliers’ lead to 22-7. It would not be enough to close the large deficit and KCC took the victory.
Stat Book
The Cavaliers improved to 8-9-1 this season and will take on Black Hawk College on the road Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm CST.
King had 3 runs and a walk. Paxton had 3 runs, 3 RBI and a walk. McCrossin added 3 runs, an RBI, and a walk. Coty had 3 runs, 3 RBI and a walk. McKay had 2 runs, 5 RBI (including a home run) and a walk. Thompson had 2 runs and 2 RBI. Freeman recorded 2 runs, 2 RBI and a walk. Suchoski had 2 runs, an RBI, and a walk. Noreus rounded out the scoring for KCC with a run and 2 RBI.
The Kankakee Community College Cavaliers fell to the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm 6-5 in seven innings Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Storm started the game strong with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and another three in the bottom of the second, which gave them an early 6-point lead.
In the third, the Cavaliers began their response when Dylan Coty scored on an error. Southwestern was unable to score in the bottom of the inning, as KCC’s Peyton Niksch struck out two batters and a third was groundout.
After trailing 6-1 going into the fourth inning, KCC’s Cole Freeman and Curtis McKay had back-to-back runs to narrow the deficit to three runs. Tyler Thompson quickly followed the pair of runs with his own before Amarion Paxton scored to round out the Cavs’ quick response.
The Cavaliers turned on the defensive effort in the bottom of the fifth, as pitcher Hunter Niksch quickly struck out two consecutive Blue Storm batters. Niksch allowed one base before outing a third batter. KCC trailed 6-5 following the powerful inning.
Neither team scored in the sixth and seventh innings, and the Cavaliers came up just one run short, falling 6-5.
The Cavaliers are 3-3-1 early in the season and will continue their road trek when they play NJCAA DI #11 John A. Logan at 2pm Sunday.
The Lady Cavaliers fell to the Oakton Community College Owls 111-63 Thursday night in the Region IV Quarterfinals, ending the Lady Cavs’ 2023-24 season.
The Owls opened the first quarter with 6 quick points, before Aniyah Moody scored a free throw to put KCC on the scoreboard. Amaria Pender scored on a steal by Myllena De Sousa to make the score 6-3.
The Lady Cavs pushed through heavy pressure to score seven more points in the quarter, including four free throws from Jazmyn Smith, a free throw from Pender, and a basket by Valorie Dagg. KCC trailed 22-10 going into the second quarter.
Oakton’s effort increased in the second quarter, but the Lady Cavaliers teamed up and fought for another twelve points – a basket and two free throws from Smith, two points from Zipporah Johnson, a three-pointer from De Sousa, and three free throws by Pender.
The Lady Cavaliers trailed 51-22 going into the second half.
KCC held on to the Owls in the third quarter, outscoring them by one point. Smith had two points and Dagg sunk a three-pointer to match Oakton’s scoring immediately after the half. Pender matched the Owls’ response with seven points, making the score 64-35.
Jazmyn Smith scored an and-one and Dagg had a three-pointer to narrow the deficit. Oakton had six points, but the Lady Cavaliers quickly responded with nine, a three-pointer each from Brianna Sneed and Dagg, and a three-point play from Moody.
KCC matched Oakton’s scoring for the rest of the quarter to start the final quarter 81-53.
Pender kickstarted the Cavs’ ten points in the fourth with two free throws moments into the quarter. Johnson added two points, Tinsley Freeman had a three-pointer and Smith sank a free throw to score the Cavs’ final points.
Oakton powered their way past the Cavaliers to take the win 111-63.
The Lady Cavaliers ended their season with a 14-17 record.
Stats
Pender and Smith led the Lady Cavaliers with 16 points each. Dagg had 11 points. Moody added 6 points. Johnson had 4 points. De Sousa, Sneed, and Freeman all added 3 points apiece.
The Cavaliers fell to the Sauk Valley Community College Skyhawks 88-77 in NJCAA Region IV play Thursday night.
In the first quarter, the Cavaliers had an early basket from Khylan McKennie to give them a 2-0 lead. The Skyhawks responded with seven points, but Noah Mason put a stop to the scoring with a basket, which was quickly followed by points from Rashad Smith and Dwain Nash to briefly give KCC the lead.
After three points from Sauk Valley, Quesim Anderson stole the ball and scored two free throws. Nash added two more free throws and Mason had another basket to put the Cavaliers up 14-10, giving them their biggest lead of the first quarter.
The Skyhawks outscored the Cavaliers by twelve points late in the second quarter, giving them a 42-29 lead by the end of the first half.
Despite defensive pressure from the Skyhawks following halftime, KCC used two three-pointers from Mason, an old-fashioned three-point play from McKennie, and a free throw from Lucas Burton to close the deficit to eleven points.
KCC hung with the Skyhawks for the remainder of the game, but it would not be enough to close the gap. After McKennie tipped in the final basket of the game, the Cavs closed out the game 88-77.
The Cavaliers’ record is 18-11 and they will travel to play in the NJCAA Region IV Quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Stats
McKennie led the Cavaliers’ scoring with 19 points, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block. Woods added a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Mason also had 15 points (3 3-pointers), 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Smith had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Burton added 9 points, 5 rebounds, a steal and a block. Nash had four points and two assists. Anderson and Jaden Walls completed KCC’s scoring with 3 and 2 points, respectively.
The Cavaliers defeated Wright College 85-45 in NJCAA Division I Region IV play Thursday night, extending their winning streak to three games.
In the first half, the Cavaliers used a strong offensive effort to put plenty of space between KCC and Wright College, highlighting several of their six sophomores on Sophomore Night in the process.
Khylan McKennie and Chavez Woods kicked off the Cavs’ scoring with a basket apiece to give KCC an early 4-0 lead. The Rams managed two points before Lucas Burton scored twice from the free throw line and McKennie had four quick points, including a big steal and dunk to put the Cavs up 10-2. Woods sank a three-pointer to put KCC up by 11 points.
Wright College scored two baskets before KCC had a dramatic run, resulting in 21 uninterrupted points, including a three-pointer each for Quesim Anderson and Woods.
The Rams stuck with the Cavaliers for the remainder of the half, but KCC’s 36-8 lead proved too big to overcome and KCC finished the first half leading 44-20.
The Rams scored first in the second half, but KCC’s Burton and Anderson responded with three and two points, respectively. Despite pressure from Wright College that saw the Rams narrow KCC’s lead to 51-29, the Cavaliers scored seven consecutive points, including a classic three-point play from Burton and a basket from Woods.
Anderson scored two points on a coast-to-coast steal, followed by two free throws from McKennie, to put the Cavaliers up 62-31. The Rams scored four points, but a basket each from Burton and Jaden Walls, coupled with a three-point shot from Noah Mason, put a quick stop to their momentum. The Cavaliers were up 79-36, before Wright College put up five points.
KCC held onto their lead, taking the 85-45 win.
The Cavaliers improved to 17-10 and will play Malcolm X College on the road Saturday at 3pm.
Stats
All six sophomores saw the scoreboard, with Burton leading the Cavaliers with 18 points. Rashad Smith added 17 points. McKennie and Woods added 14 points apiece. Anderson had 9 points. Mason and Dwain Nash had six and five points, respectively. Jaden Walls rounded out the Cavaliers scoring with two points.
Bailey White is entering her first year as head women’s volleyball coach for the Cavaliers. She is a graduate of Resurrection College Prep High School in Chicago, where she helped lead the 2016-2017 team to a regional title, the 14th in school history. White was ranked in the top 15 for digs and serving aces in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. White then played one year at Oral Roberts University (NCAA Div. I) and earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising.
Before KCC, Coach White was a graduate assistant at Olivet Nazarene University for men’s and women’s volleyball. During the year she was at Olivet, the team had two defensive players of the week in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and two Second Team All-Conference athletes. In that time, the men’s program earned an 11-2 record and was ranked 23rd in the nation.
White also serves as KCC’s athletic retention success advisor, and is excited to help athletes excel in the classroom. She has a passion for the game, and is thrilled to be at KCC. White lives in Bourbonnais, and in her free time loves working out and cooking with her boyfriend.