News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2009

VOLLEYBALL COMETS DROP PAIR LAST WEEK

The Cottey College Comets put up a fight against volleyball powerhouse Longview Community College on Wednesday, but in the end, the visitors were able to complete a three-game sweep 17-25, 14-25, and 10-25. On Friday, the Comets had to face another tall team with a deep bench and lost to Kansas City Kansas Community College. The visitors defeated the Comets 20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 13-25.

The Lady Lakers from Longview are team with a lot of experience going to the national tournament. The Comets are young, and three of the players are injured. Despite what appeared to be an obvious mismatch, the Comets were the dominant team in game one. In fact Cottey grabbed a five-point lead several times in the opening game. When the Comets held a 17-12 lead, Longview decided it needed to switch strategies and shuffle the lineup a bit. That made the difference as the Lady Lakers were able to not only tie the score at 17, but hold the Comets scoreless for the rest of that game.

The Comets were competitive in the early stages of game two, also, but the height advantage and deep bench of Longview allowed the Lady Lakers to control the tempo of the game.

By the third game, the Comets-with only eight players compared to Longview's 15-were feeling the fatigue.

"When we are constantly playing teams with 12 or more players," said Comets head coach Marla Kannady Foreman, "it makes it hard to keep up. I currently have eight players, and at times, they are playing with injuries and pains. We are working on plyos to build more endurance. We can make anything work, if we put our minds to it."

The Comets were buoyed by the loud and raucous crowd inside Hinkhouse. Some of the students have formed an informal pep band with brass instruments and a drum, and one student runs the court during timeouts with a Cottey Comets flag.

"The crowd is amazing," said Foreman, "and I can't say that enough, because I want our fans to know how much that means to me, as well as my players! The fans and my players' determination are the reasons we are continuing to fight, even with our record being what it is."

Team leaders for the Comets against Longview were Kailey Kelly with five aces and seven kills, Natalie Larsen with 20 assists, Janelle Crowell with three blocks, and Emily Moore with 18 digs.

On Friday, Kansas City Kansas Community College brought yet another tall team with a full bench to Hinkhouse. The Blue Devils had seven players in the 5'11" to 6'1" range and had a roster of 15 players. By comparison, Cottey's two tallest players are 5'10". Despite that, the Comets gave the Blue Devils a run for their money.

In the opening game, Cottey fell behind by seven points, only to rally within two at 19-21. The Comets couldn't maintain the momentum, though, as KCK was able to get to the finish line first.

That rally seemed to inspire the Comets in game two as they held a slight lead early. They were up by two points at 8-6, then down by two at 9-11. Cottey fell behind by four points at 11-15 and called a time out. Another Comets rally pulled the team within two points once again at 17-19, but once more the Blue Devils were able to close out the win.

Down two games to none, it would have been easy for the Comets to fold their tents and go home early, but neither the team, nor the rowdy Hinkhouse crowd, would have any of that. Despite being down by as many as five points, at 15-20, the Comets thrilled the Cottey fans with another rally. This time, one that was sustained all the way to a win. The Comets pulled within two points at 20-22, tied the game at 23, and then scored the final two points to close out the game three victory.

Unfortunately a deeper bench by the opponent served to wear down the shorthanded Comets again. Cottey held leads early in game four at 5-2, 6-4, and 7-6, but fatigue got the better of them and the Blue Devils escaped Hinkhouse with a hard-fought victory.

Team leaders for the Comets were Crowell with 11 kills, Larsen with 32 assists, Amanda Taylor with five blocks, and Moore with 28 digs. Crowell and Andrea Hass had three aces each.

The losses dropped the Comets to 1-13 on the year. The Comets get a ten-day break to rest and heal up before the next match on Monday, October 19, at 7 p.m. against Allen County Community College. The game will be held inside the friendly confines of Hinkhouse Center Gymnasium on the Cottey campus.