Comets swept by Allen County at home

Cottey freshman Amanda Taylor returns a volley during Cottey's match Monday against the Allen County (Kan.) Red Devils. --Photos by Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail

Six blocks, seven kills and one dig. Allen County Community College's Andrea Miller was all over the court in the Red Devils' sweep of the Cottey College Comets Monday night inside the Hinkhouse Gymnasium.

Miller took it upon herself to become the Red Devils' main force at the net after a second-set ankle injury took out sophomore Autumn Lamle in the second set and did so with authority. The 6-foot freshman was able to get in the face of the Comets' front line on nearly every play and led the Red Devils' defensive effort as they defeated the Comets by the final scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-7.

Monday's match was the only meeting between the Red Devils and the Comets scheduled for the year and head coach Jessica Peters' team took full advantage. The Comets didn't go down without a fight, however, as they came out and played well through most of the match, but were simply unable to keep up with the deeper Allen County roster.

Cottey freshman Kailey Kelly returns a volley during Monday's match at Hinkhouse Gymnasium.

Allen County looked as though they would jump out and run away with the match early in the first set as they opened up a quick 4-1 lead, but the Comets were having none of that as they quickly came back with two short runs to tie the score at 8-8. Allen County jumped back out to a quick four-point lead at 12-8, but the Comets never let up and were quickly able to regain a tie at 15.

The opener remained steady from that point on as neither team seemed to be giving in until the Comets began to struggle with poor passing late in the set, eventually allowing Allen County to open the margin to six points at 23-17. The Comets were never able to recover and Allen County held onto that lead, eventually taking the victory by a final score of 25-19.

The second set started off nearly identical to the first as Allen County was yet again able to jump out to a quick 4-1 lead. The Comets caught up quickly this time, however, tying the score at 4-4.

The two teams stayed even through the midpoint of the set until Allen County was able to break an 8-8 tie with a 6-0 run to open up the game. The Comets worked their way back within two at 15-13, but the Red Devils kept the pressure on and eventually extended their lead back to six points and earning another victory.

The second set not only got off to an identical start to the first, but the outcome was exactly the same as well as the Red Devils utilized a couple of short late runs to work their way to their second 25-19 victory of the night.

The third and final set of the night was a much different story as the lack of depth that the Comets have battled all season long came back to bite them once again. Allen County jumped out to a big lead early as they were able to score the first five points of the set, building a comfortable cushion early in the game.

Allen County's offense never let up as they quickly followed that with a six-point run to extend their lead to 14-1 and seemingly put the game away. The Comets were never able to recover and the Red Devils were eventually able to work their way out to a 15-point lead at 18-3.

The Red Devils maintained and even slightly increased that lead in the latter portions of the set before eventually taking the victory by a final score of 25-7.

Cottey freshman Kailey Kelly had a very strong night of her own all over the court as she led the Comets in blocks with seven and kills with four. Freshman Taylor Means added a team-high nine digs while sophomore Janelle Crowell recorded the Comets' only ace of the night.

With that loss, the Comets fell to 1-14 on the year, 0-8 at home and are scheduled to head back out on the road on Oct. 23, for a triangular match against Labette County Community College and Northern Oklahoma College in Parsons, Kan.