Comets lose to NEO on the road

The Cottey College Comets played a tough three-game match in Miami, Okla., Wednesday night against Northeast Oklahoma A&M, but came up just short in all three games, 25-22, 26-24 and 25-23.

"We let that one go," head coach Marla Kannady Foreman said. "Last year, there was no way we could have come close to beating NEO. However, this year's team could have done it, and we just didn't get the job done."

Service errors by the Comets allowed the Lady Norse to take game one. The Comets had four consecutive service errors to drop them to a 9-4 deficit early in the game and even though Cottey made a fierce battle of it, those mistakes came back to haunt them and allowed the home team to gain the win.

The Comets came back strong in game two and actually led most of that game. Tied at 21 and again at 23, Cottey took a slim lead at 24-23 and was serving for game point. They just couldn't put the nail in the coffin and gave up three points on errors to let one slip away that maybe they should have had.

Northeast Oklahoma stepped up their attack at the net in game three and took an early five-point lead at 8-3. Again, the Comets showed a lot of character in fighting back, but never could pull even with the Lady Norse. They were within two at 22-20, but the home team was able to put it away for the three-game sweep.

Team leaders for the Comets were Sam Pierce with five aces, Natalie Larsen and Kailey Kelly with 11 and nine assists, respectively, Amanda Taylor with eight kills and three blocks, Brooke McKinley with three blocks, and Emily Moore and Ashley Helm with 13 and 11 digs, respectively.

The loss dropped the Comets to 1-2 on the year. Next up is a road trip on Saturday to Columbia, Mo., to face Stephens College. The next home match is set for Monday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m., when the Comets will challenge Central Bible College at Hinkhouse Gymnasium.