Comets secure straight-set sweep on Sophomore Day

Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Cottey sophomore Lily Brockus, goes up for the spike during the third set of Saturday’s match at Hinkhouse Center.
Photos by Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

In their penultimate home match of the season Saturday afternoon at Hinkhouse Center, the Cottey Comets bested the Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles in straight sets.

Cottey (11-9) cruised to a 25-16 first-set victory, before engaging in a much tighter second set.

In the second set, Cottey grabbed a 6-4 advantage, as sophomore Maddy Hidbon put down a kill. The Comets then led by three at 11-8 via Allyson King’s kill from the middle row. The Eagles quickly reeled off three points to knot the match 11-11.

Emily Killion, a 5-foot-10 middle hitter from Wheaton, Mo., replied with a spike to put the Comets on top, before Eagles outside hitter Jayden Webster matched Killion’s kill with one of her own, tying the contest at 12-apiece.

The Eagles blitz continued, capped by a Webster ace, increasing their lead to 16-12. The Comets then took four of the next five points, trimming the Faith Baptist lead to 17-16. Trailing by a point, the Comets tied the set 21-21, when Killion went up and spiked home a Mackenzie Green pass.

The back-and-forth set continued, as a Cottey hitting error, followed by a Bekah Smith kill, put Faith Baptist Bible back in front, 24-23. The Eagles, however, were unable to close out the set, with Cottey taking the next two points to go up 25-24. The Eagles managed to tie the set 25-25, before Cottey netted consecutive points, with a King ace closing out the 27-25 second-set thriller.

Hidbon continued to showcase her front-row skill-set, elevating and slamming down a kill, as the Comets took an early 3-1 third-set lead. Cottey then led 5-2 as Anna Walley powered home one of her team-leading 17 kills on the day. The Comets cushion increased to 9-4, thanks to another Hidbon kill. The Eagles then stormed back into the match, with a 10-3 run putting Faith Baptist Bible in front 14-12.

Comets freshman Mackenzie Greens sets a pass during Saturday’s match.
Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

A Samantha Betz power-spike gave the Eagles its biggest lead of the set, at 19-16. The Comets then tied the match 19-19, when Green and Killion again connected for the front-row assist-kill. An Eagles hitting error then put the Comets up 20-19. With the match tied 22-22, sophomore Lily Brockus came up with one of the biggest plays of the afternoon; when from the middle row, she sent the ball sailing over the net and down the right boundary line for the point and, the 23-22 lead.

Trailing 24-23, freshman Abby Booth’s service-error dashed the Eagles hopes for a fourth set, as Cottey came away with the victory.

“We are a team that is quite capable of playing from behind, but are still trying to master the idea of having a lead and keeping it,” said Comets head coach, Marla Kannady-Foreman.

“We are improving with that, but I would like to see more of it. Having the lead and maintaining it through aggressive offensive (play) is what I need more of from my players — but there has been improvement in that area.”

For the Comets, King and Killion tied for a team-high with nine digs, while sophomore Brockus chipped in eight. Meanwhile, Green concluded the afternoon with 20 assists, four digs and a kill, while sophomore Allyson Williams tallied 11 assists. In addition to Walley’s game-high 17 kills, Hidbon and Killion chipped in six apiece.

Kannady-Foreman said she was delighted with the adjustments her squad made to overcome second and third-set deficits.

“I enjoy a match when my players take what they have learned and run with it during play,” said the veteran coach. “We went over a few adjustments in practice yesterday to make us better (prepared) and, they implemented it today. I also had an opportunity to play all four sophomores on the court together for Sophomore Day.”

Sophomore Day

Cottey’s four sophomore volleyball players were honored prior to Saturday afternoon’s three-set victory over with Faith Baptist Bible College, Saturday at Hinkhouse Center. Pictured from left: Logan Lamb, Maddy Hidbon, Allyson Williams, and Lily Brockus. See Page 8 for story
Photos Matt Resnick | Daily Mail

Kannady-Foreman said her sophomore quartet — Brockus, Hidbon, Williams and Logan Lamb will be hard to replace. Williams, however, still has a year of eligibility remaining after taking a medical redshirt as a freshman last season.

“Lily is a smart and solid player for me,” said Kannady-Foreman, of the two-sport standout, who was the Comets starting shortstop on their Region 16 championship team last spring.

Brockus, an Osceola native, followed in her sister, Katherine’s footsteps, who was also a two-sport athlete for the Comets.

“I have had the opportunity to have several players out of Osceola who know how to play,” said Kannady-Foreman. “It all started with Alexis Self-Arduser, followed by Katherine Brockus, her sister Lily, and now their cousin (and current freshman) Geneva McGrath.”

Added Kannady-Foreman: “Lily has provided a strength on the court on both the front and back row.”

Hidbon hails from Versailles, Mo.

“Maddy has been awesome on the strong-side for me the last two years,” said Kannady Foreman. “She finished top three in team kills her freshman year and, has really come into her game this fall under a new setter (Green). She has the kill lined up when the setter hits her sweet spot.”

Lamb, who also competes in track-and-field for Cottey, was a well-known area student-athlete, having graduated in 2015 from Sheldon R-8.

“Logan has been an amazing asset to my program,” said Kannady-Foreman. “She knows how to work hard and is always engaged in the game regardless of her playing-role. She cares deeply for her team mates and they respect her for the encouragement she provides to her team.”

Continued Kannady-Foreman: “Logan has had a tough role, in that she has to be versatile to go into a match. I may have her in a serving role, a front-line role, or even in a back row position at any given moment — but she goes in strong and hard and unafraid.”

Williams, a native of Lincoln, Mo., overcame a major shoulder injury to return to the court.

“While red-shirting, Ally was at every practice learning the game off the court so she would be ready to play this fall,” marveled Kannady-Foreman. “She works hard to perform at her best in any position I throw her in, and she plans on returning next fall.”

Williams discussed Saturday’s match with the Daily Mail. “I think the fact that we were down and came back really just kind of sums up who we are as a team,” she said. “We’ve worked together well as a team since the beginning of the season, and we definitely showcased it today.”

Williams said Kannady-Foreman has elevated her game to another level.

“She will challenge you, on and off the court,” said the redshirt sophomore. “She is someone who has encouraged me in ways I have not been encouraged.”

Williams said the camaraderie is strong with the 2017 Comet volleyball squad.

“Even though I will be back next year, this day was definitely special to me,” she said. “This is probably the first team I’ve played on where I felt that strong unity. We never get tired of each other and are like family. It’s bittersweet knowing this isn’t going to be the same exact team that I’m going to play with next year. But I’m super-pumped to stay with a lot of the girls and continue with them next year.”

Hidbon said she has thoroughly enjoyed her time at Cottey. “It has been a great experience,” she said. “I love the girls that I have gotten to play with and, I’m super-blessed to have had the experience to play college ball.”

Hidbon said Kannady-Foreman has been like a mom to her, and vividly recalls being recruited by her.

“She sent a (recruiting) email, and my mom then informed me Cottey was an all-girls school. I said ‘I’m not going to an all-girls school, mom,’” Hidbon said with a chuckle. “But she ended up watching me play and asked me to come try out, and I fell in love with the program and the campus.”

Hidbon said she will be graduating in December with an Associate of Arts degree, and will then continue on academically at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Lily Brockus had a big freshman campaign last year, finishing eighth in the region in hitting percentage and 10th in aces per set, while also batting .299 with three home runs for the Comets Region 16 championship team — according to www.cottey.edu.

In addition, Brockus was the recipient of the Cottey Distinguished Athlete Award.

“Coach Foreman knows how to have fun, but she also knows when to be serious, and make it a great environment,” said Brockus. “I’ve really enjoyed it, and I feel like I have progressed so much — it’s a great program.”

Brockus said that her sister’s success at Cottey, played a key role in her decision to attend the school. “Because I got to know (Kannady-Foreman) and I got to see the atmosphere of the program — I knew that this is where I wanted to go,” she said. “I wanted to go to a small school first, and so, I really knew that I was going to fit in well and like the program.”

As for Saturday’s match, Brockus discussed the keys to victory.

“Sometimes we have a hard time letting an error brush off our shoulders, and I felt like today we did really well with that,” noted Brockus, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter and defensive specialist. “We communicated really well and kept our energy up, and I think that was the biggest deciding factor.”

Bockus said her future plans after finishing up at Cottey, include transferring to Drury University in Springfield.

Up next

The Comets return to the court for a Region 16 matchup with Metropolitan Community College-Longview, in Lee’s Summit on Friday.

Cottey then concludes its regular-season Wednesday, Nov. 1, with a home-match against Allen County (Kan) Community College, slated for 6:30 p.m. at Hinkhouse Center.

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