Comets winning streak stopped by Longview

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail-- Cottey freshman Jesse Jargowsky, Flower Mound, Texas, returns a volley during the Comets mattch with the Longview Community College Lakers Tuesday night. The Comets lost in three straight games, 15-30, 17-30, 19-30. This is the second time the Comets have played the Lakers this year and Comets head coach Marla Kannady Foreman said that they improved on their scores in two of the three games. "We scored 14,14 and 27 points during the previous match," Kannady Foreman said. "This team is better than the one last year." In 2006 the Lakers finished sixth in the NJCAA Division II National Volleyball Tournament.

The Cottey College Comets had a three-game winning streak stopped cold on Tuesday night by the Longview Community College Lakers. Longview swept Cottey in three games 15-30, 17-30, and 19-30.

"Longview is currently ranked 13th in the national polls," said head coach Marla Kannady Foreman. "We knew we had our work cut out for us on Tuesday night. However, we went into each game with the mindset to work on each point, and not focus on the overall result of the game."

The Lakers showed why they are the top team in Region XVI with a dominant performance. Longview has a lot of front line height and a deep bench and they use both to their advantage. The first game wasn't much of a contest as the Lakers rarely made a mistake and consistently put the ball exactly where they wanted it.

Although the scores may not reflect it, the Comets played extremely well in the second and third games. Cottey led game two at 2-0, was tied with Longview at 3-all, and rallied to pull within two points at 11-13. Even though Longview pulled away down the stretch in game two, the Comets were making few errors, and several points were decided on long rallies. In fact, game two ended on one of the longest rallies of the night as neither team was willing to concede the point.

It was more of the same in game three as the Comets scored the first point, and stayed within three or four points of the Lakers for most of the first half of the game. In the end, it was Longview's depth that allowed them to outlast the Comets.

"I am glad that we played someone that tough, because I believe that will help us know what we need to work on," said Foreman. "If we are always winning a match, then it's harder to realize there are places in which one person and/or the team can get better. Those losses are hard to take, but I like to look at them as positive opportunities for the future."

Statistical leaders for Cottey were Jesse Jargowsky and Lauren Jenkins with two aces each, Tara Cooper with 13 assists, Carmen Kintz with six kills and 15 digs, and Jenkins and Anna Cruse with two blocks each.

With the loss, the Comets' record fell to 10-6 on the year. Next up is a home match against Allen County Community College on Friday, Oct. 12. The match will begin at 7 p.m. inside the friendly confines of Hinkhouse Center gymnasium.