Comets volleyball falls to NEO at home

Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail Cottey freshman Lauren Johnson returns a serve during Wednesday's match against Northeast Oklahoma A&M.

By Eric Wade

Nevada Daily Mail

Aggression. It's one of the most vital parts to any team's success in any sport and it's also the one thing head coach Marla Kannady Foreman's Cottey College Comets volleyball team lacks this season and that showed in a big way Wednesday when the Comets took on the Lady Norse of Northeast Oklahoma A&M Community College at Hinkhouse Center.

"We are fighting aggressive behavior. In our minds, they feel like they're being aggressive, but when I, you know, call them on it, they do tend to step it up when I call them on it," Foreman said. "I shouldn't have to stand there and say, 'aggressive.' It should be right there. We're missing tenacity."

That lack of tenacity and aggressiveness showed right from the start of the match and the Lady Norse took full advantage. Though they did have to come from behind to do it as the Comets won the opening set by a final score of 26-24, the Lady Norse took the final three sets, 25-16, 25-22 and 25-21 to win the match on a night in which the four second-year Comets were honored for their time with the team on Cottey's version of Senior Night.

That was a better performance than the Comets managed on Sept. 12, when they traveled to Miami, Okla., and only managed a total of 38 points in a match the Lady Norse won by the final scores of 25-8, 25-10 and 25-16. "I will say that we did much better this go around with them," Foreman said.

The major problems that plagued both sides on the night were defensive struggles and missed serves. The two squads combined for more missed serves than Foreman has seen all season long and both sides earned a number of "free points" throughout the night due to defensive errors.

Sophomore Kymee Bair led the Comets with nine digs on the night, while freshman Lauren Johnson added four aces. Freshman Erica Phillips posted a team-high eight blocks and freshman Skyler Ford added eight kills.

With the loss, the Comets fell to 8-8 on the year and are set to finish out the regular season home schedule on Friday, taking on Longview Community College at Hinkhouse Center.

"We've got Longview on Friday," Foreman said. "It's going to be the same scenario and we'd better just be ready to play."