Cottey volleyball picks up first win

The Cottey College volleyball team went 1-2 in the Lincoln Christian University Invitational this past weekend, but it was a big one in the win column — the team's first of the spring season.

In between a 3-2 loss to the hosting Red Lions on Friday night and a 3-0 shutout at the hands of College of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon, the Comets topped Crowley's Ridge College 3-1 Saturday morning to move their record in NAIA play to 1-4.

Cottey won the first two sets against the Pioneers 25-17 and 25-20 before dropping the third 25-22. The Comets regrouped in the fourth set for a 25-15 win.

Junior Lily Miller racked up 19 kills in the match on a 31 percent hit rate. Fellow junior Jocelyn Tidwell added 12 kills and led the team with 27 digs and three aces. Freshman Savannah Stoyko added 25 digs, while junior setter Mackenzie Green racked up 33 assists.

Against Lincoln Christian one night earlier, Cottey came back from a two-set deficit (after being up 16-6 at one point in the second) to go the distance, 21-25, 25-27, 25-23, 25-19 — before losing the fifth set 7-15.

"No reason under the sun we should have given that set up," stated Cottey head coach Marla Kannady Foreman of her team's letdown in the second set. "We did not lay down, however, and came back to win the next two sets."

The Comets gave up a few too many aces and kills early in the fifth set, and before they knew it they were down 11-4. The Red Lions were able to put the match away after that.

Miller led Cottey with 16 kills, followed by Tidwell with 13 and senior Emily Killion with 10. Sophomore Daizie Jones contributed 25 assists. Jones, Miller, and Green each served two aces, while Tidwell had 27 digs.

The Comets lost to one of the strongest teams in their conference, College of the Ozarks (which went 3-0 on the weekend), by the score of 25-17 in each of their three sets — although Cottey will get its shot at revenge next Friday in Point Lookout.

"My team likes to play the stiff competition, and they do well most of the time against those stronger schools," stated Foreman, whose squad will also play Crowley's Ridge and Lincoln Christian again that weekend. "When taking into consideration how you want to be ranked in the conference, I make sure my team knows that points and sets really matter."

Foreman added that a few hitting errors and simple mistakes were all that kept the Comets from winning this one.

Miller had nine kills in the match, with Tidwell adding seven more and junior Briannah Quick chipping in six of her own. Green led the team with 18 assists. Jones had 12. Tidwell and Stoyko each accumulated 13 digs. Green had 10.

"You always worry about fatigue setting in, but my players still managed to make some great plays the entire weekend," Foreman stated. "We are early in the spring season, yet I am seeing some improvement in areas we have been working on in practices."

Before the rematches next weekend, Cottey will head to Baker University next Tuesday, March 23.