Comets push Ozark Christian to five, fall late

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

NEVADA, Mo. -- The Cottey Comets were looking for revenge when the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors visited the Hinkhouse Center in volleyball Tuesday.

Ozark had beaten Cottey in Joplin on Sept. 11, a match that head coach Marla Kannady felt wasn't anywhere near what the Comets could do.

She was hoping for a different feeling after Tuesday's match, but she didn't have it, as Ozark won in five games, 27-30, 30-25, 30-20, 22-30, 15-11.

"It was a lousy game," was all Kannady could muster about her team. "I'm going to talk about Ozark (instead) ... Ozark played with a lot of heart tonight. I watched Ozark out-hustle us, out-heart us."

Cottey (12-7) didn't play poorly in the first game, winning 30-27. Ozark (27-2) came back to take the next two games, as Cottey fell apart in the third game before falling by 10.

The Comets rebounded in Game 4, looking strong and taking it to the Ambassadors to the tune of a 30-22 romp.

The Comets looked poised to win the match when they led 11-9 in the fifth and deciding game, but Ozark scored the final six points of the match and avoided their third loss of the season.

The fifth game was a collapse by the Comets, as Ozark was only forced to earn two of the final six points they scored.

The other four were given to the Ambassadors as Cottey hitters sent their attacks too long or failed to get an attack over the net at all.

Kannady said she addressed the inconsistency in the locker room after the match, saying she expects more on the effort side of the equation.

"I asked my players to decide where they feel they are right now and where they feel we need to be for the rest of the season," Kannady said.

The Comets host Allen County (Kan.) Community College Friday, at the Hink. Cottey beat Allen County in four games to open the season Aug. 30, in Iola, Kan.