It was a busy weekend for the Cottey Comets Athletic Department, with four programs taking their talents on the road. Basketball got things off to a hot start at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS, as Comets first year Head Coach Evan Belk picked up a win in the first contest out. Senior Sarah Hunt picked up where she left off, leading the Comets with 14 points. Senior Dally Coulter and Junior Claudia Hadlock were just behind with 11 and 12 points respectively. Coulter also added 11 rebounds for a double-double performance, including 6 offensive boards. Freshman Brecklen Morrison scored 3 points in her Comets debut, with AuShae Farris also putting up a bucket in her Cotey debut. The game was a back and forth affair through three quarters before the Comets finally pulled away in the 4th to get the 65-52 victory and move to 1-0 on the season. The Basketball home opener is Halloween, October 31st at 5:30pm when the Comets take on Friends University.
Comet Cross Country was back in action up north at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic in Ashland, Nebraska. Twenty-seven teams took the starting line in the massive meet, with Cottey holding their own with the pack. Junior Madalenn Fee was the top Comet finisher, taking 8th place. Sophomore Avery Morris finished in 24:15, a solid outing for one of the most consistent performers for Cottey. It was the final tune-up for the Comets before taking on the American Midwest Conference Championships on Friday, November 8th, held in Hannibal, MO.
The Esports program also traveled north this weekend to take on a familiar foe in Simpson College. The Comets took a dominating 3-0 win in Overwatch, although the match was mired by technical difficulties that made the flow of play stop and start multiple times. The teams resolve through the challenges was a testament to team captain Kyleigh Sigears, staying calm and focused to finish off the impressive victory. On the other side of the coin, Super Smash Bros fell 2-0 to the Storm. There were some reasons to be hopeful, as the Comets switched strategies and expanded their options. Valorant was the closest contest, the Storm took a 2-0 just a few days prior, but the Comets came out swinging to take Game 1 on Saturday. Unfortunately, Simpson would take the final two games, but the gap between teams is razor thin.
Volleyball had an American Midwest Conference road trip to the east to take on Missouri Baptist and Hannibal-LaGrange, falling in both contests. The Comets have Senior Night activities for Tuesday's Home match against Haskell, set to start at 6pm. They will then have three road conference games to close out the regular season.
