Bellevue, Neb. – The Mayville State University Volleyball team defeated Morningside College on Saturday morning in five-set to go 4-0 in the Labor Day Classic. The Comets move to 6-3 on the regular season and have won four straight games.
The Comets were down 8-10 in the first set when the Mustangs went on a 3-0 run to jump out to a five-point lead on the Comets. MSU would fight their way back into the match and tie the game at 15 on kills from Pyburn and Pyle. Mayville State would go on a 5-1 run to break the tie and take a three-point advantage late in the first set. Lily Pyle tallied two kills in the final four points for the Comets, as they take game one by a final of 25-20.
Mayville State held a three-point lead in the early stages of the second quarter when the Mustangs created a 4-1 run to tie the game at nine. Shortly after MSU went on an 8-1 run highlighted by four kills from Pyle and two kills from Passa. The Mustangs would answer right back with an 8-0 run to take the one-point lead in the second set. After the Comets tied the game at 19, MC went on another large run of 5-0 to take a 24-20 lead and take the second set 25-23.
A one-point lead by the Mustangs was erased by an 8-1 run from the Comets to take a six-point advantage. A few points later, MSU went on another run of 4-0 to open a 22-13 lead in the third set. Three kills from Ashley Pyburn and one kill from Pyle gave the Comets a 25-18 third set victory. Morningside would start the fourth set one a 5-1 run to jump out to an early lead.
Morningside was up eight on the Comets before a 5-0 run cut the lead to three, highlighted by kills from four different players. Morningside would get the lead back up to six and hold it there the rest of the set to force the fifth set. This was the third game this weekend for the Comets that went five sets. For the third time this weekend, they would start the fifth set fast and not look back as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead as Cora Johnson tallied two kills during that stretch. Pyburn, Pyle, and Richards tallied kills in the last three points to win the fifth set 15-8.
The Comets finished the game with 72 kills, on 193 attempts and 26 kills for a .238 attack percentage. MSU also finished with 103 digs, 67 assists, 11 blocks, and three aces. Lily Pyle finished with a career-high 25 kills on 49 attempts for a .388 hitting percentage, and six blocks. Elora Passa tallied 19 kills, on 50 attempts for a .300 hitting percentage, 37 assists, three blocks, and 10 digs. Rachel Hill tallied 23 assists for the Comets with 11 digs. Natalie Hadrava recorded 39 digs and Payton Richter tallied 18 digs.
Up Next:
The Comets will be back in action next weekend as they travel to Peru, Nebraska for a tournament on Friday and Saturday.
