Valley City, N.D. - The Comets Volleyball team was back in action last Friday as they took a short trek to Valley City to participate in the VCSU Tournament. Their opponents on day one were two tough Frontier Conference foes Montana State Northern Skylights and the Montana Western Bulldogs. Unfortunately Mayville State dropped both of their matches Friday.

Friday Game 1 vs. MSUN

In the first match against MSUN, the Comets used a 5-0 run to gain an early 13-7 set one advantage. Elora Passa and Madison McKinnon recorded four of the five points in that rally. After a timeout, the Skylights started a comeback and used a 6-1 run of their own to knot the score at 17. MSUN was able to gain the lead late and eke out a 25-22 win.

In set two, it was the Skylights who took an early lead, using a 9-3 run to expand a 6-5 lead into a 15-8 advantage. Mayville State slowly started to chip away at the lead, and a Nicole Kortan kill brought the Comets to within two at 23-21. The Skylights were able to collect the final two points to win 25-21.

An early 6-0 run in set three gave the Skylights an early 7-3 lead, but the Comets stormed back behind three kills from Samantha Passa to get the Comets to within one. The set remained tight until late, when MSUN scored the last six points to take the match 25-17.

Elora Passa led the Comets with nine kills and added 17 assists. Peyton Richter tallied 18 assists, and Samantha Passa paced the Comets defense with 11 digs and also recorded seven kills.

Friday Game 2 vs. Montana Western

Mayville State looked to split the day by defeating Montana Western. The Comets started set one on fire as they recorded the first six points behind two kills from Thyra Peterick. Any mini-run by the Bulldogs was met by a similar run by the Comets to maintain a sizable lead, and a Samantha Passa kill sealed a Comet set one victory 25-20.

Set two was back and forth initially, until a 5-0 run turned a 15-14 lead by the Bulldogs into a 20-14 lead. Montana Western was able to hold on and even the match with a 25-19 win.

In set three the Bulldogs strung together a 7-1 run to lead 16-9 and added a 5-0 run later to take the match advantage with a 25-17 win.

Mayville State pressed the attack early in set 4 and a Mckinnon kill pushed their advantage at 14-8. The Bulldogs weathered that storm and countered with a 12-2 run to retake the lead 20-16. The Comets fought back and got the score to 24-22 with a block, but Montana Western finished the match at 25-22.

Madison McKinnon stacked 13 kills to lead the Comet attack. Elora Passa and Peyton Richter combined for 39 assists and Natalie Hadrava added 16 digs.
The Comets now stand with a 5-3 record. Mayville will look to regroup tomorrow as the face University of Winnipeg.

Saturday Game vs. Winnipeg

The Comets wrapped up the VCSU Tournament with a morning tilt against the University of Winnipeg. The Comets rebounded from Friday's action with a sweep of the Wesmen.

"Going into the match against Winnipeg we set the tone from the begining and maintained control of the tempo, the flow and the pace," said head coach Katie Aasen. "It makes a difference for us when we are in control"

In set one the Comets struck the first decisive blow with a 10-3 run to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 12-6 advantage. Four different Comets recorded kills during this run. Mayville State rebuffed any attempt at a Wesmen comeback by never letting their lead shrink below four points and took the first set 25-19.

The Comets blazed out of the gates in set 2, as Nicole Kortan spearheaded an early 6-1 lead. Mayville State kept the pressure on Winnipeg throughout, slowly expanding their lead and scoring the last four points to cruise to a 25-13 win.

The Wesmen did not back down in set three, knotting the score at seven points. The Comets then scored the next five points to open another lead that they would not relinquish. Any chance at a Wesmen comeback was quickly snuffed by the Comets and Mayville State finished the sweep with a 25-17 victory.

Madison McKinnon and Elora Passa piled up 13 kills apiece in the victory. Elora also racked up 20 assists. Peyton Richter added 14 assists and served two aces, and Natalie Hadrava (16) and Emily Condon (11) combined for 27 digs. The win boosts the Comets record to 6-3.

"The crucial areas of our game were a focus going into Saturday's match," said Aasen. "We knew our block had to be on and although we had tough losses on Friday, our offense showed up confidently and was a consistent force." 

"There is much for us to learn and grow from the weekend and that is what we aim to do," Aasen said as they prepare to head down to play GPAC opponents tomorrow and Wednesday.

The Comets will take on Mount Marty Tuesday and play Briar Cliff Wednesday.

Full schedule details: https://msucomets.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule