Comets sweep Cadets for homecoming week volleyball victory

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — There’s more to homecoming than just football.

And as for the other varsity event Charles City hosted during its special annual week … the Class 4A 10th-ranked Comets volleyball team won its fourth-straight match while sweeping Northeast Iowa Conference foe Crestwood Tuesday night with scores of 25-18, 25-16, 25-15.

The win improved the Comets’ overall record to 8-6 while they remained undefeated in the NEIC (3-0).

The Cadets fell to 9-9 and 1-2.

In all three games, the Comets took substantial early leads. The Cadets made several runs to shave points off the gaps, but could never catch Charles City, which for the most part controlled the match from start to finish.

In the first game, three service aces by junior Sami Heyer helped get the Comets off to an 8-1 lead.

Cadet senior Shannon Pisney slapped in a resounding kill to draw the Cadets within 3 (15-12), but four kills by Comet senior Bailee Bortz — two blocking, the other two from assists from Sydney Loeckle — helped close the first game.

A rare Tayler Schmidt-to-Loeckle kill — usually it’s the other way around — put the Comets up 3-0 in the second game.

A blocking kill by Sharon Goodman cut the Comets’ lead to 3 (16-13) after they led by as many as 7. But a series of unforced errors by Crestwood spoiled the momentum before a kill by Jodie Sindlinger (Loeckle assisting) capped the game.

Early on in the third game, the Cadets took their first lead of the night. The Comets responded as another ace by Heyer put them up 7-3, but several unforced errors on the Comets part allowed Crestwood to creep back within 2 (11-9).

Then the Comets went on a 9-0 run before a blocking kill by Schmidt closed the game and match.

Charles City will be back in action Saturday when they travel south for the Cedar Falls Invitational.