Comets go 1-1 at Clear Lake volleyball triangual

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CLEAR LAKE — The common denominator among ace servers in volleyball and ace pitchers in baseball/softball is ball movement.

When Mason City senior Brandi Tilkes stepped to the service line with her team headed for a straight-set loss to the Charles City Comets during the middle match of Thursday’s triangular hosted by Clear Lake, she proceeded to smack in a series of knuckle-curves that Yu Davish would be proud of.

The Comets had taken a 10-point lead in the second set against the Riverhawks after winning the extended first set 28-26. But Tilkes’s run of service points suddenly brought MC within 1 (23-22).

What broke Tilkes’s serve was a net violation called against the Riverhawks. Soon after, Comet junior Keely Collins’s unassisted kill at the net capped the set (25-22) and match.

For the Comets (9-4), it broke a three-match losing streak dating back to Aug. 27 when they lost to the Class 4A No. 4-ranked Decorah Vikings in their final match of the five-team tournament they hosted at Comet Gym (Charles City went 4-1 during the tourney), followed by Tuesday’s loss to Class 3A No. 12-ranked New Hampton, and a loss to Clear Lake in the first match played at the triangular.

In that first match, the Lions won the first set 25-17 before taking a 16-10 lead in the second set.

The Comets eventually turned the momentum around and took a 21-19 lead with consecutive killing points by senior Ava Ellis.

After a couple of service points by Comet sophomore Mya Rimrod, Collins’s tip kill at the net capped the set at 25-20 while evening the match.

The subsequent tiebreaker set went back-and-forth and was tied at 13 before Hannah Blaha’s ace won it for the Lions (15-13).

The following match, the Riverhawks were a point away from taking the first set (26-25) before Comet freshman Keely Anderegg assisted sophomore Jadyn Van Horn for the set’s winning point (28-26).

The Riverhawks took an early 3-0 lead in the second set, but when Comet sophomore Anya Ruzicka assisted a kill by Van Horn which put Charles City up 14-10, the Comets were starting to build a comfortable lead before Tilkes’s service made it not so comfortable.

The Comets will be back in action on Saturday for a tournament hosted by Spirit Lake.