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No. 7-ranked Go-Hawks sweep Comets

Press photo by John Burbridge Charles City junior Alex Litterer makes an attacking hit as senior Jodie Sindlinger gets ready for a pending return during Thursday’s Northeast Iowa Conference match against Waverly-Shell Rock.
Press photo by John Burbridge
Charles City junior Alex Litterer makes an attacking hit as senior Jodie Sindlinger gets ready for a pending return during Thursday’s Northeast Iowa Conference match against Waverly-Shell Rock.
By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The Charles City Comets arguably played their best set of the season while trying to avoid a sweep from Class 4A No. 7-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock, Thursday at Comet Gym.

The heavily favored Go-Hawks had enough riding on the Northeast Iowa Conference match not to look past the Comets. They went into Thursday with a 5-0 record in the NEIC, which at the time tied them with New Hampton.

Waverly-Shell Rock’s schedule is also due to get tougher, so any match that it should win it needs to win.

In the first set, the Go-Hawks displayed that urgency as they were in control from start to finish on way to winning 25-10.

In the second set, the Comets took a 9-7 lead on a blocking kill by Sarah Mitchell, but several kills by Go-Hawk senior Jessica Jacobs helped W-SR go up 13-12 before winning 25-18.

In the third set, Charles City jumped out to a 12-4 lead on Sami Heyer’s blocking kill.

The Go-Hawks were able to score the next two points, but when a long rally featuring all-out saves by both teams finally ended with a deft touch-kill by Comet sophomore Danielle Stock, it made the score 13-6 and got the Homecoming-inspired student section fired up.

An ace by Jazlyn Westmoreland tied the set at 19, and when kills by Brylee Folkerts and Jacobs put the Go-Hawks up 21-19, it seemed as if the Comets were going to be finally silenced for the night.

But a blocking kill by Stock tied the set at 23 before the set again was tied at 24.

A bump that rocketed into the rafters proved to be a too difficult play to keep alive when it came down on the Comets’ side of the net giving the Go-Hawks the lead with “ad-in” advantage before W-SR won the set 26-24 to complete the sweep.

Waverly-Shell Rock improved to 23-6 overall.

The Comets fell to 8-17 and 2-2 in the NEIC, and will host a tournament Saturday at Comet Gym which will include aforementioned New Hampton as well as Class 1A No. 1-ranked Janesville

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