After winning final NEIC volleyball league title, Comets go 1-3 at final NEIC VB Tournament

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

NEW HAMPTON — The Charles City Comets left the site of the final Northeast Iowa Conference Volleyball Tournament with a first-place plaque in their possession.

Too bad it was just one plaque … not two.

By finishing with a perfect 4-0 record during regular season league play, the Comets received the final “league title” for the NEIC as the conference is due to disband at the end of the current school year.

But a tournament title wasn’t meant to be for the Comets.

New Hampton, which had its run of three-consecutive NEIC league title stopped by Charles City this season, went 4-0 to win the final NEIC Tournament, Saturday at Crestwood High School.

The Comets went 1-3.

Charles City and New Hampton had faced each other twice during the regular season with the Chickasaws winning a non-conference-sanctioned match during a triangular at Comet Gym before the Comets won a five-set match at NH during league play.

It was expected that the Charles City-New Hampton match scheduled during the final 1 p.m. round of the tourney would in essence be for the championship. But the Comets had already lost to Crestwood in two sets and Decorah in three, and the Chickasaws were already guaranteed a tourney title no matter if they won or lost against the Comets.

New Hampton won the first set 21-18 and jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second set. The Chickasaws led by as many as 7 (9-2) before Charles City surged to force a third set.

A pair of kills by senior Jadyn Van Horn helped bring the Comets within 2 (13-11) before an ace by junior Miyah Stevenson and a kill by Addison Ellis tied it at 13-13.

A kill by Mya Rimrod put the Comets ahead (18-17) before Rimrod’s service ace was the winning point (21-18).

New Hampton took advantage of several unforced Comet errors to go up 8-5 in the third set. A  blocking kill by junior Maici Weber ended the third set (15-8).

Charles City (21-9) will host either Waterloo East or Decorah in the Class 4-Region 1 semifinal, Thursday in Comet Gym.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Charles City coach Sue Hoefer said after all five of the last NEIC teams still standing gathered for a group photo after the tournament. “We are familiar with either team we might play … we’ve beaten them both during the regular season. And we should have some fresh legs going in.”