There is a saying in sports that it is very difficult to defeat an opponent three times in a season, and that was definitey the case when Cottey College took on Simpson College in the Finals of the NACE East 10 Conference. The Comets capture both previous matches, 2-0 and a very close 2-1. It was clear early in the match that the Storm had come to play and attempt to snag the title.
The first map saw Cottey pick the map Bind, while Simpson chose to Defend first. It was clear they knew their strategy, as they had banned one of Cottey's best maps from being picked. They also did a great job of scouting, as they took the first four rounds with relative ease. Down 0-4, Cottey slowly started chipping away at the Storm's lead. At halftime of Game 1, Simpson led 7-5. Cottey knew that they couldn't win all the rounds at once, simply taking each individual round as its own opportunity. Swapping to Defense, the Comets got to work, capturing four of the first five rounds to take a 9-8 lead. In the next round, the Comets had a massive clutch moment from Gibsun Harkins in a 1vs1 moment that would give Cottey a 10-8 lead they would not relinquish. The final score of Game 1 went to Cottey 13-9. Lucy Liu led the way with 28 Kills, with Amya Corulla following behind with 21 of her own. Ella Sapinoso was the leader in assists with 14, while also getting 5 plants down.
Game 2 shifted to the map Haven, which was Simpson College's pick. Once again, the Comets starting the game on the Attacking side. This time around, it was the Comets who came out strong, building a 5-0 lead before the Storm called timeout. The Storm would rally back, capturing 3 rounds in a row after the timeout, proving the change in strategy to be a good decision. Halftime of Game 2 saw Cottey take 7-5 lead into the Defending half. In the first round on Defense, Ella Sapinoso would come up clutch in a 1vs1 to capture the first crucial round coming out of halftime. The Comets would cruise the rest of the way, resulting in a final score of 13-6 for Game 2. That win saw Cottey take the match 2-0, claiming the crown for the East 10 Conference of NACE competition. Lucy Liu once again led the Comets in Kills with 19. Gibsun Harkins was just behind with 17 kills, while also having a team high 16 assitst in Game 2. Kuiper Naefe also had double digit assists in Game 2, putting up 14. Freshmen Ella Carlin and Circe Tosta also helped get the team to the Finals, subbing in for various games on the way to a perfect 9-0 record in NACE competition for Valorant this semester.
The win proved to be Cottey's first Championship in any title for the esports program. The teams will have a break until January, when a new season begins for all titles.
