The Comets hadn't played a match in 12 days and just once in the last 18. Still, Elgin showed very little rust Thursday, Sept. 10, at Ridgedale, winning in three sets 25-19, 25-13, 25-21.
"They were ready to just get back on the court and not against each other," Elgin coach Caitlin Gracely said.
It was a scheduling quirk and not by design, she said, as a couple matches had to be moved to later in the season. Thus, they had a long layoff just days after the start of the 2026 season."I’m thankful for the break being in the beginning and not in the middle (of the season). That’s the only thing I can be thankful for. I did not like that," Gracely said. "You can’t give them a bunch of days off. You give them all the time off and they just mentally check out. We do not want that. "
The Comets are the two-time defending NWCC champs, and they are loaded with experienced players from those championship squads as they began their quest for a three-peat with their first league match of the season at Ridgedale.
"When you have 18 days to sit around, that is like a whole new season," Gracely said. "For our non-conference games, we scheduled some big games in the beginning. Our schedule had a couple of games that had to be rescheduled so we shouldn’t have had that many days off. It’s unfortunate, but we have to roll with the punches and do what we have to do. "
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Considering Elgin (4-2, 1-0) was dormant for roughly half a month, it was expected that it might take time to get up to speed. Ridgedale led 9-5 in the first set, but Elgin climbed back into it, tying the set at 12-12 before taking leads of 17-14 and 23-19. The second half of the second set also belonged to the Comets, outscoring Ridgedale 10-2 over the last 12 points. The third set was much like the first one as the Rockets led 5-3 and 12-8. Elgin tied it by 13-13 and didn't trail the rest of the way. "Our league is nothing to sleep on," Gracely said. "I know Ridgedale is kind of down in big hitters right now, but they are adjusting very well and reading the court on where to tip. We knew that was going to happen. I think a couple of times they got us. That’s okay. Knowing that the girls stuck with the game plan is the ultimate thing. I’m proud of them for that. " For a Ridgedale squad that brought back just three letter winners from a year ago, hanging with an NWCC elite squad could be a much-needed boost for a young group. "We’re struggling with being confident with the things we need to do," Ridgedale coach Tyler Clark said. "We’re missing crucial serves at times, and we can’t miss serves. They’re a good team with big hitters, and no one is taking that away, but I thought we played really good defense. We just didn’t capitalize offensively. " Clark saw some positives to emphasize with the Rockets (3-6, 1-1). "I’m happy we played decent. We hustled and worked hard. It’s frustrating that we don’t have the confidence to finish," she said. rmccurdy@usatodayco.com 419-610-0998 X @McMotorsport Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star This article originally appeared on Marion Star: 
