Cottey College's Valorant squad delivered a commanding performance against Manchester University, securing a clean 2-0 match sweep and showcasing their growing synergy and firepower on the collegiate esports stage.

Map 1: Ascent — Cottey Wins 13-9 The opening map set the tone early, with gopher (Gibsun Harkins #63) erupting for a staggering 53 kills, setting a new program record for single game Kills. Harkins aggressive entry play and clutch multi-kills kept Manchester on their heels throughout. alinalley (Allison Nalley #6) provided solid backup with 13 kills in her Valorant debut, while the rest of the team contributed key assists and utility to control mid and site rotations. Cottey's coordination in post-plant scenarios proved decisive, closing out the map with confidence. Cottey had two other new players making their debut in addition to Nalley, with pearlrose21 (Pearl Storm) and Ywnakame (Hailey Ivins) making key contributions throughout the Match. 

Map 2: Ascent (Custom) — Cottey Wins 13-11 In a tighter second map, Cottey showed resilience and adaptability. At one point, the Comets found themselves in a 10-4 deficit before going on an incredible 9-1 run to close out the match. gopher once again led the charge with 49 kills, while Insignious (Kyleigh Sigears #17) and alleraq (Ella Carlin #00) chipped in with 20 and 12 kills respectively. A clutch moment came when Cottey was down to Freshman pearlstorm21, with Storm taking on two of Manchester's strongest players, getting the round victory while being out-manned, but slingshotting all of the momentum in Cottey's direction. 

Key Takeaways:

• gopher was unstoppable, averaging over 50 kills per map and leading the Comets as Captain. Harkins Map 1 performance sets a new single game 

• Cottey's roster has a large amount of new faces, with Allison Nalley, Pearl Storm, and Hailey Ivins each making their Valorant debut for the Comets.

• Cottey starts the season 1-0, returning next week to take on LSU-Shreveport.