By Cort Reynolds

ADA - The host Ada volleyball team lost a spirited four-set match to Lincolnview in a Northwest Conference battle on Volley for the Cure Night Thursday.

The Lady Bulldogs lost 25-16, 25-20, 13-25, 25-14 to drop to 11-10 overall and 4-3 in the NWC. Ada has one league match left at home vs. Columbus Grove.

Lincolnview improved to 15-5 and 5-2 in the NWC with the win.

Close to a thousand dollars were raised between donations, t-shirt sales, a bake sale and the 50/50 raffle winnings, which were donated by Jim Swick.

"Lincolnview had a few more hitting options who could put the ball away," said Ada first-year Ada head coach Kyleigh Tabor. "Both teams played good defense. I thought we played pretty well, but we were a little too up and down. They had a little more height."

Set one was close early on as the teams battled to a 6-6 tie. Big hitting by 5-10 freshman Kendall Bollenbacher and 6-0 senior Carly Wendel sparked a 7-2 Lancer spurt.

Ada sophomore Miranda Wills stopped the run with a clean cross-court kill. However, Lincolnview inched in front 17-11 after an ace by Madison Williams.

The Bulldogs rallied within 18-15 before the visitors pulled back in front 21-15. Bollenbacher slammed an outside kill, yet Ada senior Rilan Conley answered with a kill to the open middle.

A cross court tip by Kendall Klausing helped spark Lincolnview as Bollenbacher served the last three points to win game one, 25-16.

The Lancers jumped to a 4-1 lead in set two yet sophomore Megan Light led a 7-2 Ada flurry with a block kill and another kill. Conley's outside hit broke an 8-8 knot, but Lincolnview ran off the next seven points ignited by Wendel's consecutive block kills.

A kill off a Lancer block by Wills stopped the 9-1 splurge. Aubrey Madison served an ace, Sidney Gossard found the open corner and a kill by Light dropped in to edge Ada within 16-15.

But a key kill by Jordan Decker ended the 5-1 Bulldog run and sparked Lincolnview to a 19-15 lead. A tip by Bollenbacher later trickled over the net while Light responded with a kill to the open short hole to make it 21-17.

A pair of double-block kills by Wendel and Williams, sandwiched around a Light tip, advanced the Lancers to game point at 24-19. After a Lincolnview error, a big smash by the powerful Bollenbacher ended the set, 25-20.

Fired-up Ada ran out to a 4-1 lead in set three. An ace by Lakin Brant tied it 4-4 but the Bulldogs rallied behind aces from Morgan Swick and Gossard to seize an 11-5 lead.

Clean kills by Conley and Wills capped a 6-0 spurt that gave the hosts a 13-6 cushion. A Bollenbacher ace ended the rally, but Conley fired an ace of her own and Raina England came up with a kill for the purple and gold.

Another Madison ace punctuated a 5-1 Ada run. The Lancers inched within 21-12 before Light took over. She landed a kill on the sideline, then made a good tip and a kill off a Lancer block to reach game point.

Ada then closed out the third set 25-13 on a Lincolnview error.

Two England kills, a Wills ace and two Light kills early in game four kept Ada within 6-5. But aided by two great lunging saves, Lincolnview then won the longest rally of the night to provide for a momentum-changing 7-5 lead.

"That was a great point," Tabor noted. The literal turning point seemed to inspire the Lancers. Consecutive kills by Williams helped the visitors extend to a 14-9 advantage.

A Wills kill and a well-placed hit by Light kept Ada within four points. But Bollenbacher came up with a big hit to the open back, and then she added a tip block. A Brant ace was followed by two more Bollenbacher winning hits to advance the Lancer lead to 21-13.

Lincolnview won another long rally to go up by nine. A fine save by Brant led to a 23-13 cushion. On match point Lincolnview fired an ace on the back line to close it out, 25-14.

Sophomore Light powered down 15 kills and added two blocks to lead the Ada attack.

Junior setter Gossard passed out 32 assists, made 16 digs and served one ace. Senior libero Swick hustled up 14 digs and served an ace.

Senior hitter Conley knocked down eight kills and added 13 digs, plus one ace. Senior England contributed five solid kills.

Versatile sophomore Wills compiled six kills, 20 digs and served one ace. Classmate Kendal Guagenti came up with 11 digs. Soph Madison added two aces and one block.

The Lady Bulldog reserves lost in two sets.

Ada hosts Columbus Grove (11-4, 6-1 NWC) next Tuesday night, October 9 in the regular season finale on Senior Night.

Paulding, Crestview and Columbus Grove are all tied atop the NWC at 6-1 heading into the final league match Tuesday.

Drawing for the Findlay Div. IV sectional will be held Sunday afternoon.