By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The Ada volleyball team took down visiting Cory-Rawson in straight sets on a warm Wednesday night to record their first home win of the season.
The convincing 25-14, 25-23, 25-12 victory upped the Lady Bulldog record to 2-1.
"We played really well," said Bulldog second-year head coach Kyleigh Tabor. "They had a really good server going in the second set, but we came back strong in the third set."
A block kill by Megan Light and two Miranda Wills kills got Ada off to a good start in set one. An ace by Kendal Guagenti capped her 5-0 serving run and propelled the hosts to an 11-6 lead.
A cross court kill by Kirsten Poling, followed by kills from Light and Wills, kept the Bulldogs ahead 16-13. Aubrey Madison fired an ace to ignite her seven-point service spurt that finally ended with the Bulldogs comfortbaly on top, 23-14.
After an Ada error, Wills placed a clean kill cross-court to reach set point. C-R then tipped wide to clinch game one, 25-14.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-3 lead in set two before senior Samantha Roth took over serving to change the momentum in favor of the Hornets. She dealt a pair of aces to start her personal six-point run that put C-R ahead, 10-8.
Josie Poling's kill stopped the 7-0 Hornet flurry. Ada tied it 14-all on an error, and then regained the lead on a Light kill. Two more kills by the Bulldog junior ace gave the purple and gold a little breathing room, up 20-15.
Three Hornet errors gave Ada a 24-19 lead, but C-R rallied with four unanswered points to inch within 24-23. After a Tabor timeout, Wills stopped the rally on a clutch, game-ending kill for a 25-23 win.
The teams battled to a 5-5 tie early in set three. Ada then reeled off six straight points behind three Guagenti aces as her fine serving allowed the hosts to pull in front, 13-5.
Kills by both Poling girls extended the margin to 19-7. An error and a Light smash made it 21-7. Light hit the sideline with a kill, and another Light putaway hit moved Ada to match point at 24-11. C-R then hit wide to clinch it, 25-12.
"Our defense was solid," said Tabor. "We kept them off balance, and our serve placement was smart."
Light led the Bulldogs with 15 kills and a dozen digs, and she also came up with two blocks. Wills amassed nine kills and eight digs, while Madison added two aces and seven assists.
Senior libero Guagenti came up with 14 digs and dealt six aces.
Sophomore setter Kirsten Poling passed up 18 assists while Josie Poling hit for two kills. Kylie Acheson added a kill.
"Megan connected well with Kirsten," said Tabor. "Kendal and Aubrey served well. Cory had trouble with serve receive."
The Lady Bulldog reserves also won the junior varsity match 2-1 to earn their first victory for new JV coach Lindsay Walden.
Ada (1-1 home) hosts MAC powerhouse Coldwater Thursday evening to complete three home matches on consecutive nights.
"Coldwater is right there with St. Henry," said Tabor. "It will be another tough one. We will just have to play as hard as we can and give 100 percent effort."
