By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The Ada volleyball team had to rally late in the third set but prevailed to sweep visiting county rival Hardin Northern Saturday afternoon.
The 25-15, 25-10, 26-24 non-league victory upped the Lady Bulldog record to 5-2. It was their third straight sweep in three home matches over five days. Ada is now 4-0 on home soil this season.
The struggling Lady Polar Bears fell to 0-5 with the defeat.
Ada trailed 24-22 in the third set, and it looked like a fourth game was in the offing. But HN hit into the net on set point to keep the hosts alive. Bulldog sophomore Courtney Sumner then hit a clutch kill down the open sideline to tie it 24-all.
A Polar Bear passing error moved Ada to match point. Senior Miranda Wills then hammered a kill off a Lady Bear blocker that fell to the ground on the HN side to end the match.
"After we played so well in game two, Hardin Northern got the momentum going to start the third set," said Bulldog head coach Kyleigh Tabor. "I am proud of the way we finished to win it in three."
Three kills and an ace by senior Megan Light helped Ada grab an early lead in set one. HN rallied to tie it 6-6 before the purple and gold went on a 9-2 run.
Kills by Wills and Light then made it 17-11. Bear hitter Renee Newton knocked down consecutive kills, but Wills then served four straight points to extend the lead to 22-12.
Two HN errors moved Ada to set point. Kirsten Poling then won it with a left-handed tip, 25-15.
The Bulldogs dominated set two, racing to a 13-3 lead. A clean sideline kill by Grace Allison made it 17-7. Two kills by Wills were followed by a block and a clean kill from Light.
An HN error and another Light block helped Ada build a 24-10 cushion. Sumner then fired a serve that Northern could not return to close the game, 25-10.
"We didn't make errors in the second set," Tabor pointed out.
The Lady Bears came out renewed in the third set. Two blocks and a kill by Newton helped the black and gold gain an early 5-1 lead. HN's Paytin Pore then made a diving save that fell in for a highlight point.
Ada responded with a 5-0 run and tied it 6-6. Newton served an ace to keep the visitors in front. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game after Poling authored a clean kill and a cross-court hit by Light at 14-13.
Pore tied it up 14-all with a clean smash, followed by a Newton smash and a block kill from Pore. Kylie Acheson found an opening cross court, and then Light dropped in a dink shot to the uncovered short spot.
Ada won two rallies, and a Sumner ace gave the Bulldogs capped a 5-2 spurt that led to a 20-17 advantage.
But a Newton ace, Bulldog miscues and two powerful kills from Eris McCoy spearheaded a timely 7-2 Northern run. Gabbi Hackworth added a clean smash down the sideline to help HN earn set point at 24-22.
However, Ada turned the tables back in their favor with a match-ending 4-0 flurry that concluded the sweep.
"I felt like we played very solid," said Tabor. "We ran different plays, took care of the ball and didn't make mistakes.
We kept Hardin Northern off balance on serve receive," she added.
Senior middle Light led Ada with 11 kills and two blocks. Versatile senior Wills contributed eight kills, 10 digs, three aces and two blocks.
Senior Acheson knocked down four kills and hustled up seven digs. Junior Poling passed out 25 assists, hit for five kills, made one block and came up with eight digs.
Athletic sophomore Sumner hustled up 13 digs, hit three kills and dealt a pair of aces. Senior Allison added two kills.
The Bulldog reserves (3-4) lost in straight sets, while the Ada freshmen beat HN 2-0.
Ada was scheduled to play next at Leipsic in a non-league bout Thursday, September 10. But due to a 15-player covid-19 outbreak on the currently-quarantined Lady Viking team, the match was cancelled.
The Bulldogs may host Riverdale instead Sept. 10. Ada is 1-2 on the road this year so far.
Ada golfers 3rd at county invite
By Cort Reynolds
KENTON - The Ada golf team finished third in the four-team Hardin County Invitational at the Kenton Memorial Golf Course Saturday.
Host Kenton won the tournament with a total of 187 strokes. Ridgemont finished second with a 196 score, followed by Ada (237) and Riverdale (249).
The Bulldog linksters improved to 2-22 after the event.
Junior Andrew Rush paced the Bulldogs with a nine-hole score of 52. Senior Jacob Morgan was second with a 60, followed closely by junior Dexter Woods at 61. Sophomore Geddes Klingler was the fourth scorer with a round of 64.
Junior Kamron Wilkerson added a score of 65.
Ada hosts NWC foes Delphos Jefferson and Lincolnview along with Bluffton at the Bluffton Golf Course Tuesday, September 8.
