The young Ada volleyball team played well but lost a close four-setter to Delphos Jefferson in a Northwest Conference clash Tuesday night, September 28.
After Ada knotted the match at one set apiece, DJ rallied late to win two straight overtime sets to pull out the tight victory.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 2-14 overall and 0-5 in the NWC with the 25-18, 22-25, 26-24, 28-26 defeat.
DJ improved to 5-10 and 1-3 in the NWC with the hard-fought win.
The Bulldog girls knocked down a season-high 46 kills, but also committed 39 costly hitting errors.
"We just had too many errors," said Ada head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. "We couldn't keep the ball in play. I tell the girls that errors are freebie points.
"Defensively, we were solid and our serve receive was good. I am proud of our back row."
DJ jumped out to a 13-8 lead in set one. The visitors extended the margin to 18-9 before Emilee Huffer's kill ended a long rally.
A Courtney Sumner kill and then two aces by the hustling junior inched Ada within 20-14. A 4-0 Bulldog run closed the gap to 22-18.
But then DJ ran off the last three points, capped by an Avery Rahrig ace, to finish off the first set 25-18.
Two kills by Autumn Andreasan and a Jenna Bassitt service winner helped Ada to a 9-7 lead in set two. Cross-court kills by freshman Lily Baumgartner and Sumner, and a kill off a Wildcat block by sophomore Daicy Robinson, helped Ada surge ahead 18-15.
DJ tied it with three straight points, and the teams traded points until Andreasan scored on her trademark left-handed overhead tip for a 22-20 edge.
Huffer punctuated a long rally with a kill, and Josie Phillips fired an ace to achieve set point. The Wildcats staved off two set points, but Huffer clinched the match-tying 25-22 win with a big kill.
DJ bounced back and reeled off a 10-1 spurt to open the third game. But the Bulldogs battled back behind two Selena Jordan kills and a Bassitt ace to edge within 13-10.
Phillips then served seven consecutive points to spearhead an 8-0 flurry that catapulted Ada to a 21-16 lead. But DJ turned the tables and put together a 7-1 run to regain the lead, 23-22.
A clean kill by Robinson tied it, and Ada won a long rally to reach set point. Yet Jefferson came up with a great dig to save the game and went on to win a lengthy rally to knot it up, 24-24.
Ada then hit wide and junior Gwen Teman clinched the Wildcat win with a cross-court kill to finish the seesaw battle on a 10-3 run, 26-24.
"We dug ourselves a big hole, but we battled back," Woodruff pointed out.
Four Robinson kills and two from Sumner helped propel Ada to an 11-10 advantage in set four. Two tips and a clean kill to the open back by Robinson, along with a Baumgartner tip, tied it 17-17.
Two Sumner kills ended long consecutive rallies and put Ada in front, 21-20. Her well-placed hit moments later knotted the score 22-all. The Bulldogs pulled ahead 24-22 after a big kill from Robinson and a Wildcat serve reception error.
DJ rallied with the aid of two Bulldog errors to pull in front, 25-24. Ada saved a match point when Sumner's two-hand push to the right corner tied it at 25-25.
A Jordan kill gave Ada set point at 26-25. But then a serve error and two Bulldog hitting miscues ended the match in favor of Jefferson, 28-26.
"It was a hard-fought match," summed up Woodruff. "The errors at the end made the difference down the stretch. We just need to clean up our side of the net."
Sumner knocked down 13 kills, served two aces and hustled up 22 digs.
Sophomore setter Andreasen passed out a season-high 35 assists and contributed five kills, to go with nine digs.
Bulldog sophomore Robinson hammered a dozen kills and came up with two blocks. Senior Jordan contributed five kills.
Sophomore libero Phillips hustled up 20 digs, served three aces and hit one kill.
Huffer drilled four kills, made two blocks and dealt one ace. Baumgartner contributed six kills.
Sophomore Katie Sizemore and freshman Bassitt each came up with 12 digs.
The Bulldog reserves rallied to beat the Wildcat JVs 12-25, 25-23, 26-24.
Ada hosts struggling local arch-rival Upper Scioto Valley (1-9) in a non-league match Monday, October 4.
