The Ada volleyball team lost a close four-set battle to visiting arch-rival Upper Scioto Valley Monday night.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to 2-15 with the 25-16, 22-25, 25-15, 25-22 non-conference defeat.
USV improved to 4-12 with the hard-fought victory.
"Our back row play was not as good as it is normally," said Ada head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. "They had a lot of tips that fell in. We were reaching for the ball instead of getting our body behind the ball. We were a step slow.
"Our serve receive also wasn't as solid as usual either," she added.
The Bulldog girls fell behind 16-8 in set one before reeling off a 5-0 run with Emilee Huffer serving. But USV responded with an 8-1 flurry to reach game point.
Freshman Lily Baumgartner saved one set point with clean kill, followed by a Ram hitting error.
But Sydney Christensen fired an ace to clinch the opening set for the visitors.
The Rams raced to a 6-1 lead starting game two before Ada came back. Huffer hit a kill, then Daicy Robinson fired two aces and a service winner. Selena Jordan scored a well-placed crosscourt kill to inch Ada within 8-6.
A successful Baumgartner attack capped an 8-0 Bulldog spurt. USV ran off three points to tie, but another Baumgartner hit and an ace by freshman Jenna Bassitt put Ada back on top.
A clean kill by Huffer and a few Ram errors helped the Bulldogs seize a 14-11 lead.
USV rallied to tie it 15-all before a Robinson kill ended a long rally. Jordan followed with a kill as Ada clung to a two-point edge.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 22-18. After a timeout, the Rams inched within 23-22 behind a pair of kills from Brielle Cotterman.
Huffer's hard hit was returned just wide to achieve set point. USV then saw its attack sail out of bounds to even the match one-all with a 25-22 Ada win.
Patiance Cole and Kennedy Hall combined for three early kills to propel USV to a 5-1 lead in set three. Ada clawed back to tie it 6-6, but Upper spurted 6-0 as Christensen served five points. USV extended its advantage to 17-10.
Hall served an ace to offset a big smash from Robinson, and USV went on to record a 25-15 win.
Cole smacked a kill to start the seesaw fourth game, followed by a Caitlyn Cunningham ace. Bulldog Katie Sizmore fired an ace and Baumgartner knocked down a kill to catapult Ada ahead 8-6.
USV answered with a 5-0 flurry, capped by a Nevaeh Lowery ace, to go back on top 11-8. Ada responded with a 7-1 run of its own. Robinson hammered two kills, and southpaw Mariah King added another kill in the flurry.
But a Cunningham ace and a Christensen tip tied it 15-15. Ada inched ahead on two Ram miscues, yet a Hall kill and a tip from Cole knotted it again at 18-all.
A well-placed Jordan hit to the open back corner tied it again. Jordan scored again on a hit that ricocheted off a Ram and the ceiling ductwork for 20-20.
USV came up with a couple diving saves in the next rally, but King tallied a tip to give Ada its last lead at 21-20.
Two Bulldog mis-hits helped USV run off four big points in a row as Lowery served to achieve match point. King staved off one with a kill that bounced off the top of the net and dropped to the floor to edge Ada within 24-22.
But then USV drilled a crosscourt kill off a Bulldog block into the stands to end the match, 25-22.
"Number 11 (Cotterman) killed us," summed up Woodruff. "She is a really nice hitter."
Senior Jordan contributed 10 kills and mustered six digs in perhaps her best match of the season.
Sumner knocked down four kills and hustled up 15 digs for Ada.
Sophomore setter Andreasen passed out 29 assists and contributed six digs.
Bulldog sophomore Robinson knocked down seven kills and served two aces.
Huffer drilled four kills. Baumgartner hammered seven kills. Sophomore Mariah King added three kills.
Sophomore libero Josie Phillips and junior Amelia Alexander each came up with four digs.
Sophomore Sizemore served an ace, and freshman Bassitt dealt one ace and dug up four balls.
The Bulldog junior varsity defeated the Ram reserves 2-0 to improve to 6-9.
Ada (0-5 NWC) visits Crestview (12-6, 5-1 NWC) in a league bout Tuesday, October 5.
The Bulldogs then entertain fifth-ranked state power Leipsic (16-1, 5-1 NWC) Thursday, Oct. 7.
