By Cort Reynolds
One purple and gold team was guaranteed to win when similarly-colored Northwest Conference foes Ada and Leipsic met in the final league volleyball match of 2023 Tuesday night, October 10.
Unfortunately for the host Bulldogs they lost in three sets to the Vikings in their regular season and home finale 25-9, 25-18, 25-16.
The Bulldogs dropped to 12-10 overall, and finished 2-6 in the NWC with the defeat. Ada ended up seventh in the nine-team league.
Leipsic finished second in the NWC at 7-1 with the victory that improved their overall record to 14-2. The hard-hitting Vikings also shared the Putnam County League crown with Miller City at 5-1.
“Leipsic had great hitters,” said Bulldog head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. “They were solid defensively; there were just not many openings for us to hit into.
“Leipsic put the ball away on their hits,” she added.
It was the last home match for Bulldog seniors Autumn Andreasen, Josie Phillips, Daicy Robinson and Mariah King. Ada ended up 6-4 at home this season.
Slow starts doomed the Bulldogs in the first two sets. The Vikings raced to an 8-0 lead in game one. A kill by senior Robinson ended the opening Ada dry spell.
An Anna Conley block was the only Ada score in the ensuing 6-1 Leipsic flurry. Hard-hitting senior Alivia Jones powered the Vikings to an 18-5 lead with multiple kills.
A kill and two aces by Tess Griffith sparked a 4-0 Ada spurt.
But Jones served out the set with three aces to provide a 25-9 win.
In game two the visitors jumped to a 7-3 lead. Ada inched within 8-6, but a 6-0 run with Morgan Apple serving extended their deficit to 14-6.
Robinson ended the spurt by smacking a kill off a Viking block. Ada got within 17-10 on a kill by Brooklyn Andreasen. Leipsic ran off three points before Mariah King hit a clean kill and Autumn Andreasen timed a big block kill to make it 20-12.
Ada crept to 22-15 after a Conley authored a kill and a block kill. Autumn Andreasen fired two aces to pull the Bulldogs within 22-17. But Leipsic closed on a 3-1 spurt to stave off the rally, 25-18.
Ada took its first lead on a kill by Griffith to open the third set. The teams battled to 4-4 after a Robinson smash. The Vikings inched in front 8-7 behind two kills from Jones.
A 6-1 run gave Leipsic breathing room as they surged ahead 14-8 as Griffith authored a running one-handed tip for the Bulldog score. Two kills by Robinson and a smash from Dailah Preston pulled the hosts within 19-12.
Ada hung in striking distance at 21-15 after a King cross-court kill dropped to the floor off the top of the net. A clean kill from Robinson cut the lead to five.
But Jones answered with a clean smash, and she then served two aces to close the match out, 25-16.
“It was hard for us to find any holes on their side,” Woodruff noted.
Senior setter Andreasen dished out 18 assists and hustled her way to 19 digs. She also made three blocks and served one ace.
Seniors Robinson and King knocked down seven and two kills, respectively.
Sophomore Conley hit three kills and came up with a season-high five blocks. Freshman Brooklyn Andreasen knocked down three kills.
Junior Griffith drilled four kills, hustled up 14 digs and dealt two aces. Freshman Preston added two kills.
Junior libero Jenna Bassitt mustered 17 digs. Defensive specialist Phillips came up with four digs, and junior DS Alysa Madison made 11 digs.
The Bulldog reserves lost 2-0 to finish 14-5 this season. The Ada freshman reserve team also lost, 2-1.
Ada plays rival USV (7-9) in the sectional finals Thursday, October 19 at New Bremen. The winner advances to face top-seeded NB (17-4) Tuesday, Oct. 24 on their home court.
The Bulldogs beat the Rams 3-0 on Oct. 2 in Ada.
