By Cort Reynolds
ADA – The Ada High School volleyball team defeated visiting Arcadia in a four-set Blanchard Valley Conference match Wednesday, October 2, to celebrate Senior Night in the final home match of the 2024 season.
The Bulldogs lost the first set 25-19, but came back strong to take the last three convincingly 25-19, 25-14, 25-14.
Ada evened its overall record at 10-10 with the win, which improved their BVC mark to 3-6.
The scrappy Redskin girls fell to 3-17 overall and 1-8 in BVC action with the defeat.
Senior libero Jenna Bassitt surpassed the 1,000-dig mark for her career Monday, then added 10 more digs Wednesday to break the career mark set two years ago by Courtney Sumner. Bassitt now has 1,015 and counting.
“Our energy came back after the first set,” said Ada head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. “The girls had fun on the court, and that helped with our chemistry.
“It was a good senior night,” she noted. “I am proud of the girls for pulling out a win after playing some tough matches lately.”
Arcadia led 11-5 in set one before Tess Griffith angled a clean cross-court kill. Dailah Preston smacked a kill, and Brooklyn Andreasen converted a two-hand tip to inch Ada within 14-11. Another Preston kill was later followed by a Kennedy Jones service winner.
Consecutive kills by Andreasen and another by Anna Conley helped Ada hover within 21-18. But the Redskins finished on a 4-1 run to take the opening game, 25-19.
“Arcadia came out louder than us, they were hustling and fought hard,” Woodruff noted. “Then the momentum changed for us.”
Ada started set two on top 4-1. Arcadia answered with a 4-0 run. A cross-court kill angled by Andreasen, and another clean kill by her was followed by a nice southpaw tip from Griffith for a 12-10 lead.
An ace and two other winning serves by Jones sparked a 4-0 flurry that propelled Ada to a 23-15 lead. The Redskins reeled off four unanswered points but stopped their own momentum by serving into the net.
Bulldog junior Alainee Buxton served a winner that dropped in off the net to close set two, 25-19.
Ada rode that momentum to a 5-1 lead in game three. Aces by Jaylin St. Laurent and Bassitt helped the hosts pull in front 11-4. Two aces by Buxton stretched the margin to 15-6.
Conley then authored a block kill and a clean kill on consecutive plays for an 18-7 advantage. Buxton later knocked down a clean kill at 22-12. A Preston kill advanced Ada to set point, where a lefty tip by Arcadia went just wide for a 25-14 finish.
Buxton continued her strong play early in game four. She finished a southpaw tip, then hit an attack that dropped in off the net. Andreasen authored a block kill for an 8-4 lead.
Natilyn McClain’s ace helped punctuate a 9-1 Ada run. Griffith smashed a cross-court kill to double up Arcadia, 14-7. Preston’s kill made it 17-8, and a Conley smash stretched the lead to 21-10.
Griffith’s kill moved Ada to match point at 24-12. Arcadia staved off defeat with two points, but then hit wide to finish it off for the Bulldogs, 25-14.
Griffith hammered six kills and dug up 16 hits.
Sophomore setter Jaylin St. Laurent passed up 36 assists, mustered 13 digs and dealt a pair of aces.
Junior Conley drilled 12 kills and added four digs with one solo block. Sophomore Preston knocked down 10 kills, made three digs and added a solo block.
Sophomore Andreasen contributed eight kills and two solo blocks. Junior Alyssa Madison hustled up seven digs. Buxton hit five kills, came up with five digs and served three aces.
Senior Kennedy Jones served up four aces. Senior McClain mustered two digs and served an ace. Senior Bassitt also served two aces.
Ada finished 4-5 at home in the regular season.
The Bulldog reserves lost the JV match, 2-0.
Griffith, McClain, Jones, Bassitt and injured Belah Price were recognized before the varsity match as the team’s outgoing five seniors.
The Arcadia rematch was Ada’s eighth contest in 11 days. The Bulldogs beat the Redskins 2-1 by taking the decisive third set 25-20 last Saturday at the Cory-Rawson Invitational.
The Shawnee sectional tournament draw is Sunday. Teams in the nine-team sectional are Ada, Arlington, Delphos St. John’s, Hardin Northern, Temple Christian, New Knoxville, Ridgemont, USV and Waynesfield.
Ada plays its BVC finale at second-place Pandora-Gilboa (13-5, 7-1 BVC) Monday, Oct. 7, then visits struggling arch-rival USV (1-12) Oct. 8 to finish the regular season.
