Dig for a Cure for cancer event October 2
By Cort Reynolds
The Ada High School volleyball team handily defeated visiting Delphos Jefferson in three sets to seize a Northwest Conference victory Thursday evening, September 28.
The Bulldogs improved to 10-8 overall and 2-4 in the NWC with the convincing 25-11, 25-21, 25-19 victory. The win also snapped their four-match losing skid.
Delphos Jefferson fell to 2-14 overall and 0-4 in NWC play after the defeat.
“We kept them off balance and ran some free-ball plays,” said Ada head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. “We made some good saves to keep the ball alive, and the hitters put the ball away.”
Ada rolled to a 25-11 game one win to set the tone early.
“I thought we started off strong and played well together,” said Woodruff.
In set two, Josie Phillips served the first five points as the Bulldogs raced to a 5-0 lead. DJ answered by reeling off a 4-0 spurt behind Claire Brinkman.
Tess Griffith hammered a kill on the back line and Anna Conley converted a block tip to provide a 7-5 Ada lead.
Two kills by Daicy Robinson advanced the lead to 11-7. Delphos won some long rallies to tie it 13-13 before serving into the net. A booming smash by Griffith ricocheted out of play, followed by an outside kill from freshman Dailah Preston.
Another unreturned Griffith hammer shot and a clean ace by Autumn Andreasen extended the lead to 19-13. A Wildcat hitting error prompted a DJ timeout as the Ada run reached seven unanswered points.
The decisive Bulldog flurry peaked at eight before they hit long to make it a 21-14 lead. Delphos hit the back line on a two-hand push, followed by a DJ hit that went long.
The teams traded attacks that went just long to make it 23-17. Delphos painted the back line, and Ada hit long to keep the visitors alive at 23-19. Yet DJ hit out to advance the Bulldogs to set point.
After a long rally Ada hit just long, and Delphos junior Alaina Fitch served an ace. But Bulldog senior southpaw Mariah King smacked a kill off the top of the net that dropped to the floor to clinch the 25-21 win.
A King attack off a Wildcat block bounced out of play to give Ada a 3-1 lead early in set three. DJ tied it 5-5 but again served into the net when they had a chance to take the lead.
The Wildcats knotted it at 7-7 but then couldn’t return a big smash from Conley within three hits. Ada won a long rally and extended their lead to 10-7 with Conley serving.
Delphos inched within 11-10 before hitting long and then wide on the ensuing point. A Conley kill put Ada on top 15-12. A Lela Grogg block gave DJ the serve back.
But a Conley kill ended the longest and best rally of the match to give Ada a 16-13 edge. Griffith put away a tip kill with good timing, but then hit into the net.
A Wildcat serving miscue gave Andreasen the serve, and she fired a low ace to make it 19-14. A Preston kill and another AA ace put Ada ahead 21-14.
A 3-0 DJ run was capped by a Nautica Rader ace. Yet Griffith ended a long rally with a big kill. A clean Preston kill earned Ada match point. DJ staved off one point at 24-19, but a hard Robinson kill ended the match 25-19.
Ada junior Griffith knocked down nine kills, made nine digs and served a pair of aces.
Senior setter Andreasen passed out 26 assists and made 14 digs. She also served three aces.
Senior hitter Robinson drilled nine kills and made two blocks.
Conley contributed seven kills and three blocks.
Junior libero Jenna Bassitt hustled up 34 digs. Senior defensive specialist Phillips mustered six digs, and junior Alyssa Madison came up with seven digs.
The Bulldog reserves swept DJ 2-0 to improve to 12-3 this season. The Ada freshman team also beat Lima Senior, 2-0.
Ada (5-3 home) entertains arch-rival USV (4-7) Monday, October 2 in a non-league bout. The annual rivalry match also serves as the program’s Dig for a Cure for cancer event Oct. 2.
