By Cort Reynolds
The Ada High School varsity volleyball team served up its season opener at home vs. Kenton on August 20 in the newly-air conditioned varsity gym.
The Bulldogs battled hard but came up short in four sets as they had trouble handling the top two Wildcat hitters. Kenton pulled away from a close match by taking the final two games to win 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17.
“They killed us with tips,” said Ada veteran head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. “We couldn’t adjust our defense to their tips. We also gave them too many free balls.
”Our defense was great vs. their hard hitting,” she continued. “Our blockers did a nice job. But their two middles are good, they had smart placement.”
Kenton ace Macee Heckathorn smashed a big kill to give the visitors an 8-6 lead in set one. Ada came back to tie it 10-10 on an Anna Conley kill and an ace by senior libero Jenna Bassitt.
Tips by Wildcat seniors Heckathorn and Sadie Larrabee sparked a 5-0 run and an 18-11 lead. Conley ended the spurt with a two-hand tip to the open back.
Ada inched within 22-17 on a two-hand block by Conley and a Wildcat error. But a cross-court tip off the net dropped in for the visitors. A Kenton block kill and a set point attack caromed out of bounds off an Ada block to end game one, 25-18.
Conley opened set two with a massive kill and a tip, but Kenton reeled off six unanswered points to forge an 8-2 lead. A kill by Brooklyn Andreasen and a clean ace from Kennedy Jones helped Ada within 8-5.
Kenton spurted ahead 14-7 on the strength of a 6-2 run. A clean kill by Ada sophomore Dailah Preston ended the flurry. Bulldog senior Tess Griffith hammered a kill, followed by an ace from classmate Natilyn McClain.
Conley’s one-hand tip capped a long rally as Ada inched within 15-12. Kenton maintained the lead to 18-15 when the Bulldogs caught fire. Good serves by Bassitt and Alainee Buxton helped the hosts tie it 19-all.
A kill and a block kill from Andreasen knotted it at 21-21. After a Wildcat tip, Griffith tied it yet again with a kill. Kenton hit long and Griffith rifled an ace to give the purple and gold set point. A service winner by Griffith clinched the game 25-22 as they ended the set on a 12-6 run.
“I thought the second set was really intense,” said Woodruff.
But Kenton took the momentum right back with a 9-2 start to set three. A southpaw tip from Griffith, and a Griffith kill cut the lead to 11-4. She later ended a 4-0 Wildcat run with a cross-court kill, followed by a McClain ace.
A Buxton tip and a smash by Alivia Gibson that hit the top of the net and fell in cut the deficit to 21-12. The line-drive serving Buxton then fired two straight aces to slice the lead to seven.
A well-placed sideline kill by sophomore Gibson kept Ada alive at 22-15. But Heckathorn stopped the momentum with a clean kill. Kenton used four hits to return an Andreasen attack. Ada stayed close after a rare tip error from Heckathorn.
But a service error by Ada and a service winner by the ‘Cats closed the third set, 25-18.
Fast-starting Kenton raced to leads of 7-2, 9-4 and 12-5 in game four. Two kills by Griffith kept Ada within six points, but a 5-0 flurry extended the Kenton cushion to 17-6.
A kill and a solo block by Conley, followed by a Gibson kill, edged the Bulldogs within 19-10. A clean smash by Larrabee sparked a 3-0 Kenton mini-spurt. Gibson’s solo block and a Griffith kill kept the Bulldogs within 22-14.
Ada saved three match points behind a long rally and a Preston tip. But Heckathorn fittingly ended the match with a left side tip to the open spot to finish it, 25-17.
Kenton improved to 2-0 with the win.
Griffith led Ada with 11 kills, 13 digs, nine assists and five aces.
Bassitt mustered 14 digs and served three aces. Buxton dealt three aces and hustled up eight digs. Conley knocked down seven kills and came up with two big blocks.
Senior Jones passed out nine assists and made six digs. Sophs Andreasen, Gibson and Preston drilled three kills apiece. Junior Alyssa Madison contributed six digs.
Kenton also swept the JV and freshman matches, 2-0.
Ada will host a non-league tri-match Saturday morning vs. Waynesfield-Goshen and Spencerville, starting at 10 a.m.
The Bearcats (0-1) will face Ada in the first match, followed by the Bearcats and Tigers in the middle contest. The Bulldogs then host W-G (0-2) in the third bout. Waynesfield has lost to Ben Logan and Pandora-Gilboa, two of the better teams in the area.
