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Bulldogs sweep Pioneers in 1st round

By Cort Reynolds

ADA - The Ada volleyball team easily swept visiting Lima Temple Christian Monday night in Div. III first round sectional volleyball action.

 

The third-seeded Bulldogs whipped LTC 25-11, 25-9, 25-8 to improve to 15-7. LTC ended its season 4-19 after the defeat.

 

Ada senior Melina Woods led the victors to their seventh match win in a row with 25 kills, five blocks and two aces.

 

"We came out a little weird, not having a JV match beforehand," said Ada head coach Melissa Gossard. "We were a little off focus until the third set.

 

"Thank God for Morgan Swick, our jack of all trades, who filled in well when Raina England got hurt."

 

The Bulldogs trailed 3-1 off the bat but were never seriously threatened as Woods got them even with three kills. Her ace gave the purple and gold  a 6-5 lead and sparked a 12-3 flurry.

 

England contributed and Nikki Lehsten each contributed a kill and Woods added three more in the run. Two aces by maddie Gossard and a clean kill by Woods extended the margin to 21-10.

 

A back row hit and a sideline kill from Woods moved Ada to set point. After a long rally, LTC hit into the net to clinch it 25-11.

 

Two clean smashes and a kill by England helped Ada race to a 6-2 lead in set two. They extended the lead to 12-6 after two kills from Megan Light and a smash from Gossard.

 

Aryn Recker served an ace for the scrappy, undersized Pioneers but Lehsten slammed a kill. Light and Woods came up with consecutive block kills. Woods scored the final four Bulldog points on kills to close set two out, 25-9.

 

Two Woods slams and a cross-court kill by England helped Ada lead 6-1 to start game three. A two-hand tip by Gossard found th eopen back corner. Woods authored a block kill and an ace, followed by a pair of Light kills to help Ada pull ahead, 16-3.

 

Two Lehsten kills and a Woods slam advanced the margin to 21-7. Ada scored four of the last five points on errors and rallies to finish off the Pioneer season, 25-8.

 

Senior setter Maddie Gossard dished out 24 assists and served two aces while adding a dozen digs.

 

Freshman Light contributed seven kills. Senior Lehsten knocked down four kills, as did junior England.

 

Senior libero Olivia Alexander hustled up 10 digs while senior defensive specialist Kaiti Newland compiled 14 digs.

 

Sophomore Sidney Gossard passed out 10 assists.  

 

"Our goal was to get as many people involved as possible, and get some confidence going," said Gossard. "We tried to get everyone contributing."

 

Ada (8-4 home) hosts the McComb/Pandora-Gilboa victor Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in second round tournament action.

 

The victor advances to the Ottawa district semis, likely against top-seeded Leipsic. The Vikings eliminated the Bulldogs at the same stage last year in four sets.

 

Ada defeated P-G in the first round of the tournament last year at home.

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