By Cort Reynolds
LIMA - The Ada volleyball team won the first set but dropped the last three to lose to New Washington Buckeye Central in the Div. IV regional semifinals Thursday night at Elida.
The Lady Bulldogs had their 10-match win streak snapped to end their season at 18-8. NWBC (25-1) advances to the regional finals Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Carey.
The Buckettes came from behind to defeat Ada 24-26, 25-14, 25-16, 25-16 and finish the longest tournament run in Bulldog volleyball program history.
The Buckettes led 10-3 in a seesaw first set before Ada rallied to tie it 15-all. The Bulldogs took a 16-15 edge and then extended their margin to 20-17.
BC responded with a 7-4 run to knot it once more at 24-24. But Ada scored the last two points to capture the opening set, 26-24.
BC again jumped to a 10-3 advantage in game two, leading to a Bulldog timeout. The margin stayed fairly steady as the Buckettes led 21-13 to prompt another Ada timeout. But BC ended the set on a 4-1 flurry to win by 11 and even the match one set apiece.
In game three, Ada earned an early 10-8 edge. But a 9-2 BC spurt gave them control with a 17-12 lead. They then scored five of the next eight points to go up 22-15. The Buckettes ended the game on a 17-6 run to win set three, 25-16.
In game four, BC led 11-6 and then extended the margin to 14-6 before an Ada timeout. The Bulldogs went on a last-ditch run to pull within 20-16, forcing a BC stoppage.
After the break, the Buckettes ran off the next three points to go up 23-16. BC then finished off the match with the final two points to end it on a 5-0 spurt, 25-16.
NWBC, champion of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, is one of eight teams still left in the Div. IV state tournament. The Buckettes will face Carey, which swept Toledo Christian 3-0 in the other Elida semifinal, Saturday at 2 p.m. in Elida with a trip to the state final four at stake.
Ada seniors Melina Woods, Maddie Gossard, Olivia Alexander, Kylie Guagenti, Kaiti Newland and Nikki Lehsten played their final matches for the purple and gold.
