By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The Ada volleyball team lost a four-set match to visiting ex-league rival Lima Central Catholic Thursday night in a very hot gym.
The Lady Bulldog spikers fell to 8-5 with the 25-13, 25-20, 18-25, 25-15 defeat that snapped their four-match win streak. LCC improved to 9-5 after the hard-fought win.
"We were slow starting off in the first set, not moving our feet well," said Ada head coach Kyleigh Tabor. "After that our defense picked up and serve receive was solid. I was happy with our defense.
"LCC was a solid team as always," she continued. "We had seven serving errors and 40 total errors (20 hitting, 13 serve receive). With 40 errors, it is hard to beat teams. We had our good moments, but the errors kept us from getting on any extended runs."
The Thunderbirds jumped ahead in game one and rolled to a 25-13 win with a clinching serve. Ada made 10 costly miscues in the first set.
"Their middle killed us in the first set," said Tabor.
In set two, LCC hit long on the opening point. The T-Birds took the lead on two hits that were blocked out of bounds. A pair of errors made it 4-1, T-Birds. LCC hit long to end a rally at 4-2.
A successful left outside attack and an LCC error made it 5-3. Morgan Swick fired a low ace but a T-Bird block advanced the lead to 6-4.
Miranda Wills attack fell to the floor off a blocker but Ada followed with a hitting error. LCC hit wide off the top of the net. Wills and Rilan Conley then made fine saves as the Bulldogs won a long rally to tie it, 7-7.
LCC regained the lead on a kill but Aubrey Madison knotted it with a fine kill. A strong cross-court smash and two errors made it 11-8, T-Birds. LCC ended a long rally with a clean smash before Megan Light ended the run with a tip block at 12-9.
Two Ada miscues were followed by a Light kill to make it 14-10. LCC hit long after a lunging save by Conley. Wills went high for a tip block to inch within 14-12.
At 15-12 Wills reached back for a clean kill to the middle, followed by a pair of Swick aces that tied it 15-15. LCC would not fall behind though, as they finished a long rally with a big smash.
Another LCC point after an extended rally prompted an Ada timeout at 17-15. The Bulldogs responded with a block and a hit that sailed long. A passing error made it 19-16.
Kendal Guagenti made a nice diving save to move Ada within 19-17. LCC hit into the net after a long rally, but then came up with a well-placed tip to lead 20-18.
A Bulldog miscue and a serve reception error made it 22-18, leading to a Bulldog timeout. Wills found the open back with a good kill and LCC hit wide to edge Ada within 22-20.
Ada served long and LCC came up with a big block kill to reach set point. The T-Birds closed it out with a clean kill to the open back for a 25-20 victory.
In set three, Ada took an early lead after a clean ace by Sidney Gossard and two LCC errors. Light hit cross-court short to make it 4-0. Light then followed a block with a quick reaction kill, leading to an LCC timeout down 5-0.
"That good start in the third set was our only really good extended run of the match," said Tabor.
Ada hit just wide for the first T-Bird point. A good serve followed by an LCC hit that sailed well long made it 6-2. Another T-Bird hit went just wide, followed by a big Light kill that provided an 8-2 cushion.
A Bulldog serve went just long to end the run. Another Light clean kill advanced the margin to 9-3, but LCC responded with a big smash. Conley found the open middle for a 10-4 bulge.
A Wills serve that trickled over the net made it 11-4. After another timeout LCC began to rally. Their 3-0 spurt was ended by a net error at 12-7. The teams traded hitting errors into the net.
An LCC block and a wide Ada attack cut the lead to 13-10. Another Bulldog miscue led to a timeout. England found an opening with a short kill and LCC tipped wide.
A clean T-Bird kill and ace cut it to 15-13. Light came up with a key short cross court kill, followed by an LCC mis-hit. A T-Bird smash made it 17-14, but Light powered a clean smash to the middle.
Ada mis-hit for 18-15, followed by a rotation error. An LCC tip went just wide but the hosts served long to make it 20-16. Wills nailed an outside kill to restore the lead to five, and then an LCC attack went well wide.
An Ada serve missed just inches wide for 22-17. But LCC hit way long and England smashed a kill to the open middle to reach game point. The T-Birds won the longest rally of the match to stay alive at 24-18. Yet Ada closed it out with a clean smash, 25-18.
Opening set four, the hosts hit wide and made a passing miscue. A mis-hit and a Light tip tied it, 2-2. A Light smash later put Ada in front, 4-3. LCC tied it 5-5 but the purple and gold won a rally aided by a nice Wills save.
A huge T-Bird smash knotted it up again, and a mis-hit gave them the lead. A setting error advanced the lead to 8-6. LCC hit long and scored on an error. A T-Bird kill caromed out of bounds off an Ada block to make it 10-7, prompting a Bulldog timeout.
Yet LCC fired an ace and made a block to advance to a 12-7 lead. Ada hit long and a smash was tipped out by Ada for a 14-7 advantage.
"We could't side out with that one server going for LCC (at that juncture), and we got down on ourselves a little bit there," said Tabor.
England came up with a well-placed kill to end the 5-0 LCC flurry. England then slammed a nice smash to the open back. The springy-legged senior made it three in a row with a cross-court kill.
A passing error gave LCC a 15-10 lead. Light hit short but a Bulldog serve to the back corner sailed just long. A big LCC attack put the visitors ahead, 17-11.
Light's backhanded hit and a Madison block got Ada within 17-13. LCC hit long but the Bulldogs served into the net for 18-14. The T-Birds sliced a low ace followed by an attack into the net.
A tip and an Ada mis-hit advanced LCC to a 21-15 edge. Following a Bulldog timeout, LCC won a long rally and fired an ace to lead 23-15.
An Ada serve reception error then gave LCC match point. The Bulldogs hit wide to finish it off, 25-15.
Improved sophomore middle Light knocked down 14 kills to lead the Ada offense. "I thought she had a very good match," said Tabor.
Junior setter Sidney Gossard passed out 22 assists, made 16 digs and served one ace. Senior libero Swick hustled up a season-high 24 digs and dealt three aces.
Senior hitter Conley added 16 digs. Guagenti came up with eight digs. Senior England drilled six kills.
Sophomore Wills contributed four kills and nine digs. Sophomore Madison also contributed two blocks.
The Lady Bulldog reserves lost in straight sets.
Ada plays at the tough six-team Minster Invite this Saturday, facing Russia and Marion Pleasant in pool play, and then one other foe depending on how pool play goes.
The Bulldogs (3-1 home) host non-league county rival Kenton Monday night, Sept. 24.
