By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton High School volleyball team kept its long win streak alive with a sweep at outgoing Northwest Conference rival Ada on Thursday evening, September 21.

The Pirates ran their win string to 11 matches with a convincing 25-18, 25-19, 25-16 road victory. Bluffton improved to 13-2 overall and 3-0 in the NWC after the win.

“Ada is always very competitive but we had a few more hitters,” said Pirate head coach Kevin King. ”Karlie Lora had a good match. We had some serve errors, but we also served nine aces.”

The Bulldogs fell to 9-7 overall and 1-3 in the NWC with the defeat. 

“We had long rallies, but the difference was they had more hitters,” said Ada head coach Kyleigh Woodruff. “We hustled and made good saves, but they put the ball away. We didn’t hit the ball hard and just were not able to put hits away.”

Bluffton jumped ahead 13-8 in set one. Bulldog kills by Tess Griffith and Mariah King, followed by a clean Alyssa Madison ace to the back line, crept Ada within 15-11.

Ayla Grandey’s smash was offset by a kill from Anna Conley. Ada inched to 19-16 before a serving error and a fake set overhead tip by setter Gracie Yarnell made it 21-16.

A great running save by Vanessa Cross kept the Pirates ahead 22-17. A kill by Karlie Lora and a good serve by libero Avery Talavinia got the visitors to set point at 24-18. 

Ada called timeout but Grandey ended the game on a block kill, 25-18.

The Bulldogs started up 3-2 in set two, but a Bluffton block tied it. Grandey fired a low ace for a 6-4 lead, but then sailed a hard serve long. Ada reeled off three points with King serving before Lora found the open middle with a clean kill.

The Pirates came back with six points in a row, paced by a Yarnell block kill and a smash from Kendall Stackhouse. Olivia Hobensack served an ace to cap her 5-0 spurt.

A smash wide stopped the run at 11-8, but Stackhouse nailed a kill off an Ada block out of bounds, then came up with a block kill. 

Conley launched a clean ace inside the back line to edge Ada within 13-10.

A block kill from Olivia Siferd helped Bluffton build a 16-12 edge, but Madison fired a service winner. Morgan Fruchey’s attack was returned wide. Lora and Grandey combined for a block kill at 18-13 before a Pirate serve went just long.

“I thought our blocking gave them trouble,” King noted.

A Lora kill was blocked into the net, but Ada regained serve and Josie Phillips rifled an ace to pull within 19-16. Lora answered with a huge smash for 20-16, followed by a Hobensack ace.

After an Ada timeout, the Pirates served long. Stackhouse hit just wide, yet Lora answered with another big kill off a Bulldog block. A left-handed, lunging tip by Fruchey found the floor for 23-18.

Fruchey then came up with a huge solo block kill to reach set point. The Pirates served long, but Stackhouse rose high and slammed a clean kill to the open back to clinch the game, 25-19.

In set three, the Pirates jumped to a 6-1 lead. Ada inched within 10-6. The Pirates won a long rally. Griffith rifled two service winners.

A big Bluffton kill and a Stackhouse smash made it 16-10 before an Ada timeout. A Pirate kill found the back line. Bluffton freshman Gracie Warren smacked a clean kill, followed by a pair of serve errors.

A Bassitt back row hit was deflected out of play to make it 20-12. Lora’s middle kill bounced in off a block. Bluffton inched ahead 22-13 after a serve into the net. 

A Griffith tip fell in, off a Pirate block at 22-16. A Lora smash off of the top of the net then found the floor. Cross fired a service winner, then rifled a clean ace to an opening in back to finish the match.

“Bluffton had a couple of good float servers who kept us off balance,” Woodruff noted. “Those servers enabled them to get on a few runs.”

Lora knocked down a dozen kills and made four blocks to lead the Pirates. Stackhouse contributed eight kills, while Warren came off the bench late to knock down five kills.

Fruchey hit five kills, came up with nine digs and three blocks.

Grandey added three kills. Cross came up with six digs and served two aces.

Setter Gracie Yarnell dished out 33 assists and served four aces. 

“Gracie had a nice night,” said King. “She does a good job controlling the floor well, and reads the court well. We went to a 5-1 offense with her when NWC started.”

Talavinia mustered 15 digs. Hobensack dealt a pair of aces.

Ada junior Griffith drilled four kills, mustered nine digs and served up a pair of aces. King contributed four kills and six digs.

Senior hitter Daicy Robinson hit a pair of kills and made one block. 

Ada senior setter Autumn Andreasen passed out a dozen assists and made five digs. Sophomore Anna Conley added two kills. 

Junior libero Jenna Bassitt hustled up 18 digs. Senior defensive specialist Josie Phillips came up with three digs and served an ace.

Madison fired three aces and hustled up five digs. Freshman Brooklyn Andreasen added a block.

The Bluffton reserves also won 2-0.

The Pirates host fellow league unbeaten Crestview (11-1, 4-0 NWC) in a first-place showdown next Tuesday, Sept. 26. They then visit Leipsic (9-2, 2-1 NWC) next Thursday. 

“It will be a tough week,” King warned.