Lady Royals Come Up Short Against Ida

Halfway through Blissfield’s volleyball match against Ida Tuesday night, the Royals (3-2 in the LCAA) hadn’t done much to impress Sandi Porter very much. But by the end of Blissfield’s 18-25, 12-25, 29-27, 22-25 loss to Ida, Porter saw something she liked.

“We were up and down again. But I liked the way the girls fought back against a good team,” said Porter.

Ashley LaRoy had 10 points, 20 digs and three kills. Taylor Jacob had 15 digs, three blocks, six assists and four kills.

Blissfield was competitive in the first game but failed to hang on to small early lead. Down 5-3, Jacob and Laura Goetz had kills and Zoe Brennan had a block as the Royals took a 7-5 lead. Ida put up the next three points and then Blissfield scored two to take a 9-8 lead. It was the last lead they’d have during the game. With the game tied at 13, Ida pulled away with six straight points. Blissfield scored five of the next seven points to cut Ida’s lead to 21-18, but Ida finished the game with seven straight points. Autumn VanKirk, who finished the night with 19 kills, ended the first game with a kill and two blocks.

Ida was dominant in the second game. Blissfield started alright, but it after getting to within a point at 9-8, Ida went on a five point run and scored 16 of the next 20 points to win 25-12. Ida’s heavy serves and big hitting kept the Blissfield defense on the run and prevented the Royals from setting up an attack. Blissfield managed just three kills and a tip during the game.

Down two games in front of the home crowd, Blissfield battled to avoid being broomed by Ida. Kills by Celia Coopshaw, Jacob and Goetz helped Blissfield to a 7-2 lead. The Royals maintained a small lead until midway through the game. The Royals took a 14-12 lead after a tip by Celia Coopshaw. But Ida jammed up the Royals. VanKirk had three kills and block during a seven-point run as Ida took a 19-14 lead. Ida made a few mistakes and helped Blissfield climb to within a point at 20-21. Both teams were guilty of unforced errors and the game was tied at 23. Ida was on the verge of victory after a top by Stephanie Kipp. But Jacob’s kill tied the score at 24. Blissfield took the lead at 25-24 when Jacob set up Coophsaw for a kill. Ida, however, regained the lead with kills by Kipp and Nicole Farrell. With Blissfield on the brink of being swept, Kipp fired a shot into the net. Then the Royals took a 27-26 lead with a kill by Goetz. Ida’s Farrell tied the game at 27 with a kill. The Royals took the lead when a block by Coopshaw landed in Ida territory. Coopshaw served up an ace to give Blissfield the 29-27 win as the boisterous crowd cheered on their Royals.

The Royals began game four with a little hangover from their emotional victory. Within no time, the Royals were down 13-6, and all points but one kill by Brennan came on Ida mistakes.

A big block by Jacob on VanKirk seemed to breathe life into the Royals. Still, the Royals couldn’t make ground on Ida, who held a 23-15 lead after a kill by VanKirk. Ashley LaRoy’s kill LaRoy kept Blissfield alive with a kill. With co-captain LaRoy at the line, the Royals mounted a comeback. Ida was penalized for a couple of net violations, and then Goetz and Coopshaw landed kills. Coopshaw brought the crowd out of their seats with tip that caught Ida off guard and the Royals were down 23-22. The rally ended, however, when LaRoy’s diving serve crashed into the net. The Royals fought valiantly on the final point. The defense did a good job preventing the ace on a hard serve. The Royals scrambled to keep the ball live, and the next shot bounded high into the gym rafters. The third shot was fired back toward Ida territory but was stopped when it struck the gymnasium divider and rebounded back into the Blissfield territory.

Halfway through the season, Ida leads the LCAA season with a 5-0 record. Onsted is second at 4-1. Blissfield is third at 3-2.