The Ionia Bulldogs Varsity Volleyball team traveled to Lakewood to compete in the Pre-Season CAAC cross conference tournament today. The Bulldogs got off to a strong start finishing 1st in their 3 team pool with a sweep of Charlotte and Okemos. Moving into bracket play they continued their strong run with a sweep of Olivet. In the final round of bracket play coming off a break the Bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm again. Even though they had a strong run in the 2nd set, they dropped the match to St. Johns. Ionia met up with a familiar opponent in the final championship round where they beat Portland in 2 sets to finish 3rd on the day out of the 12 CAAC teams. The defense set the tone for the Bulldogs today led by Senior Kate Brown with 36 digs while Junior Molly Waterman and Freshman Logan Thomas both added 28 apiece. Senior Emma White had 5 blocks and Junior Layla Delnay added 3. Offensively the Bulldogs worked consistently to keep pushing the pace. Thomas led at the net with 23 kills and Sophomore Grace Droste added 15. Droste also dished out 50 assists on the day. Behind the service line Droste dropped 16 aces while Thomas tallied up 11. The Bulldogs start the season 4-1 and are back in action on Wednesday at Parma Western. Great work Bulldogs!