The Ionia 8th Grade Volleyball teams took on the Portland Raiders at home tonight. Ryelee Daugherty led the Bulldogs to an early lead with 11 service points and 5 aces. Bella Bar had an ace and a kill as well as 2 assists and 3 great digs. Ella White had 3 kills, an excellent block, and 5 awesome digs! Olivia White added another great dig and covered her teammates well! Ionia defeated Portland 25-14. 

Portland was eager to get back on the court and fought hard against the Dawgs. Pyper Patterson had 4 kills, an assist, and 10 great digs. Bella Barr added 6 more digs and Ryelee Daugherty had 8. Alexa Peterson had 2 great assists. Despite their efforts, a few errors on defense covering tips at the end of the match allowed the Raiders to overtake the lead and defeat the Bulldogs 22-25. 

With just 15 points to go, Ionia was ready and fired up getting back on the court. Quickly regaining the serve after losing the coin flip, Daugherty put down 4 solid service points. Selina Stalker had 2 great kills and Brynn Steffen added one. Ella White added 4 kills and Olivia White covered her front row well picking up short tips and managing the end line. All in all the Bulldogs pulled together as a team and played their game, leading them to a final set victory over Portland 15-7.

The A team Dawgs are 5-0 so far this season! Please join us at home on Monday as we take on the Lakewood Vikings. Let’s Go Bulldogs!