Adrian senior hitter Kylie Heronimus tips the ball over the net during Tuesday's 3-0 home volleyball loss to Jackson County Central.By John RittenhouseThe Adrian volleyball team kept busy by playing three events in a six-day span since last Thursday.The Dragons lost a four-game Red Rock Conference match in Comfrey Thursday before going 1-2-2 during the Westbrook-Walnut Grove Tournament in Westbrook Saturday. Adrian then opened the home portion of its schedule by dropping a three-game match to Jackson County Central Tuesday.Adrian, 1-6-2 overall, hosts Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin tonight before playing Southwest Christian in Edgerton Tuesday.JCC 3, Adrian 0The JCC Huskies threw a wet blanket over the festivities surrounding Adrian’s home opener Tuesday.The Dragons were playing their first match in their new gym at Adrian High School, but JCC spoiled the party by sweeping a three-game decision from the hosts.JCC, the state’s second-ranked Class AA team, fell behind an inspired AHS squad 3-1 early in Game 1.The score was tied at four after Adrian’s Ashley Cox completed a kill, but the Huskies countered with a 12-1 surge to take a 16-5 lead and went on to win the game by a 25-10 tally.Adrian, which led 1-0 to start Game 2, trailed the Huskies by one point (8-7) as the game progressed before JCC went on a 7-0 run to gain a 15-7 cushion.The Dragons trimmed the difference to five points (19-14) with a net violation on the Huskies, but JCC ended the game with a 6-6 surge to post a 25-16 victory.Adrian led 2-0 and 3-2 early in the third game before falling behind once again.An ace tip by Adrian’s Sarah Henning knotted the score at eight before JCC put together a 10-2 run to gain an 18-10 advantage. The Dragons pulled within seven points twice and made it a five-point (23-18) difference as the game progressed. JCC, however, scored the next two points to ice a 25-18 victory.Brittany Bullerman led AHS with two kills and shared the team lead in blocks (three) with Andrea Lonneman. Lonneman and Amanda Lynn served five and four aces respectively. Amber Loosbrock recorded four set assists.W-WG tourneyThe Dragons posted their first win of the season and tied for second place as a team during Saturday’s tournament in Westbrook.The round-robin event attracted six teams. Adrian earned a share of second place with Red Rock Central by going 1-2-2 overall.Adrian met Fulda in the first round and dropped 25-22 and 25-20 games. Kylie Heronimus had eight kills and seven blocks against the Raiders.The Dragons played Lake Benton to a tie in the second round. Adrian coasted to a 25-14 win in Game 1 before falling 25-20 in the finale.Amber Loosbrock was nine of nine serving with four points against the Bobcats. Andrea Lonneman was 12 of 13 with five aces.Tournament champion Murray County Central saddled the Dragons with 25-12 and 25-15 setbacks in the third round.Adrian regrouped to notch 25-20 and 25-22 victories over host Westbrook-Walnut Grove in the fourth round.Katie Bertrand completed all six of her serves and registered seven set assists during the win. Heronimus contributed seven kills and four blocks to the cause.The Dragons ended the tournament by battling Red Rock Central to a draw. RRC recorded a 25-17 win in the opener before Adrian took the finale by a 25-15 margin.Loosbrock was 11 of 11 serving with nine points and had six set assists in the final match. Heronimus pitched in eight kills and five blocks."We played very well overall," said Dragon coach Jessica Hogan. "Our last match of the day was our best match of the day. It was nice to end on a promising note."Comfrey 3, Adrian 1The Dragons won their first game of the season during Thursday’s match in Comfrey, but it wasn’t enough to place Adrian in the win column in match play.The home-standing Rockets won the first two games of the Red Rock Conference opener for both teams and battled back from a loss in Game 3 to clinch the victory in four games."Comfrey played really well," said Dragon coach Hogan. "They have a good team. A lot of things went right for Comfrey, and some things didn’t go quite so well for us. We know that we didn’t play the type of ball we are capable of playing. Hopefully, we can get back on the right track."Comfrey coasted to a 25-13 win in Game 1 before withstanding a late challenge by the Dragons to secure a 25-22 victory in the second game.Adrian controlled play while posting a 25-15 victory in Game 3, but the Rockets bounced back to end the match with a 25-16 win in the fourth game.Kylie Heronimus led the Dragons with 10 kills and seven blocks. Andrea Lonneman added eight kills to the cause. Brittany Bullerman led AHS with 11 service points.
