The Butler volleyball team fell short in a five-set match against Kansas City Kansas Community College on Wednesday despite leading the match after three sets.
Butler, ranked 17th nationally, won the first set 25-21 then lost the second by the same score. The Grizzlies battled back to win the third set 25-22 and seemed to have the momentum, especially after jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set.
Butler still led 12-10 in the fourth set and tied the match 22-22, but KCKCC pulled away at the end for a 25-23 win for force a deciding fifth set.
In the fifth set, KCKCC never trailed. Butler was able to tie the set at 8-8, but the Blue Devils outscored Butler 7-1 from that point to win the set and the match.
Individually, Payon White had 15 kills, while Kailee Dudley had 11 and Jessi Green had 10. Mary Kangas led the team with 37 assists and Kailan Kuzmic had a team-high 24 digs. She and Kangas each had a service ace. McKenzie Stuever had five solo blocks and three block assists to lead in each category.
Butler falls to 23-7 overall and is now 5-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Grizzlies will be off this weekend and will play its final home match of the season a week from tonight at 6:30 p.m. against Independence.
