FORT DODGE, IA.- The Butler volleyball team defeated two nationally-ranked teams as it swept the Iowa Central Tournament. The Grizzlies defeated Ellsworth and Iowa Central on Friday and No. 13 Des Moines Area and No. 9 Lincoln Land on Saturday.
Butler 3, Ellsworth 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-16)
The Lady Grizzlies win #25 defeating Ellsworth CC 25-22, 25-19, 25-16. Kailan Kuzmic caught fire with 13 kills, jitting.444 with 20 assists, and 2 blocks. Jessi Green had 9 kills hitting .444 and 13 digs. The Grizzlies play again at 8:00pm vs Central Iowa at the Ft Dodge Invitational.
The Grizzlies get their 25th win of the season defeating Ellsworth as Kailan Kuzmic led the team with 13 kills, hitting .444, 20 assists and two blocks. Jessi Green had nine kills, 13 digs and hit .444.
The Grizzlies swept Ellsworth as Kailan Kuzmic led the team with 13 kills and 20 assists. Jessica Schwartz and Jessi Green had 14 and 13 digs in the victory as well as Briana Pugh hit .750 for the match.
Butler 3, Iowa Central 1 (25-22, 25-12, 23-25, 28-26)
The Grizzlies continued to carry momentum with a win over Iowa Central. Payton White and Kailan Kuzmic continued their scoring success by leading the Grizzlies with 10 kills each. Mckenzie Johnson and Jessi Green both added eight kills as Jessica Schwartz had 18 digs.
Butler 3, Des Moines Area 1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-12, 25-20)
It was a great team effort by the Grizzlies as every player had a positive hitting percentage with the highest from Mackenzie Stuever, .889. Payton White led the team with 10 kills. Three other Grizzlies added eight kills as well as three Grizzlies having double digit digs for the match.
Butler 3, Lincoln Land 1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-9, 25-13)
The Grizzlies defeated a much higher ranked opponent with Payton White having 18 kills. McKenzie Johnson and Jessi Green both had eight kills. Three Grizzlies had double digit digs.
Butler carries great momentum after sweeping the tournament as they move on to play the last two matches of the regular season. They play Highland October 28th and Hesston October 30th then move on to Region VI action.
