TOWANDA, Kan. – The Butler volleyball team recorded one of its biggest wins in program history on Monday night, defeating league-leading Colby in four sets at Circle High School.
Butler lost the first set but won the final three in order to knock off the first-place Trojans. It is the first win over a first-place team by a Butler squad in coach Rick Younger's 13 years with the program.
"We upset the apple cart and I am so proud of these ladies," Younger said. "It was a great match to be a part of."
All four sets were close. In the first set, Butler led 21-20 before Colby scored four straight points and eventually won 25-22.
Butler scored the first four points in the second set, then led 15-8. Colby would get four straight points to get within three before Butler surged again, eventually winning 25-18.
The Grizzlies again got out to an early lead in the third set, going up 12-6 and later leading 17-11. Colby scored six straight to tie the set 17-17 and had the momentum. But the Grizzlies stiffened, scoring three straight points. A Nicole Klusener kill ended the set, with Butler winning 25-22.
Butler led early in the fourth before Colby scored four straight to take a 9-6 advantage. The Trojans still led 17-13 before Butler again got hot. The Grizzlies tied the match at 17 apiece following a service ace from Abby Goodrum and a kill by Cassie Pauls.
Later, Colby had two straight hitting errors to put Butler up 20-18. The match would go to extra points and was tied at 26-26 before Butler got a kill to take a lead. Colby's final attempt went long out of bounds, giving Butler a 28-26 win in the set and the match.
Younger said Butler's right side hitters had a big night offensively with Cassie Pauls having several kills down the stretch. She finished with 12 kills and Kinzee Mayo had 11 kills.
On the outside, Nicole Klusener had eight kills and 22 digs, while Brooke Fender added nine kills and 10 digs. Cassidy Lutz had five kills and three Blocks.
Offensively Halie Sigurdson had 24 assists, an ace, and 17 digs. Andi Nibarger had 17 assists and seven digs. Libero Abby Goodrum had an ace and 30 digs defensively.
With the win, Butler is now 18-10 overall and has won seven of its past 10. Butler is now 5-8 in Jayhawk West Conference play. Butler hosts Dodge City on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Circle High School.
