The Butler volleyball team needed four sets to do so, but the Grizzlies defeated Friends JV in a non-conference match on Wednesday at the Power Plant on sophomore night.
Butler won the first set easily, 25-13, but things got much tougher in the second set. Butler opened with a 5-1 lead before Friends took a 7-6 lead. Butler led 17-11 before Friends rallied to tie the match 22-22 and again at 24-24 before the Grizzlies won 26-24.
Playing mostly bench players, Butler led again for most of the third set before Friends rallied late, taking a 23-21 lead. Butler coach Rick Younger called a timeout and his team scored three straight points, taking a 24-23 lead. Friends, however, would score the next three after taking a timeout and won 26-24.
With their starting lineup back in, the Grizzlies then cruised to a 25-11 win in the fourth set to win the match.
Braylon Daniels came off the bench and led Butler with 10 kills while hitting .333. Aliyah Bernard had seven kills with a .467 hitting percentage and also had a team-high four blocks. Nicole Klusener had five kills and three services aces, while Abby Goodrum had 22 digs.
Butler improves to 23-9 on the season. The Grizzlies return to conference play on Saturday when they host league-leading and fourth-ranked Seward County at 2 p.m.
