A historic season for the Butler Grizzlies volleyball team that ended with a fourth place in their first ever appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament, after losing the consolation match to Missouri State University West Plains, 3-1 (25-19, 25-27, 25-18) at Hutchinson Sports Arena on Saturday.
Ivy Fink had a stellar game, finishing with a team high 13 kills. Jaryn Benning had eight kills, and Vanja Przuli finished with seven, as Butler took the first set, but were once again unable to keep the momentum rolling. West Plains needed 27 points to edge out the second set, but cruised through the third set to put themselves on the brink. Butler's late, late rally in the fourth set was not enough, as Missouri State won the fourth set and the match, to take third place in the tournament.
The loss finishes a season of unprecedented success for the Grizzlies program. Butler's 37 wins ties the record for wins in a season. The Grizzlies won the conference title for the first time, and capped it off with a 3-0 win over Seward in the Region VI title game to punch their ticket to their first ever national tournament. The Grizzlies finished unbeaten in conference play, winning all 16 games against Jayhawk teams. Butler finished the season unbeaten at home, winning all 15 games at the Power Plant for the first time in program history, in addition to winning all 11 games on the road and going 11-4 on a neutral floor. Butler's 33 game winning streak coming into the semifinal match against New Mexico Military Institute was the most in program history, and the Grizzlies didn't just win, they dominated. Of the 37 Butler wins this season, all but four were won in straight sets. The Grizzlies dropped just three frames in conference play, and went 30 sets in a row without a loss.
The Grizzlies success was reflected in the end of season Jayhawk Conference honors. Head coach Lisa Lecthenberg, in her third season as head of Butler volleyball, was awarded conference coach of the year. In addition, five Butler players were nominated for the all conference first team. Junior Jaryn Benning, sophomores Kayli Duncan and Carly Clennan, and freshmen Ivy Fink and Rainey Aven were awarded first team honors, and sophomore Cailtyn Rexroat was awarded second team all conference.
It was an unprecedented season for Lecthenberg's Grizzlies, and they'll return a number of players next season, as they hope to continue the momentum from this season's success.
