Grizzlies drop tough 5-set affair to Dodge City

EL DORADO, Kan. – Butler volleyball battled Dodge City at the Power Plant on Monday evening but came up short in five sets, 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 10-15).

The Grizzlies (13-10, 5-4 KJCCC) had their two-match KJCCC win streak snapped by the Conquistadors (13-13, 4-7 KJCCC) who entered the night on a five-match losing streak. Butler moved to 2-1 in five set matches this season after they previously beat Iowa Western (Aug. 19) and Hutchinson (Sept. 13). The win for Dodge City was their first in the Power Plant since 2016 as Butler had previously taken six in a row over the Conqs on their home floor.

Freshman Sarah Sullivan tallied a career-high 19 kills to go with eight digs and five blocks. Sophomore Maria Eduarda Motta finished with 14 kills, nine digs, three aces and three blocks. Sophomore Greta Santini had 18 dogs and eight kills while freshman Raven Boone had nine kills and three blocks. Butler hit .180 while Dodge City hit .146.

Butler started out in set one down 4-1 but ripped off a stunning 9-0 run to take the lead at 10-4. Dodge City followed with a 5-0 run of their own to cut it to 10-9. The set went back-and-forth down the stretch and saw a 20-20 tie. Dodge City ultimately won it 25-22.

Set two was extremely tight as well. Butler led 14-12 midway through and maintained a two to three point lead down the stretch, finally tying the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 set win.

The Grizzlies used the set two momentum and carried it to set three. Throughout the middle portion both teams took turns with the lead. Butler took a 12-11 lead, but the Conqs fired back to go ahead 13-12. Dodge City positioned themselves well with a 21-18 lead. Following that, Sullivan notched two straight points to fuel the Grizzly comeback and they eventually won the set 25-23 to go up 2-1 in the match.

Dodge City answered with wins in sets four and five to claim the win. The fifth and final set was close to start as Butler led 5-3 early but Dodge City pulled ahead 8-7 and never trailed again, winning 15-10.

Butler hosts Colby on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for its 'Pink Out' game as the SGA will hand out pink shirts to all students with a valid Butler ID.