Butler Volleyball earns first jayhawk conference win of season

EL DORADO, Kan.- Butler Community College and the Lady Grizzlies returned home after the McCook Invitational with a 3-0 win against Pratt and the Lady Beavers to take their first Jayhawk Conference win of the season.

SET 1- Butler 25, Pratt 14

Butler started the first set off with an early kill from Harley Randall and an unreturnable save from Georgia Cameron to take a 2-0 lead before Pratt went on a 5-1 run to take the early lead. Ella Eck started a comeback for the Grizzlies, but the rest of the set was back and forth, with Butler comfortably taking a 18-11 lead thanks to a kill from Miami Kirksay before a timeout made by Pratt. Butler, at the time, was on a 7-0 run. Pratt went on a small 2-0 run before a Harley Randall block started a 7-3 run that ended up helping Butler win Set 1 by 11 points.

SET 2- Butler 25, Pratt 16

Set 2 started off with the same exact thing- early points for Butler. Butler started with 5 straight, with back to back aces from Myka Thompson before Pratt finally got on the board with a mistake by setter Myka Thompson. Pratt went on a 5-1 run before Harley Randall got a nicely placed shot off the defensive play to start a 5-1 Butler run. Claire Buss also started to show herself with multiple kills before Victoria Hepburn from Pratt ended the small run. Ella Eck started a 3-0 Butler run before a missed serve by Butler ended the run at 21-12. Pratt went on a 3-0 run in the late half of this game before Maria Julia Shaidak ended the 3-0 run at 23-14. Butler had too much on a late kill by Kirksay, but Georgia Cameron got it back for the Grizzlies to make it 24-14. Pratt made a small 2-0 run, but it was not enough, as Butler wins the set.

SET 3- Butler 25, Pratt 11

Butler started with a 3-0 run before a serve error by Butler. This did not matter- Ella Eck with one singular tap had 2 Pratt played tap it all the way across the court, making it a 4-1 run for Butler. She, again, pulled off another kill, before the 2-0 Ella Eck run ended. Butler had another 3-0 run until Pratt’s offense started a run- 3 straight before Myka Thompson quickly ended it with a backhanded flick. Butler then had a 3-0 run before Pratt started a small 2-0 run, which quickly ended with a Butler ace from Myka Thompson to make it 13-8. It continued to be back and forth, with neither team able to start a run until Butler started one of their own- a small 3-0 run to make it 16-9. The run ended, however, with a block called out to make it 16-11 as Pratt had a run of 2. Butler ended the run, and started one of their own- a 6-0 run before a Pratt timeout. Butler continued to apply the pressure, and ended the game on a 9-0 run to win their first Jayhawk Conference game of the season.

RESULTS, AND UP NEXT

Butler Community College moves to 6-5 on the season and 1-1 in Jayhawk Conference play.

Pratt falls to 0-9 and 0-3 in Jayhawk Conference play.

Butler plays again Saturday, September 12th on the road against Garden City. Pratt goes back home to take on McPherson College.