BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Butler volleyball team had to come back from a 2-1 deficit on Friday night to defeat Western Illinois in a five set thriller in day one of the Hoosier Classic (23-25, 25-12, 25-27, 25-16, 15-11). Belle Obert led the Bulldogs with 29 kills in the match.

"What an amazing match for Belle tonight," Head Coach Sharon Clark explained. "She put this team on her back and carried us to a win."

Obert was sensational against the Leathernecks as she recorded 29 of Butler's 66 kills on the night. The standout senior hit .355 while also contributing defensively with 13 digs giving her a double-double.

The defensive effort was split evenly against Western Illinois as four different student-athletes came up with 10 digs or more. Jadyn Yarling led the team with 18 and Makayla Ferguson would add 15 to go along with her team-high 51 assists for yet another double-double performance.

Obert posted monster numbers in the first match of the Hoosier Classic, but she wasn't alone as Kayla Bivins heavily influenced the outcome with 11 kills and a team-high eight blocks. She hit .333 against WIU and was second on the team with 15.5 points. "Bivins had a great match as she controlled the net for us once again tonight," Clark stated.

The Bulldogs took 183 swings, posting a .262 attack percentage. Stephanie Kranda was also in double digits in the kill category as she tallied 11 while also adding two blocks.

Action in the opening set went back and forth as neither team could gain control of a lead early. A quick 5-0 run from the Bulldogs would give the team some breathing room at 15-10, but the Leathernecks called a timeout and got back in the match at 18-18. The Leathernecks were able to hold on to a two-point advantage down the stretch and Peyton Crosser sent the game-winner to the deck as Western Illinois jumped in front 25-23.

Butler quickly tied the contest in set two after jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The team never looked back as they cruised to a 25-12 win to even the series.

Set three was much like the first as the two sides battled back and forth before Butler took its largest lead at 21-17. Western Illinois would rattle off the next five points to take a 22-21 advantage on the Bulldogs and the lead would never be greater than one point until the Leathernecks took advantage of two Butler errors to win the set 27-25.

Just as in set two, the Bulldogs got ahead early in the fourth set to grab a 9-2 advantage in the fourth set with kills by Obert, Kranda, and Streidl during the run. Western Illinois closed the gap to as little as one point at 13-12 before kills by Kranda and Obert brought the run to a halt. Butler closed the set with six straight points to win 25-16 and force a decisive fifth set.

The Leathernecks started the fifth set with a 3-0 lead but the Bulldogs were able to even it at 5-5. Neither team was able to open up a comfortable lead as the score stood knotted up at 11-11 with four points left. The Bulldogs stood up strong to the challenge by scoring four-straight points, bookended by Obert kills, to win the set and match.

Day two of the Hoosier Classic will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. as the Bulldogs return to the court to face the Buffalo Bulls.