INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Youngstown State to open the 2015 Butler Invitational Tournament, but the nightcap was a different story as the undefeated Missouri Tigers claimed a 3-1 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Bulldogs defeated Youngstown State in straight sets 25-17, 25-21, 25-21. Mary Striedl was the player of the game for BU with a team-high 13 kills. The senior outside hitter also provided the team with nine digs and four blocks. Striedl recorded 13 kills off 23 swings allowing her to also lead the team with a .435 attack percentage.

The second-highest Butler attack percentage belonged to freshman Anna Logan (.300). The outside hitter just missed a double-double by recording eight kills and nine digs.

Makayla Ferguson set up the offense with a team-high 23 assists. She found room against the Penguins twice to add two kills and was also in the stat sheet with four digs and two service aces.

Ferguson got the match underway by taking the first serve of the opening set. Each team picked up a point early in the action, but a 7-0 Butler scoring run would push the score to 8-1 in favor of the home team. The advantage grew to 15-5 near the halfway point and Striedl would push the 'Dawgs over the top with a series of kills late in the action to give Butler the 25-17 win.

Eight of Striedl's team-high 13 kills came in the first set. She hit .700 in the opener to set the tone as Butler cruised to set two with the lead.

Set two featured another fast start for Butler as the Bulldogs opened up a 5-1 lead after a kill from Striedl. The Penguins would fight back in this set however to tie the match at 7-7. Eight ties and four lead changes were recorded in set two, but a 5-0 scoring run from Butler would break a 13-13 tie. The BU lead would shrink to one at 22-21, but three straight YSU errors would end the action giving Butler the 2-0 advantage heading into the break.

Set three was much like set two in that Butler jumped out to a large lead (7-2) only to see the visitors fight back. A kill from Sarah Varcolla put YSU within one point at 13-12, but the 'Dawgs would never give up the lead. Varcolla was impressive throughout the match as she led YSU with 14 kills. Six of the 14 would show up in the final set, but in the end Striedl and Logan were too strong for the Penguins to mount a comeback.

The second match of the day featured Butler falling to Missouri 25-23, 22-25, 11-25, 19-25. The win kept Missouri perfect with an 11-0 regular season record while the loss took Butler to 3-8 overall.

Logan and Striedl were once again the driving forces for BU offensively. Each player recorded a double-double with Logan recording 10 kills and 10 assists and Striedl coming away with a team-high 11 kills and 15 digs. The third Bulldog to post a double-double was setter Makayla Ferguson who went for 34 assists, 16 digs, six kills and two service aces against the Tigers. Butler also got four blocks from Briana Lilly and 13 digs from Kodi Smith.

Butler jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Missouri, but the Tigers clawed back into the opening set to knot the score at 9-9. A second BU scoring run would push the score to 16-13 forcing Missouri to call a timeout. The Tigers would stay close and get within one point once again at 23-22 causing Butler to call their first timeout. With the game on the line, the Bulldogs went to Tyler Taylor to reach set point and moments later a kill from Mary Striedl would give Butler the early 1-0 lead.

The opening stages of set two favored Butler with the Bulldogs grabbing a 7-4 advantage. Mizzou would tie the action at 8-8 and move on top to hold a slim margin at the halfway point 13-10. With the lead growing to 16-12, Butler decided to pause the action with their first timeout. The strategy paid off with the Tigers committing an error on the following serve. Butler rattled off four-straight points to tie the game at 16-16, but a BU service error would end the scoring streak.

Missouri would be the first team to reach 20 points, but they couldn't hold off the BU charge as the two evenly matched teams came together at 22-22. Missouri called timeout and scored two-straight points to reach set point and after a Butler timeout the Tigers would tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 win.

Set three featured back and forth action until a 3-0 scoring run from Missouri gave the Tigers a 10-7 lead. Momentum stayed with the visiting team and Butler was forced into taking their first timeout of the set facing a 15-8 deficit. The Missouri scoring run extended to 16-3, giving the Tigers a commanding lead that ended in a 25-11 victory.

Butler scored the first four points of the fourth set to open up a lead, but the hot start would slowly fade away with Missouri tying the set at 10-10. Missouri would hang onto a small lead at the midway point, and a late push would give the Tigers a 21-18 advantage in crunch time. A kill from Carly Kan would put Missouri at match point and after a Butler timeout the Tigers would remain undefeated with a 25-19 victory.

Day two of the 2015 Butler Invitational will get underway tomorrow with an 11 a.m. match between Youngstown State and Southern Illinois. The Penguins will stick around to participate in the 2 p.m. match against Missouri and Butler will close out the tournament with a 6 p.m. match vs. Southern Illinois.

Day One Results
Butler 3, Youngstown State 0
Missouri 3, Southern Illinois 1
Missouri 3, Butler 1