Butler secured a 3-2 victory in its second match of the Big Orange Bash against host Clemson on Saturday evening.
Sawyer Jones had another sensational night for Butler recording 14 kills and eight blocks.
Bulldog Bites
- Jersey Loyer recorded 16 digs for the Bulldogs
- Sawyer Jones led the squad with 14 kills. Three of those came in the beginning of the final set.
- Raegan Durbin had 12 kills and nine digs; one of those kills closed the first set, along with the match-winning service ace
- Elise Ward recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Four of those kills came in the third set.
- Maria Nix recorded seven kills and two blocks, one of those kills being the go-ahead point in the final set.
On the Record with Head Coach Kyle Shonell
"This is a statement win for Butler Volleyball; not just because it's a quality ACC opponent, but because we won this match playing gritty volleyball, The Butler Way. Sawyer was hyper aggressive down the stretch and set the tone early in the fifth set. We outblocked a team far bigger than us and outdug a team that uses three or four DS's; this was a tremendous defensive effort. So many great individual feats on the box score, but this was a clear team win, and 2-0 is the only stat that matters."
Set 1 Butler (25-22)
The Bulldogs started the set off slow, going down three to zero to begin set one, but Maria settled things in with a kill, followed by Durbin with two service aces. The Bulldogs continued to trade points, and it was a back-and-forth battle until
Sarah Kempf found both Nix and
Carly Slusser on back-to-back kills, followed by an Ward kill that would put the Bulldogs up two. The Tigers would eventually respond, bringing things to within two points, but ultimately the Bulldogs would close things out with a kill from Jones and set point from Durbin.
Set 2 Butler (25-22)
Just like the end of set one, the Bulldogs continued to trade points back and forth, but two blocks from
Carly Slusser, assisted by both Ward and Jones, would allow the Bulldogs to jump out to a four-point lead. The Tigers would begin to claw their way back, but a kill from
Zoe McDonald and a service ace from Loyer would shift the momentum back to the Bulldogs. Both teams would continue to trade points until the end; however, a kill from Durbin would be the final point concluding set two.
Set 3 Clemson (25-22)
The Bulldogs start set three down three until
Sarah Kempf found Durbin for a kill to spark the scoring for the Bulldogs. The Tigers would respond, but Kempf would quickly turn things around, finding
Maria Nix for a kill, then Ward with back-to-back kills to put the Bulldogs up one. Eventually, the Tigers would tie things up, and both teams would trade points all the way till the end. Butler would end up making a run, but it was not enough, and the Tigers would go on to take set three.
Set 4 Clemson (30-28)
The Bulldogs open set four in a back-and-forth battle with the Tigers, both sides trading points. Until Clemson would go on a four-point run, Durbin would respond with a kill and a block assisted by McDonald, but the Bulldogs would still be down four. The Bulldogs would begin to close the distance in an all-around effort, starting with a kill from Nix followed by Jones and Ward. The Bulldogs would come back from down six points to tie the game and trade set point back and forth. Ultimately in the end the Tigers would go on to win set four.
Set 5 Butler (15-11)
The Bulldogs opened set five in a battle for who wants this win more as both teams traded points back-and-forth, not letting the other get the upper hand. That is until Kempf found Nix and Ward for back-to-back kills to put the Bulldogs up two. The Tigers would bring it within one point, but it was never enough, as a kill from
Chase Lemming and a block from
Zoe McDonald would stretch the lead. And a service ace from Durbin would capture the win for the Bulldogs.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be back in action Sunday, Aug. 30, against Charleston Southern at noon ET. Then the Bulldogs will return home, where you can see them for their home opener Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m against Youngstown State at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
