INDIANAPOLIS - Butler defeated the Youngstown State Penguins 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-21) on Thursday evening in BU's home opener. With the win, Butler improves to 3-1 on the season while Youngstown State slides to 2-2.
Bulldog Bites
- Ellise Ward led the Bulldogs with 12 kills; four came in the first set and four digs.
- Carly Slusser recorded nine kills, with five coming in the third set, and a hitting percentage of .818, marking the best single-match hitting percentage since 2015 for the program.
- Jersey Loyer was outstanding on defense tonight, recording 15 digs and five assists.
- Sawyer Jones tallied seven kills, three in the first set, and three blocks.
- Raegan Durbin recorded six kills, four coming in the first set, along with six digs and one assist
On the Record with Head Coach Kyle Shonell
I was really pleased with our ability to weather the storm. We came out of the gate really, really good. Built that same 2-0 lead we found ourselves in a few times already this season. Down eight or nine points, but to weather the storm and just play really, really good volleyball was really good for the Butler Way. My favorite part of the night was that eventually the crowd in Hinkle started to realize if they stood up and said things, we'd score more points, so I loved seeing the crowd get into the ball game.
The Dawg Pound was great. It was fun to see some monster numbers.
Maria Nix and
Carly Slusser, ironically roommates. Carly: nine kills, no errors, 11 swings, and 818, which is absurd. Maria: five kills, no errors, seven swings, 714, which is crazy. I thought
Jersey Loyer was phenomenal all night, perfectly disciplined, and made every play she was supposed to. Just really, really happy with a good, balanced effort tonight."
Set 1 Butler (25-19)
Both sides traded points in the opening set as the Bulldogs held a narrow 15-14 edge halfway through the first set. The Bulldogs and Penguins continued to trade points throughout the first set. Butler went on a 7-1 run to close out the set, as BU took set one, 25-19.
Set 2 Butler (25-12)
Butler opened the second set on a 6-1 run behind three kills from Ward. The Dawgs continued to put pressure on YSU in the set as the lead grew to eight (18-10), forcing the visitors to take their second timeout of the set. The Dawgs closed the set on a 7-2 run as BU took the 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3 Butler (25-21)
Youngstown State opened the third set on a 9-1 run, forcing the Bulldogs to take a timeout. Butler clawed back into the set as YSU held a 15-7 advantage halfway through the frame. Butler came out hot, stringing together a 9-1 run, forcing a YSU timeout with the visitors ahead by just one. Butler completed the third-set comeback after the timeout, securing the 25-21 set victory.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be in action again tomorrow, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m., hosting the University of Akron. BU's final match of the weekend will be on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m against Ohio at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
