Butler University Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS - Butler defeated the Akron Zips 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-19) on Friday evening in Butler's second home game of the season. With the win, Butler improves to 4-1 on the season while Akron slides to 1-4.
 
Bulldog Bites 

• Jersey Loyer led the Bulldogs on defense with 12 digs and two assists; both came in the closing set. 
• Carly Slusser recorded eight kills, half of which came in set two; she also recorded three blocks.  
• Elise Ward tallied seven kills, four of which came in set one. She also tallied seven digs and two assists. 
• Maria Nix marked six kills spread evenly across the sets; she also recorded two blocks  
• Chase Lemming recorded five kills; four came in set three. She also recorded one dig.

 
On the Record with Head Coach Kyle Shonell
Very similar performance to last night. One, it's not easy to sweep anybody, and Akron, I think, is a much better team than the record shows. Two, the resiliency of this team just continues to show over and over again. I don't love the fact that we keep putting ourselves in a position to have to be resilient, but we always fight our way back. There's so much fight and grit with this team. It's a lot of fun to watch them play.
 
Set 1 Butler (25-23)
Both sides traded points in the opening set as the Bulldogs found themselves down one halfway through the first frame. The Bulldogs and the Zips continued to trade points throughout the first set, with the Bulldogs holding on to a narrow 22-19 lead. The Zips tried to crawl back, but the Bulldogs closed out set one 25-23. 
 
Set 2 Butler (25-21)
Butler opened set two in a close battle with the Zips; the Bulldogs held on to a three-point lead halfway through set two. Butler went on a six-to-three run to create some separation from the Zips at 23-19. The Bulldogs closed set two 25-21. 
 
Set 3 Butler (25-19)
The Bulldogs opened set three trailing the Zips by one halfway through the frame. Butler stormed out of the timeout with a seven-to-three lead, forcing the Zips to take a timeout at 22-18. The Zips scored one more point, and the Bulldogs eventually closed it out 25-19 for a match victory. 
 
Up Next 
The Bulldogs will be in action again tomorrow, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m., for their final match of the weekend. They will be hosting Ohio University at Hinkle Fieldhouse. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Bulldogs will face Northwestern on the road at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT