Sophomore Kelly Kyle might have been born with a hearing impairment so severe that she is legally considered deaf, but that hasn’t stopped the Butler volleyball player from chasing after one of the biggest dreams of all U.S. athletes: playing for a national team.

This summer, Kyle will become part of a 12-woman roster representing the U.S. at the Deaflympics in Bulgaria. She will spend July 26 through Aug. 4 in Sophia, Bulgaria’s capital, in an attempt to win a world title on the volleyball court.

Kyle said she’s honored to be part of a team representing the U.S. and is looking forward to this summer when she will meet and train with her new teammates before traveling across an ocean for the first time.

The 2011 North Montgomery High School graduate will join thousands of other legally deaf athletes at the Deaflympics.

“I think one of the hardest things will be not being able to use the hearing aids,” Kyle said. “And I don’t know any sign language. Volleyball is such a communication sport, so it’ll be a learning experience.”

She said she will no doubt be learning the language before taking off for Bulgaria in July, adding that it’s even more important in this case because almost everyone she’ll be dealing with at the games— including teammates and coaches—will be fully deaf.

Kyle will also be meeting her new teammates for the first time in late May at the U.S. Open in Louisville, Ky.

“It’s exciting,” Kyle said, “to represent the country in any way, shape or form, and to represent my hometown and Butler. It’s really exciting.
“And to go to a new place with a totally different language and being around so many deaf people, it’s going to be very interesting.”

Jodi Webster, Kyle’s high school coach at North Montgomery high school said  determination, as well as Kyle’s humility and persistence, are some of her defining characteristics.

“It’s been such a great joy watching her grow up,” Webster said. “It’s really an amazing thing. Kelly never feels sorry for herself—she just strives for success. “We’re all really proud of her.”

Butler head coach Sharon Clark also expressed her happiness for the upcoming event and the contributions Kyle has made so far in her first two seasons at Butler.

“She’s very self-sufficient,” Clark said. “There are things we have to be conscious about. But she’s a very well-rounded player. To come in day in and day out and always have a smile on her face and know that she’s just such a joyful person, it makes you work harder.

“And it’s ironic because, despite what she’s gone through in life, that in and of itself is a great thing.”

The Butler volleyball team is making its first appearance in the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.

The Bulldogs (17-11, 7-7) defeated Saint Louis (10-19, 4-10) three sets to none Saturday night.

The Butler win, combined with a Duquesne victory over George Washington, put the team in sixth place in the A-10. It also gave the Bulldogs the last spot in the post-season tournament.

“I am super happy for my players” coach Sharon Clark said. “They have worked hard all season long, they really put it together and we are peaking at the right time, so I’m thrilled.”

Butler will play Virginia Commonwealth (24-5, 10-4) Friday in the first round of the tournament, hosted by Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh. The Rams swept the Bulldogs in their last meeting in mid-October.

The win against Saint Louis was the Bulldogs’ fifth straight overall, and Butler has won all but one set during its run. Clark said the team will be confident heading into the conference tournament.

“We’re going to get back to work and do the same things we’ve been doing,” Clark said. “Every one of those games is giving us momentum going into the conference tournament.

“We’re in it to win it, and we are going in wanting to win it all.”

The first set against the Billikens last Saturday was evenly-matched in the beginning, with the Billikens holding a small lead. Butler recorded a three-point run to take a 13-12 lead and force a SLU timeout.

Butler was up 19-15 and appeared to be in control until the Billikens came back to tie the set at 21. Down 23-22, Butler was able to win two straight points to make it set point.

Saint Louis fought off two set points, but junior Claire Randich was able to put away the first set on the Bulldog’s third set point.

Butler dominated the beginning of the second set as it jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead.

The Bulldogs continued their dominance out of a timeout, taking five of the next seven points to force another Billikens’ timeout. Following the break, Butler went on another four-point run and would dominate the rest of the set, winning 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead.

Butler led in the early stages of the third set, but Saint Louis was able to pull within one. The Bulldogs would not give up, and they took four of the five next points to take a 14-10 lead.

Butler dominated the rest of the set, taking 11 of 17 points to complete the sweep and earn themselves the conference tournament berth.

“I think that we have a confidence right now that we are rolling off of, and working in practice every single day, and those things are starting to pay off for us,” Clark said.

Leading the Bulldogs was senior Rachel Barber, who had 14 kills. Sophomore Erica Stahl had five blocks, and sophomore Brooke Ruffolo had 21 digs.

The match was the last of Barber’s college career. She is the only senior on the team.

The match Friday against VCU is set to begin at 4:30 p.m.

vs. Fordham

The Butler Volleyball team (13-11, 3-7) defeated Fordham (13-16, 5-5) in straight sets on Friday evening in The Bronx at Rose Hill Gymnasium.

The Bulldogs were in the lead or tied for then entire first set except for one point. The Rams would threat, but Butler responded every time to hold the lead. Fordham was able to stave off one set point. But a kill by Claire Randich on the next point put the Bulldogs up 1-0.

In the second set, Fordham led for the beginning stages of the set. The Bulldogs were able to tie it at ten. Later in the set, Fordham took six of eight to force a Butler timeout with the Rams on top 20-19.

Both teams traded points and Fordham was the first to get set point in their favor. Butler won the next point to continue the set. Fordham then got three more set points, and the Bulldogs fought off all of them. Butler then had a set point of their own, but Fordham responded with a kill to extend the set.

The Rams won then next point to give themselves their fifth set point, but Butler again denied them of a victory. The Bulldogs also were unsuccessful on their next set point. But the third time was the charm for Butler. Kelly Kyle knocked in a kill to win a dramatic second set 33-31.

Sophomore Belle Obert said that the key to winning the second set was their confidence and contributions from the bench.

“There wasn’t any point in that set that we thought about losing it, we knew we were going to win it” said Obert. [The bench] really showed the depth of our team. All in all it was just a fun set to play.”

“After winning [the second set] the message was that we can control our own destiny in this match” said Sharon Clark, head coach. “We worked to keep the momentum that came with winning a very tough competitive set 2.”

The third set stared out with a three point run by Fordham. Butler then responded with a six point run to force a Fordham timeout. The score was very close for the majority of the set, no team led by more than two until Butler took two straight to make the score 22-19, and force a Fordham timeout.

Fordham took two of the next three to force a Butler timeout with the Bulldogs up 23-22. The Rams tied the set at 23 on the next point. Butler then took the next two off a kill by Kyle and an error by Fordham to complete the sweep.

Leading the Bulldogs was Randich who had nine kills. Randich, along with Morgan Peterson had five blocks and Belle Obert tallied 11 digs.

vs. Rhode Island

The Butler Volleyball team (14-11, 4-7) defeated Rhode Island (9-15, 5-6) in straight sets Saturday evening in Kingston.

The only lead Rhode Island had for the entire match was when they led 2-1 early in the first set. The Bulldogs led 22-12 late in the set, but the Rams were able to take six of the next seven to force a Butler timeout. Butler then closed out the set three points later off a kill by Claire Randich.

The Bulldogs dominated the entire second set, winning handily 25-13. The third set was won in similar fashion, as the Bulldogs won 25-15 to complete the sweep. Butler held the Rams to a .021 hitting percentage for the match, and held double digit leads in every set. Obert attested their successes this weekend to their blocking.

“Our blocking is consistently a key to our success” said Obert. “When we block a lot of balls, we win and that was the case with this weekend.”

“Our strength all year has been blocking” agreed Clark. “The difference was how well we played the serve and pass game. We were just dominant at both of those skills.”

Leading the Bulldogs was Rachel Barber who had eight kills, Erica Stahl added six blocks, and Belle Obert had eight digs.

This was the Bulldogs’ longest, and final road trip of the year. Butler will play their last three games of the season at home. This weekend, the Bulldogs will take host two teams from Philadelphia. On Friday, Butler plays La Salle and on Sunday, they will play Temple. La Salle is 0-11 in A-10 play, and 4-23 overall while Temple is 6-5 in the A-10 and 16-9 overall.

“We had 2 great wins on the road and now get to finish the rest of the regular season at home” said Clark.

The DePaul Invitational ended on a strong note for the Butler volleyball team, which defeated the host school in comeback fashion to complete a two-win weekend.

The Bulldogs (2-1) finished with a 2-1 record in the four-team event. Eastern Illinois posted the same record in the tournament.

Butler’s season-opening match saw Indiana State pull out a 3-1 victory on Friday.

The first set was close, with the Sycamores (1-2) squeaking out a 25-23 victory. However, the Bulldogs fought back to win the second set by a score of 25-17.

Butler fell into a 9-2 hole early in the third set and could not rally, losing 25-20. The roles were reversed in the fourth set, with the Bulldogs holding a 15-8 lead, only to fall 25-21.

Leading Butler was junior middle back Maggie Harbison with 13 kills and junior setter Morgan Peterson with seven blocks. The Bulldogs also received contributions from sophomore libero Jadyn Yarling, who had eleven digs.

Butler grabbed its first win of the season by sweeping Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs opened the match with a 25-19 first-set victory over the Panthers (2-1).

In the second set, Eastern Illinois was in position to nab a victory on five separate occasions, only to be thwarted by Butler each time.

The Bulldogs eventually found themselves up 25-24 with a set point of their own, but were unable to capitalize. The teams then traded points until Butler was finally able to put the set away, winning 32-30.

In the third set, the Bulldogs made quick work of the Panthers, grabbing a 25-17 win and a match sweep.

Sophomore outside hitter Belle Obert led the Bulldogs with a double-double, consisting of 12 kills and 11 digs. Peterson scored 15 digs, and junior middle back Claire Randich tallied seven blocks.

In the final match of the weekend, Butler started off on the right foot against the Blue Demons (1-2), winning the first set 25-17.

DePaul rallied to take the next two sets, pushing the Bulldogs into a must-win situation.

Butler came roaring back in the fourth set, which was highlighted by an eight-point streak for the Bulldogs.

After some back-and-forth play to open the fifth and final set, the Bulldogs recorded three straight points off an ace and two kills and went on to win the set 15-10.

Obert closed the event with her second double-double in three matches, tallying 16 kills and 10 digs against the Blue Demons.

The Bulldogs also received key contributions from Harbison, who had 10 kills and 17 digs.

Peterson was named the Most Valuable Player and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team with Obert and sophomore middle back Erica Stahl.

The Bulldogs will be in Pittsburgh this weekend for the Pittsburgh Panther Invitational.

The new will meet the old this fall as the Butler volleyball team prepares for another season on the court.

The new is the fresh competition the Bulldogs will face in their first season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Collegian file photo

The old are the four starters returning to the team—junior middle blockers Maggie Harbison and Claire Randich and sophomore outside hitters Kelly Kyle and Belle Obert.

Also returning are sophomores Jadyn Yarling and Brooke Ruffolo, who will share time at the libero position.

Coach Sharon Clark said sophomore middle blocker Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, is a player to watch this season for the Bulldogs.

Clark also said she expects the team’s captains, senior outside hitter Rachel Barber and junior setter Morgan Peterson, to rise into key leadership positions.

Peterson, a transfer from Middle Tennessee State, will fill the role of setter for Butler.

Members of the team and coaching staff said they are excited by the new challenges and opportunities they will face in the A-10.

Players said they are eagerly anticipating traveling to new locations and facing both new teams and previously non-conference opponents within the A-10.

Butler was ranked seventh in the A-10 preseason coaches’ poll following last season’s campaign, which saw the Bulldogs go 16-14 overall and 11-5 in Horizon League play.

Defending A-10 Conference champion Dayton was unanimously selected as this year’s preseason favorite to win the conference. Xavier was picked to finish second.

The Midwest contingent of A-10 teams—specifically Dayton, Xavier and Saint Louis—are teams that players and coaches said they are most excited to play.

“Those [matches] have a little more meaning for us personally as we have played those teams in the past,” Clark said. “Because of their location and membership in the A-10, they are built-in rivalry games for us.”

Despite the new conference, Clark said the team’s expectations are the same as they have always been.

“We have been working hard to be the best team we can be this preseason in order for us to play our best,” Clark said.

Clark said she places an emphasis on focusing on each match individually. The team’s goal to win the conference remains the same despite new competition.

The team has been busy in its preparation for the upcoming season and, with a short turnaround, has wasted no time in scouting its new competition.

Coaches assigned each player an A-10 team to scout and introduce to the rest of the Bulldogs, focusing on everything from style of play and last season’s results to school locations and mascots.

Ruffolo said she feels Butler has an advantage because some A-10 schools have not faced Butler in the past.

“My personal goal for this season is just to wow everyone,” Ruffolo said. “I don’t think teams expect a lot out of us, and we want to prove them wrong.”

The Bulldogs have their first chance to do so this Friday at the DePaul Invitational, with matches against Indiana State, Eastern Illinois and host DePaul.

The team will play its first home match on Sept. 7 against Western Illinois as it hosts the annual Butler Classic.

Photo by Rachel Senn

The brooms were out Saturday afternoon as the Butler volleyball team swept Youngstown State 3-0 to gain its first Horizon League win of the season.

The win provided those in attendance with plenty to cheer about just one day after the Bulldogs (5-8, 1-1) opened conference play with a loss to Cleveland State.

Butler jumped out to a 4-0 lead against the Penguins (1-12, 0-2) and never looked back. Youngstown State was able to trade points throughout the opening set with the Bulldogs but never got within three points. Butler ended up taking the set 25-19.

In set two, the Penguins provided their toughest challenge to the Bulldogs. Butler would build a 17-11 lead before Youngstown State reeled off four points in a row. Butler then extended its lead back to five at 20-15 and held off the Penguins in the end to take the second set 25-23.

With two sets in hand, the Bulldogs looked to stay strong and secure the sweep. Youngstown State proved to be tough in the third game, jumping out to an 11-10 lead, but the Bulldogs answered with a 7-1 run to take a 17-12 lead.

The Penguins would pull back within two, but Butler ended any hopes of a miracle comeback by winning three of the last four points to take the set 25-21 and complete the sweep.

“We served aggressively and kept them out of their hitting patterns,” freshman outside hitter Kelly Kyle said.  “Overall we just raised our level of play.”

Kyle led the Bulldog attack with 16 kills, and junior setter Gina Vera provided 35 assists for Butler. Freshman Belle Obert also added nine kills, five digs and two blocks to round out the Bulldog attack.

With the win, Butler kept alive its 10-year winning streak against Youngstown State. The Bulldogs are a perfect 22-0 all-time against the Penguins.

“It brings [us] pride that we’ve fought for however many years and always come out victorious,” Vera said.  “It’s great to have a positive turnaround after losing the first match of the weekend.”

Butler opened conference play on Friday night when it hosted Cleveland State. The Bulldogs made things interesting but ultimately fell 3-0, losing 25-19, 26-24 and 25-22.

Cleveland State cruised through the first set without much trouble, but the second and third sets proved to be much more difficult for the Vikings. The second set featured seven ties, with the last tie coming at 24-24 before the Vikings (8-4, 1-0) finally won the set.

In set three, there were 11 ties, with the last one coming at 18-18, but the Bulldogs could never get over the hump to take the lead.

“We made too many errors and made them at pivotal moments in those sets,” Vera said. “We got ourselves in a hole within the first 10 points of the set. Playing catch-up is not going to win us those tight sets.”

Sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Kirkpatrick led the attack for the Bulldogs with nine kills while freshman libero Brooke Ruffolo contributed 13 digs.

The Bulldogs will have a few days off before heading to Milwaukee for another Horizon League showdown Friday.

The Panthers (9-4) have won four of their last six contests and opened their conference campaign with victories over Green Bay and Loyola.

Another weekend, another road trip.

Traveling has encapsulated the season so far for the Butler women’s volleyball team. Over the weekend, the Bulldogs (2-6) took their talents to Portland, Oregon.

There they participated in the Portland Classic, losing three matches but also grabbing their first win of the young season.

Butler lost its first match in the Classic to host Portland 3-1 on Thursday, dropping the Bulldogs to 0-4 on the season.

Against the Pilots (2-2), Butler opened the match by winning the first set 25-20 before falling in the next three.

Freshman outside hitter Kelly Kyle led the team with 13 kills and had personal bests in digs and blocks, with 15 and four, respectively.

The Bulldogs were right back at it on Friday, beginning the day with a match against Big 12 member Texas A&M.

Butler struggled to get anything going against the Aggies (5-0). The Bulldogs scored 20 points just once in the match and fell 3-0.

“[Texas A&M] is a really strong serving team, ” freshman defensive specialist Brooke Ruffolo said.  “We had a lot of leadership on the court, and we were able to stick with them [the Aggies] most of the game.”

Kyle again led the Bulldogs with 10 kills, and sophomore Maggie Harbison led all players with four blocks.

The breakthrough for the Bulldogs came in the second game of Friday’s double-dip when Butler swept Nevada 3-0.

The Bulldogs opened the match with a 25-21 set victory over the Wolf Pack (0-5) and then proceeded to grab the final two sets in nail-biting fashion, 29-27 and 27-25.

“We had some good late game pushes, and we were able to finish those games,” Kyle said.  “We were able to close in three [games], which is great because we got our first win. “

Butler’s final match in the Classic was Saturday versus Pac-12 member Washington State.

After losing the first two sets, the Bulldogs picked up the third set 25-23.  The Cougars (5-1) proved to be too strong, however, as they took the deciding set 26-24.

Kyle had another strong match, recording 12 kills and 10 digs, while Ruffolo led Butler with 19 digs.

Off the court, senior outside hitter Maureen Bamiro provided a bright spot for the Bulldogs when she was named to the all-tournament team at the Classic.  Bamiro averaged 2.43 kills per set and totaled 16 blocks over four matches, including an impressive nine blocks against Washington State.

“She [Bamiro] provides a ton of leadership,” Kyle said. “She was great at the net and her ability to be up in the air and put balls away is just phenomenal.”

Butler returned home Tuesday to play host to Chicago State, winning 3-0.

Butler captured the first two sets handily, 25-11 and 25-10, in part due to sound passing by junior setter Gina Vera.

Vera finished with a match-high 38 assists, more than doubling Chicago State’s leading setter Angelica Brewer’s 14.

The Cougars (1-8) fought back in the third set, losing narrowly 25-20.

Kyle led the Bulldogs with 15 kills, followed by Bamiro with eight.

Ruffolo led all players with 16 digs.

Butler will compete in another weekend invitational starting Friday, only this time inside the friendly confines of Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Bulldogs will host Elon, Austin Peay and Central Michigan for the Butler Invitational.

Butler’s opening match will be against the Elon Phoenix (6-2).

After winning its first five matches, Elon has lost two of its last three.

The Austin Peay Governors (2-5) ended a four-match losing streak Saturday with a win over East Tennessee State.

Central Michigan will enter the tournament with a 2-3 record.

Butler swept through their competition in the Windy City this weekend, defeating Chicago State, 3-0, and UIC, 3-1, to run their winning streak to eight matches.

The win over the Flames (12-14, 7-7 HL) keeps the Bulldogs (17-7, 11-1 HL) in a tie for first place in the Horizon League with the UW-Milwaukee Panthers, who they will face this week, along with  Green Bay.

Head coach Sharon Clark said she believes there are two important factors that separate this year’s squad from Butler teams of previous years.

“Number one, this is the first year that we’ve been healthy,” Clark said. “Second, this team is mentally tougher than previous teams.”

Another thing separating this year’s Bulldogs from past squads has been their dominating defense.

Butler held the Cougars (0-28) to a .081 hitting percentage during their 3-0 sweep. The team also collected 11 team blocks and 61 team digs against UIC.

The Bulldogs have prided themselves on their defense all year, and it has continued to pay off in Horizon League play.

“Defense is a key part of our game,” senior Maureen Bamiro said. “Volleyball is the epitome of a team sport.

“We go out there believing that every ball is playable and that we can dig any ball.”

The Bulldogs have also been able to turn their defensive stops into offensive attacks.

Butler hit .425 as a team against Chicago State and racked up 61 team kills against UIC.

Senior Jessica Wolfe led the team in kills on both nights with 15 against the Cougars 22 versus the Flames.

“Jessie was unbelievable in the match against UIC,” Clark said. “All year she’s been stepping up as a captain and senior leader.”

Butler started off its match against Chicago State nearly perfect, winning game one, 25-11, while hitting .519 as a team and committing no errors.

The Bulldogs continued to roll through the Cougars, winning games two and three by 11 and 13 point margins, respectively, and sweeping the match, 3-0.

Saturday, Butler headed back into conference play with their final road match of the regular season at UIC.

The match marked the first time UIC had played on their home court at the Flames Athletic Center since it was flooded earlier this year.

UIC started the match with intensity and managed to win the first game, 25-20. But after the Bulldogs settled down in game two, they began to control the match.

They won the second game, 25-23, but the Bulldogs dropped the first point of the third game.

However, after one of Wolfe’s kills tied the game, Butler would not be behind for the rest of the match.

The Bulldogs won the third and fourth games, 25-21, and won the match, 3-1.

“UIC was very tough,” Bamiro said. “The toughest games always come from the teams that you least expect them to.

“We just have to stay focused, take it one game at a time and play together as a team.”

Clark reiterated that the team focused on one game at a time, even though some of the season’s toughest tests are coming in the next two weeks—when UW-Milwaukee and Cleveland State come to Hinkle Fieldhouse.

“We’re always preparing for all of the games,” Clark said. “The team focus is on the game at hand and we’ve done a good job on that so far.”

The next opponent for the Bulldogs will be Green Bay, who comes to Hinkle Friday at 7 p.m.

Butler will play at home again Saturday at 4 p.m. against Milwaukee in a match that will likely determine the Horizon League regular season champion.

If the Bulldogs do secure the regular season title, they will host the six-team league tournament. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Securing home-court advantage is important for the Bulldogs, who have lost only one match and no conference games at home since 2008.

“I can’t even express how important [home-court advantage] is,” Bamiro said. “Our fans have been with us since day one.

“To have the privilege to play here and defend our home-court would be great.”

Susan Lester walked off the basketball court at the end of Butler’s first-round loss in last year’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament as one of the most accomplished players in Bulldog history.

She had just been named the 2010 Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year and was named to the 2010 Horizon League All-Tournament Team.

Over her four-year playing career she amassed 1,275 points, 781 rebounds and 139 three-pointers.

To go along with all her athletic accolades, Lester also completed her degree to graduate with the class of 2010 last spring.

But Lester knew there was one thing that she had not yet accomplished.

So, this fall she headed back onto Hinkle’s court—but this time, she was not wearing her Nike high-tops and basketball uniform. Instead she was clad in knee pads and a Butler volleyball jersey.

By enrolling in Butler’s Effective Teaching and Leadership Masters Program, Lester took advantage of an NCAA rule that allows athletes an extra year of eligibility in a different sport than they played for their first four years, as long as they are still enrolled in school.

So after playing four years of basketball at Butler, the 6-foot-2-inch Lester decided to suit up with the volleyball squad for a season.

“Since my freshman year, I had hoped that there was a chance I could play volleyball for a fifth year,” Lester said. “I can remember [head coach Sharon Clark] saying she wanted to talk to me about playing and I was so excited.

“After basketball season, I went in and she told me we had a spring scrimmage in three days.”

While Lester did not play volleyball competitively during her four years on the basketball team, the Anderson, Ind., native played both sports for four years in high school.

Clark showed interest in recruiting Lester to come to Butler to play volleyball, but after Lester committed to the Bulldogs on a basketball scholarship, Clark understood she had to wait to get Lester on her squad.

“Early on I wanted to see if [Lester] had any interest in playing volleyball,” Clark said, “but I waited to approach her until she was ready.”

Clark said Lester had to make some adjustments to transition from basketball to volleyball.

“Physically, the demands of the sport are different,” she said. “Volleyball’s so explosive and there’s so much jumping.

“There’s jumping in basketball, but it’s a different type of jumping.”

Since getting into shape and starting up practices with the volleyball squad, Lester has been an integral part of the team’s success this season.

She has been one of the team’s most versatile players, averaging 1.63 kills and 2.23 digs per set at outside hitter. Her ability to defend and attack has helped the team during their current winning streak of six games.

Lester credits her success on defense to good coaching throughout her career.

“I have had great coaches who, even though I’m one of the taller girls, have always included me in the passing and defensive drills,” Lester said. “They have also put extra time into helping me develop those skills to become more accurate.”

Clark sees Lester as one of her most stable players that can always be counted on to stay level-headed in tough matches.

“She’s very calm, very steady and consistent on the court,” Clark said. “Sometimes you might notice the flashy player more, but what you really want as a coach is that solid play night in and night out.”

Now only one question remains for Lester: Is she a better basketball or volleyball player?

“I think this is a question that some of the fans could probably answer better,” Lester said, laughing. “I think my competitiveness takes me a long way in both of the sports.”

Butler is now tied with Milwaukee for first place in the Horizon League after blocking conference foe Wright State off the court last Friday in a 3-1 win.

As SuperCuts hairdressers helped willing fans donate to the Locks of Love foundation, the Bulldogs (8-6, 3-0 HL) trimmed down the Raiders (6-8, 1-2 HL) with defense.

Butler had 12.5 team blocks and dug most of the balls that got past the front line.

Junior middle Maureen Bamiro led the team with 3.5 blocks in the match.

Bamiro was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 20-26 after compiling 14 blocks in two matches last week.

“Blocking has always been one of our strengths,” senior middle Jalesa Lee said. “The entire week we had been focusing on defense, and you could tell during the match.”

Lee was one of four Bulldogs who had two blocks against the Raiders.

In the back row, the team saved 68 attacks in four sets, and five different players had double-digit digs with senior

Jessie Wolfe leading the team with 15.

Senior Jessie Wolfe and junior Maureen Bamiro stand at the net preparing to block a Wright State attack. Wolfe and Bamiro combined for 5.5 of the team's 12.5 blocks in the match. (Photo by Caroline Johnson)

“Everybody has been contributing to that team defense, and that’s why we’re doing so well in the Horizon League,” second assistant coach Nina Inic said.
Entering the match on a three-match win streak, the Bulldogs grabbed the momentum from the start of the first set with a 6-1 run.
From there, the

Bulldogs heavy hitting took over. Eighteen team kills led Butler to a 25-21 win.

“We wanted to focus on jumping on it right away,” Inic said. “It’s not really something that you work on. It’s more of a mindset of ‘get in there and get it done.’”
The Bulldogs used the same template for the second set, starting with an 8-2 run. Butler knocked in 16 kills on only three errors.

The Bulldogs finished the set with the same intensity that they started, winning 25-17 and taking a 2-0 lead into the break.

“One thing we’ve been trying to eliminate is our errors and play a smarter game,” Lee said. “We have to know when we have the right opportunities to go for it and when to take your time and play smart.”

The Bulldogs came out flat during the third set. Butler tied the set at 17 after being down 10-2. However, the Raiders took the final eight points to win the game 25-17.

After hitting only .026 on six errors in the third set, the Bulldogs got back on track in set four with another early run, capturing eight of the first 10 points.

Butler protected its lead with more team defense and won the match on one of Bamiro’s team-leading 13 kills, which finalized a .417 hitting percentage.

“Bamiro was unstoppable at the net,” Inic said. “And Gina [Vera] made some good decisions at crucial moments, and that is a big reason why we’re playing so well.”

Senior outside Jessie Wolfe and freshman opposite Maggie Harbison were in full support of Bamiro with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively.

After being ranked fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll, Butler now finds themselves sitting atop the Horizon League standings.

“I felt like we all thought that we had something to prove and that we were underestimated [in the rankings],” Lee said. “We’ve been working really hard and are hungry to prove them wrong.”
Butler hosts the UIC Flames (7-7, 2-2 HL) this Saturday in Hinkle Fieldhouse and will look to extend their winning streak to five matches.