EL DORADO, Kan. – Butler volleyball fell in straight sets, 3-0, to the Barton Cougars (16-25, 19-25, 21-25) on Wednesday evening at the Power Plant.
Butler (9-7, 3-3 KJCCC) was coming off back-to-back conference wins but suffered the setback to the first place Cougars (15-3, 5-1 KJCCC) who are receiving votes in this week's NJCAA D1 volleyball poll. The Cougars snapped a four-game Grizzly win streak in the series. Butler had swept Barton 3-0 in the last four meeting between the two programs.
Sophomore middle blocker Sydney Lentz (Wichita) led the Grizzlies with seven kills on .286 hitting. Sophomore outside hitter Greta Santini (Reggio Emilia, Italy) added six kills and 10 digs. Freshman setter Anja Milosevic (Belgrade, Serbia) had 14 assists and eight digs.
As a team Butler hit just .085 against the stout Cougar front line. A killer for Butler was 12 service errors to just four aces. The Grizzlies hit a team-high .128 in the third and final set, a set that they hung closest with Barton.
Butler turns its attention to the Hutchinson Sports Arena this weekend as they play four matches in the Blue Dragon Classic. The first match is at 2 p.m. CT Friday vs. Mineral Area College. All four matches over the weekend will be streamed.
