Oct. 4, 2008
Contact: Greg Murphy
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Butler held on for a tight win in the first set and then staged big rallies in the fianl two to earn a 3-0 sweep over Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Horizon League action.
The loss drops the Vikings to 2-12 overall and 1-4 in league action, while Butler improved to 14-3 overall (4-1 HL).
Jordan Bateman led the Viking defense with 22 digs, while Maggie Bonomini added 12. No CSU player reached double-digit kills with Kayla Lefeld tallying a team-best eight to go along with six digs.
Beth Greulich finished with seven kills and Amy Benz and Jenni Ramminger had six each. Jordan Goad handed out 26 assists and chipped in five kills.
The first set was close from the get-go, but the Bulldogs went on an 11-6 run to turn a three-point lead (13-10) into match point with a 24-16 advantage. However, the Vikings refused to go quietly, scoring the next seven points, including a pair of kills by Ramminger to close within 24-23.
But Jessica Wolfe's kill stopped CSU's run and gave Butler a win in the first set.
The next two sets were the complete opposite as the Vikings took big leads in each, only to watch Butler rally in both sets and eventually complete the comebacks and win each set.
In the second set, an attack error by Porshia Allen gave CSU its largest lead of the set (13-7), but the Bulldogs scored the next three points as Butler slowly began to chip away at the CSU lead.
Butler eventually pulled to within one point (14-13) on a CSU attack error, but a 7-2 CSU run pushed the Vikings lead back to seven points (21-15) following another Allen attack error.
However, the Bulldogs closed the set on a 9-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match as Kelsey Labrum served the final eight points. Butler was aided by four CSU attack errors in the run, including the final three points.
Once again, the Vikings appeared on the verge of winning the third set, taking a 19-12 lead on a Bulldog attack error. But, Butler staged yet another comeback, going on a 12-3 run to take a 24-22 lead on a Dana Daprile kill and give the Bulldogs two match points.
The Vikings were able to stave off the first on a Beth Greulich kill, but a CSU attack error ended the match.
Wolfe led Butler with a match-best 14 kills and nine digs, while Labrum had 10 kills. Dana Daprile dished out 33 assists to go along with seven digs and four kills, while Katie Daprile led the Bulldogs with 16 digs.
The Vikings will be back in action on Tuesday (Oct. 7) night when CSU hosts Youngstown State beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Woodling Gym.
