Dec. 3, 2010

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DAYTON, Ohio – 14th-seeded University of Dayton volleyball defeated Butler in three sets on Friday night at the Frericks Center to advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in program history (25-17, 25-23, 25-11).

Senior middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier led Dayton (28-3) to its 23rd consecutive victory with a match-high 14 kills and no attacking errors for a .519 hitting percentage. Senior setter Jessica Yanz gave a double-double with 10 digs and 36 assists while recording a career-high of two aces – totaling four on the season.

Horizon League Champion Butler (21-10), making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1997, was led by Jessica Wolfe with 11 kills on 43 swings.

Senior Amanda Cowdrey and Fletemier teamed up for 10 of Dayton’s 14 kills in the first set, as the Flyers took the opener, 25-17. Down 2-3 early, Cowdrey and Fletemier traded kills in a 4-point run to regain the momentum and the lead, which would not be given up for the rest of the match. Cowdrey finished with 11 kills and nine digs on the night.

Dayton jumped to an early lead in the second set but narrowly escpaed with a 25-23 victory after the Bulldogs’ late run. UD’s leader in aces, freshman Allyson Morey, began the set by serving a four point run, including a first-point ace. The Flyers reached set point with a 24-18 lead as Butler crawled back to end the set on a 5-1 run.

Hitting in the .100s in the first two sets, Dayton went back to its typical game of low-error volleyball in the third set and final set with 16 kills on a .483 hitting percentage for a 25-11 victory. Fletemier recorded half of her 14 total kills in the final set and capped off her ninth attacking error-less match of the season.

"Butler is a good team and they have a lot of heart," Head Coach Kelly Sheffield said. "I thought they showed that in game two and they were making some plays. They were getting us into rallies and extending some rallies, and we had a few hitting errors that were due to their defense. I thought defensively we picked up a little bit in game three and because of that we started terminating a little bit more."

With the straight set win, Dayton has prevailed in 25 consecutive home matches.

The Flyers advance to play Ohio State tomorrow in its second consecutive appearance in the Second Round in two years. The match begins at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Frericks Center. For those who have not purchased tickets in advance, tickets will be sold at the door.