DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton women’s volleyball team hosted Butler for the Bulldogs’ first action in the Atlantic 10 and handed them a 3-1 loss, thanks to a strong finish offensively.
The Flyers entered the contest with an 8-4 record overall and a No. 22 ranking in the latest AVCA poll. Butler on the other hand had a strong non-conference showing with a 10-4 mark, but had yet to face the gauntlet that is A-10 play.
The break in action worked though as Dayton rallied and overcame a late Butler surge. Rachel Krabacher and Isolde Hannan led the Flyers to a hard-fought 26-24 win in the first set.
The second set began the same way the first had ended with both teams jockeying for position. Samathan Selsky distributed the ball consistently as a plethora of Dayton attackers battered the Bulldogs’ defense.
The Flyers got out to a 12-7 lead, causing Butler this time to call a time out. That was all they could do to slow down the potent UD offense.
The Bulldogs were not going away though as they closed the gap to within one, 17-16. Dayton then pushed the score to 21-18, forcing another time out by the A-10 newcomers.
The time out worked for the visitors, with Butler taking the second set 28-26. That tied the game up at 1-1 heading into the intermission.
Dayton came out of the locker room focused for the third set and jumped out to an early 5-0 advantage. Butler finally settled in, but by that point, the Flyers were up 12-5.
Consistency on both offense and defense kept UD one step ahead of Butler throughout the third set. At 18-8, the Flyers were finally in control of the momentum. They used it to dominate the Bulldogs in the third set, 25-10. Krabacher led the charge down the stretch and proved to be unstoppable for Butler.
After a lopsided third set, the game got back to its rollercoaster pace of the first two sets. Dayton led 6-5 early on before pulling out to an 11-6 advantage.
The crowd of 1,308 at the Frericks Center kept the tempo of the game moving thanks to the raucous fans in attendance. That gave the Flyers even more motivation as they extended their lead to 19-10.
With such a large difference in the score, the Bulldogs were never able to overcome the deficit. Dayton finished off Butler with a 25-14.
The victory improves UD’s record to 9-4 on the season and 1-0 in A-10 play. Butler falls to 10-5 and 0-1 in the conference.
The next contest for the Flyers is on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Frericks Center as they host A-10 rivals Saint Louis. Live stats, live video and live radio feed are all found at DaytonFlyers.com.
As a team, the Flyers hit an outstanding .324 as a team, while holding the Bulldogs to a .160 mark. Despite being outdone by Butler 14 blocks to six, Dayton controlled the game offensively.
Individually, Krabacher racked up 23 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Megan Campbell was just as effective with 16 kills and a .682 attacking mark.
Selsky played strongly down the stretch and finished with 53 assists and six digs. Janna Krafka and Allyson Morey chipped in 21 digs and 10 digs respectively.
For Butler, Maggie Harbison totaled 12 kills, followed by Claire Randich with 11 kills. Morgan Peterson totaled 34 assists as well.
