Miami University
Butler
Miami Earns 3-2 Victory Over Butler
9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Miami University volleyball team found itself in a battle on Friday against Butler at the Spartan Invitational. The RedHawks overcame a fifth-set deficit to earn a hard-fought 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12) victory over the Bulldogs. Miami is now 2-4 on the season, while Butler is 1-4.
The RedHawk offense hit at a high percentage for most of the contest, finishing at .256. Freshman outside hitter Stela Kukoc had a breakout match, earning her first career double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Junior middle hitter Paige Hill also tied for the team lead with 13 kills, and only made three errors on 25 attempts for a team leading .400 attack percentage.
Both setters kept the 6-2 offense running, while also providing strong defense. Freshman Mackenzie Zielinski recorded a double-double with a career-high 35 assists and 13 digs. Junior setter Krista Brakauskas also had a double-double with 24 assists and 10 digs.
Sophomore libero Maeve McDonald led the Miami defense with a team-high 22 digs.
Sophomore right side hitter Meredith Stutz had three early kills to begin set one. The lead was traded back-and-forth five times until the score was tied at 12. Butler struck for three in a row to take a 15-12 lead, but a service ace and a kill from Kukoc, followed by back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Annie Reiswig gave Miami the advantage once again. The teams swapped the lead three more times until it was tied at 22. At that point a Bulldog attack error and a kill from senior middle hitter Jenny Ingle made it set point for the RedHawks. Butler fought it off once, but another kill from Ingle finished off a 25-23 win.
Set two started off slowly for Miami as the Bulldogs scored the first six points. Despite a couple of kills from Hill, Butler eventually expanded the lead to 12-5 and as great as 11 points at 20-9. The RedHawks did not give up as kills from Hill and freshman middle hitter Courtney Simons, along with a service ace from Kukoc started a 10-2 run that pulled Miami to within three at 19-22 and forced a Bulldog timeout. Butler came out of the break refocused and went on a 3-1 run to take a 25-20 victory.
Two kills from Hill and service aces by junior outside hitter Maris Below and McDonald were part of a 9-3 start that put Miami in control of set three. Below recorded two more kills as the 'Hawks eventually expanded the advantage to 16-8. Back-to-back kills by Kukoc and Below gave MU its largest lead of the set at 22-12. Butler attempted to make it interesting with an 8-2 run that closed it to within four points, but a kill by Below off an assist from Zielinski finished off Miam's 25-20 win.
Butler jumped to a 10-6 lead to begin set four. The RedHawks forced the Bulldogs into three straight attack errors to pull within one, but an 8-3 run by Butler gave it an 18-12 advantage. Three kills from Kukoc and one from Below made it 18-16 and forced a BU timeout. After the break, Butler regained control with a 6-1 run. Miami fought off three straight set points with kills by Below and sophomore right side hitter Katie Tomasic, along with a Bulldog attack error, but Butler scored next to take a 25-20 victory and send the match into a decisive fifth set.
Tied at two in set five, Butler scored the next two points to take a 4-2 advantage. Tomasic answered with a kill, but a 3-1 run by the Bulldogs gave them their largest lead of the set at 7-4 and forced a Miami timeout. Out of the break, the RedHawks went on a 6-1 run that featured kills by Below and Hill and put them in front, 10-8. Butler scored next to break up the run, but three more points by the `Hawks, including kills from Kukoc and Stutz put Miami in control at 13-9. The Bulldogs answered with two straight points but were undone by an untimely service error. After a Butler point, another kill from Hill finished off a 15-12 win and gave the Red and White a 3-2 victory in the match.
Below recorded 10 kills, Tomasic had nine, while Stutz had eight. Hill led Miami with three blocks (one solo and two assisted).
The RedHawks complete play at the Spartan Invitational when they take on the host, 19th-ranked Michigan State on Saturday at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, Miami will travel to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio for the final day of the AVP's Cincinnati Open. At 3 p.m. there will be a special exhibition where a couple of Miami volleyball players will join RedHawk alums and celebrities to take on a pair of Cincinnati players, their alums and celebrities in a friendly beach volleyball match. Premium tickets are only $10 and can be purchased here. All proceeds will go towards the Miami volleyball team's 2016 European trip.
