Butler Volleyball: Spring 2021 Season Preview

For the first time in program history, Butler Volleyball will be playing their championship season during the spring semester.

Under third year head coach Lisa Lechtenberg, the Grizzlies are looking forward to the opportunities they have this spring to play and have taken full advantage of the fall pre-season.

"Having our season moved to the spring was an initial shock," said Lechtenberg, "but has actually worked out good for our program. Moving the season to the second semester allowed us to do some individual training as well as some additional team training, we would not have had in our normal season. This change also allowed the freshmen to settle into the college life (classes, volleyball, campus life, etc.) without the additional pressure of competing and traveling."

Butler begins the first ever 'Spring Championship' season on the road against Pratt on Monday, January 25, 2021. They will play their first 10 matches away from the Power Plant before hosting Seward on February 11, 2021 in their home opener at 6:30pm.

The Grizzlies finished 18-12 last season with an 8-8 KJCCC record. They lost in the opening round of the Region VI tournament at Hutchinson 3-1. One of the highlights of the season came on September 23, 2019 when the Grizzlies swept Hutchinson 3-0 for the first win over the Blue Dragons since 2002. That ended a 16-game losing streak over the last 17 years.

Butler returns five players from the 2019 team, two starters who both received post season honors and three others who saw action in a number of matches. 

Milayna Hollinger and Keera Parks return the most experience from a season ago as both played in all 30 of the Grizzlies matches as freshman. Sophomore outside Jaryn Benning and defensive specialist Sydney Hefty also bring experience as both of them played in 26 of the 30 matches last year.

Hollinger and Parks are both tall, long middles and look to improve on last year's performances. Hollinger, Honorable Mention All-KJCCC her freshman season, led the team in blocks with 123 on the year. She had 168 kills with a .289% and added 101 digs on the year. Parks, was second on the team in blocks with 83 on the year. She posted 120 kills and had 32 serving aces on the year, the second most on the team.

Jaryn Benning, outside hitter who was also named All-KJCCC Honorable Mention as a freshman was third on the team in kills behind All-KJCCC teammates Amalie Rupertova and Morgan Bryand. She finished the year with 192 kills, 2.34 kills per set with a .234 kill percentage. She compiled 243 digs and 65 total blocks while adding in 18 aces. 

"We are returning two All-Conference sophomores that we are expecting to lead by example on the court this spring in Jaryn Benning and Milayna Hollinger," commented Lechtenberg. "Both of them have done a great job this fall with helping the freshmen learn our systems as well as improving their individual game." 

Sydney Hefty and Jessie Nibarger will also return this spring for their sophomore campaign. Hefty appeared in 26 matches in the defensive specialist position totaling 171 digs in her 70 sets played. Nibarger backed up sophomore Sydney Scanlon a year ago and saw time throughout the season in the setter position. She had 35 assists on the year and 18 digs in her 20 sets played.

On top of the five returners, coach Lechtenberg and staff are excited about the incoming class. The Grizzlies signed seven freshman this off-season, six of which are from the sunflower state.

"We have a solid freshmen class," said Lechtenberg. "All of them will be competing for playing time this spring."

"Sydney Morrow (Viola, KS) is a freshman to keep an eye on, she works hard all the time and all of her hard work is going to lead to success on the court. Sydney is an all-around volleyball player; she is one of our primary passers as well as one of our go to outside hitters."

"Carly Clennan (El Dorado, KS) will be an exciting freshman to watch compete this spring. She brings a lot of energy to the court and has a no fear attitude. Watch for her to block some balls and terminate some balls."

"Kayli Duncan and Mallory Cowman, the twin towers as we call them, both will see time on the court this spring as well. Kayli puts up a solid block and is an offensive threat in the middle. This fall has allowed Mallory some extra time to make the position switch from middle to the right side. We expect her to only get better with more reps."

It has been an interesting year to put it lightly. With all of the challenges and changes that the pandemic has caused, the team has had to adjust and adapt to make the most of the situation they are in.

"COVID has definitely brought about come challenges," emphasized Lechtenberg, "but nothing we can't handle as a team. The team did a good job of following our COVID practice protocol this fall and as of right now we will continue with it. I would say the biggest change that has been the most hindering for our program due to COIVD is the ability to do things outside of practice as a team. We just kept telling the team that everyone is going through this and we need to make the best of what is in front of us. It definitely was a learning semester for all of us."

The goal of the team is to keep everyone healthy, play games safely and compete at the highest level possible. With the additional training time this fall because of the season getting pushed to spring, that allowed the Grizzlies to really work on their game and team chemistry which should translate well to the court this spring. 

"We as a team talk about how we get to play volleyball. Not everyone does. So let's make the most of every opportunity we have because now, we know those opportunities could be cut short at any time," finished Lechtenberg.