By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
GREEN BAY, Wis.
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The Green Bay
volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set on Thursday
night at the Kress Events Center, but visiting Butler (13-13, 9-5 HL) held off
the Phoenix (10-15, 6-7 HL) and earned a 3-2 win (25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 21-25,
15-10) in Horizon League action.
Senior Abbey Gitter (Hortonville, Wis.) led four
Phoenix players with double-digit kill numbers with 13 in the match. Senior Carlie Willison (Greenfield, Wis.) had 11 while junior Carmen Leitermann (Schofield, Wis.) and sophomore Leah Van Zeeland (Kaukauna, Wis.) each added 10
kills. Despite the kill numbers, Green Bay hit just .117 for the match.
Defensively, Green Bay had five players reach double figures
in digs and held Butler to a .117 hitting percentage, with junior libero Brittany Groth (Oak Creek, Wis.) totaling a team-high 25. Willison (19), Van
Zeeland (14) and sophomores Sabrina Marunowski (12) and Leah Poel (11) also
had more than 10.
Butler posted wins in the first two sets to put the
Phoenix in an early hole, but the hosts were able to regroup at the
intermission and come out strong in set three.
After falling behind 7-4 in the third, Green Bay
scored 10 of the next 12 points to move ahead 14-9. Willison recorded kills on
three of the 10 kills. The lead was 21-16 before the Bulldogs scored six of the
next seven points to tie it at 22. Willison and Gitter each tallied kills to
help the Phoenix close the set.
A back-and-forth fourth set was knotted at 20-20
before the Phoenix stormed in front to take the set. Willison had two kills and
a block during a stretch that helped Green Bay score five of the final six
points. Van Zeeland, Willison and Leitermann each had four kills as the Phoenix
hit .300 in the set.
In the decisive fifth set, Butler went ahead 3-1 and
never relinquished its lead, although Green Bay trailed just 10-9 after a Van
Zeeland kill. The Bulldogs scored back-to-back points and escaped with the set
and match win, 15-10.
The Phoenix will host Senior Day on Saturday in its
home finale at the Kress Center. Green Bay welcomes Wright State at 2 p.m. and
will honor four seniors - including Willison and Gitter and seniors Kelly Mischler (Kaukauna, Wis.) and Alison Bohnen (St. Germain, Wis.).
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