Butte High battled past the Big Sky Eagles Tuesday night, earning a 3-1 victory behind a big offensive performance from Allie Becker and strong defensive work from the Bulldogs’ back row.
The Bulldogs won the match 25-17, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23.
Butte High came out strong in the opening set, taking control on its way to a 25-17 victory. Big Sky answered in the second, however, handing the Bulldogs a 25-16 loss to even the match at one set apiece.
From there, the Bulldogs responded.
Butte High battled through a tight third set and came away with a 25-22 victory to regain control of the match. The fourth was even closer, but the Bulldogs finished the job with a 25-23 win to secure the match in four sets.
Allie Becker powered the Butte High attack with a match-high 21 kills, accounting for nearly half of the Bulldogs’ 46 kills on the night. Cadence Graham added 11 kills to give Butte another consistent offensive threat.
Setter Ellie Graham kept the offense moving throughout the match, finishing with 42 assists. Ellie Yates added four assists as the Bulldogs recorded 46 as a team.
Butte High was equally impressive defensively.
The Bulldogs piled up 71 digs, led by Yates with 25. Graham added 18 digs to go along with her 42 assists for a strong all-around performance.
At the net, Gia Field led Butte High with three blocks, while Becker added two.
The Bulldogs also recorded four service aces, with Kalee Wright, Cadence Graham, Ellie Graham and Becker each collecting one.
After Big Sky answered Butte High’s opening-set victory, the Bulldogs found a way to win two tightly contested sets down the stretch and leave the court with a 3-1 victory.
Butte High Statistical Leaders
Kills: Allie Becker 21, Cadence Graham 11
Assists: Ellie Graham 42, Ellie Yates 4
Digs: Ellie Yates 25, Ellie Graham 18
Blocks: Gia Field 3, Allie Becker 2
Aces: Kalee Wright 1, Cadence Graham 1, Ellie Graham 1, Allie Becker 1
Match Scores
Set 1: Butte High 25, Big Sky 17
Set 2: Big Sky 25, Butte High 16
Set 3: Butte High 25, Big Sky 22
Set 4: Butte High 25, Big Sky 23
Final: Butte High 3, Big Sky 1
