Mules go 2-2 in Buttermaker Tournament

The Muhlenberg volleyball team played their first home game as part of the annual Buttermaker Tournament. The tournament is held by Muhlenberg every year in honor of the “Buttermakers,” the young and talented 1990 squad that set the college record for wins. Five other east coast schools come to Muhlenberg to compete in the tournament and hope to win all four games they play over the course of two days. The Mules have won six Buttermakers, the most recent in 2014.

The Mules opened the tournament riding a three-game win streak and faced the winless Cabrini Cavaliers. The first set started promisingly for the Mules as they took a quick 6-2 lead over the Cavaliers. Key plays included an ace by sophomore setter Shannon Hubert and two consecutive kills by sophomore outside hitter Kelly Tornetta. Tornetta’s kills prompted Cavaliers coach Erich Schafer to call a timeout. After the time-out the Cavaliers fought their way back into the game and the score went to 15-12 after a kill by Cavalier sophomore outside hitter Emily Shannon. However, the tide turned quickly and the Mules scored the final ten points to close out the set 25-12. Tornetta and freshman outside hitter/right setter Maggie Enestvedt led the way with three kills each, with several assists from Hubert. The second set was a different story as Cabrini matched their first set point total by taking a 12-9 lead. There were many lead changes in the set, but the big spark from the Mules came after the Cavaliers took a 22-21 lead. Tornetta, Hubert, and Enestvedt helped the Mules score the last four points of the set to win 25-22. Once again no lead was safe, but the Mules prevailed and were able to win the third set and the game. Tornetta led the Mules with 19 kills, Hubert with 36 assists, and senior libero and captain Elizabeth Garrison added 27 digs.

A few hours later, the Mules took the court again, this time facing the Marymount Saints. Marymount defeated Cabrini shortly after the Mules took them down in three sets. The Mules picked up right where they left off by finishing the first set strongly. With a 20- 20 tie, Marymount’s Caroline Hanson committed a service error and the Mules scored the remainder of the points winning the set 25-20. The second set was another close one, but the Mules took the set 25-21. The third set was on pace to be a rout after the Mules took a 17-6 lead, scoring nine consecutive points in that span with help from Garrison, Tornetta, and Enestvedt. However, the Saints narrowed the Mules lead to five points. The Saints comeback efforts were not enough and Muhlenberg won their second consecutive game in straight sets. Garrison achieved a milestone that game as she reached the 1,000 dig plateau.

The next day, the Mules opened up the final day of the tournament with a game against the Ithaca Bombers. The Bombers had a strong first day of the Buttermaker Tournament beating both Scranton and Desales in straight sets. Muhlenberg had their work cut out for them, as Ithaca led the entire set, with the exception of the first point. The largest lead the Bombers held in the set was seven points. Despite a great comeback effort by the Mules, Ithaca capped off the set with a 25-22 victory. The second set was one for the Mules to forget, as they never came close to Ithaca. A series of many attacks and ball handling errors helped the Bombers easily win the set 25-13. The Mules hitting percentage was .138, while the Bomber’s was at .519 in the second set. The third set was much closer, but Ithaca ended up taking the set and the game, ending the Mules’ six-set win streak.

The Mules were looking to redeem themselves in the final game of the Buttermaker Tournament as they faced the Scranton Royals. The struggles continued for the Mules, as the Royals took an early eight-point lead. A comeback effort was made by the Mules, as they cut Scranton’s lead down to three late in the set. Scranton ended up winning the set 25-21. The Mules turned it around in the second set winning 25-21 and losing closely in the third, 25-23. In the fourth set, Muhlenberg completely dominated winning 25-12, with the help of Tornetta, Enestvedt, and junior Caroline Erb. With the game tied at two sets apiece, a fifth and final set was to be played up to 15. After an early 5-2 lead in the fifth set, Scranton came back to take the lead and never looked back, winning the set 15-8 and the game 3-2. Erb led the Mules with 17 kills, Hubert with 46 assists, Garrison with 20 digs, and sophomore Erica Schultz added six blocks.

Ithaca ended up winning the tournament with a 4-0 record, as they did not lose a single set. Muhlenberg, Desales, Scranton, and Marymount each went 2-2, while Cabrini finished the tournament 0-4. Tornetta ended up making the all-tournament team with her strong performance over the course of the two days. Muhlenberg is preparing for Centennial Conference play and the team is looking to com back after a tough final day of the Buttermaker tournament. Their next game will be on Friday September 23 versus Johns Hopkins.