How Mars girls volleyball got back on track with win at Butler
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Mars High School defeated Butler High school three sets to none in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
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Mars Head Coach Tami Caraway talking to Libero Alaina Graham (13). In a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
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Mars Sophomore Gabi Weidemann (9) setting the ball to Senior Cecilia Christy (24). In a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
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Mars High School defeated Butler High school three sets to none in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
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Mars High School defeated Butler High school three sets to none in a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
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Mars players Rylee Wooldridge (5), Gabi Weidemann (9), Cecilia Christy (24), Bella Childress (8), Alaina Graham (13), and Sabrina Ruiz-Gonzales (4), celebrate after their win. In a girls volleyball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Eddie Clancy/Butler Eagle
BUTLER TWP — Tuesday’s loss to North Catholic after being up two sets to none was a tough pill to swallow for Mars girls volleyball.
The Planets used Thursday’s non-section meeting at Butler to officially put the setback in the rear-view mirror.
Aided by a fast start, Mars earned a sweep of the previously unbeaten Golden Tornado by set scores of 25-15, 25-22 and 25-23.
The Planets won a WPIAL Class 3A title and reached the state final a year ago.
“The loss on Tuesday did sting, I have to admit,” Mars coach Tami Caraway. “We had match point in the fourth set and let it go, but we are a young team and playing under pressure is a challenge.”
The sweep of Butler did not come easy, particularly in the third set when the Tornado built an 18-14 lead. The Planets’ final push began with Cecilia Christy’s kill that cut Butler’s edge to 23-21.
Sophomore setter Gabi Weidemann then tallied a block and kill for consecutive points. She set up Christy for another kill before a Butler hitting error clinched the match for Mars (3-2).
“We talked about ending this in the third set, you don’t know what can happen if it goes any further,” said Weidemann, who dished out 27 assists in the victory. “We looked at this game as a clean slate and we played together and trusted each other.“
Butler (4-1) suffered its first loss under new head coach Halee McCance.
“Mars is way above the caliber of teams we played early on,” she said. “But when we executed our gameplan tonight — diversify our middle offense and run some things behind our setter — we did well.”
It took Butler a while to find its footing. The Planets jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the opening set, with Christy, Alyssa Genis, Natalie Janusz and Rylee Wooldridge each tallying a kill in that short span.
The multi-faceted attack is something Caraway hopes the team can sustain with section play beginning next week.
“We got our focus back tonight, but we have two new pins and a freshman playing in the middle,” she said.
Mars withstood a Butler effort in the second set that included five kills from Brynn Cornibe and four courtesy of Raina Lewandowski. Those two players combined for 10 kills that helped the Tornado build their lead in the final set.
Wooldridge tallied 14 kills and Christy 13 for Mars.
Cornibe paced Butler with 13 kills, Lewandowski had 11 and Julia Mason posted 26 assists and 11 digs.
Butler will compete at the Shaler Tournament on Saturday, then opens section play Tuesday at Seneca Valley. The Tornado’s section foes include heavy hitters North Allegheny and North Catholic.
“When we play together, we can hang with anybody,” McCance said. “We just need to take it one set at a time.”
