Players on the Butler County Community College volleyball team include, top row, from left, Ellie Hendricks and Addison Henry; second row, from left, Mackenzie Kurtz and Sarah Lucas; third row, from left, Madelyn Nosel and Addison Say; bottom row, from left, Taylor Simon and Maeggie Wysocki.
(Pinehurst, N.C.) The 11th-ranked Butler County Community College volleyball team won its opener in a postseason National Junior College Athletic Association Division III regional tournament in Pinehurst, N.C., but lost in the semifinals to finish 18-4 and with the program’s 22nd consecutive winning season under coach Rob Snyder.
Ellie Hendricks had 12 kills to lead BC3 for the first time this season and Addison Henry had five service aces in a 25-19, 25-14, 25-10 victory against Rockingham Community College (Wentworth, N.C.) in the Region 10/Mid-Atlantic District Championship on Oct. 30.
Addison Say had 36 assists against Rockingham; Taylor Simon had 18 digs, Sarah Lucas 17 and Maeggie Wysocki 15; and Mackenzie Kurtz had one of the Pioneers’ three solo blocks.
Ninth-ranked Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (Hudson, N.C.) swept the Pioneers on Oct. 31 in the semifinals 25-21, 25-16, 25-22.
Madelyn Nosel led the Pioneers with 10 kills and Say with 24 assists against Caldwell. Simon had 26 digs and Lucas 13.
No. 1-ranked Sandhills Community College (Pinehurst, N.C.) defeated Caldwell 25-11, 25-9, 25-16 later Oct. 31 to win the title and earn an automatic berth to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national championship tournament Nov. 12-14 in Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Sandhills is 30-2. Caldwell fell to 22-8.
BC3 ranked in Top 15 for 27 consecutive Division III polls
The Pioneers were ranked No. 11 among 86 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III programs in a Week 9 poll released Oct. 26.
BC3’s program has been ranked in the Top 15 in Division III in 46 of 50 polls dating to Oct. 4, 2021, including the past 27 in a row.
Say led BC3 with 548 assists in 2026. Simon had a team-high 394 digs and 40 service aces. Nosel had 245 kills and Kurtz 190. Kurtz led the Pioneers with 24 solo blocks and Henry added 39 services aces.
Hendricks is an outside hitter and graduate of First Baptist; Henry, opposite hitter, Redbank Valley; Say, setter and opposite hitter, Keystone; Simon and Lucas, defensive specialists, Butler; Nosel, outside hitter, Warren; Wysocki, defensive specialist, Apollo Ridge; and Kurtz, middle hitter, Knoch.
Other members of the squad were Summer Haney, defensive specialist, Laurel; Emmy Fisher, opposite hitter, Seneca Valley; Julia Stoepfel, middle hitter, Grove City; Grace Thimons, defensive specialist, Deer Lakes; Bayliee Payne, defensive specialist and outside hitter, Butler; and Teagan Fortuna, setter and opposite hitter, Laurel.