Box Score The Dodge City volleyball team kicked off the second portion of conference play with a showdown against Butler at home, and while it was a thrilling five-set contest, the Conquistadors' comeback came up just short as they fell in five sets. 
 
The Conqs would drop the first two sets but win the third and fourth to force a fifth set, where the matchup would need extra points to decide the outcome. The Conqs ultimately fell 20-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20, 18-20 to drop to 10-11 on the season and 4-5 in KJCCC action. 
 
An early 3-0 run by the Conqs had them up 3-1 in the first set, but Butler would take the lead at 6-5 and hold on to it, pushing it out to five at 16-11. The Conqs mounted a run to close the gap to two at 19-17, but Butler answered and finished the first set strong, taking it 25-20. Set two was almost the same with a 3-0 start for the Conqs, but they would trail 16-11 and ultimately drop the set 25-19. Backs against the wall, the Conqs grabbed an early lead and would keep Butler at arm's length until a late 9-0 run cemented the third set in the favor of the Conqs, 25-16. 
 
In the fourth set, Butler held the early lead, and it was tied at 17-17. A challenge late in the set gave the Conqs a 20-18 lead after the challenge win, and then the Conqs capped the set on a Chelsea Durbridge ace, winning it 25-20. In the fifth set, neither team took a lead of more than two, going down to the wire and would need extra points as Butler would have match point four times and the Conqs twice, but it was the Grizzlies of Butler on the fourth try at match point, taking the fifth set 20-18 to win the match. 
 
In the loss, Kayla Cantrill had a double-double with 16 kills and 13 digs, while adding three aces and two block assists. Amariah White continued her strong play as she recorded 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, adding two solo blocks and four block assists. Sunni Skipps posted 10 kills, two aces, and five digs, while Mali Towers and Kamalei Wassman each had double-digit digs with 12 and 13. Rayssa Da Silva had a strong performance with eight kills and 19 digs, while Durbridge finished with 51 assists, two kills, 10 digs, four aces, and four block assists. 
 
Only seven more matches remain in the regular season for the Conqs, with five on the road, including the next two. The Conqs travel to #12 Barton on Saturday, October 11th, for a 6:00 pm contest and then will take on Pratt on Wednesday, October 15th, at 6:30 pm on the road.