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Perry’s Ethan Butters earns 2nd place in major volleyball, golf events in two weeks

Published

5 months ago

July 23, 2025

From left, Perry High School junior Ethan Butters left, and Greyson Carter pray before the 16 Open division championship match of the AAU Boys Junior National Volleyball Championships at Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on June 3. A week later, Butters strokes a short-range putt at the Uswing Mojing Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines’ South Course in San Diego, California. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Butters)

PHOENIX – In Orlando, Florida, one week, in San Diego the next. Taking second in an AAU national volleyball tournament. Surging for second in a junior golf world championship.

Ethan Butters, a junior at Gilbert’s Perry High School, nearly reached the pinnacle in two sports that couldn’t be more different. And he did so within seven days, with volleyball ending July 3 and golf July 10.

Ryan Tolman, Butters’ club and high school volleyball coach, was candid when asked if he’d ever heard of an athletic feat quite like this.

“Not even close,” Tolman said.

The 16-year-old in January declared his intent to focus on golf, and didn’t even play volleyball for Perry in the 2025 spring season. However, Butters wouldn’t be the golfer or athlete he is today without marrying the two together.

“Volleyball helps me with golf because of the strength training that I get out of it and like the fast twitch-like dynamic movements I get out of it,” Butters said. “Golf is a very mental game and having a really strong head is actually one of the biggest things in volleyball.

“My perfectionist mindset from golf also translates to volleyball, making me a little bit more refined and sharper.”

Tolman said he watched Butters last November in the final round of the AIA Division I Golf Championships at Laveen’s Aguila Golf Course, in which he finished third. With a puncher’s chance at the individual title on the short par-4 17th hole, Tolman noticed Butters pull out his driver without any hesitation. The gamble didn’t pay off with a birdie or eagle, but it spoke to Butters’ mentality and physical shape.

“His swing doesn’t change as he gets late in rounds and in tournaments just because he’s conditioned to last, and a lot of golfers aren’t,” Tolman said.

Butters’ fascination with golf began with plastic clubs and putting balls into cardboard boxes. The game quickly became an integral part of his childhood as Butters played every weekend with three of his uncles.

He competed in his first tournament before he was five years-old and in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships in Pinehurst, North Carolina before he was six years old.

In April at Mesa’s Toka Sticks Golf Club, he qualified for another world championship: the Uswing Mojing Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines’ South Course.

“He just has had that tournament golf lifestyle forever,” Lisa, Butters’ mother, said.

His volleyball timeline started a bit later and more casually.

Butters, beginning in fourth grade, played at a local YMCA with his parents and three younger siblings. Fast forward to seventh grade, and Butters stepped up his game and visibility by playing for Tempe’s Aspire Volleyball Club.

“He walked in the door and instantly our coaches saw a kid with some crazy talent,” Tolman said. “We had our team kind of already picked out, and this kid shows up and he’s better than all of them. … It was a match made in heaven.”

At 5-feet-7 and 145 pounds, Butters is a libero and his practicing, or “peppering,” partner Everett Wagner is one of eight fellow Perry Pumas on Aspire. This continuity was a big reason the Tempe club team got runners-up in the 16 Open division of the AAU Boys Junior National Volleyball Championships (June 30-July 3).

Going to battle with your friends is a thrill but falling just short is hard to swallow – the Aspire 16 Spiderman dropped the third and final set 16-14 to California’s Pulse 16-G. All three sets were decided by two points.

“When they lost nationals, it was like somebody died,” Lisa said. “I think the expectation was that they were actually going to win this year.”

“Before our last game when we lost in the finals, he kind of initiated … a little prayer on the court,” Wagner said.

But Butters’ state of devastation from a team loss quickly wore off with perhaps the most important individual task of his life just five days away.

Even though the focus was all on volleyball during AAU nationals in Orlando, Butters still brought his golf clubs along to keep his game sharp enough to compete.

“I ended up being really, really sharp come the tournament day,” Butters said. “I love doing them both (volleyball and golf) so much. I think that if I didn’t have the love for the game that I do for both, I definitely would not be playing.”

He trailed the eventual champion, Scottsdale’s Dylan Boenning, by five strokes entering the back nine in the third and final round. With a birdie on the par-5 18th hole – where Tiger Woods famously made a putt to force a playoff in the 2008 U.S. Open – Butters got within one of Boenning. A bogey-free 34 compared to Boenning’s 38 certainly made for an interesting finish.

“After we got home (from volleyball nationals), he said, ‘I’m utterly devastated,’” Lisa said. “When he got second at World’s, he was utterly stoked.”

“I expect myself to do a lot of great things, but I mean it’s just like such a difficult game,” said Butters on where he sits at this point in his career. “I kind of just take everything one step at a time and try to limit expectations and just go have a blast and play my hardest.”

Scott Uyeshiro, who has coached high school golf since 2016, witnessed a prime example of what Butters was capable of late in his first season at the helm of Perry boys golf.

At last year’s CUSD Invitational (Oct. 24-25) at Maricopa’s The Duke – Perry’s final tuneup before the state championship – Butters held off Hamilton junior Joseph Nelson by one stroke at 7 under par. A couple of pars on 17 and 18 secured the individual victory and a final round of 4-under-par 68.

“That was one tournament that impressed me because when you’re in that situation where you’re behind and then you get ahead, do you make mistakes?” Uyeshiro said. “But that was one I was like he was on his game, fairways and greens and down on his putting.”

The Pumas as a team were also neck-and-neck with Casteel in the district tournament. Casteel narrowly won the title by one but, in the case of a tie, each team would have chosen one player to enter a deciding sudden-death playoff.

Butters’ clutch performance that day made that hypothetical situation an easy one for Uyeshiro.

“I go, ‘Well, if we have a playoff hole, do you want to be that guy doing the playoff hole?’” Uyeshiro said. “And he’s like, ‘Absolutely.’ So I’m like, ‘There you go. That’s the guy that I want.’”

Butters, over years of high-intensity golf and volleyball competition, has developed sound “technical” skills and created repeatable motions in the eyes of Wagner.

That consistency has yielded other tangible results besides tournament success. Butters, as of Sunday, was ranked No. 206 on the nationwide Junior Golf Scoreboard and fifth-best in Arizona (No. 1 in the class of 2027).

He isn’t ready to blaze past high school yet, but Butters beginning June 15 could start speaking with college coaches and quite a few conversations have taken place. About a month into this process, Butters said he is considering seven programs including Arizona State, Stanford, USC and UCLA.

“It’s going to be definitely a really tough choice to make later down the road,” Butters said.

“I want to say that 90% of the (Division I) coaches that we’ve talked to tell him, ‘We want you because you don’t look like a golfer. (It’s) because you look strong and really athletic and physically, that’s what we’re looking for,’ which I find fascinating,” Lisa said. “And really, we owe that to volleyball.”

Besides the physical supplement of volleyball, Lisa said Butters’ first golf coach, Kay Cornelius, saved him from experiencing any burnout as early as 5 years old. Butters saw her for lessons until about the age of 10 but still connects with Cornelius as a mentor.

“He took a hiatus from golf for like six months as a young kid,” Lisa said. “I don’t know if we would have gotten the same (advice) from a male coach.”

Through the many highs and lows of golf and volleyball, Butters documents it all on his Instagram. An increased social media presence is not unique among his peers, but Lisa, who has helped him with his social footprint, said his intent even at 16 is to show younger aspiring athletes that it’s OK to post more than just the good stuff.

Golf is undoubtedly Butters’ priority, but that won’t stop him from continuing with Aspire and playing volleyball for Perry his remaining two seasons.

“I got so much better at golf over this season, so I was really happy I did that,”Butters said about skipping Perry’s boys volleyball season last spring. “I’m excited to get to play volleyball again this year and my senior year.”

Greyson Carter, a fellow Perry junior and volleyball teammate, said Butters’ talent at libero was missed despite the Pumas winning the 6A state championship after a 17-0 regular season.

His quiet leadership and humor will be welcomed as well.

“He’s so focused and he’s so good at the sport, but he’s also so freaking funny, dude,” Carter said. “We’re lucky to have a pretty solid replacement for him but I’m excited for him to come back.”

Butters has to wait until March to don a Perry volleyball jersey but his golf calendar will be jam-packed with top amateur events and the high school matches off and running Aug. 19.

“Just kind of sticking to my plan and staying disciplined about it,” Butters said.

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Dallas Pulse set to make history in season opener at Comerica Center

Published

47 minutes ago

January 2, 2026

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North Texas’ first women’s professional volleyball team will officially launch its inaugural season on Saturday, Jan. 10.

DALLAS — For North Texas volleyball fans, Saturday’s season opener represents more than just a first serve, it’s the beginning of something the region has been waiting for.

The Dallas Pulse, the region’s first women’s professional volleyball team, will open its inaugural season Saturday, Jan. 10, hosting the Indiana franchise at Comerica Center in Frisco.

The matchup marks the first Major League Volleyball game played by a Dallas-based team and is a milestone moment for the metroplex.

The Pulse will play 14 home matches during the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, giving local fans a consistent opportunity to support a women’s pro team built in their own backyard.

Saturday, Jan. 10 – Indy
Thursday, Jan. 15 – San Diego
Thursday, Feb. 5 – Omaha
Sunday, Feb. 8 – Grand Rapids
Thursday, Feb. 19 – Indy
Sunday, Feb. 22 – Grand Rapids
Friday, Feb. 27 – Orlando
Friday, March 13 – Columbus
Sunday, March 15 – Atlanta
Saturday, March 21 – San Diego
Thursday, March 26 – Atlanta
Friday, April 17 – Columbus
Friday, May 1 – Omaha
Sunday, May 3 – Orlando

Leading the team into its first season is head coach Shannon Winzer, who was named to the role in September. The January debut places Dallas at the center of the league’s early growth as women’s professional volleyball continues to gain momentum nationwide.

The timing feels right for North Texas. The region has long been a volleyball hotbed, producing elite athletes through nationally recognized club programs, championship high school teams and top-tier collegiate programs. Until now, many of those players, and the fans who followed them, had no local professional team to rally behind.

Dallas Pulse leadership told WFAA that they hope to change that.

Season ticket deposits are currently open, and the Pulse holds the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Volleyball Draft scheduled for Nov. 24, giving the team a chance to add a cornerstone player ahead of its debut season.

Major League Volleyball is also preparing for future growth, announcing plans to add expansion teams in Washington, D.C. and Northern California in 2027.

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Iola outside hitter takes top honor on Texas 2A all-state volleyball team | APG State News

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1 hour ago

January 2, 2026

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Tritons Set for Preseason North American Challenge

Published

3 hours ago

January 2, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball will prepare for the upcoming season with four exhibitions this weekend as part of the North American Challenge. The event will be hosted by Long Beach State on Friday and Sunday at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.

The Tritons will play two Canadian sides, Alberta and Calagry. They will play each team once on both days of the challenge.

SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 2

2 PM – vs Calgary

4:30 PM – vs Alberta

Sunday, Jan. 4

12:30 PM – vs Alberta

3 PM – vs Calgary

Live stats for all four matches will be available HERE. Fans interested in attending matches can purchase tickets through Long Beach State HERE.

UP NEXT
The Tritons open the 2026 season at home next Tuesday, Jan. 6. Jessup will visit LionTree Arena for a match that begins at 7 PM.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.

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Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Hosts The North American Challenge

Published

3 hours ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. – With the season just around the corner, the Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team will host the North American Challenge, a preseason exhibition tournament featuring four teams from the United States and Canada. The two-day event will take place Friday, January 2, and Sunday, January 4, with matches held at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.

Joining the Beach in the tournament are UC San Diego, Calgary, and Alberta, bringing together a competitive mix of NCAA and U SPORTS programs for early-season action. The tournament will feature eight total matches across the two days, providing fans with a full slate of high-level volleyball.

Schedule
Friday, January 2

Time	Matchup (Home vs. Away)
11:30 AM	Long Beach State vs. Alberta
2:00 PM	UC San Diego vs. Calgary
4:30 PM	UC San Diego vs. Alberta
7:00 PM	Long Beach State vs. Calgary

Sunday, January 4

Time	Matchup (Home vs. Away)
10:00 AM	Long Beach State vs. Calgary
12:30 PM	UC San Diego vs. Alberta
3:00 PM	UC San Diego vs. Calgary
5:30 PM	Long Beach State vs. Alberta

Following each match, a Player of the Match from each team will be recognized. At the conclusion of the tournament, an All-Tournament Team will be selected.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Live statistics for all matches will be available via BeachLiveStats.StatBroadcast.com.

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Pitt volleyball | Panthers add Kentucky MB Jordyn Dailey

Published

3 hours ago

January 1, 2026

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Pitt received a commitment from former Kentucky middle blocker/right-side hitter Jordyn Dailey.

Dailey is a redshirt sophomore and will have two years of eligibility. The 6-foot-2 North Carolina native racked up 188 kills, 116 blocks and 42 digs over the past two seasons. Dailey recorded 142 kills, 82 blocks and a .314 hitting percentage in 2024. Her numbers dipped to 46 kills, 34 blocks and a .211 hitting percentage in 2025.

Pitt lost middle blocker Ryla Jones to Penn State through the transfer portal.

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Kats sign six to 2026 roster

Published

4 hours ago

January 1, 2026

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HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston volleyball program and head coach Brenda Gray announced the signing of six student-athletes to play for the Bearkats for the 2026 season.

The signing class consists of outside hitters Annika Brooks, Brenlin Garlitz, Justice Rachal, Kameron Rector, Lauren Pyle and Sarah Odell.

“All of these young ladies bring a passion and energy that Sam Houston Volleyball thrives upon,” head coach Brenda Gray said. “They all come with numerous accolades both on the court and in the classroom.”

Annika Brooks • 6-3 • RS • Halletsville, Texas • Sacred Heart Catholic School / Blinn College

Blinn College

– 2025 second team all-conference selection

Ovilla Christian School

– 2021 second team all-district selection as freshman

– 2022 first team all-district selection as a sophomore

– 2022 honorable mention all-area

– 2023 first team all-district selection as a junior

– 2023 TAPPS first team all-state selection

– 2023 honorable mention all-area selection

– 2023 TAPPS academic all-state selection

– 2024 first team all-district selection as a senior

– 2024 TAPPS first team all-state selection

– 2024 TAPPS academic all-state selection

Texas Tornadoes (Club)

– 17s bid to nationals

– 18s bid to nationals

Gray on Brooks …

“Annika brings size and a blocking presence to our game on the right side. We are so fortunate to have her join us this spring.”

Brenlin Garlitz • 5-10 • S • Waxahachie, Texas • Ovilla Christian School

Ovilla Christian School

– 2022 TAPPS second team all-district selection as freshman

– 2023 TAPPS first team all-state

– 2024 TAPPS first team all-state

– 2024 Ellis County All-Star Team

– 4-time state champion

Texas Advantage Volleyball (Club)

– NRG 15s bid to nationals

– NRG 16s bid to nationals

– TAV 18s Black: 5th at nationals

Gray on Garlitz …

“We are excited to bring in a dynamic setter to help run our floor. Brenlin runs a quick offense and brings a passion and love for the game that is undeniable.”

Justice Rachal • 5-8 • OH • Cypress, Texas • Bridgeland HS

Bridgeland HS

– 2-time first team all-district selection

– District Offensive Player of the Year

– AVCA Phenom Watch List

– 2-time academic all-district selection

– GHVCA postseason second team choice

– 2023 honorable mention all-district selection

TAV Houston (Club)

– GJNC 16U all-tournament team (Liberty)

– GJNC Third place 17 American

– GJNC 17U all-tournament team (American)

Gray on Rachal …

“Justice will be a crowd favorite from the start. She has a contagious energy and a vertical leap that will add to the excitement on the outside position.”

Kameron Rector • 5-11 • OH • Midlothian, Texas • Midlothian HS

Midlothian HS

– 2023 District Utility Player of the Year

– 2024 Academic All-District selection

– 2025 district MVP

Mad Frog (Club)

– Girls Junior National Championship

– All-Tournament team

– 16 & Under USA Tournament

Gray on Rector …

“Kameron is just so solid all around and will bring a defensive prowess and ball control that a team always needs to continue their success.”

Lauren Pyle • 5-8 • S • Longview, Texas • Hallsville HS / Tyler JC

Tyler JC

– 2025 Region XIV Setter of the Year

Hallsville HS

– 2021 first team all-district selection

– 2021 honorable mention all-state

– 2022 District Setter of the Year

– 2022 all-state selection

– 2023 District MVP

– 2023 All-East Texas Player of the Year

– 2023 all-state selection

– 2023 academic all-state selection

East Texas Alliance (Club)

– 17s bid to nationals

– Won Lonestar Classic

Gray on Pyle …

“It is good for us to get an experienced floor leader on the roster and we are excited to have her join us in the spring to begin running our offense and bring her expertise that she delivered in junior college”.

Sarah Odell • 5-11 • OH • Tomball, Texas • Tomball HS

Tomball HS

– 2023 first team all-District 15-6A selection

– 2024 and 2025 District 15-6A Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year

– 2024 and 2025 first team all-District 15-6A

– 2024 and 2025 academic all-District 15-6A

– Played club at North Houston Elite Volleyball

Gray on Odell …

“There is an explosiveness to the outside that is needed in this league, which Sarah immediately gives us as a complete, six-rotation player who will help balance our offense.”