“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.