BUTLER TWP — Prove them wrong.

That is the rallying cry for the Butler varsity girls volleyball team this season.

The Golden Tornado finished 0-14 last fall. The seven seniors this season — captains Erin Fullerton, Taylor Stein and Emily Archer, along with Maggie Moses, Mady Lawrence, Caitlyn Martin and Samantha Eyth — saw ample playing time on that team.

They have their sights set on the WPIAL playoffs this year.

“That’s what we’re trying to pull off,” coach Meghan Lucas said. “These girls are all in.”

Lucas served as Butler’s volleyball coach for 11 years — through the 2012 season — before stepping down. She has returned to the program this year.

And her presence is being felt.

“We’ve learned more about the game in the last three months than we have in quite a while,” Stein said. “That’s a credit to Coach Lucas. She’s a teacher.”

“I’m half-scared of her ... But I love her,” Martin said. “She works us hard and she has high expectations. She also cares about us and she’s making us better.”

As sophomores, this senior class finished at .500 with the junior varsity team. Then came last year’s winless record.

A lack of energy came along with it.

“When we got down, we couldn’t get back up,” Fullerton admitted. “An opponent would go on a run against us and that was it.”

While Butler never won a match a year ago, the Golden Tornado have yet to lose this season. After winning all five of its matches in its season-opening tournament, the Tornado vanquished New Castle 3-1 in the regular season opener.

Butler is in a section with North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Pine-Richland, North Hills and Shaler. The top four make the WPIAL playoffs.

Lucas took over as coach in May and “we went back to basics.”

Open gym was held three days a week in May. Team camp followed that and the Tornado played in the BC3 league over the summer.

“We had to get closer as a team, do more things together,” Archer said. “Our team has definitely bonded. We had a lot of get-togethers during the summer.”

“We work together more,” Stein agreed. “We’re more in tune with each other.”

The Tornado varsity roster features the seven seniors, a junior and four sophomores. Six freshmen and five sophomores comprise the JV team.

“Coach Lucas told us that for our team to succeed, we had to be the big sisters,” Martin said. “Help bring the underclassmen along, work with them, and we enjoy doing that.”

Eyth said the seniors have “definitely matured and bought in” to Lucas’ system.

Part of that system includes a message to the seniors.

“Dedicate, communicate and motivate,” Lucas said. “A team can always get better. You can feel like you’ve played a perfect game and there’s always things you can do better.”

Butler has already done one thing better.

It’s won a game. And it’s looking for a lot more.

“Playoffs,” Fullerton said, smiling. “That word sure sounds good to me.”