BUTLER TWP - Despite only one playoff appearance in its first 11 years of existence, coach Lew Liparulo is quick to defend the Butler High School boys volleyball program.

"A lot of those years we missed out by one game, years when they only took one or two teams from each section," the team's coach said.

Liparulo has no need to defend Butler High volleyball this year.

This team defended itself - through team defense.

The Golden Tornado finished the regular season with an 11-4 record and won a WPIAL playoff game for the first time. And it did so with a squad physically smaller than most of its opponents.

"You could see it when we'd line up at the net and shake hands before a match," Liparulo said. "The other team was always taller.

"I told the guys in preseason we were gonna have to win with defense. If they're bigger than us in the front row, we had to win with hustle in the back row."

Among Butler's starters, only 6-foot-5 junior Devin Koehring was taller than 6-1. Senior setter Ryan Walker stands just 5-9 and senior outside hitter Chris Erdos is only 5-7.

Walker and 6-0 junior Shawn Vincent serve as dual setters in Butler's starting lineup.

"We're a lot more athletic than the other teams because we have to be," Walker said. "We move better on the court and we jump higher than most of our opponents."

They're also more experienced than most. Butler has seven seniors on its roster and didn't graduate a starter from last year's team that won just five of 16 matches.

"We've always believed we had a chance, that we could always come out with a win," Erdos said. "The difference this year has been playing together and coming together as a team.

"Playing a second year with the same guys has been a big factor. Knowing each other's skills, who's strong at what, helps a lot. Communication is such a vital part of this game."

Liparulo described a team improving as it plays together as "the nature of the beast" in volleyball.

"You're talking about kids playing on 900 square feet having to make split-second decisions," the coach said. "That requires a lot of reaction as a unit that can only come with familiarity."

"I've impressed with our senior leadership," assistant coach Jim Aggas said. "Last year, we had the same starters out there. This year, we're a team."

One of those senior starters - outside hitter Rick Gonzalez - came to Butler from Puerto Rico three years ago. He played on a Junior Olympics team in Puerto Rico that placed fifth in the 2002 national tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.

Gonzalez is in his third year of playing varsity volleyball at Butler.

"Volleyball is very big in Puerto Rico," Gonzalez said. "When I came here and saw they had a volleyball team, I had to check it out. I never underestimated the caliber of play here. I'm used to playing on good teams and this is a good team."

But it's a good team that had to prove itself.

"We always had confidence in ourselves, but we've never gotten a lot of respect from other teams," Walker said. "Nobody ever expected the Butler team to do anything great."

If the Tornado players themselves ever needed convincing, they got it the second time they faced North Allegheny.

The two-time defending WPIAL champion defeated Butler 25-18, 25-21, 25-8 in their first meeting in April. When they met again in May, the Tigers won by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15.

Butler's win in the third game of the match was the first game North Allegheny dropped all year.

"If a couple of plays go our way in the first two games, we might have swept them that night," Erdos said. "And North Allegheny's one of the top teams in the state.

"That match proved that we're good enough to play with anybody."

Liparulo said the biggest reason for Butler's on-court success this spring has been its work ethic.

"We have a bunch of hard-working kids who stay strong mentally," he said. "They don't get down or beat themselves when they fall behind.

"Chris Erdos is a team captain because of that type of leadership. If he makes a mistake, he owns up to it, knows what he did and moves on. He's a 5-7 kid who made first team all-section in a very tough league. That speaks volumes for how he plays.

"Zack Wilms (5-10 defensive specialist) plays the same way. Simple hard work has produced this season for us," Liparulo added.