INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team dropped the first set against St. John's on Friday night, but would come back to win three-straight to claim a 3-1 win (25-27, 25-21, 27-25, 25-21). A total team effort lifted Butler to victory as four student-athletes ended the match with a double-double performance.

Natalie Ravenell, Anna Logan and Brooke Gregory all shared the team lead in kills tonight with 13. Whitney Beck was just one short of that with 12 kills and 10 digs. Joining Beck with a double-double was Ravenell with 13 kills and 10 digs and Logan with 13 kills to go along with 12 digs. The final double-double was posted by setter Makayla Ferguson who tallied 49 assists and 13 digs.

The team's dig leader was starting libero Taylor Takeda. Takeda returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 9 and delivered a team-high 16 digs. 
 
Butler didn't serve the ball very well on Friday night which led to 18 service errors, but they dominated the blocks categeory 16.5 to seven and posted a much better attack percentage than the Red Storm (.259/.108). Ravenell got off to a hot start by claiming eight kills off just 14 attempts with no errors after two sets (.571). She ended the match hitting .353, the second-highest total on the team next to Bri Lilly who posted six kills off 15 swings with no errors (.400).

Lilly was awesome at the net with 10 blocks on the night. Ravenell added seven while Brooke Gregory and Beck each ended the game with four.
 
Set one came down to the wire with the Red Storm hanging on for a 27-25 win. Danisha Moss got St. John's to set point at 24-22 with a kill off an Erica Di Maulo assist. Butler would call a timeout and fight back with a kill from Whitney Beck. A St. John's attack error would even the scoreboard at 24-24, but a costly Butler service error would follow.
 
Bri Lilly kept Butler alive with a kill that pushed the score to 25-25. Yet another BU service error would give STJ the advantage and a final kill from Di Maulo ended the action 27-25.
 
The Red Storm raced out to a 3-0 edge at the start of set two, but the Bulldogs would settle in to knot the score at 8-8. An 8-2 BU scoring run would follow to give the home team a cushion on the scoreboard. St. John's got back within three points at 23-20 which led to a BU timeout.
 
Beck committed an attack error out of the break, but Brooke Gregory would lift BU to set point with a kill up the middle. A block from Anna Logan and Gregory would tie the match at 1-1 with Butler winning set two 25-21.
 
St. John's took control of the action early in set three by opening up a 7-3 lead. Butler climbed back within two points at 13-11 after a 3-0 scoring run which caused the Red Storm to call a timeout. A second 'Dawgs scoring run would push the score to 18-16 in favor of the home team. Butler scored six-straight to move ahead.
 
The two evenly matched teams came together at 20-20 in the third after a 3-0 St. John's scoring run. Back and forth action would follow with the scoreboard moving to 25-25. Gregory came up with a kill in the middle of the court for BU to reach set point and the 'Dawgs would move ahead 2-1 off a St. John's attack error.
 
Set four got underway with a 9-5 Butler lead. Taylor Takeda delivered a service ace that caused St. John's to burn a timeout. The Red Storm took their second timeout of the set trailing 13-8 after an ace from Beck.
 
The Butler advantage would shrink to just one point at 14-13 after a 4-0 Red Storm scoring run. Butler called a timeout, but the Johnnies added yet another point after the break to knot the score at 14-14.
 
Butler was the first team to reach 20 points in the fourth. Beck smashed back-to-back kills through the Red Storm defense to push Butler to match point. The Bulldogs would seal the 3-1 win after a kill from Lilly.
 
Butler will return to action tomorrow night with a 6 PM contest at home against Seton Hall. Action will stream on Facebook Live.