Butler's Aviv Ben Shabat has been named BIG EAST Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. The conference office announced the weekly honor Wednesday, April 26.

The sophomore ended the regular season on a high note as he helped Butler to a 5-2 win over Xavier in the team's final competition prior to this weekend's BIG EAST Championships. Ben Shabat downed XU's Matt Bishop, 6-3, 6-4, in No. 1 singles play after teaming with Mikheil Khmiadashvili for a 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles. He finishes the spring season with a 10-5 mark for the Bulldogs on the No.1 court.
 
This is the final weekly award of the 2017 season and the second for Ben Shabat, joining the Feb. 22 recognition he also received. Teammate Khmiadashvili also earned the distinction twice (Feb. 8 and March 15).
 
The Bulldogs will enter this week's BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championships as the No. 3 seed, as announced by the conference office and selection committee Monday afternoon. Butler will open the championships with a quarterfinal match against sixth-seeded Villanova.
 
The match with Villanova is set for 9 a.m. on Friday (April 28) in Cayce, S.C., which will host both the men's and women's championships this weekend.  
 
The Bulldogs enter the postseason with a 15-5 record, including a 3-1 mark against BIG EAST opponents.