NEW YORK – The Butler Bulldog volleyball team finished second in the 2017 Preseason Coaches' Poll, an announcement made by the BIG EAST Conference office on Wednesday, Aug. 2. The Preseason All-BIG EAST Team was also announced today. This unit featured BU outside hitter Anna Logan who was a unanimous selection after leading the conference in kills just one year ago. 
 
After a vote from all ten of the leagues head coaches, the BIG EAST Preseason Poll ended with Creighton (81) earning nine of the 10 first-place votes to take the top spot on the poll. Butler ranked second with 66 points, a total that narrowly held off Marquette in third with 62 points. The Golden Eagles will host this year's championship tournament and they were also the only other team to receive a first place vote.
 
The preseason poll also featured Xavier (51) and Villanova (46) in the top five. The Wildcats finished just head of St. John's (43) while one single point separated DePaul (36) from Seton Hall (35) for seventh and eighth respectively. The poll rounded out with Georgetown at nine (21) and Providence (9) at 10. 
 
Butler is coming off a 20-14 season that included a 9-9 mark in the BIG EAST Conference. They just missed the top four of the conference standings which did not allow them to compete in the BIG EAST Tournament in 2016.

The 2017 team is projected to be in that field however, thanks to a strong group of returners. Logan will be a focal point of the offense after a 2016 season that featured 578 kills, the second-highest total in Butler volleyball history. Logan was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American on top of being named All-Region and First Team All-BIG EAST. 
 
The 6-0 junior averaged 4.41 kills per set, the third-highest average in school history. She came up with a career-high 29 kills in the 2016 season opener at Gonzaga, but proved to be a complete player by adding 355 digs, 31 service aces and 90 total blocks over the course of the season.
 
Logan led Butler with 17 double-doubles and joined the 20-20 club on two occasions. She added 20 digs to her 29 kills vs. Gonzaga and dominated the action at Marquette with 20 kills and 24 digs. She is one of six student-athletes to make the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team as an outside hitter. Creighton led all teams with four selections, Marquette earned two spots, no other team had more than one player selected.
 
2017 Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Honors
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year – Lydia Dimke, Creighton, Sr., Setter
 
Preseason All-BIG EAST
(listed alphabetically by institution, then last name)
Anna Logan, Butler, Jr., OH ^
Lydia Dimke, Creighton, Sr., S ^
Jaali Winters, Creighton, Jr., OH ^
Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Jr., OH ^
Brittany Witt, Creighton, So., DS
Brittany Maxwell, DePaul, Jr., RS ^
Symone Speech, Georgetown, Jr., MB
Allie Barber, Marquette, So. OH
Jenna Rosenthal, Marquette, RS-Jr., MH ^
Erica Di Maulo, St. John's, So., S ^
Allie Loitz, Villanova, Sr., OH
Kristen Massa, Xavier, Sr., OH
 
^ - denotes unanimous selection
 
2017 Preseason Coaches' Poll
First-place votes in ( )

1. Creighton (9)	81 pts.
2. Butler	66
3. Marquette (1)	62
4. Xavier	51
5. Villanova	46
6. St. John's	43
7. DePaul	36
8. Seton Hall	35
9. Georgetown	21
10. Providence	9