Match Notes

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play at Providence on Friday night and end the weekend with a 6 PM match at St. John's on Halloween. The contest between the Bulldogs and the Red Storm will be aired live on ESPN 3.

About Butler
The Bulldogs return to action this weekend with a pair of conference road matches. BU will play at Providence on Friday night and turn around to face St. John's on Halloween. The 'Dawgs swept Providence in the first meeting this year, but took a tough 3-2 loss at home to the Red Storm. In order to pick up wins this time around, Butler will need to get offensive production out of Anna Logan and Mary Striedl, the top two weapons on the BU roster. Logan enters the weekend with a team-high 252 kills to go along with a team-high 227 digs. She is second on the team with 22 service aces and is third on the team with 61 blocks. Striedl is a talented senior that is second on the team with 236 kills. She has the highest attack percentage of any outside hitter on the team (.242) and is also responsible for recording 143 digs and 51 blocks.

Other Bulldogs sure to impact the action include Briana Lilly and Makayla Ferguson. Lilly is a two-way freshman standout that heads into the Providence game with 159 kills and a team-high 106 blocks. Only three other freshmen in the country have a higher total block total than Lilly who averages 1.19 per set. Ferguson will be responsible for setting up the action. The sophomore leads the team with 657 assists and is also the team leader in service aces with 24.

Scouting Providence
The Friars head into the weekend with a 10-15 overall record on the season that includes a 1-10 record in BIG EAST play. Providence has lost their last six matches by a combined score of 18-2, with their only conference win coming against Seton Hall (3-2).

Kayla Fitzgerald has been a bright spot for the Friars. Her 289 kills and 312 points currently ranks seventh in the BIG EAST. Jordan Wiesler will be responsible for setting up Fitzgerald, as her 681 assist total ranks fifth in the conference.

The Bulldogs will look to take advantage of Providence on the offensive side of the net, as the Friars are among the bottom half of the league in blocks with only 127 on the season, compared to Butler's 215. Allison Impellizeri is the Friar block leader with 68.

Scouting St. John's
The Red Storm head into the weekend with a 15-11 overall record that includes a 5-6 mark in the BIG EAST. St. Johns will host Xavier on Friday night before welcoming Butler to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday. Consistency for the Red Storm has been an issue, as the Johnnies have yet to win back-to-back games in conference play. That trend continued last weekend as St. Johns defeated Georgetown (3-0), but fell to Creighton (3-0).

The Red Storm lead the conference in total team blocks with 230. Danisha Moss is the team leader with 107 (1.34 per set). Moss has the highest blocks per set average in the conference and is currently tied with Creighton's Lauren Smith for the league lead in total blocks with 107. Butler's blocks leader, Briana Lilly, is close behind with 106.

Butler's defense will need to slow down outside hitter Karin Palgutova. The senior leads the team with 359 kills on the season, while no one else on the team has reached the 200 mark. Palgutova's 359 kills rank her fourth in the conference. An all-around talent, Palgutova is second on the team with 212 digs and is also in the books with 55 blocks.

All-Time Series
Butler has never lost a set to Providence and therefore leads the all-time series over the Friars 4-0. The 'Dawgs swept the season series in 2014 and posted clean 3-0 win earlier this season. The first meeting came during the 2002 season at the St. Louis Billiken Classic.

St. John's knocked off Butler earlier this season (3-2), but the 'Dawgs still lead the all-time series 3-2. BU swept the season series in 2013 (3-0, 3-2), but split action in 2014 (0-3, 3-2).

Bulldog Bits
- Anna Logan is the only player in the BIG EAST to lead the team in both kills & digs
- Bri Lilly leads the team and ranks third in the BIG EAST with 106 total blocks
- The Bulldogs are currently ranked second in the BIG EAST with 215.5 total blocks
- Lilly has the fourth-highest block total in the country among freshmen
- Butler leads the all-time series over Providence 4-0
- The 'Dawgs have never lost a set to the Friars
- The Bulldogs lead the all-time series over St. John's 3-2
- The Bulldogs are 2-2 when playing on Halloween Night
- The Bulldogs are 5-4 in three-set matches, 1-6 in four sets and 1-6 in five sets
- Butler's only true road win of the season came at DePaul in the BIG EAST opener
- Butler is a young team with only two upperclassmen (two seniors)
- Head Coach Sharon Clark has reached 20+ wins in consecutive seasons

Starting Lineup Shakeup
Only two student-athletes have started throughout all 23 matches this season as Head Coach Sharon Clark continues to move pieces around on this young roster. Outside hitter Anna Logan has been a staple to the starting unit along with fellow freshman Briana Lilly. 

Follow the Bulldogs
Visit ButlerSports.com for all you Butler volleyball information. During matches, fans are encouraged to follow along on Twitter @ButlerVB.

20 Kill Teammates
Anna Logan and Mary Striedl were fantastic against Southern Illinois going off for 21 and 20 kills respectively. The last time BU had two players' record 20 kills or more in the same match was on Aug. 28 of 2010. Jessica Wolfe posted 25 against Stephen F. Austin while teammate Maureen Bamiro added 22.

Providence at Butler Recap (Sept. 26)
The Bulldogs picked up a conference win (25-16, 25-11, 27-25) against Providence in the first meeting over Homecoming weekend. Anna Logan led the team with 13 kills and Makayla Ferguson just missed a double-double with 30 assists and eight digs. The dig category was highlighted by Aki Aitsebaomo who tallied 16 and the blocks category was stacked behind the strong effort from Makaila Jarema who led the team with seven.

St. John's at Butler Recap (Sept. 25)
The Bulldogs took a 3-2 loss to St. John's in the 2015 conference home opener 25-15, 20-25, 23-25, 25-22, 7-15. Mary Striedl led Butler in kills with 19 and Makayla Ferguson just missed out on a triple-double with 48 assists, eight digs and eight kills. Anna Logan notched a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Fellow freshman Briana Lilly was also in the box score with a double-double after recording 10 kills and 10 blocks. The go-to player for the Red Storm was outside hitter Karin Palgutova who led all players with 26 kills. Palgutova was all over the court for the Johnnies as she added 13 digs and five blocks to help lead her team to victory.

Head Coach Sharon Clark
Sharon Clark is entering her 16th season as the head coach of the Butler women's volleyball program. Clark reached her highest win total with the program in 2013 when she guided the team to a 24-8 overall record. During her coaching tenure, Clark has delivered seven-straight winning seasons, reaching the 20 win plateau four times during that span.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to Hinkle Fieldhouse next weekend when they host Villanova and Seton Hall. The Wildcats will visit Indianapolis on Friday night at 6 p.m. while the Pirates will play at Butler on Sunday. Action will be broadcasted on BEDN at 2 PM.