Box Score Match Notes
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Aug. 28
Butler vs. South Dakota – 6 PM
Saturday, Aug. 29
Butler vs. No. 14 Ohio State – 11:30 AM
Butler at Wyoming – 9 PM
INDIANAPOLIS –Butler will open the 2015 season by participating in the Rumble in the Rockies Tournament along with South Dakota, the nationally-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and host school Wyoming. Game one will fall on Friday night with Butler taking the court vs. South Dakota at 6 p.m.
About Butler
The 2015 Butler volleyball team will have a new look this year with eight newcomers and just three upperclassmen. The top returning players on this young team includes a pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST selections in setter Makayla Ferguson and middle blocker Kayla Bivins along with a pair of seniors in outside hitter Mary Striedl and defensive specialist Natalie Meert.
The middle blocker position has depth at BU as Anna Logan and Briana Lilly will also fight for playing time. With that freshman duo adding pressure up the middle look for redshirt freshman Whitney Beck to give Butler a boost from the outside.
While the libero position is not yet settled, Butler has three talented position players competing for that starting spot. Marissa Collier, Aki Aitsebaomo and freshman Kodi Smith are all in the mix to see court time.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the recent Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Coyotes posted a 19-12 overall record a year ago, the second consecutive year for the team to reach 19 total wins. Second-year head coach Leanne Williamson will return a pair of All-League players in Sydney Dimke and Brittany Jessen. Dimke is a senior outside hitter that has accumulate over 700 kills in her first three seasons while Jessen is entering her sophomore campaign after tallying 1,277 assists as a rookie.
Scouting No. 14 Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter the 2015 season as a nationally-ranked team yet they finished outside the top five in the Big Ten Coaches' Preseason Poll. Ohio State finished the 2014 season with a 23-12 overall record. They were eventually knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in a five-set match vs. Big Ten Champ Wisconsin (Sweet 16). Head Coach Geoff Carlston reloaded an already talented roster by bringing in the 13th-best recruiting class in the country (according to PrepVolleyball.com). The four-member class includes three freshmen and a transfer. The top returning player for Ohio State is middle blocker Taylor Sandbohe. The junior was one of just 14 conference student-athletes to earn Preseason All-Big Ten honors.
Scouting Wyoming
The Cowgirls return a talented core of players from the 2014 roster that posted a 23-8 overall record. Now in 2015, Head Coach Chad Callihan enters the upcoming season with a pair of Preseason All-Conference selections in senior outside hitter Bridget Shanahan and junior middle blocker Laura Beach. Wyoming returns Courtney Chacon to the setter position and Allison Waldvogel in the back line as the team's top returner in the digs category. The returning talent is noticed around the Mountain West Conference with the Cowgirls taking fourth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
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.
Opening Weekend Tournaments
Butler has fared well over the past three seasons in opening weekend tournaments. They defeated a talented Virginia Tech team last year at the Bluegrass Invitational before losing to nationally-ranked Kentucky and Wichita State. The year before the Bulldogs went 3-0 at the Cincinnati Invitational by defeating the Bearcats along with Morehead State and finally Tennessee. BU also posted a winning record in 2012 with two wins at the DePaul Invitational where they knocked off both Eastern Illinois and host school DePaul.
Bulldog Bits
- The Bulldogs went 20-10 overall last year with a 12-6 mark in the BIG EAST
- Head Coach Sharon Clark has reached 20+ wins in consecutive seasons
- Butler is a young team with only three upperclassmen (two seniors, one junior)
- Makayla Ferguson returns after earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors
- Both Ferguson and Kayla Bivins were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
- Bivins averaged 1.40 blocks per set in '14... Ended the year with a team-high 153
- Mary Striedl is the top returning outsider hitter for BU... She recorded 195 kills last year
- BU ranked second in blocks, attack percentage and digs in the BIG EAST last year
- The Bulldogs went 1-2 last year on opening weekend at the Bluegrass Battle
- Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Butler and South Dakota
- The Bulldogs have never defeated Ohio State... 0-2 in the all-time series
- BU recorded a 3-0 win over Wyoming in 1997, the only meeting between the programs
- Butler has won their last two season openers (3-1 vs. Virginia Tech, 3-0 at Cincinnati)
Up Next
Butler will compete in the Spartan Invitational next weekend with scheduled matches against Michigan State, Miami Ohio and Virginia Tech. Friday features a doubleheader with Butler facing both Michigan State and Miami Ohio. The final matchup is a 2:30 start against the Hokies on Saturday.
