INDIANAPOLIS – Butler went 1-1 during day one of the 2015 All-American Classic on Friday. The Bulldogs started the day with a quick 3-0 win over UIC (25-10, 25-23, 25-18), but fell to Northern Iowa in a tough five-set match 3-2 in the nightcap (25-17, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 12-15).

The Bulldogs recorded a 3-0 victory in the morning match by defeating UIC in game one of the Butler All-American Classic. Anna Logan led the team with a match-high 16 kills that included a .324 attack percentage. BU hit .219 as a team with the Flames ending the match at -.009.

Makayla Ferguson had a nice all-around game with a team-high 24 assists, seven digs and four kills. Butler's dig leader vs. UIC was freshman Kodi Smith with nine. Protecting the net up front was the duo of Briana Lilly and Makaila Jarema who led the team in blocks with five and four respectively.

Butler made quick work of UIC in the first set to claim a 25-10 win. Jarema's serve set the tone early with the Bulldogs jumping out to an 8-2 advantage. UIC never recovered as a second wave of serves from Jarema pushed Butler to 22 points. Three-straight attack errors would end the set with Butler recording the win.

Set two of the first match was the most entertaining as the two teams came together at 20-20. Logan delivered a kill to give Butler the slim lead, but Stephenee Yancy would answer for the Flames to once again knot the score. Two-straight UIC attack errors gave Butler the 24-22 lead and a final kill from Logan pushed the match to 2-0 in favor of the home team.

Set three vs. UIC was dominated by the Bulldogs early on with Butler taking a 5-1 lead. That advantage would shrink to just one at 10-9, but Butler responded by going on an 11-5 run to control the match. UIC attack errors would tell the story the rest of the way as Butler scored three of their final four points of Flame miscues.

Butler would return to the court at 6 PM to face a Northern Iowa team that knocked off Cincinnati 3-1 earlier in the day. Butler came out hot in the opener by winning the first set 25-17, but a 15-25 setback would send the teams into the locker room tied at 1-1. The 'Dawgs would face elimination with a 23-25 loss in set three, but the team responded with their own 25-23 win in set four.

The fifth and final set was a heartbreaker as an 8-4 lead slipped through Butler's fingers allowing the Panthers to come back and take the 15-12 win.

Mary Striedl and Anna Logan tied for the team lead in kills with 14 each. Ferguson once again led the team with 34 assists and by adding 15 digs in the contest she was able to tally her third double-double of the season.

Kodi Smith was heavily involved in the UNI match with a team-high 19 digs and Briana Lilly controlled the action up front with a team-high seven blocks.

The Bulldogs ended the first set on a 10-3 scoring run to take an early lead on the Panthers 25-17. Logan and Striedl combined for nine of Butler's 16 kills in the opener. BU hit .314 as a team compared to just .098 from Northern Iowa.

The momentum of the match would quickly change however with UNI taking a 25-15 win in set two. The Panthers jumped out to a 10-3 lead and would coast to the finish line behind a strong team effort. Six different players recorded at least two kills for the away team making the score 1-1 at the break.

The third set between Butler and Northern Iowa was a nail biter with the scored tied at 21-21 in crunch time. A kill from Striedl followed by a Panther attack error would give BU a two point cushion, but the set would go to UNI after the Panthers posted four-straight points for the win.

The fourth set got off to a shaky start for the home team as Northern Iowa got off to a 15-9 lead midway through the action. Butler climbed back into contention by tying the game at 23-23 and two-straight points would push the match to a fifth set as Aki Aitsebaomo entered the game and recorded the final kill of the set.

Set five got off to a near perfect start for Butler as the Bulldogs opened up a 5-0 lead. The team would cling to an 8-4 advantage at the switch, but UNI answered to knot the score at 8-8. The Panthers would break a 9-9 tie and never trail the rest of the way improving their overall record to 4-4. Bri Weber sent the final kill to the court off the assist from Heather Hook.

Butler will return to action tomorrow afternoon with a single match against Cincinnati. Start time is set for 6 PM.

Friday Results
Butler defeats UIC 3-0
Northern Iowa defeats Cincinnati 3-1
Northern Iowa defeats Butler 3-2

Saturday Schedule
UIC vs. Cincinnati – 11 AM
Northern Iowa vs. UIC – 2 PM
Cincinnati at Butler – 6 PM