Match Notes

Gonzaga vs. Butler Live Stats

Idaho State vs. Butler Live Stats

Utah vs. Butler Live Stats | Video

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2016 volleyball season kicks off this weekend with Butler participating in the Utah Classic. Butler will face Gonzaga in the season opener on Friday, August 26 and end the weekend with a pair of matches against Idaho State and host school Utah. The Bulldogs and Bengals will go head-to-head at 2 PM while the Utes will host BU that evening at 9 PM.

Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- The Bulldogs went 12-19 overall last year with an 8-10 mark in the BIG EAST
- BU landed in fifth place this year in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll
- Anna Logan was named to the 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
- Logan led the team with 366 kills last year averaging 3.08 per set
- Butler is a young team that doesn't have a single senior on the roster
- Kayla Bivins returns to the team this year after missing the 2015 campaign
- Bivins averaged 1.40 blocks per set in '14... Ending the year with a team-high 153
- Bri Lilly led the team in blocks last year (144); she averaged 1.22 per set
- As a team, Butler led the BIG EAST Conference in blocks last season; 2.46 per set
- Butler has won three-straight season openers (Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, South Dakota)
- The Bulldogs went 1-2 last year on opening weekend at the Rumble in the Rockies
- Butler has never faced Gonzaga or Utah in program history
- BU leads the all-time series against Idaho State after defeating the Bengals in 2014
 
Head Coach Sharon Clark
Sharon Clark is entering her 17th 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 ten winning seasons, reaching the 20-win plateau five times.
 
2016 BIG East Preseason Poll
The Bulldogs were picked to finish in the middle of the BIG EAST Conference this year after a vote from the league coaches. Creighton received a majority of the first place votes to accumulate 81 points and the Marquette Golden Eagles took the final first place vote to end up in second with 70 points. Xavier (63) edged Villanova by one point for third in the preseason poll and Butler rounded out the top half of the order by coming in one point ahead of St. John's (40). The 2016 preseason coaches' poll rounded out with Seton Hall (31), Georgetown (26), DePaul (22) and Providence (14).
 
Logan Named Preseason All-BIG EAST
Anna Logan led the team with 366 kills (3.08 per set) last year during her freshman season, but proved to be a great all-around player by adding 311 digs (2.61 per set) and 80 blocks. In conference matches, Logan averaged 3.19 kills per set and 2.79 digs per set. 13 of her 27 service aces were also recorded against conference foes.
 
Welcome Back Kayla Bivins
Butler middle blocker Kayla Bivins will return to the team this year after missing the 2015 campaign (personal reasons). The South Florida transfer immediately impacted the 2014 club with a team-high 153 blocks, the seventh-highest single-season total in school history. Bivins averaged 1.40 blocks per set that year while also supplying the Bulldogs with 200 kills, the fourth-highest total on the team.
 
New Look
Butler will try to build team chemistry early in the 2016 season with a young roster that includes eight newcomers. The team breaks down with four juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen. Setter Makayla Ferguson has previous experience with a majority of the outside hitters which should help, but the Bulldogs will need to adapt quickly in order to find success in August and September.
 
Two Transfers
Christina Porada and Taylor Takeda will each call Butler home this season after starting their collegiate careers at different institutions. Porada is an experienced defensive specialist that saw regular playing time at George Washington as a freshman and sophomore. She finished third on the team in digs each year while also impacting the Colonials with 41 service aces. Takeda is only one year removed from Dowling College where she was named East Region Freshman of the Year by the AVCA. The libero averaged 4.42 digs per set in her rookie season.
 
Local Talent
All four true freshmen on the 2016 BU volleyball team are from Indiana. Ally Beyers and Brooke Gregory each attended Brownsburg H.S. while Jade York hails from Yorktown, Ind. Jasmine Smith is an Indianapolis product from Cathedral H.S.
 
VB on BEDN
Butler will face three different BIG EAST opponents on the BIG EAST Digital Network this season. The first broadcast will be at Hinkle Fieldhouse when the 'Dawgs host the Providence Friars on Sept. 30. BU will return to the platform on Oct. 14 when they host the Villanova Wildcats. The final match to be aired on BEDN will put Butler up against Xavier on Oct. 27.
 
Hinkle Fieldhouse to Host BIG EAST Championship
The 2016 BIG EAST Championship Tournament will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse this year with the top four teams in the league standings making up the field. The semi-finals are slated for Nov. 25 with the championship to follow on Nov. 26.
 
Up Next
The first true road test of the season outside of tournament play will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 30 when the Bulldogs take on Eastern Illinois in Charleston. Tournament action will resume that weekend (9/2-9/3) with BU taking part in the Iowa Invitational. The field includes Oakland, Arizona State, Iowa and Western Illinois. Butler will play two matches each day.