MATCH NOTES

Live Stats | BEDN
 
INDIANAPOLIS – No. 3 seed Butler will play at No. 2 seed Marquette this weekend in the first round of the BIG EAST Volleyball Tournament. Marquette will host the action on Friday, Nov. 24. The championship match will feature the winner of the match taking on the winner of No. 1 Seed Creighton and No. 4 seed Villanova.
 
Bulldog Bits
- This is Butler's second trip to the BIG EAST Tournament
- Butler lost to Marquette 3-1 in the semifinals of the 2013 tournament (Omaha)
- Butler played as the #4 seed in 2013, Marquette was #1, Creighton #2, Xavier #3
- 13 conference wins is Butler's highest total since joining the BIG EAST in 2013
- BU leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.170)
- The Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST in total blocks (311.5) and blocks per set (2.71)
- Bri Lilly leads the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.24) and attack percentage (.387)
- Makayla Ferguson and Natalie Ravenell are the only players to play in all 115 sets
- Ferguson averages 10.63 assists per set, the 3rd highest total in the BIG EAST
- Taylor Takeda ranks second in the conference in service aces per set (0.31)
- The Bulldogs have now reached at least 20 wins in four of their last five seasons
- Ferguson ranks third all-time at Butler with 4,540 career assists
 
BIG EAST Standings
1) Creighton 16-2, 23-6
2) Marquette 15-3, 21-8
3) Butler 13-5, 23-7
4) Villanova 11-7 , 18-11
5) Seton Hall 10-8, 16-15
6) Xavier 8-10, 13-19
7) St. John's 7-11 , 15-18
8) Providence 6-12, 17-16
9) DePaul 2-16, 8-22
10) Georgetown 2-16, 8-22
 
Scouting Marquette
The Golden Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament by posting a 15-3 record against conference opponents. Led by BIG EAST Player of the Year Allie Barber, the Golden Eagles finished off the regular season with four-straight wins. Their only setbacks came to members of the tournament field. They lost 3-2 at Villanova and most recently 3-0 at Creighton. Their only home loss during the conference season came against Butler 3-2. Barber earned Player of the Year honors by recording 502 kills during the regular season. Hope Werch also earned hardware after being tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Werch posted 207 kills in 92 sets and was also good defensively with 246 digs.
 
2017 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship Tournament
The BIG EAST Volleyball Championship Tournament semi-final matches are scheduled for November 24 on BEDN, with the championship game to follow the next day on FS2. All three games will be played at Marquette in the Al McGuire Center. #1 Creighton will face #4 Villanova while #2 Marquette will host #3 Butler.
 
Ravenell Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Natalie Ravenell helped Butler to another 2-0 weekend by averaging 2.94 points, 2.33 kills and 2.33 digs per set. Ravenell's play helped the Bulldogs lock in the No. 3 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Championship. Ravenell posted a double-double at Seton Hall with 12 kills and 13 digs. She added a service ace and four blocks against the Pirates. In the regular season finale at St. John's, Ravenell posted nine kills, eight digs and three blocks.
 
Lilly Lands on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Lilly helped Butler go 2-0 in the final weekend of the regular season averaging 3.94 points, 3.22 kills and 1.11 blocks per set behind a .414 attack percentage. Her 15-kill, four-block performance against Seton Hall clinched a tournament berth.
 
Ferguson Joins Elite Company
Senior Makayla Ferguson tied her career-high assist total with 60 in the five-set match vs. Creighton on Nov. 12. The breakout performance helped move her career assist total to 4,540. Ferguson currently ranks third all-time at Butler in career assists.
 
Accuracy and Precision
The Bulldogs hit .251 during the regular season. The school record for highest attack percentage in a single-season belongs to the 1985 team who hit .277. Coach Clark's 2013 team hit .260 which ranks second all-time. If BU stays at .251 they will rank third all-time.
 
RPI Rankings
Butler is ranked #54 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. They are the third-highest ranked BIG EAST team behind both Creighton (16) and Marquette (32).
 
Logan Unanimous Pick for All-BIG EAST First Team
Anna Logan averaged 3.06 kills per set during the regular season to record 236 total kills in 77 sets. She also provided the team with 255 digs, 48 blocks and 21 service aces. 205 of Logan's 236 kills came against conference opponents. The junior posted 11 double-doubles in 2017. Top performances included a 19 kill, 18 dig performance vs. Georgetown, a 17 kill, 18 dig match vs. DePaul and a 17 kill, 17 dig performance vs. Creighton.
 
Ferguson Earns a Spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team
Ferguson reached First Team All-BIG EAST status this year. The setter was tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2014. In 2017, Ferguson led the team with 1,222 assists during the regular season (10.63). A great all-around talent, Ferguson also recorded 280 digs, 103 kills, 50 blocks and 21 service aces. She came up with 12 double-doubles for Butler during the 2017 campaign. Season highlights included a 60 assist, 12 dig match vs. Creighton, a 53 assist, 14 dig match vs. Robert Morris and a 10 kill, 46 assist, 14 dig triple double performance at home vs. Oakland.
 
Lilly Named All-BIG EAST First Team
Lilly led Butler in attack percentage and blocks. She reached a double-figure kill total in 10 of Butler's final 12 matches. The middle blocker also hit over .300 in Butler's final 14 matches. Lilly came up with at least one block in every match this year. Her season-high total of 10 came in a 3-1 win vs. St. John's. Lilly recorded a season-high 18 kills in the win over Villanova. Her best attack percentage this year came at Marquette when she posted 17 kills in just 25 swings in the five-set match. Lilly only made one error against the Golden Eagles.