MATCH NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs will end the month of October with a pair of home matches at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will host St. John's on Friday night at 6 PM. The special event will include prizes for the best costumes in attendance as well as trick or treating for the kids. Saturday will feature another 6 PM start with BU hosting Seton Hall.
Bulldog Bits
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Emma Milstead recorded a service ace in each match last weekend (at PC, at CU)
- Freshman
Melody Davidson needs just two blocks to reach 100 total this season
- Davidson hit .583 at Providence, collecting eight kills on just 12 attempts
- Butler has played three of their last four matches on the road (1-3)
- Five of Butler's seven wins this season have been recorded at Hinkle Fieldhouse
- Butler is 6-9 in 3-set matches, 1-2 in four-sets and 0-5 in five sets
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Bri Lilly leads the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.45)
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.86) and total blocks (234)
- BU ranks 8th in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.86) and 7th in total blocks (234.5)
- Lilly, Milstead, LaBue and Takeda have played in all 82 sets this season
- Each home match this weekend will stream on Facebook Live
- Friday night is Haunted Hinkle; prizes for the best costume and trick or treating
BIG EAST Standings
1. Creighton 10-0, 18-4
2. Marquette 9-1, 19-4
3. St. John's 7-4, 18-8
4. Georgetown 6-5, 13-10
5. Villanova 5-6 , 12-11
6. Xavier 5-6, 7-15
7. Butler 4-7, 7-16
8. DePaul 3-7, 5-16
9. Seton Hall 3-8, 8-16
10. Providence 1-9, 7-14
Scouting St. John's
The Red Storm are currently sitting in third place of the conference standings with a 7-4 mark in the BIG EAST. Freshmen Efrosini Alexakou and Rachele Rastelli are instrumental to the team's success, ranking 1-2 on the team in kills. Alexakou averages 3.31 kills per set and Rastelli is the overall kills leader with 271. The conference slate for STJ includes five-set losses at Georgetown and at Villanova. Their other two losses came against ranked opponents #10 Creighton and #19 Marquette. Head Coach Joanne Persico has players on the roster from Greece (2), Italy (2), Serbia, China, and Germany. The lone New Yorker on the roster is redshirt-junior Nia Diaz. The Johnnies also have players on the team from Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, and Texas (2).
Scouting Seton Hall
The Pirates have won three of their last five matches to move their BIG EAST record to 3-8. Wins came at Providence (3-2), vs. DePaul (3-0) and vs. Georgetown (3-0). Abby Thelen has been a bright spot for SHU in 2018. She leads the team with 297 kills, averaging 3.54 kills per set. The setter is fellow senior Sophia Coffey (553), who splits time with Maggie Cvelbar (304). Caitlin Koska is another impact player for head coach Allison Yaeger. She averages 2.79 kills per set. The defense is led by freshman Eden Dolezal and Haylee Gasser. Dolezal leads the team with 248 digs in her rookie season and Gasser is the team leader in blocks with 62.
All-Time Series
Butler leads the all-time series against St. John's 8-3. The Red Storm picked up a 3-2 win earlier this season. It was their first victory over BU since Sept. 25, 2015. Butler took a 6-5 lead in the all-time series against Seton Hall by defeating the Pirates in the BIG EAST opener 3-0. Butler swept Seton Hall last year, winning 3-0 at home and 3-1 on the road. The Pirates won the series in 2016 (3-2, 3-0).
Blocking Buddies
Bri Lilly and
Melody Davidson will each have 100 total blocks before the end of the weekend. The last duo at Butler to reach this feat was Lilly (103) and Jessica Klingensmith (107) during the 2016 season.
Gregory Goes Off
Brooke Gregory is the only Bulldog this season to record 20+ kills in a single match. The junior came up with 21 kills in the four-set match vs. Xavier on Oct. 13. Last year
Whitney Beck was the lone Bulldog to reach 20+ kills (24 vs. Robert Morris).
How Butler Beat Seton Hall
Bri Lilly played great when Butler defeated Seton Hall earlier this season (25-13, 26-24, 25-20). Lilly hit .500, recording 15 kills on just 26 attempts.
Brooke Gregory added 10 kills and
Megan Ramseyer set up the action with 34 assists.
Johnnies Take Down Bulldogs In Five
Freshman Efrosini Alexakou erupted for 22 kills in the first meeting between St. John's and Butler, helping the Red Storm earn a 3-2 win (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-11). Gregory would lead Butler with 15 kills, but the top performance belonged to
Bri Lilly. Lilly recorded 12 kills, 12 blocks and six service aces.
Maddie Freiwald set up the action with 30 assists and
Elizabeth LaBue totaled 19 digs.
All-Time Best Blocker
Bri Lilly has recorded more block assists than any other player in Butler volleyball history. Lilly broke the school record against Villanova on Oct. 6 when she recorded four block assists against the Wildcats. That effort moved her career total to 415, one more than the previous record holder Krystal Hendrix ('03-'06). Lilly now has 432 block assists in her Butler career. She has reached 100 total blocks during all four of her seasons at BU.
Lilly Continues To Climb BU Record Book
Bri Lilly has recorded the fifth-highest block total in Butler volleyball history (487). She is now three blocks away from fourth-place all-time. That spot is currently held by Jill Spurgeon ('85-'88) who tallied 489 blocks during her career.
Up Next
Butler will play their travel partner next week in Cincinnati. The Xavier Musketeers will host the action on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 PM.
