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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will travel to Cincinnati on Friday night to face the Xavier Musketeers in BIG EAST action. Fans interested in attending the event can get in for just five dollars. All kid tickets are on sale through Xavier for three dollars.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                                                                                       
- Natalie Ravenell recorded a career-high 20 kills vs. Seton Hall
- Ravenell and Brooke Gregory are the only two Bulldogs to reach 20+ kills this year
- Gregory notched her career-best 21 kills in the first meeting vs. Xavier (Oct. 13)
- Gregory needs just two blocks to reach 200 in her BU career
- Gregory posted the third-best kill total of the season vs. Seton Hall with 18
- Maddie Freiwald set a new career-high assist total vs. Seton Hall with 53
- Butler posted their second-best kill total vs. Seton Hall with 65
- Butler needs one more win to reach 800 all-time (1975-2018, 44 Years)
- Xavier swept BU in 2016, but BU swept Xavier in 2017
- Bri Lilly (1.47) and Melody Davidson (1.28) rank 1-2 the BIG EAST in blocks per set
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.93) and total blocks (263)
- BU ranks 6th in the NCAA in blocks per set and 3rd in total blocks
 
BIG EAST Standings
1. Creighton 12-0, 20-4
2. Marquette 10-2, 20-5
3. St. John's 9-4, 20-8
4. Villanova 6-6, 13-11
5. Georgetown 6-6, 13-11
6. Xavier 6-7, 8-16
7. Butler 5-8, 8-17
8. DePaul 3-9, 5-18
9. Seton Hall 3-10, 8-18
10. Providence 2-10, 8-15
 
Scouting Xavier                                                                                               
Xavier enters the weekend with an 8-16 overall record that includes a 6-7 mark against conference foes. Laura Grossman leads the team with 256 kills and is approaching 300 points on the season. Grossman is coming off a double-double performance vs. St. John's, going for 14 kills and 14 digs. BU will also need to slow down Audrey Adams to find the win column. Adams ranks second on the team in kills (188) and third in the BIG EAST with a .355 hitting percentage. Head Coach Christy Pfeffenberger uses two setters in McKena Estes and Nadia Dieudonne. Each student-athlete posted a double-double against the Johnnies their last time out. Defensively, Xavier relies on Meredith Klare for digs (393).
 
Best in the BIG EAST                                                                                                      
Butler leads the conference in total blocks (263) and blocks per set (2.93), but their opponent on Friday night ranks second and third in those categories. The Musketeers average 2.33 blocks per set, giving them 207 total. St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST with 212 blocks. Jayda Carlton and Bri Lilly are similar talents for their respective teams. Each student-athlete notched a season-high 12 blocks in their match at St. John's. 12 blocks in a single match is the most recorded in the BIG EAST this season. Lilly has three 10+ block matches this season. The only other BIG EAST player to have two or more 10+ block matches in 2018 is teammate Melody Davidson.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                               
Xavier leads the all-time series against Butler 20-14. The two programs each joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2013 after spending 2012 in the Atlantic 10. Since joining the BIG EAST, Butler is just 3-8 against the Musketeers. Their first win was the first meeting in 2014 (3-2), and their last win was in the second meeting of 2017 (3-0).
 
Xavier at Butler Recap (Oct. 13)                                                                
Xavier recorded a 3-1 win at Butler on Oct. 13 (21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18). Laura Grossman led the Musketeers to victory with 21 kills (.308). Brooke Gregory matched her effort for Butler by recording a career-high 21 kills on 51 swings (.294). Elizabeth LaBue was great defensively with 26 digs and Bri Lilly was a force at the net with a team-high 10 blocks.
 
Identical Records                                                                                                           
Butler and Xavier have identical records against the rest of the conference. Scores fluctuate over the last two months, but all the wins and losses mirror each other.
 
Not Bad in November                                                                                  
Butler won four of their final five matches of the regular season last year, including a 3-0 sweep against Xavier. The 2016 team also closed out the regular season winning four of their last five. Creighton broke up the winning streak in 2017 and Marquette was the villain in 2016.
 
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 445 block assists in her Butler career. She has reached 100 total blocks during all four of her seasons at BU.
 
Lilly Reaches 500 career blocks                                                                 
Bri Lilly became just the fourth player in program history to reach 500 career blocks. The senior middle blocker recorded six blocks in the win over Seton Hall to reach the milestone. She now ranks fourth all-time at Butler with 500 total blocks. Third-place belongs to Chris Essington ('83-86) with 517 blocks and second place is held by Beth Christiansen ('87-'90) who accumulated 519 career blocks.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                              
The last two home games of the regular season will be played next weekend with Butler hosting #19 Marquette and DePaul. Friday night's match vs. the Golden Eagles will start at 6 PM. The home finale will be played on Sunday, Nov. 11 with a 2 PM start time.