INDIANAPOLIS – The Villanova Wildcats handed Butler a tough 3-2 loss to open up homecoming weekend on Friday night. Butler won the first and third set, but would come up short in the fifth 15-8. The two talented teams entered tonight with identical conference records. The outcome pushes Butler to 5-4 in BIG EAST play while the Wildcats improve to 6-3.
 
How it Happened
The first set started with an 8-8 score until the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to force a Villanova timeout. A second 4-0 BU run extended the lead to 17-12, which resulted in the 25-17 win. Brooke Gregory was a standout performer in the opener with four kills and a perfect attack percentage. Anna Logan and Shay Horn were also active with three kills each.
 
A back and forth affair in the first half of the second set resulted in a Butler lead of 11-10. However, a quick 5-0 run by Villanova aided by two kills by Sophia Howling put Villanova in the lead 15-11 forcing a Butler timeout.
 
Out of the stoppage, Butler closed the gap to just two points, but Villanova responded with a 4-1 run receiving two kills by Mallory Potts resulting in another Butler timeout. The Wildcats went up 19-14 and would eventually knot the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 win.
 
In the third set, with the score even at 7-7, a 7-2 run by the Bulldogs gave them a four-point cushion near the midway point at 14-10. After a 3-0 run for Villanova to cut the Butler lead to 19-17, Butler answered with a 4-0 run of their own highlighted by a block and a kill by Brooke Gregory on back-to-back plays to push the score to 23-17. A 4-0 run by the Wildcats late in the set made things nerve-wracking for the Bulldogs, but they were able to hold on for a 25-22 set win.
 
In the fourth set, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 3-2 lead and didn't look back as they held onto the lead throughout a closely fought set to win 25-22.
 
In the fifth set, BU unforced errors coupled with a strong start for Villanova earning them an 8-3 lead when they switched sides. From there, the Wildcats controlled the rest of the game to win 15-8.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Brooke Gregory and Shay Horn tied for the team lead in kills with 13 each.
- Anna Logan and Melody Davidson each provided BU with 10 kills.
- Logan loaded up the box score with 17 digs, four blocks and an ace.
- Megan Ramseyer led Butler with 36 assists and 10 digs.
- Brooke Gregory was the team leader in blocks with five.
 
Stat of the Night
Elizabeth LaBue had a career-high 32 digs in the setback. She now has 63 digs over her last two games.
 
Up Next
Butler will host Georgetown on Sunday, Oct. 27. The 1 PM match will stream on YouTube.