INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking five-set match to Villanova (16-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 15-9) Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs (9-11, 3-4 BIG EAST) fell to the Wildcats (11-8, 3-4) for the second time this season. They will be back at it Saturday afternoon against Georgetown.

Set 1: Butler 25-16
After a 3-0 Bulldogs run on kills by Melody Davidson and Destiny Cherry followed by an ace from Jaymeson Kinley, the Wildcats responded with a 4-0 run to go up 7-6. Later kills by Davidson, Mariah Grunze and Amina Shackelford comprised a 4-0 Butler run to put the Bulldogs back on top 15-13. After a Villanova point, the trio of Davidson, Grunze and Shackelford again recorded one kill each as part of a 6-0 run to give Butler a commanding 21-14 lead, and the Bulldogs would cruise from there. Davidson and Grunze led Butler with four kills, while Marissa McKelvey added seven digs and five assists in the opening frame.

Set 2: Villanova 25-20
The Wildcats got out to an 11-4 lead and would extend the lead to as much as 11 at 20-9 and 21-10. Butler responded with a 5-0 run on Caroline Cleveland's serve, including back-to-back aces from her, to get back to within 21-15.  The Bulldogs climbed back to a four-point deficit on Davidson's kill to make it 24-20, but Villanova clinched the set on the next point. Grunze led Butler with four kills in the second frame.

Set 3: Butler 25-23
The Bulldogs started with a 5-2 lead thanks to three Davidson kills, but the Wildcats responded with a 5-0 run. The two teams subsequently traded 4-0 runs to put Villanova on top 11-9. Two Brittany Robinson kills and one from Grunze helped Butler regain the advantage at 14-12. The Wildcats put together a strong stretch and regained the lead at 21-18, but a 3-0 Bulldog run tied it, and then they took 4 of the next 5 points to clinch the set. Davidson led Butler with five kills in the frame.

Set 4: Villanova 25-21
Consecutive Grunze kills followed by one from Davidson put the Bulldogs ahead 3-1 early. A later 4-0 Villanova run put the Wildcats ahead 12-9, and Butler quickly responded to tie it at 14-14. However, Villanova took 9 of the next 11 points to build a 23-17 lead. Butler fended off three straight set points to get within three at 24-21, but Villanova clinched the set on a Riley Homer kill to even up the match at two sets each. Davidson and Grunze each had five kills in the fourth frame to pace the Bulldog offense.

Set 5: Villanova 15-9
Villanova started fast for a 6-1 lead, but the Bulldogs slowly climbed back into the game with a 3-0 run cutting the deficit to three at 12-9. The Wildcats would put away the match by winning the final three points. Megan Sheridan came off the bench to provide a spark with four straight Butler points on her kills midway through the fifth and final frame.

Stat of the Match
Butler (.202) and Villanova (.205) had almost even hitting percentages in the closely contested match.

Inside the Box Score
- Grunze tied a career high with 18 kills and added seven digs, an assist and a block.
- Davidson tallied 17 kills, two digs and a block assist.
- Cherry put down a career-best five kills and contributed a block assist.
- McKelvey had a double-double with 28 assists and 14 digs.
- Cleveland tied her season-high of 13 digs while serving up two aces.

Up Next
The Bulldogs play Georgetown at Hinkle on Saturday at 4 p.m. to wrap up the weekend.