INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team's four-match winning streak was snapped by UConn (25-19, 32-30, 25-22) Sunday afternoon in Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs (13-12, 7-5 BIG EAST) fell to the Huskies (17-7, 9-3) in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
Set 1: UConn 25-19
A 4-0 Butler run including an ace by
Madison Friebel and a kill from
Mariah Grunze put the Bulldogs ahead 7-5 early. They would extend the lead to as much as three at 13-10, but a 12-2 UConn run gave the Huskies a 22-15 lead, and they would clinch the set on a kill from Kennadie Jake-Turner. Grunze led Butler with five kills in the opening frame.
Set 2: UConn 32-30
Butler followed a 3-0 UConn run with a 3-0 streak punctuated by a
Brittany Robinson kill to tie the set at 8-8. A later 9-4 run put the Bulldogs up 18-15 before the Huskies came back to tie it at 19, 20 and 23-all. Butler fended off UConn's set point at 24-23 with an
Amina Shackelford kill and had a set point of its own after
Melody Davidson subsequently put down a kill to give the Bulldogs a 25-24 advantage. Butler would have three more set point opportunities after a kill by Grunze and two by
Elana Brueggemann, but the Huskies fought all of them off and eventually clinched the set on another kill from Jake-Turner. Robinson (five kills) and Grunze (four) led the Bulldog offense in the second frame.
Set 3: UConn 25-22
A Friebel kill and Robinson ace helped form a 3-0 Butler run to give the Bulldogs an early 9-7 lead. The Huskies responded with an 8-1 run to regain the advantage at 15-10. Grunze and Davidson kills later helped the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 20-18 before they were able to cut it to one at 22-21 and at 23-22 after a kill by Brueggemann. UConn clinched the set with a kill by Allie Garland. Davidson led the Bulldogs with five kills in the final frame.
Stat of the Match
Butler out-blocked UConn 9-3.
Inside the Box Score
- Grunze tallied 10 kills, three digs and two block assists.
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Jaymeson Kinley contributed 17 digs and seven assists.
- Davidson put down seven kills and six blocks.
- Robinson stuffed the stat sheet with five kills, three blocks, two aces and one dig.
- Brueggemann (seven) and Shackelford (six) had at least a half-dozen kills each.
Up Next
The Bulldogs hit the road for matches at Providence on Nov. 5 and Creighton on Nov. 7.
