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Butler University Athletics

Volleyball Senior Week

@ButlerVB Set for Final Week of the Season

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The Butler volleyball team is set to play at UConn on Thursday at 1 p.m. and at home vs. Xavier on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the final two matches of the season. The Bulldogs (14-15, 8-8 BIG EAST) will celebrate Melody Davidson, Brittany Robinson and Jillian Ziemba Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse as part of the Senior Day festivities.

- Jaymeson Kinley had another strong weekend averaging 5.86 digs/set on 41 total digs while adding six assists combined.
- The conference leader in total digs (553) and digs per set (5.37) has four appearances on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor roll this season in addition to being named the conference Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 8.
- Melody Davidson ranks in the Top 5 in the BIG EAST with 415 points (second), 124 blocks (third) and 342 kills (fourth).
- Davidson has earned recognition on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times this season in addition to being named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 25.
- The Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST in total attacks (3,996) and attacks per set (38.8) and rank second in both total digs (1,738) and digs per set (16.87).
- The Bulldog defense has stepped up in recent weeks to now rank fifth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.196) this season.
- Butler dropped both matches in a weekend of conference play for the first time this season with losses to DePaul and Marquette.
- The Bulldogs swept the season series with BIG EAST foes Georgetown, Providence and St. John's, with an opportunity against Xavier on Sunday to take two matches from a fourth conference opponent this year.
- Butler has outblocked its opponents 223 to 180.5 this season, or 2.17 to 1.75 per set.
- Closest to Home: Hannah Kelly's hometown of Powell, Ohio, is 576 miles (straight-line distance) from Storrs, Conn., or about a 681-mile drive.

SCOUTING UCONN:
The Huskies tout a 20-8 record (12-4 BIG EAST) following last weekend's roadtrip where they won in five sets at St. John's before falling in four sets to Seton Hall. In the first-ever meeting between Butler and UConn earlier this season, the Huskies won in three sets at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Halloween. The Huskies rank second in the conference in both hitting percentage (.246) and blocks per set (2.47), while senior MB Kennadie Jake-Turner leads the BIG EAST with a .354 hitting percentage. Senior OH Caylee Parker is third in the conference in scoring (405.5 points) and total kills (349).

UConn leads the all-time series 1-0 after winning the match in October.

SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers check in with an 11-16 record (6-10 BIG EAST) after four-set losses against both Marquette and DePaul last weekend in Cincinnati. Butler swept Xavier at the Cintas Center on Oct. 29 in the first matchup of the season between the two teams. The Musketeers rank fourth in the conference with 16.15 digs/set and fifth with 36.36 attacks/set. Junior S Carrigan O'Reilly is fifth in the BIG EAST with 8.85 assists/set and is one of nine players in Division I volleyball to have recorded a triple-double this season.

Xavier leads the all-time series 23-17 after losing the match a few weeks ago.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Mariah Grunze (eight), Madison Friebel (eight) and Marissa McKelvey (four) have each recorded multiple double-doubles in the first 29 contests of the season. Grunze averages 9.3 kills and 8.2 digs, while Friebel has averaged 27.8 assists and 8.0 digs per match.

McKelvey averages 22.6 assists and 7.3 digs in BIG EAST matches this season.

KINLEY PLAYING WITH CONFIDENCE: Libero Jaymeson Kinley recorded 18 digs vs. DePaul and 23 against Marquette to average 5.86/set last week. The 23 digs is tied for the most in a three-set conference match for any BIG EAST player this season. She has now recorded double-digit digs in every match but two so far.

Kinley has reached the 20-dig mark in 14 matches this season. She needs 21 more digs to tie Katie Daprile's single-season program record of 574 set in 2010.

DAVIDSON DOMINATES: Melody Davidson earned recognition on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season for her strong play over the weekend (19 kills, 10 blocks, .364 hitting percentage combined).

Davidson has tallied double-digit kills in 17 of 29 matches and double-digit points in all but five. She is hitting .331 on the season (fourth in the BIG EAST) and on pace to have the third-best hitting percentage in a season in Butler volleyball history.

CAN YOU DIG IT: Butler's defense features five players averaging at least two digs per set, with Kinley (5.37), Grunze (2.32), Friebel (2.26), Caroline Cleveland (2.04) and McKelvey (2.02).

In addition to Kinley, Grunze, Friebel, Cleveland and McKelvey, Bulldogs with double-digit digs in a match this season include Hannah Kelly, Brittany Robinson and Jillian Ziemba.

STEADY SCORING: Robinson (200 kills) and Amina Shackelford (182) have been consistent contributors for the Butler offense. Robinson averages 2.68 points per set, while Shackelford has scored 2.41 per set.

Robinson recorded her 500th career kill Friday vs. DePaul and has tallied double-digit points in 9 of 16 conference matches.

STEPPING UP: Megan Sheridan has provided steady offense in recent weeks for the Bulldogs. Sheridan has posted 89 kills (2.28/set) since the beginning of BIG EAST play.

Sheridan hits at a .254 efficiency in conference matches.

TRIPLE-DIGIT THREATS: Four Bulldogs have posted more than 100 in two major statistical categories, including two in assists and digs, one in kills and digs, and one in kills and blocks.

The group consists of Friebel (696 assists, 201 digs), McKelvey (369 assists, 125 digs), Grunze (269 kills, 237 digs) and Davidson (342 kills, 124 blocks).

SENIOR DAY: Butler will reconize Davidson, Robinson and Ziemba Sunday afternoon during the Xavier match for their contributions to the program over the last several years.

Davidson redshirted in 2017 before playing the past four seasons. Robinson redshirted in 2018 and has one more season of athletic eligibility, but will graduate in December and attend grad school at Butler to become a physician assistant.
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