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The Butler volleyball team returns to BIG EAST conference play this weekend with road matches at Providence on Friday night at 6 p.m. and No. 24 Creighton on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. This is an important roadtrip for the fourth-place Bulldogs (13-12, 7-5) who need to stay in the top four of the conference standings to qualify for the BIG EAST tournament at the end of the month. Butler fell to Creighton (ranked No. 16 at the time) in four sets at home in late September a day before sweeping Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

- Melody Davidson was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season after leading the conference in blocks/set (2.67) for the second straight week.
- Davidson has posted 35 blocks over the last four matches combined to rise to third in the conference standings with 107 total blocks (No. 23 nationally).
- Davidson also excels on offense where she is the only player to rank in the BIG EAST Top 10 in both hitting percentage (.332) and kills/set (3.51).
- Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST in total digs (469) and digs per set (5.27), ranking No. 11 and No. 13 nationally in those categories, respectively.
- Butler capped off a season-best four-match winning streak with the win at Xavier, dropping only one set during that stretch.
- The Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST in total attacks (3,425) and rank second in both total digs (1,486) and digs per set (16.70).
- Butler's .800 winning percentage (4-1 record) in conference road matches ranks behind only Marquette (.833) in the BIG EAST. The four wins are tied with UConn for the third-most BIG EAST road wins this season.
- The Bulldog defense has stepped up in recent weeks to now rank fourth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.196) this season.
- Butler has two setters, Madison Friebel (8.49) and Marissa McKelvey (6.12), ranking in the BIG EAST Top 10 in assists/set.  
- Closest to Home: Hannah Kelly's hometown of Powell, Ohio is 619 miles (straight-line distance) from Providence, while Brittany Robinson's hometown of Peoria, Ill., is 333 miles from Omaha.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: The Friars check in with a 15-10 record (3-9 BIG EAST) following last weekend's roadtrip where they lost at DePaul and Marquette. Butler swept Providence in the first match of the season between the two teams at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sept. 25. The Friars lead the BIG EAST in aces with 166 on the season. Freshman OH Shaliyah Rhoden leads Providence with 301 kills, which ranks fifth in the conference (3.31 per set is seventh). The Friars have four players with at least 28 aces each this season.

Butler leads the all-time series 14-0 after the win at home earlier this season.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Bluejays tout  a 22-3 record (10-2 BIG EAST) after winning at Marquette in four sets before sweeping DePaul in last week's action. Butler took a set from No. 16 Creighton at home on Sept. 24, but the Bluejays won in four. Creighton showcases two outstanding freshmen in S Kendra Wait and OH Norah Sis, who have won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week five and four times so far, respectively. Senior DS Abby Bottomley has earned the conference's Defensive Player of the Week honor three times while senior OH Jaela Zimmerman has been named Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.

The Bluejay lead the all-time series with the Bulldogs 16-1 after the win earlier this fall.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Mariah Grunze (seven), Madison Friebel (seven) and Marissa McKelvey (four) have each recorded multiple double-doubles in the first 25 contests of the season. Grunze averages 9.5 kills and 7.8 digs, while Friebel has averaged 30.3 assists and 8.4 digs per match.

McKelvey averages 23.9 assists and 7.6 digs in BIG EAST matches this season.

KINLEY PLAYING WITH CONFIDENCE: Libero Jaymeson Kinley recorded 21 digs at Xavier and 17 vs. UConn to average 6.33/set last week. She has now recorded double-digit digs in every match but two so far while averaging 5.27 per set, which is within striking distance of breaking Megan Knightly's single-season program record set in 2005 of 5.29 digs/set.

Kinley has reached the 20-dig mark in 12 matches this season.

DAVIDSON DOMINATES: Melody Davidson posted 16 kills and 16 blocks (three solo, 13 assist) combined last weekend to earn recognition on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season.

Davidson has tallied double-digit kills in 16 of 25 matches this season and double-digit points in all but three. She is hitting .332 on the season (sixth 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 (5.27), Friebel (2.36), Grunze (2.22),  McKelvey (2.06) and Caroline Cleveland (2.04).Jillian Ziemba (1.95) averages just below two digs per set.

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

STEADY SCORING: Robinson (169 kills) and Amina Shackelford (160) have been consistent contributors for the Butler offense. Robinson averages 2.67 points per set, while Shackelford has scored 2.48 per set.

Shackelford posted double-digit kills recently in  back-to-back matches at St. John's (11) and Xavier (10). She has put down at least a half-dozen kills in seven straight matches.

STEPPING UP: Megan Sheridan has provided steady offense in recent weeks for the Bulldogs. Sheridan has posted 55 kills (2.2/set) since the beginning of BIG EAST play.

Sheridan hits at a .255 efficiency in conference matches.

MOVING ON UP: With the recent four-match winning streak, Butler has improved its position in the conference standings to fourth place.

The top four in the conference standings travel to Milwaukee in late November for the BIG EAST Tournament.

UP NEXT: Butler will return home for matches with DePaul on Friday morning and Marquette on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs have a 20-11 record against the Blue Demons after dropping both matches to them in the Spring 2021 season. The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with Butler 16-9. The Bulldogs pulled off an upset win vs. Marquette in five sets at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 5, 2021.