INDIANAPOLIS – The final match of the 2021 Top Dawg Challenge was a battle between in-state rivals. It took extra points in the third set, but the Indiana Hoosiers would remain unbeaten after recording a 3-0 victory against Butler. Kaley Rammelsburg and Kari Zumach were selected to the All-Tournament Team at the completion of the match for IU while Melody Davidson and Hannah Kelly earned the recognition for Butler.
 
Set One
Madison Friebel impacted the action early in the night with back-to-back service aces that gave Butler a 7-4 lead. Her six assists in the opening stages of the match were spread out to four different student-athletes.
 
Indiana tied the match at 10-10 and would move in front 13-10 after a 5-0 scoring run. Marisa Guisti was inserted into the starting lineup on Saturday night for the first time this weekend and she would help BU break up the IU scoring spree with her second kill.
 
The Hoosiers used a 3-0 run to get a 19-15 edge, but the Bulldogs would score four of the next five points to get within one at 20-19. Guisti continued to play well and would eventually tie the first set at 22-22 with a kill. Butler just missed down the line to move IU to set point. The opener would then go to Indiana 25-22 after a BU attack error.
 
Set Two
Indiana's defense set the tone in set two. They used three blocks to open up a 3-0 lead. A second 3-0 scoring run from the Hoosiers moved the score to 7-2, and at 9-3 Butler would call their first timeout.
 
Butler's second timeout would help shakeup the set. They trailed 16-4, but quickly rattled off four-straight points out of the stoppage to double their point total. Three more BU points pushed their scoring run to 7-0 and forced IU into a timeout with the scoreboard showing 16-11.
 
Indiana stayed on top and was the first team to 20 points. They scored five-straight in crunch time to take a commanding 22-14 lead. Kari Zumach sent a kill to the Hinkle hardwood for set point and the Hoosiers would go up 2-0 in the match moments later on a BU miscue.
 
Set Three
Hannah Kelly supplied Butler with a service ace to give BU a three-point advantage at 10-7. That action was part of a 4-0 scoring run that moved BU in front 12-7 and forced IU into a timeout.
 
Butler got a block near the midway point to push their lead to 14-10, but IU would climb back into the action at 17-15. The two-point BU cushion moved all the way along to 23-21. Indiana hit a serve into the net to get BU to set-point, but the Hoosiers wouldn't go away. Morgan Geddes kept IU alive and a block would even the score at 24-24. After a Butler timeout, Indiana would serve and score off a Butler attack error. The final swing would come courtesy of Morgan Geddes from Camryn Haworth and the Hoosiers would leave Hinkle with the sweep.
 
Stat of the Match
Madison Friebel posted 25 assists, seven digs, two service aces and one block.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Melody Davidson led Butler with nine kills
- Attendance was 913
- Elana Brueggemann had four kills and two solo blocks
- Jaymeson Kinley led Butler with 15 digs
- Mariah Grunze ended the weekend with five kills and eight digs
- Indiana recorded 14 team blocks compared to five for Butler
 
Top Dawg Challenge All-Tournament Team
Butler - Hannah Kelly, Melody Davidson
BGSU - Petra Indrova, Katie Kidwell
UIC - Paola Santiago
Indiana - Kaley Rammelsburg, Kari Zumach
 
Up Next
Butler will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. next weekend to participate in the 2021 Chippewa Invitational. North Dakota, Youngstown State, Butler and host Central Michigan will compete in a two-day tournament that features Butler playing two matches on Friday and just one on Saturday.