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Indianapolis - The Butler volleyball team begins BIG EAST Conference play by hosting No. 16 Creighton and Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse this weekend. The Bulldogs (6-7) will face the Bluejays (12-1) on Friday at 6 p.m., before matching up with the Friars (12-1) Saturday at 4 p.m.

Bulldog Bites
- Melody Davidson has earned All-Tournament team recognition for each of the four nonconference tournaments this season.
- Davidson tied the Butler program record for most kills in a three-set match (24) against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 15.
- Mariah Grunze ranks second in the BIG EAST and No. 35 nationally in total attacks (474).
- Jaymeson Kinley ranks second in the BIG EAST and No. 9 nationally in total digs (244).
- The Bulldogs lead the BIG EAST in total attacks (1,834) and rank second in total digs (793).
- Butler surpassed its win total of the Spring 2021 season with the win over Cal.
- The Bulldogs had their best attack percentage of the season against Eastern Kentucky (.298). That is over 50 points higher than the previous season-high of .241 vs. Youngstown State.
- Butler's opponents are outscoring the Bulldogs this season, 22.7 to 21.5 average score per set, through 48 sets.
- Davidson ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (206.5 points) and total kills (177), which are No. 19 and No. 22 nationally in those categories, respectively.
- Hannah Kelly contributed a season-high three aces vs. UCLA.
- Marissa McKelvey came off the bench against Western Michigan and posted season-highs with four assists, four digs and one ace.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Bluejays come to town with a 12-1 record following a flawless weekend at the Shocker Volleyball Classic where they didn't drop a single set in three matches. Creighton's only loss of the season came on Sept. 8 when it got swept by No. 3 Nebraska. The Bluejays are coming off the Spring 2021 season when they won the BIG EAST before losing to Morehead State in five sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Preseason All-BIG EAST middle blockers Jaela Zimmerman (163 kills, 23 blocks) and Naomi Hickman (67 kills, 54 blocks) are a formidable duo up front for Creighton, while Abby Bottomley (225 digs) leads the Bluejay defense.

Creighton leads the all-time series over Butler 15-1, with the only Bulldog win coming in four sets on Oct. 4, 2013 in the first BIG EAST Conference match between the two programs.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: The Friars sport a 12-1 record following a perfect 2-0 weekend last Saturday at the Fordham Tournament before heading west to play Xavier on Friday then Butler on Saturday. Providence's only loss of the season came on Aug. 27 in four sets at Army. The Friars lead the BIG EAST in total aces (92) and aces per set (1.92) while Jennifer Leitman leads the conference in aces per set (0.43) and Allison Barber and Caroline LaMacchia (18) lead in total aces. Barber, a preseason All-BIG EAST setter, averages 10.51 assists and 3.0 digs per set, while Shaliyah Rhoden leads the team in kills (3.33 per set) on a .303 hitting percentage.

Butler leads the all-time series over Providence 13-0, with the Bulldogs sweeping the Friars in their last matchup in 2019.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINES: Madison Friebel (six) and Mariah Grunze (four) have both recorded multiple double-doubles in the first 13 contests of the season. Friebel averages 36.5 assists and 9.8 digs per match, while Grunze has recorded 9.8 kills and 9.2 digs per match through the first four weeks of play.

Friebel ranks second in the BIG EAST and No. 9 nationally in total assists (475).

KINLEY PLAYING WITH CONFIDENCE: Libero Jaymeson Kinley recorded 58 digs in four matches last week and has now recorded double-digits digs in every match this season while averaging 5.08 per set, which is on pace to be the second-best average in a season in program history.

Kinley secured a career-high 31 digs in the opening match of the Chippewa Invitational against Youngstown State.

DAVIDSON DOMINATES: Melody Davidson put down a season-high 24 kills vs. Eastern Kentucky, which tied a 30-year old program record for most kills in a three-set match (Jessica Taylor vs. Green Bay on Sept. 6, 2021).

Davidson hit an efficient .697 against the Colonels and added six block assists in her career night. She is hitting .322 on the season and on pace to have the third-best hitting percentage in a season in Butler volleyball history.

SIGNATURE WIN: Butler defeated No. 24 Marquette during the spring season on March 5. The five-set match featured Butler winning the first and fourth sets. In the finale, BU controlled the action by winning 15-7.

BU posted 21 total blocks in that match, just two shy of tying the school record.

CAN YOU DIG IT: Butler's defense features four different student-athletes averaging at least two digs per set, with Kinley (5.08), Friebel (2.67), Grunze (2.48) and Jillian Ziemba (2.12).

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

UP NEXT: Butler will continue BIG EAST Conference play next weekend with matches against Georgetown and Villanova. The Bulldogs will travel to Washington, D.C., to face the Hoyas in their first road conference match on Friday before matching up with the Wildcats outside of Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Butler volleyball program sports an all-time record of 12-3 against Georgetown and 10-5 vs. Villanova. The Bulldogs won both meetings with Georgetown in 2019 and lost both matchups with Villanova that season.