Indianapolis – The Butler volleyball team took No. 16 Creighton to four sets, but fell to the Bluejays (25-16, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19) Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Creighton's Jaela Zimmerman went off for 21 kills and 17 digs in the BIG EAST Conference opener. Butler (6-8, 0-1 BIG EAST) plays again Saturday afternoon against Providence.

Set 1: Creighton 25-16
Butler got out to an early 6-3 lead thanks to kills from Melody Davidson and Mariah Grunze. The Bluejays responded by taking 8 of the next 10 points to build an 11-8 lead and eventually closed the set out with a 5-0 run. Davidson contributed five kills and a block assist in the opening frame, while Jaymeson Kinley added five digs for the Bulldogs.

Set 2: Creighton 25-22
Two kills by Marissa McKelvey and one for Davidson helped the Bulldogs take a 7-5 lead. Creighton responded by winning 7 of 9 points for a 13-9 lead, but a great serving stretch for Butler including back-to-back Brittany Robinson aces followed by one from Jillian Ziemba tied the set at 14. After it was tied at 16, the Bluejays used two 3-0 runs to put the set away. Grunze recorded three kills, and Kinley added six digs for the Bulldogs in the second frame.

Set 3: Butler 25-23
Three early Amina Shackelford kills followed by back-to-back kills by Davidson had Butler up 6-5 early. After a short burst from the Bluejays, Grunze put down a couple kills in a stretch that evened the set at 11. A 4-0 run consisting of Shackelford and Davidson kills made for a 15-12 Bulldog lead, but Creighton came back with 8 of 9 points to take a 20-16 advantage. Butler went back to Davidson for three consecutive kills as part of a 5-0 run to go up one. After the Bluejays went up 22-21, the Bulldogs took 4 of 5 points including clinching the set on Grunze's kill. Davidson (six kills), Grunze (five) and Shackelford (four) led the Butler offense while McKelvey had eight digs on the defensive side in the set.

Set 4: Creighton 25-19
The Bluejays started the set strong with a 9-3 advantage, but aces from Kinley and Caroline Cleveland combined with two Davidson kills got the Bulldogs back to within one at 10-9. Creighton led 18-16 later in the set after a Grunze kill, but the Bluejays pulled away and sealed the set. Shackelford led Butler with four kills in the final frame.

Stat of the Match
Five Bulldogs posted double-digit digs: Kinley (25), McKelvey (16), Cleveland (13), Ziemba (12) and Grunze (10).

Inside the Box Score
- Davidson finished with 17.5 points on 15 kills, one solo block and three block assists.
- McKelvey posted a double-double with 39 assists and 16 digs while adding three kills.
- Grunze also had a double-double (11 kills, 10 digs).
- Shackelford contributed 10 points on nine kills and two block assists.
- Robinson stuffed the stat sheet with six kills, four digs, three block assists and two aces.

Up Next
Butler plays its second BIG EAST match of the season Saturday at 4 p.m. against Providence at Hinkle Fieldhouse.