MATCH NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The first two BIG EAST home matches of the season will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse this weekend when the volleyball team hosts Georgetown and Villanova. The Hoyas will play the Bulldogs on Friday night at 6 PM. Sunday's match vs. the Wildcats is set for 1 PM on Sunday.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Mariah Grunze ranks third in the BIG EAST and 55th in the NCAA in attacks per set (10.64).
- Grunze and Jaymeson Kinley are the only Bulldogs on the roster to appear in all 58 sets this season.
- Kinley has recorded 20+ digs in eight matches this season. She opened the year with three-straight and has reached that total or more in three of BU's last four matches.
- Cora Taylor posted her fifth double-double of the season at Xavier with 47 assists and 15 digs.
- Taylor tied her career-high with 13 attacks vs. the Musketeers and added her second ace of the year.
- Amina Shackelford is averaging 3.81 kills per set in conference matches (3rd in BIG EAST). She led BU with 18 against the Musketeers.
- Butler is third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.19) and fourth in total blocks (127).
- The Bulldogs are fifth in the BIG EAST opponent hitting percentage (.199).
- Butler ranks first in BIG EAST play in digs per set recording 18.38 through the first four matches.
- Marisa Guisti had eight blocks at Xavier her highest total since recording nine opening weekend against Akron.
- Butler is 14-3 all-time against Georgetown. The Bulldogs swept the Hoyas a year ago with a 3-1 win in D.C. and a 3-0 sweep in Indianapolis.
- Villanova swept Butler last year with a 3-0 win on their home court followed by a five-set win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are still on top of the all-time series 10-7.
 
BIG EAST Standings
Marquette 4-0, 13-1
Creighton 4-0, 12-3
Seton Hall 3-1, 12-4
Xavier 3-1, 10-4
St. John's 3-1, 12-5
DePaul 2-2, 6-10
Georgetown 2-3, 4-12
Butler 1-3, 7-9
Villanova 1-4, 5-12
Providence 0-4, 8-8
UConn 0-4, 6-9
 
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN: The Hoyas defeated Villanova on Wednesday night to improve their overall record to 4-12. They went winless in their first two non-conference tournaments, losing to American (0-3), New Orleans (1-3), Howard (0-3), Maryland (0-3), South Florida (0-3), and Stony Brook (2-3). Their first wins came against Binghamton (3-2) and George Washington (3-0), but other non-conference matches included losses to Rider (1-3) and UC Santa Barbara twice (0-3, 0-3). To start conference play, the Hoyas were swept by Xavier and Creighton, but played a better second weekend getting a win against Seton Hall (3-2) and taking St. John's to a fifth set (2-3).
 
Sophomore libero Karis Park made the BIG EAST weekly honor roll last week after averaging 4.70 digs per set over the weekend. The Hoyas return 18 players with only one freshman on the roster.
 
SCOUTING VILLANOVA: With the loss to Georgetown on Wednesday night, the Wildcats now hold a record of 5-12. They started the season with a win against Colgate (3-2) but lost the next two against Maryland Baltimore County (1-3) and USC (0-3). In the Villanova Classic, the Wildcats won two of three, beating Lafayette (3-0) and New Hampshire (3-2) with the lone loss coming to Fairfield (2-3). They lost five-straight to the likes of Missouri State (2-3), Dayton (2-3), Illinois (0-3), Yale (2-3), Sacred Heart (0-3), before winning the last non-conference match against Fordham (3-1). To start BIG EAST play, the Wildcats were swept by Xavier and Creighton. They went 1-1 in the second weekend, beating St. Johns (3-1) and falling to Seton Hall (1-3).  
 
Junior Riley Homer earned a spot on the preseason All-BIG EAST team. They also return Keira Booth who led the team last season in kills and blocks.
 
KINLEY NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL: Jaymeson Kinley led the BIG EAST in digs (7.50) last week. She posted a career-high 42 digs on Sunday against Xavier, marking the most in a BIG EAST match since 2014!
 
This is the second time for Kinley to earn a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. She also appeared on Aug. 29.
 
BIG EAST LEADER: Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks 7th in the NCAA in digs per set (5.50).
 
Kinley's 42 digs at Xavier were the second most in a single match by a Butler player in program history (45 by Jessica Taylor vs. UIC, Sept. 12, 1989).
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Mariah Grunze posted a double-double at Xavier last weekend. The BU outside hitter had 14 kills and 11 digs.
 
Grunze now has three double-doubles this season. Her first featured 15 kills and 10 digs vs. Southern Utah. She also posted 11 kills and 12 digs at Marquette.
 
SEASON-HIGH TOTALS: Butler set new season-high totals at Xavier with 57 assists and 103 digs.
 
BU was also just three kills and two blocks away from tying their season-high totals.
 
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Megan Sheridan is approaching 500 kills and 100 blocks in her BU career. She needs 17 kills and 11 blocks to reach the milestones.
 
Sheridan's season-high kill total is 17 (vs. Eastern Washington). She is coming off a season-high three blocks in the match at Xavier (10/2).
 
FIRST FOUR, LAST FOUR: Amina Shackelford has been impressive during BIG EAST action. Over her first four matches of the season, Shackelford recorded 25 kills. Over the first four BIG EAST matches of the season, Shackelford has recorded 61 kills.
 
Shackelford has reached a double figure kill total in four-straight matches. She opened conference play with a career-high 22 kills at DePaul.
 
KILL COUNTER: Mariah Grunze needs 12 kills to reach 500 in her young career. Marisa Guisti needs just eight for 150 and Grace Boggess needs only one to reach 100.
 
Grunze averages 3.31 kills per set, Guisti comes in at 1.07 and Boggess provides BU with 1.00.
 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will remain in Indianapolis next weekend to host Seton Hall and St. John's. Each team opened up the conference portion of the schedule with 3-1 records.
 
Butler leads the all-time series against Seton Hall (10-6) and St. John's (11-5).