MATCH NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler Volleyball will play in their last two away conference games this season against the two teams currently at the bottom of the standings in Villanova and Georgetown. The Bulldogs will look to cement their spot in the BIG EAST tournament with two wins.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Mariah Grunze earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll accolades on Monday.
- Grunze ranks third in attacks per set (10.63) and sixth in kills per set (3.33) in the BIG EAST.
- Maddie Renn had three aces against Seton Hall. She leads Butler with 18 this season.
- Butler ranks second in the conference in blocks (219) and blocks per set (2.34).
- Marisa Guisti ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.09).
- Amina Shackelford was one kill off a double-double in Butler's last match after posting nine kills and 14 digs.
- Shackelford had 10+ kills in each match vs. Villanova and Georgetown earlier this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
- Cora Taylor had 28 and 30 assists in last weekend matches against St. John's and Seton Hall.
- Taylor ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in assists per set (9.42).
- Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST in digs per set (5.39) and ranks 10th in the NCAA.
- Kinley is the only Bulldog to play in all 94 sets this season. She ranks 17th in the NCAA in total digs (507).
- Kinley had 29 digs in the first meeting vs. Georgetown.
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in team attacks per set (37.26) and ranks 21st in the NCAA.
 
SCOUTING VILLANOVA: The Wildcats moved to 8-19 after defeating Georgetown on Thursday night in a 3-2 fashion. Their 4-11 conference record has Villanova in 10th in the BIG EAST standings. The win over Georgetown ends a three-game losing streak for the Wildcats in which they only won one set against the likes of UConn (1-3), DePaul (0-3), and Marquette (0-3). Additional conference wins earlier this year came against Providence (2x) and St. John's. Four of Villanova's eight total wins have been played at the Jake Nevin Field House. Saturday's night tilt vs. Butler will serve as Senior Day for the Wildcats.
 
Villanova is led by Kiera Booth who ranks third in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.336). Booth also leads the team in blocks (82). Andrea Campos has also been impressive for the Wildcats ranking seventh in service aces during conference play as well as leading the team in assists (495).
 
VILLANOVA AT BUTLER (OCT. 9): Butler defeated Villanova in their matchup earlier this year at Hinkle Fieldhouse (25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 25-13). The Bulldogs held Villanova to a .169 hitting percentage. Andrea Campos had 40 assists for the Wildcats and Cora Taylor recorded 41 assists for Butler.
 
Cora Taylor had a double-double with 41 assists and 13 digs. Amina Shackelford and Mariah Grunze added 16 and 17 kills respectively.
 
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN: Georgetown remains at the bottom of the BIG EAST standings after the Thursday loss to Villanova. They hold an overall record of 4-22 and are 2-13 in the conference. Their two conference wins came early in league play, defeating Seton Hall (3-2) and Villanova (3-1). They have struggled since and are on a 10-game winless stretch. Georgetown has lost five matches in the fifth set including Thursday's loss.
 
Emma Plutnicki's 7.63 assists per set is seventh in BIG EAST and leads Georgetown. Defensively, Karis Park is seventh in the conference in digs per set (4.12).
 
GEORGETOWN AT BUTLER (OCT. 7): Butler won the last matchup when Georgetown visited Indianapolis earlier in the season (25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 25-17). Both teams struggled on the offensive end as Georgetown's hitting percentage of .109 was only just below Butler's .119. Jaymeson Kinley had 29 digs while Taylor and Grunze had 19 and 15 of their own. BU had a 9-0 advantage in service aces over the Hoyas.
 
Amina Shackelford led BU with 14 kills. Cora Taylor was active with 35 assists and 19 digs.
 
BIG EAST LEADER: Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks 10th in the NCAA in digs per set (5.39).
 
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).
 
REWRITE THE RECORD BOOK: Jaymeson Kinley set a school record last year with 610 digs in a single season. She has 507 this year with four matches to play. In order for Kinley to reach 600 in back-to-back seasons, she will need to average 24 digs per set over the last two weekends of the regular season. That number will clearly change if Butler can hang on and join the six-team BIG EAST Championship field.
 
Kinley has 1,343 career digs at Butler. She needs just six to move into the career top-ten at BU.
 
GRUNZE MAKES BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL: In a 1-1 week, Grunze ranked second in the BIG EAST in both kills (5.17) and points (5.83). The sophomore's 21 kills and 23.5 points at Seton Hall were the most of any BIG EAST competitor this week.
 
Grunze set new career-high totals in kills (21) and points (23.5) at Seton Hall.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Butler leads all-time series against Villanova 10-7. The Wildcats swept the season series in 2021 posting a 3-0 home win and a 3-2 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler's last win over Nova prior to this season was the first meeting in 2018. The Bulldogs lead the Hoyas in the all-time series 14-3. Butler's last setback in DC came in 2018 (3-0).
 
There were 29 ties and 15 lead changes the last time Butler and Villanova played on Oct. 9. Georgetown avoided the sweep at Hinkle on Oct. 7, but the Bulldogs were in control holding the Hoyas under 20 points in two of their three wins.
 
UP NEXT: The final weekend of the regular season is up next for the Bulldogs. Butler will host Providence and UConn on Friday and Sunday. Each match will stream on FloSports.com.
 
Butler will host Providence on Friday. Sunday's 1 PM match vs. the Huskies will be Senior Day and Women Empowerment Day.