The Bulldogs picked up an important conference win Saturday night, sweeping Seton Hall.

Butler won the match by a score of 25-21, 25-23, 26-24 at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J.

With the result, Butler is now 13-13 and 7-7 in the BIG EAST; Seton Hall falls to 5-9 in conference play and 14-12 overall.

The Bulldogs now have a two-game advantage (and own the head-to-head tiebreaker) over the Pirates in the BIG EAST standings as the six-team BIG EAST Tournament bracket looks to take shape over the next two weekends.

STAT OF THE MATCH: Mariah Grunze had a match-high 21 kills for the Bulldogs, hitting .488 for the match. The 21 kills are also a career-high for Grunze and the second-best output for a Bulldog so far this season.
 
SET 1: Butler 25-21
A 5-0 run by the Bulldogs turned a 9-7 deficit into a 12-9 lead midway through the set. Butler would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the opening stanza, taking a 25-21 decision. Grunze had five of her kills in the opening set.   

SET 2: Butler 25-23
The second set featured nine ties and five lead changes. Providence led 21-18 before Butler knotted the match at 22-22 and 23-23, winning the final two points to take a 2-0 lead. Set point was decided by a Grunze kill, her tenth of the set. The Bulldogs hit .306 in the set.

SET 3: Butler 26-24
Butler's first lead of the third set came at 23-22 and the Bulldogs were able to hold on for a 26-24 win in the deciding frame. For the third set in a row, Grunze led the Bulldogs with six kills.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
 

• Butler and Seton Hall previously met Oct. 14 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as the Bulldogs defended their home court by a score of 3-1.
• Grunze was the only player in the match to reach double figures in kills. She recorded a double-double with 12 digs, adding two solo blocks.
• Shackelford's nine kills and 14 digs were both the second-best marks on the team, respectively. She has posted double-digit digs in three of the team's last four matches, the first three times in her career registering 10+ digs. 
• Libero Jaymeson Kinley finished with 18 digs.
• Freshman setter Cora Taylor had 30 assists.
• Jenna Walsh led Seton Hall with nine kills.

 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to Indianapolis for a few days before heading back east for their final road trip of the regular season, traveling to Villanova Saturday and Georgetown Sunday. Those are two of Butler's final four matches of the BIG EAST regular season as the Bulldogs make a run toward qualifying for the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament.