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INDIANAPOLIS – Prior to the start of BIG EAST play, Butler will host Ohio, Missouri, and Central Michigan in the 2022 Bulldog Brawl. The Bulldogs will play Thursday, Friday and Saturday night with each match getting underway at 6 PM. Notre Dame will also be in action this weekend at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but the Irish will not face the Bulldogs this weekend.

2022 Bulldog Brawl Match Schedule
Thursday - 6 PM: Ohio at Butler

Friday - 12 PM: Ohio vs. Missouri
Friday - 3 PM: Central Michigan vs. Notre Dame
Friday - 6 PM: Missouri at Butler

Saturday - 12 PM: Central Michigan vs. Missouri
Saturday - 3 PM: Notre Dame vs. Ohio
Saturday - 6 PM: Central Michigan at Butler
 
Bulldog Bits
- The 2022 Bulldogs hold a 6-3 record, sitting in fourth in the BIG EAST standings.
- Butler finished with a 2-1 record last weekend in the Boise State Classic with 3-0 wins against Eastern Washington and Southern Utah and with the lone loss to host Boise State in 3-1 fashion.
- The Bulldog attack had its best consecutive performances of the season after reaching nearly 50 kills (50, 50, 48) in all three matches of the Boise State Classic.
- The Bulldogs are second in the BIG EAST and 63rd in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (0.167).
- Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.28) and third in total team blocks (73).
- Jaymeson Kinley is third in the BIG EAST and 33rd in the nation in digs per set (4.94). Kinley leads the team with 158 digs and is second on the team with eight aces.
- Megan Sheridan and Grunze are the Bulldogs lead attackers with 91 and 109 kills respectively.
- Taylor Cora has been key to orchestrating the Butler attack, recording a team high 253 assist so far. Cora is fourth in the BIG EAST and 75th nationally in assists per set.
- Butler leads the all-time series record against Ohio (4-0), is even with Missouri (1-1), and behind in the series with Central Michigan (2-6).
- Maddie Renn leads BU with nine service aces she had a season-high four against Oakland this year and posted two last weekend in Idaho.
- Marisa Guisti, Autumn Flowers and Amina Shackelford lead BU in blocks (34, 27, 26).
 
SCOUTING OHIO: The Bobcats have begun the season with a 5-3 record. They opened the year with two tough losses to nationally ranked opponents in #19 Marquette (3-0) and #13 Kentucky (3-0). Ohio then turned things around going undefeated at the Green Wave Classic with wins against Kansas City (3-0), Howard (3-1), and host Tulane (3-1). Last weekend, Ohio hosted the Bobcat Invitational and beat Bradley (3-0) and Loyola Maryland (3-1), while suffering one defeat to Tennessee Tech (3-1).
 
Ohio was selected to finish second in the MAC East Division in the preseason poll. Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Clippard and junior libero Sam Steele earned Preseason All-MAC honors.
 
SCOUTING MISSOURI: The Tigers traveled to South Dakota to start the season with the South Dakota Tournament. They ended the weekend 1-2 after beating Northern Kentucky (3-2) and losing to #3 Louisville (3-0) and South Dakota (3-2). The Tigers then had an undefeated weekend after hosting the Mizzou Invitational with wins against Abilene Christian (3-1), Missouri State (3-0), and Northeastern State (3-0). Missouri's most recent matchup with Kansas State ended in a defeat for the Tigers (3-2) giving them a 4-3 record to start the season.
 
Missouri was picked to finish 11th in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. They return star player Anna Dixon who earned a spot on the 2022 Preseason All-SEC team. The Tigers also add five new freshmen, a recruiting class that ranked top 15 in the nation.
 
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas have started the season with a 6-2 record. They defeated the likes of Eastern Washington (3-0) and Memphis (3-2) while suffering a lone loss to Nicholls (3-2) in the Memphis Tiger Brawl. At the Billiken Invitational, hosted by Saint Louis, Central Michigan went 3-0, only losing one set all weekend after wins against Youngstown State (3-0), St. Thomas (3-1), and Saint Louis (3-0). Most recently, the Chippewas traveled to North Dakota State to participate in the North Dakota Tournament. They beat host, North Dakota (3-2) but lost to Chicago State (3-1).
 
Central Michigan was picked to finish fifth in the MAC West Division Preseason Poll. Returning sophomore Aly Gurtiza earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman team after the 2021 season, leading the MAC in digs per set (5.34). Sophomore Linnea Willer ranked second on the team a year ago with 268 kills.
 
GRUNZE MAKES BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL: Butler outside hitter Mariah Grunze earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after her performance at the Boise State Classic. She finished third in the BIG EAST in kills (4.20) and second in points (4.85) with two of the top scoring performances of the weekend with 19.0 points against Eastern Washington and 16.5 against Southern Utah.
 
Grunze and Jaymeson Kinley were selected to the Boise State Classic All-Tournament Team following Saturday's match vs. Southern Utah. Kinley had a team-best 51 digs over the team's three matches, while Grunze posted 42 kills and 25 digs.
 
HEATING UP: Butler hit above .200 in every match last weekend. Their clip of .300 against Southern Utah was their second-best attack percentage of the season. BU also hit .298 against Eastern Washington marking their third highest percentage of the season.
 
Butler's best team attack percentage of the season came against Hofstra (.369). BU made 41 kills on 84 swings with just 10 errors.
 
SHERIDAN SHINES VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON: Megan Sheridan hit .485 against the Eagles last Friday to post the highest attack percentage of any Bulldog this season. The senior recorded 17 kills on 33 swings with just one error!
 
Sheridan is averaging 2.94 kills per set and leads the team with her .335 attack percentage.
 
SET THE TABLE: Cora Taylor set a new season-high dig total at Boise State with 42 against the Broncos.
 
Cora also set a new season-high total in a three-set match with 38 assists vs. Southern Utah.
 
UP NEXT: Butler will open up BIG EAST action next weekend with an 8 PM match at DePaul. The next night BU will face the #19 Marquette Golden Eagles at 7 PM.
 
The first four BIG EAST matches of the season will all be played on the road for the Bulldogs. Trips to #17 Creighton and Xavier are also coming up on the schedule.