MATCH NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team returns to action this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Bulldogs will be in Omaha to face #21 Creighton on Friday night at 7:30 PM. The weekend ends with a 1 PM match at Xavier on Sunday.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Amina Shackelford recorded a career-high 22 kills at DePaul last Friday. She hit .390 against the Blue Demons and .308 vs. the Golden Eagles.
- Shackelford now has 404 career kills at Butler.
- Cora Taylor notched two double-doubles last weekend with 49 assists and 16 digs at DePaul followed by 30 assists and 10 digs at Marquette.
- Taylor's 49 assists vs. the Blue Demons are a new season-high.
- Mariah Grunze ranks third in the BIG EAST and 53rd in the NCAA in attacks per set (10.62).
- The Bulldogs set season-high totals with 63 kills, 53 assists and 83 digs last weekend at DePaul.
- Jenna Splitt had three service aces at DePaul.
- Grace Boggess is just two kills shy of 100 for her BU career.
- Every team in the BIG EAST except Butler opened the weekend either 2-0 or 0-2. Butler's 1-1 record puts them right in the middle of the conference standings.
- Butler is third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (2.20) and tied for third in total blocks (110).
- The Bulldogs are fourth in the BIG EAST opponent hitting percentage (.192).
- Creighton leads the all-time series against Butler 17-1. The last win for the Bulldogs came in 2013 in a 3-1 fashion.
- Xavier is leading the all-time series against Butler 23-18, but Butler swept the Musketeers last season winning 3-0 and 3-1.
 
SCOUTING #21 CREIGHTON: The Bluejays are nationally ranked with an 11-3 overall record. They started the season with three-straight wins against Iowa State (3-0), Wichita State (3-1) and Wyoming (3-1), in the Rumble in the Rockies Tournament. Creighton continued their hot start, beating #25 USC (3-1) and Northern Iowa (3-0) while suffering their first loss to #16 Kentucky (1-3). The last of their non-conference slate featured losses to then #2 Nebraska (2-3) and Rice (2-3) with wins against Florida State (3-2), Omaha (3-2), and Kansas State (3-1). The Bluejays started conference play 2-0 last weekend, sweeping Georgetown and Villanova. They improved to 3-0 Wednesday night with a sweep against Xavier.
 
Creighton was picked as preseason favorites to win the BIG EAST. Kendra Wait, Jaela Zimmerman, and Norah Sis were selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Sis was selected as Preseason Player of the Year and currently leads the conference in kills per set (3.89).
 
SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers took a four-match winning streak into Omaha, but would fall to the Bluejays on Wednesday night 3-0 to move their overall record to 9-4. The year opened with Xavier posting three-straight wins in five-set thrillers. They narrowly defeated UAB, Cleveland State and host Buffalo before hosting a tournament of their own in Week 2. At the Cintas Center, Xavier lost 3-2 to Virginia, but bounced back with a 3-1 win vs. Eastern Michigan and a sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne. They challenged themselves the following weekend in Louisville, taking 3-0 losses to both Lipscomb and #9 Purdue. The final two tests before the start of BIG EAST play put the Musketeers in action at Miami Ohio and then back home vs. Cincinnati. Xavier won each match 3-2 giving them a 5-1 record in five-set matches. The challenging non-conference slate seemed to work as Xavier made quick work of both Villanova and Georgetown last weekend. They swept each opponent at home.
 
Xavier was picked to finish eighth in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll, one spot below Butler. Carrigan O'Reilly was chosen to the Preseason All-Conference Team. She led the BIG EAST in assists per set (12.33) in conference play after the first weekend.
 
SHACKELFORD NAMED TO BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL: In a 1-1 week, Shackelford finished No. 2 in the BIG EAST in kills (4.00) and No. 4 in points (4.44); She posted a BIG EAST single-match high last week of 22 kills in Friday's win at DePaul.
 
Shackelford is the third Bulldog to earn a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this season joining Mariah Grunze (Sept. 13) and Jaymeson Kinley (Aug. 29).
 
BIG EAST LEADER: Jaymeson Kinley leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks 16th in the NCAA in digs per set (5.18).
 
Kinley recorded a season-high 26 digs at DePaul and 25 at Marquette to average 6.38 digs per set last weekend.
 
FIVE SETS: Nearly half of Xavier's matches this season have been decided in five sets (6 of 13). Butler has only played in one five set contest, a victory opening weekend over Akron.
 
The Bulldogs had to come back to defeat Akron. They won the first and fourth set before finishing the Zips off 15-8 in the fifth.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Butler is playing four-straight road matches during conference play for the first time since 2017. That season, BU played at #17 Creighton, at Providence, at DePaul and at Marquette from Oct. 13-21. They went 3-1 during that stretch with a tough 3-2 loss at Creighton followed by 3-0 wins over the Friars and Blue Demons. BU finished the road trip with a 3-2 win against the Golden Eagles.
 
Butler went 23-8 during the 2017 season and made the BIG EAST Conference Tournament that season.
 
HOT AT HOME: Both Creighton and Xavier have played some of their best volleyball on their home courts. The Bluejays are 5-2 at home with each setback coming to a nationally ranked opponent. Xavier is 5-1 at home with their lone loss coming in five sets to a top ACC opponent in Virginia.
 
The Bulldogs are just 1-3 on the road this year with their first win coming at DePaul last Friday in Chicago.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Freshman setter Cora Taylor leads the team with four double-doubles this season. She had two last weekend to open up BIG EAST action.
 
Taylor's first double-double included 42 assists and 10 digs at Boise State. She notched 28 assists and 11 digs at Missouri.
 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time since Sept. 17 next weekend to host Georgetown in the BIG EAST home opener. BU will also host Villanova on Sunday for a 1 PM matchup.
 
Butler leads the all-time series against Georgetown (14-3) and Villanova (10-7).