MATCH NOTES I WATCH BU VS. PU I WATCH BU VS. UCONN

INDIANAPOLIS - The Butler volleyball team will look to bounce back on their second conference road trip of the season on the East Coast. The Bulldogs will head to Providence on Friday, Oct. 13 at 6 PM to face the Friars. The weekend will come to a close with a match on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 4 PM against UConn. 

Bulldog Bits
-For the second week in the row, the Bulldogs went 1-1 against Seton Hall and St. John's to move to a record of 2-4 in conference and 8-9 overall on the season.
-Butler earned their first conference win at home in a four-set victory over the Pirates before  then losing in three sets against the Red Storm. 
-This season, Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST with 13.03 kills per set and 12.21 assist pet set while they sit in third with 15.78 digs per set
-BU moved up to sixth in the country with an average of 38.02 attacks per set
-Jaymeson Kinley sits at second in the conference this season with an average of 5.08 digs per set, which ranks 18th in the country. 
-Kinley moved to second on Butler's all-time career dig list last week after her total reached 1774 digs
-Cora Taylor leads the BIG EAST this season with 10.37 assists per set, which also ranks 29th in the nation. 
-Butler has never lost to Providence holding an all-time record of 17-0. The Bulldogs have only dropped a total of four sets in those matches with their last meeting in Providence resulting in a 3-1 BU victory. 
-UConn and Butler hold a split all-time series of 2-2. The Bulldogs knocked off the Huskies during their last meeting in a five-set thriller last season
-Elise Ward set a new personal best against Seton Hall last week with 18 digs while adding 11 kills en route to her third career double-double.
-Abby Maesch just missed her seventh double-double of the season after tallying 19 kills and nine digs against Seton Hall last Friday
-Maesch ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 4.10 points per match during conference play
-Grace Boggess hit for an average of .414 with 16 kills to just four errors against Seton Hall and St. John's last weekend
-Boggess is nine kills shy of reaching 100 kills this season for the first time in her collegiate career.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: The Friars have been on a roller coaster this season filled with plenty of ups and downs. Providence holds a 2-4 record in conference and an 8-10 overall record. The season began on a four-game losing streak before winning the next six matches including victories over Saint Peter's and Bryant. The Friars then went cold, losing six of their next seven matches. This losing streak extended into conference action where the team was swept in their first four matches against Seton Hall, St. John's, DePaul, and Marquette. Last weekend, the Friars bounced back with thrilling five-set victories over Georgetown and Villanova. 

Providence has struggled on offense during conference play, ranking last in four different categories, including kills per set, assists per set, digs per set, and serving aces per set. The Bulldogs have to watch out for Lyric Berry whose 1.15 blocks per set is second in the BIG EAST play this season. 

SCOUTING UCONN: The Huskies sit at the bottom of the BIG EAST standings and are the last remaining team without a win in the conference this season. UConn began the season with a 5-7 record with wins over Merrimack and Rhode Island along with challenges against Michigan State and Florida State losing both matches 3-0. Their last win dates back to Sept. 16 where they beat Binghampton in five sets. The Huskies then hit conference play where they have lost six straight matches. Last weekend, UConn fell to Villanova 3-0 and Georgetown 3-1.

Emma Werkminster has been one of the few bright spots for UConn totaling a team-high 204 kills (3.04 kills per set) this season. Werkminster ranks sixth in conference matches with an average of 3.50 kills per set. 

PROMINENT PINS: Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch have been the Butler's top two weapons on offense this season. The pin-hitting duo are the only group of student-athletes in the BIG EAST to each have been set the ball over 580 times this season. Grunze holds the second-highest average in the conference with 10.77 attacks per set, which ranks 39th in the country, while Maesch sits fourth in the conference at 9.80 attacks per set. 

Butler's outside hitters have also been able to capitalize on the attacks. Grunze's average of 3.44 kills per set is fifth in the conference while Maesch is right behind her in sixth with an average of 3.36 kills per set. 

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley moved to second on Butler's all-time career digs list after her total reached 1774 career digs. Kinley is now just 235 digs away from passing Katie Daprile's record of 2009 career digs to become Butler's all-time leader in career digs. She currently sits second in the BIG EAST with 5.04 digs per set, which ranks 21st in the NCAA. 

Kinley has led the match in digs during 11 of Butler's 16 matches this season. She currently sits second in the BIG EAST with 5.04 digs per set, which ranks 21st in the NCAA. 

GRACEFUL PRECISION: Grace Boggess has been one of Butler's most reliable hitters on offense this season. The standout middle blocker has notched 91 kills while limiting her mistakes to just 24 errors. She currently ranks sixth in the BIG EAST after boosting her season-hitting percentage to .319. 

Boggess hit .414 percent in the matches against Seton Hall and St. John's last weekend. She registered 16 kills to just four errors including the match against the Pirates where she hit for a .500 hitting percentage. 

A TALE OF TWO MATCHES: Last week, Butler had one of their best and worst matches of the season. The Bulldogs dominated the match against Seton Hall last Friday posting the highest hitting percentage (.331) and most number of digs (78) this season. The following day against St. John's was the complete opposite as Butler then had their lowest hitting percentage (.051) and number of digs (40) in a match.

Three Bulldogs collected digs in the double figures in Butler's 78 dig performance against Seton Hall, including Jaymeson Kinley (23), Elise Ward (18), and Cora Taylor (12). This mark was the first time Butler reached 78 or more digs in a four-set match since they had 89 digs against Georgetown 369 days ago.  

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will return home to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Marquette, who is undefeated in conference play, and DePaul.

The Bulldogs will face Marquette on Oct. 20 at 6 PM followed by another match the next day against DePaul on Oct. 21 at 5 PM.