MATCH NOTES I WATCH BU vs SHU I WATCH BU VS STJ

INDIANAPOLIS - The Butler volleyball team will hit the road towards the East coast for the final time this season. The Bulldogs will first stop in South Orange, N.J. to face Seton Hall, on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 PM. The weekend will come to a close with a match in Queens, N.Y. on Saturday, Oct. 28 against St. John's with the first serve slated for 5 PM.

Bulldog Bits
-For the fourth week in a row, the Bulldogs finished with a 1-1 record against the BIG EAST opponents to move to a 4-6 record in conference 10-11 overall record.
-Butler hosted Marquette and DePaul last weekend losing in three sets to the Golden Eagles before then surviving against the Blue Demons in a five-set thriller.
-The Bulldogs completed a reverse sweep against DePaul Saturday night for the first time since BU won the last three sets against Seton Hall in Nov. 2019. 
-As a team, Butler ranks second in the conference with 12.97 kills per set while also sitting in third with 12.17 assists per set and 15.99 digs per set.
-The Bulldogs jumped to second in the country with an average 38.50 attacks per set.
-Jaymeson Kinley holds an average of 5.03 digs per set, which ranks second in the BIG EAST and 22nd in the nation. 
-Butler owns a 14-6 all-time record against Seton Hall. The Bulldogs have won 10 of the last 11 matches against the Pirates including a 3-1 victory over them at Hinkle three weeks ago. 
-On the other hand, St. John's leads the all-time series against the Bulldogs with an 11-8 record. Butler has also been swept in the last three meetings including a 3-0 loss at home earlier this month. 
-Cora Taylor was selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
-Taylor collected 50 assists and 17 digs Saturday night against DePaul to earn her seventh double-double of the season. 
-Elise Ward played a huge factor in Saturday's comeback win over the Blue Demons after she racked up a match-high 17 kills along with 17 digs.
-Ward leads all BIG EAST freshman hitters with five double-doubles this season.
-Grace Boggess set a new career-high with 12 kills in the match against DePaul.

SCOUTING SETON HALL: The Pirates and Bulldogs have gone through pretty similar seasons as both teams sit at 4-6 in the conference and 10-11 overall. Seton Hall finished the non-conference schedule with a 6-5 record that included a notable four-set loss against No. 13 Penn State. In BIG EAST conference play, the Pirates began 2-0 after sweeping Providence and UConn but then lost the next five matches including a 3-1 loss against Butler. Seton Hall has since won two of their last three matches with their last win on Saturday in a five-set thriller against Georgetown.

The Pirates rank in the middle of the pack this season in all the statistical categories except for blocks where the team sits at third with 2.09 blocks per set. Asli Subasili is their top weapon at the net as she ranks fifth in the conference with 1.00 blocks per set. 

SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S: The Red Storm head into the match with the third-best record in the BIG EAST at 8-2 along with a 16-6 overall record. St. John's started the season 8-4 during the non-conference schedule headlined by a 3-1 victory over Ole Miss. The Johnnies continued their success during the conference action jumping out to a 3-0 record before falling to No. 16 Creighton. They soon got back on track winning the next five matches including a 3-2 win over Marquette to give them the first and only loss in the conference this season. However, the Red Storm most recently fell short Saturday night in a four-set loss at Villanova. 

St. John's has posted the top average with 14.15 kills per set and 13.12 assists per set in the BIG EAST matches this season. Erin Jones holds the third-best average in the conference with 3.62 kills per set.

SETON HALL AT BUTLER (Oct. 6): Butler earned the first conference win of the season against Seton Hall in a four-set victory (24-26 25-16, 25-18, 25-18) at Hinkle Fieldhouse during their first meeting of the season. After losing the first set, the Bulldogs hit .366 as a team in the final three sets to secure the victory. 

Abby Maesch led the team with 19 kills while Jaymeson Kinley added a match-high 23 digs. Elise Ward also set her career-high with 18 digs in the match. 

ST. JOHN'S AT BUTLER (Oct. 7): St. John's swept Butler (29-27 25-13, 25-21) in a grueling three-set match. Both teams struggled to keep the ball in play with each team hitting for under .200, but the Red Storm finished with 44 kills compared to Butler's 29 kills. 

The Bulldogs outdueled the Johnnies at the net tallying 14 blocks to the Johnnies 12 blocks. Destiny Cherry led the match with four blocks Cora Taylor and Grace Boggess each had three blocks

CORA EARNS BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS: Sophomore setter Cora Taylor was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after registering double-doubles in both matches against Marquette and DePaul last weekend. Taylor totaled 76 assists (9.50 per set) and 27 digs across the eight sets. She collected 50 assists and 17 digs Saturday night against the Blue Demons to earn her seventh double-double of the season. 

Taylor leads the conference with 812 assists (10.41 assists per set) while pacing the Bulldog offense that ranks third with 12.17 assists per set.

ATTACKS GALORE: The Bulldog offense currently ranks second in the NCAA with an average of 38.50 attacks per set while their total attacks cracked the 3K mark at 3,003, which is 56th in the country. Butler moved up two spots from last week and they now only sit behind Tulsa who holds an average of 39.38. 

Mariah Grunze leads the team with an average of 11.16 attacks per set ranking second in the BIG EAST and 23rd in the nation.

GRACEFUL PRECISION: Grace Boggess has continued to make the most of her opportunities this season. She leads the team with a hitting percentage of .320 that ranks sixth in the BIG EAST and an average of 1.05 blocks per set, which ranks fourth in the conference. 

Boggess set a new career-high with 12 kills in Saturday's match against DePaul. She has also recorded at least one block in her last nine matches moving her season total to 69 blocks.

QUEEN OF THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Elise Ward earned her fifth double-double of the season after racking up a match-high 17 kills along with 17 digs against DePaul. 

Her mark of five double-doubles leads all BIG EAST freshman hitters this season.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will travel back to Indianapolis for the final homestand of the season beginning with matches against Villanova and Georgetown. 

The Bulldogs will face Villanova on Nov. 3 at 6 PM followed by another match the next day against Georgetown on Nov. 5 at noon.