MATCH NOTES I WATCH BU VS SHU

INDIANAPOLIS. - The Butler volleyball team preps for a busy weekend at home against two BIG EAST foes. The Bulldogs will open the week in Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday against Seton Hall at 6 PM. The weekend will come to a close with a match on Saturday at 5 PM against St. John's. 

Bulldog Bits
-The Bulldogs returned from their first conference road trip with a 1-1 record against Georgetown and Villanova to move to a 1-3 conference record and a 7-8 overall record on the season. 
-Butler lost in four sets at Georgetown before earning their first BIG EAST conference win with a sweep at Villanova.
-Jaymeson Kinley holds a conference-best 282 total digs this season and her average of 5.04 digs per set ranks 21st in the country.
-Kinley is just one dig shy of moving to second in Butler's all-time career digs list.  
-Cora Taylor leads the BIG EAST with 10.48 assists per set, which also ranks 27th in the nation. 
-As a team, Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST with 13.00 kills per set, 12.16 assists per set, and 15.64 digs per set
-The Bulldogs sit ninth nationally with 37.98 attacks per set
-BU holds a 12-6 record against Seton Hall. The Bulldogs have won nine of the last 10 matches against the Pirates including a four-set victory in their last match.
-The Bulldogs also lead the all-time series against St. John's with an 11-7 record. However, the Red Storm have had Butler's number recently sweeping them in both matches last season. 
- Abby Maesch notched her sixth double-double of the season against Georgetown last weekend with a match-high 18 kills and 10 digs. 
-Maesch cracked 100 digs this season for the first time in her collegiate career.
-Destiny Cherry has hit .439 percent with 21 kills and three errors in the conference matches, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. 

SCOUTING SETON HALL: The Pirates currently sit at seventh in the BIG EAST with a 2-2 conference record and an 8-7 overall record. Seton Hall finished the non-conference schedule with a 6-5 record that included notable wins over UC Irvine and San Francisco. The team also faced off against No. 13 Penn State falling in four sets. At the start of BIG EAST conference play, the Pirates began with a 2-0 record after sweeping UConn and Providence. However, last week was a different story on the road after they lost 3-1 to St. John's in Queens and then got swept by No. 16 Creighton in Omaha. 

Seton Hall holds a strong presence at the net ranking in the BIG EAST with 2.31 blocks per set. The Bulldogs have to keep an eye on middle blockers Asli Subasili and Hanna Tulli, who sit at second and fourth in the conference for blocks per set. 

SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S: The Red Storm will enter the match on Saturday with the second most wins in the BIG EAST this season at 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference. St. John's started the season 8-4 highlighted by a five-match winning streak that included wins over Ole Miss and CSU Bakersfield. They then faced the challenges of No. 16 Arkansas and Buffalo losing 3-1 in both matches. The Red Storm bounced back in BIG EAST play winning the first three matches before dropping in three sets to the No. 16 Blue Jays on Friday night. 

St. John's ranks second in the BIG EAST with a hitting percentage (.236), 13.23 kills per set, and 12.23 assists per set through the first four conference matches. Erin Jones has found the most success on offense leading the team with 3.62 kills per set this season.

JAYMESON JUMPS TO THIRD: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley jumped to third on Butler's all-time list with 1736 career digs last weekend. After her marks of 618 digs and 5.42 digs per set became the best marks in program history last season, Kinley is now just one dig away from moving up to second in career digs and is currently on pace to break the record of 2009 career digs this season. 

Kinley has totaled a match-high for digs in 10 of their 15 matches this season. She sits second in the BIG EAST with 5.04 digs per set, which ranks 21st in the country. 

MASH MASH MAESCH: Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has continued her breakout season for the Bulldogs. The local product from Avon, Ind. is currently second on the team with 178 kills. Maesch cracked the 100 dig mark last week for the first time in her collegiate career reaching 104 digs. She has racked up six double-doubles on the season so far including one against Georgetown last week where she had 18 kills and 12 digs. 

Maesch was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. She posted 30 kills (4.29 per set) 35 points (5.00 per set) and 14 digs (2.00 digs per set) against Georgetown and Villanova last week. 

TACTICAL TAYLOR: Setter Cora Taylor has quickly become one of the nation's top setters this season. The former BIG EAST Freshman selection currently leads the conference with an average of 10.48 assists per set, which ranks 27th in the nation. She currently sits at 1579 career assists and is on pace to reach the top 10 of Butler's all-time career list leaders in just her second collegiate season. 

Taylor collected 81 assists (11.57 assists per set) along with 17 digs last weekend against Georgetown and Villanova. 

MIDDLES ON THE MARK: Middle blockers Grace Boggess and Destiny Cherry have been reliable options on offense for the Bulldogs this season. Boggess holds a team-high .303 hitting percentage, which also ranks seventh in the BIG EAST. Cherry has hit for an average of .439 during conference play with 21 kills to just three errors, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. 

In the last three matches, Boggess and Cherry have limited their mistakes making just one attacking error per match while totaling a combined 29 kills over this span. 

MAGIC NUMBER THREE: As a team, the Bulldogs rank third in the conference for three different categories. Butler sits at third with 13.00 kills per set, 12.16 assists per set, and 15.64 digs per set. 

The Bulldogs set a new season-high in kills during a three-set match with 45 kills against Villanova last Saturday. 

HINKLE HAVEN: The Bulldogs currently hold a 3-2 record inside Hinkle Fieldhouse this season. Butler won all three matches at the Bulldog Brawl to open their season, but have since dropped their first two conference home appearances falling 3-0 against Xavier and Creighton. Both Seton Hall and St. John's are also still in search of their first conference road win this season. They each were swept by No. 16 Creighton and the Pirates fell to the Red Storm in Queens 3-1. 

Butler finished last season with a 9-5 record at home that included a win over Seton Hall 3-1 and a loss to St. John's 3-0. 

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will hit the road again next weekend, heading back to the east coast to face Providence and UConn. 

The Bulldogs will compete at Providence on Oct. 13 at 6 PM, followed by a match the next day at UConn on Oct. 14 at 6 PM.