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ButlerVB Recap Graphic 11/03/23 1
Zach Bolinger
3
Winner Villanova VU 16-9,7-6 Big East
2
Butler Butler 10-14,4-9 Big East
Winner
Villanova VU
16-9,7-6 Big East
3
Final
2
Butler Butler
10-14,4-9 Big East
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Villanova VU 25 12 27 20 15 (3)
Butler Butler 17 25 25 25 10 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Ethan Polak

ButlerVB Drop Five-Set Match at Home to Villanova

INDIANAPOLIS — The Butler volleyball team fell just short to Villanova (25-17, 12-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-10) Friday night in their third-straight five sets. The Bulldogs drop to 4-9 in conference and 10-14 overall. 
 
Set 1: Villanova 25-17
After falling behind 3-0 to start the match, the Bulldogs used four-straight kills topped off by a kill by Grace Boggess to take a 4-3 lead. Villanova would respond with a 4-0 run of their own to extend their lead to 7-4. The back-and-forth battle would only grow as Butler rallied back with a 6-0 spurt using two huge blocks by Destiny Cherry to take a 12-9 lead. The Wildcats then went on an incredible 10-0 spurt to make the score 19-12 and eventually close out the first set at 25-17. 

Set 2: Butler 25-12
The second set was all Bulldogs as they would jump out to a 5-2 lead using kills from Mariah Grunze and Cora Taylor. Butler would add to their lead using consecutive kills by Laiya Ebo and a serving ace by Jaymeson Kinley to lengthen the lead to 10-4. The Bulldogs continued to pile on the score after Cherry's three kills led a 5-0 run to make the score 18-8. Kills by Boggess and Elise Ward helped tie the match up at 1-1. 
 
Set 3: Villanova 27-25
The Wildcats took an early 4-2 lead but kills from Ward and Grunze helped bring the score back to 6-6. Villanova then went on consecutive 4-0 runs to take a 14-7 lead. Boggess then took over the match racking up two blocks and kills to help the Bulldogs on a 6-0 spurt to cut the lead to 20-18. A kill by Grunze and a block by Taylor then helped tie the match at 21-21. The two teams remained in a dead heat until Villanova scored two points in a row to sneak away with the win at 27-25.

Set 4: Butler 25-20
The fourth frame started slow with neither team taking a significant lead until Villanova took a 6-4 lead. A 3-0 run with kills from Grunze and Ebo helped tie the match back at 8-8. Consecutive kills by Grunze then gave the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead The Wildcats would cut the lead to one point at 20-19, but Butler followed with a 4-0 spurt to take a 24-19 and eventually capping off the set with a kill by Boggess.

Set 5: Villanova 15-10
The Bulldogs stormed out to an early lead after 2-1, but the Wildcats responded with a 5-0 run to fly out to a 6-2 lead. Butler would then cut the lead within one point at 6-5 and soon take the lead at 8-7 using kills from Ebo and Grunze. Villanova fought back to regain the lead they would never give up at 10-8 after they closed out the match on a 3-0 run.  

Stat of the Match
After tying her career-high of 21 kills last week at Seton Hall, Mariah Grunze topped her performance setting a new personal record of 23 kills in the match. This was the first time a Bulldog hitter has finished with 23 or more kills in a match since Amina Shackelford collected 24 kills on Sept. 15, 2021. 

Inside the Box Score
  • Taylor earned her ninth double-double of the season with 42 assists and 10 digs
  • Grunze set a new career-high of 23 kills while adding 17 digs to earn her sixth double-double of the season
  • Kinley posted 25 digs and six assists in the match
  • Ward padded the stat sheet with nine kills, 12 digs, and three serving aces. 
  • Boggess finished with a clean sheet after hitting for .464 with six kills, five blocks, and no errors
Up Next 
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow inside Hinkle Fieldhouse against Georgetown with the first serve slated for 1 p.m.

 
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