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

INDIANAPOLIS - The Butler volleyball team will play their final matches inside Hinkle Fieldhouse this season against UConn and Providence. The Bulldogs will welcome the Huskies on Friday, at noon followed by another match on Sunday against the Friars with the first serve slated for noon. 

Bulldog Bits
-Butler dropped to ninth in the BIG EAST standings with a conference record of 4-10 and an overall record of 10-14
-In their last five matches, the Bulldogs have gone to five sets but lost their last four games, including losses last week to Villanova and Georgetown
-Mariah Grunze cracked 1,000 career kills in Sunday's match against Georgetown
-Grunze collected the most kills by any Bulldog this season with a new career-high 23 kills in Friday's match against Villanova
-Jaymeson Kinley is the lone graduating senior on the team and is set to play her final match at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Sunday against Providence
-Kinley combined for 47 digs (4.70 per set) and 15 assists in both matches last weekend 
-Cora Taylor has racked up six double-doubles in the last seven matches totaling 93 assists and 23 digs in both matches last weekend
-Taylor is seven assists away from 1,000 assists this season and 15 away from 2,000 career assists
-Grace Boggess has hit over .400 in her last four matches moving her season total to .343, which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST
-Elise Ward hit for .379 with 15 kills (3.00 per set) in the match against Georgetown.
-The Bulldogs tied their season-high of 64 assists while hosting the Hoyas on Sunday afternoon
-UConn leads the all-time series against Butler with a record of 3-2 after they beat the Bulldogs at home 3-1 earlier this season
-BU carries an undefeated record of 18-0 against Providence this weekend. Butler swept the Friars in Rhode Island last month. 

SCOUTING UCONN: The Huskies still dwell at the bottom of the BIG EAST standings with a 2-12 conference record and a 7-19 overall record. UConn began the season with a 5-7 record with challenges against Michigan State and Florida State losing both matches 3-0. Since they've hit conference play, their success began to dwindle dropping their first seven matches. The Huskies then flipped the script knocking off Butler and Providence 3-1 before going back to only winning one set in their last five matches. 

UConn has struggled with accuracy on offense holding the worst hitting percentage in the conference at .177. The Huskies run their offense through Emma Werkmeister, who has been set the ball 200 more times than any other UConn hitter. 

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: Similar to the Huskies, the Friars have also struggled in the BIG EAST this year ranking 10th with a conference record of 2-12 and 8-18 overall. Providence started with a 6-6 non-conference record that included a five-match winning streak. However, they hit a wall once BIG EAST action kicked off being swept in their first four matches. The roller coaster ride picked up after the Friars rattled off back-to-back wins on the road over Georgetown and Villanova. This was their peak as Providence have since lost their last eight matches. 

Providence has struggled on defense allowing the most kills and assists this season. Junior outside hitter Shaliyah Rhoden has been the lone bright spot on the team after being named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after averaging 4.47 kills per set. 

BUTLER AT PROVIDENCE (Oct. 13): The Bulldogs swept the Friars on the road (25-21, 25-20, 25-23) to earn their third win of the season. Butler played outstanding defense, collecting a season-high for a three-set match with 55 digs while limiting Providence to just a .185 hitting percentage.  

Mariah Grunze led the match with 13 kills while freshman Laiya Ebo stepped up in the absence of Abby Maesch to hit for a team-high .412 with 10 kills during her first career conference match. 

BUTLER AT UCONN (Oct. 14): Butler gave UConn their first conference win of the season after the Huskies won 3-1. All four sets came down to the wire with neither team winning each set by more than four points. 

Despite the outcome of the match, Laiya Ebo shined even brighter on Saturday, topping her performance from Friday's match after hitting a career-high .522 while racking up 14 kills and two blocks.

FIVE-SET STREAK: The Bulldogs have played in 25 sets throughout their last five matches, which is the most in a five-match span in program history. No Butler team has played more than three five-set matches in a row let alone five matches. During the span of matches, the Bulldogs won their first match in a reverse sweep against DePaul, but have since lost their last four matches. 

Butler has a chance to increase the streak to six or even seven matches this weekend against UConn and Providence.

GRUNZE REACHES 1K: Mariah Grunze cracked 1,000 career kills last weekend against Georgetown. Her total now sits at 1008 kills and her average of 3.43 kills is currently at the highest of her career. The Waterford, Wis. native also became one of only 41 student-athletes in the NCAA to reach 1,000 attempts this season after she reached 1066 total attacks. 

Grunze capped off an incredible weekend setting a new career-high at 23 kills in the match against Villanova Friday night. She earned double-doubles in both matches last week totaling 41 kills and 28 digs. 

KINLEY'S LAST DANCE: Jaymeson Kinley is set to play her final matches at home of her collegiate career. The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year has racked up plenty of accolades while in a Bulldog uniform including the top two season marks in total digs and digs per set in program history. Her total of career digs sits at 1930, which is 79 digs away from becoming Butler's all-time leader in digs.

Kinley is the lone graduating senior on the team and will be recognized by the Bulldogs after Sunday's match against Providence.

ALL EYES ON TAYLOR: Cora Taylor is set to reach two achievements this weekend. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection is seven assists away from 1,000 assists this season and 15 away from 2,000 career assists. Her average of 10.13 assists also still leads the conference this season.

Taylor registered double-doubles in both matches this weekend after totaling 93 assists and 23 digs. She has now earned six double-doubles in her last seven matches

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will hit the road for their final conference matches of the season next weekend at Xavier and Creighton.

The Bulldogs will face Xavier on Wed. Nov. 15 at noon followed by a match against Creighton on Sunday, Nov. 19 at noon.