INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler volleyball team will open the 2023 season with a home tournament on August 25. Three additional non-conference tournaments will follow on the schedule before the start of BIG EAST play on Sept. 20. In all, the Bulldogs will host 13 matches inside Hinkle Fieldhouse during the 2023 campaign!

Butler will host Kent State, Fresno State and UC San Diego opening weekend in the Bulldog Brawl. The season opener against the Golden Flashes is set for Aug. 25 at 12 PM and BU will return to the court that night at 7 PM for the Battle of the Bulldogs.

The 2023 team will be under the new leadership of head coach Kyle Shondell. "With the group of teams that are coming to Hinkle for opening weekend, August 25th can't get here soon enough!" exclaimed Shondell.

The month of September will open with Butler participating in the Dayton Invite. The Flyers will host North Dakota State and Ohio along with the Bulldogs. BU will face NDSU and Ohio on Friday before playing a single match vs. the host on Saturday afternoon.

The third non-conference tournament on the schedule will send Butler to Morehead State. The Eagles will host the MSU Comfort Inn-vitational against BU, Northern Kentucky and Indiana State. The schedule sticks with the Bulldogs playing two games on Friday followed by just one on Saturday against the host institution.

"I see great value to playing eight non-conference teams from the Midwest," stated Shondell. "Not only does it allow our fans to see more of our matches, it also gives us a chance to start battling some of those programs that are built on Midwest talent."

To wrap-up the non-conference portion of the schedule, Butler will play a pair of games in the Tru by Hilton Invitational. Host Wright State will play Butler on Thursday and Cincinnati will follow on Friday during the two-day event. Each contest is slated for a 2 PM start.

Of the 11 non-conference opponents on the schedule, three were top-100 in the 2022 RPI rankings. Wright State was 47^th, Northern Kentucky was 84^th, and Ohio came in a 96^th. Dayton was just outside that group.

BIG EAST action starts on a Wednesday night this year with Butler hosting Xavier on Sept. 20. The first weekend match will be a test for BU as the 'Dawgs host the Creighton Bluejays on Sept. 22.

In October, Butler will host matches against Seton Hall (Oct. 6), St. John's (Oct. 7), Marquette (Oct. 20) and DePaul (Oct. 21). They have a string of four-straight home matches in November against Villanova (Nov. 3), Georgetown (Nov. 5), UConn (Nov. 10) and Providence (Nov. 12).

Shondell noted that recent BIG EAST powers Creighton and Marquette finished the 2022 season with respective RPI rankings of 12 and 14. "The BIG EAST slate will always be a challenge," he stated. "This season is no different, so we will make sure we're ready for it."

The 'Dawgs are coming off a 16-15 2022 season that included a 10-8 record against conference foes. Two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year, Jaymeson Kinley, is back for her final season at BU along with last year's kill leader, Mariah Grunze.