MATCH NOTES I WATCH

DAYTON, OH. - The Butler volleyball team will head back to Dayton for the Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Invitational this weekend. The Bulldogs will face Wright State on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6 PM and Cincinnati on Friday, Sept. 15 at 2 PM to conclude their non-conference schedule this season. 

2023 Tru By Hilton Beavercreek Invitational
Thursday, September 14
Butler vs Wright State - 6 PM

Friday, September 15
Cincinnati vs. Butler - 2 PM

Saturday, September 16
Cincinnati vs Wright State - 2 PM

Bulldog Bits
-The Bulldogs opened the season with a 5-4 record and currently sit seventh in the conference standings.
-As a team, Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in total kills (454), assists (426) and (551) digs.
-Butler ranks seventh in the nation as a team with 38.00 attacks per set while their 1,330 total attacks rank 25th in the country.
-Mariah Grunze leads the BIG EAST with 371 attacks (10.91 attacks per set), which ranks 23rd in the nation.
-Jaymeson Kinley currently holds a conference-best 181 total digs (5.17 digs per set) this season, which ranks 11th in NCAA.
-Butler has played 26 matches against Wright State with the Bulldogs holding a 15-11 all-time record.
-BU has won the last nine matches against the Raiders with their last loss dating back to 2008.
-Cincinnati leads the all-time series 1-3 against Butler with the Bearcats winning the last matchup in four sets at the 2015 All-American Classic.
-Elise Ward and Cora Taylor were named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team last weekend.
-Ward became the first freshman to tally 20 kills in a match since Anna Logan reached the mark with 21 kills in 2015 against Southern Illinois.
-Four Bulldogs tallied digs in the double digits during the match against Morehead State last weekend, including Kinley (19), Abby Maesch (16), Ward (15) and Reese Bates (11). 

SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders will look to get back on track after starting the season with a 3-6 record while going 1-2 in all three tournaments. Wright State played some of the top-ranked programs in the nation to open the season falling to No. 21 Washington State (3-0) and No. 4 Louisville (3-1) before sweeping Troy. At the Hampton Invitational, the Raiders lost a five-set thriller against Texas A&M and a four-set match against Bowling Green but swept a Loyola Chicago team that was receiving votes. Wright State most recently played at the Dayton Invitational where they beat Ball State in four sets and dropped two matches against UIC (3-1) and Dayton (3-0).
 
Head coach Travers Green returns for just his second season with the program. Green helped lead the Raiders to an 18-0 conference record last season earning the 2022 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors. 

SCOUTING CINCINNATI: The Bearcats head into the tournament with the best overall record at 6-2. Cincinnati swept Alabama State and Indiana State but fell to Xavier in four sets to open the season 2-1. The following weekend, the Bearcats went undefeated at the Golden Eagle Tournament, knocking off Kennesaw State (3-1), East Tennessee State (3-1), and Tennessee Tech (3-0). Last weekend, Cincinnati split the series 1-1 against South Carolina, dropping the first game in five sets followed by a three-set sweep in the next match. 

Jadyn Bauss headlines the Bearcat offense with a team-high 124 kills on the season. Junior Abby Walker, the team leader in blocks, has also been impressive after she hit .556 with 10 kills and no errors in her last game against South Carolina on Saturday. 

LEGENDARY LIBERO: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley has picked up right where she left off totaling a conference-high 181 digs (5.17 digs per set) this season. Kinley is coming off another record-breaking season after her 618 digs and 5.42 digs per set became the best marks in program history. She entered the 2023 season on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team for just the second time in program history and was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 28.

Kinley moved up to sixth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,635 digs last weekend. She is now just two digs away from joining the top five and is currently on pace to become Butler's all-time career leader in digs this season.

SUPERSTAR SETTER: Setter Cora Taylor has become one of the nation's top setters, tallying 364 total assists (10.41 assists per set) this season, which is currently tied for the most in the BIG EAST and 10th in the country. The former BIG EAST All-Freshman team selection amassed 992 assists along with 9.36 assists per set, which ranked fifth in the conference last season. She currently sits at 1,356 career assists and is on pace to crack the top 10 of Butler's all-time career assist leaders this season.

Taylor was named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament after accumulating 125 assists (11.36 assists per set) along with 34 digs last weekend. 

FRESHMAN FIREARM: Freshman Elise Ward showed flashes of excellence last weekend after being named to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team. Ward reached double figures in kills for all three matches last weekend, totaling a team-high 45 kills (4.50 kills per set) and 25 digs. She capped off her incredible tournament against Morehead State by earning her first double-double with a career-high 20 kills and 15 digs. 

Ward became the first Bulldog hitter to record 20 kills in a match as a freshman since Anna Logan had 21 kills against Southern Illinois in 2015. 

BULLDOGS ATTACK: As a team, the Bulldogs have begun to click on to start the season. Butler currently ranks seventh in the nation with 38.00 attacks per set while their 1,330 total attacks rank 25th in the country. Junior Mariah Grunze was targeted 371 times (10.91 attacks per set) on offense this season, which ranks 23rd in the nation while the Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has racked up 316 attacks (9.88 attacks per set).

Grunze and Maesch are the only duo in the BIG EAST to each have more than 300 total attacks this season. The pin hitting duo has combined 687 attacks, which is the most in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation. 

WATCH THE BULLDOGS: The match between Butler and Wright State will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning on Thursday at 6 PM. Viewers can follow along on the Live Stats for the Bulldogs' match against Cincinnati on Friday at 2 PM. 

UP NEXT: Butler will return home to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first week of the BIG EAST conference play against Xavier and Creighton. 

The Bulldogs will face off against Xavier on Sept. 20 at 6 PM followed by a match against Creighton on Sept. 22 at 6 PM.