MATCH NOTES I WATCH XAVIER MATCH I WATCH CREIGHTON MATCH

INDIANAPOLIS - The BIG EAST conference play is set to begin this week! The Bulldogs will open the conference competition in consecutive matches at home inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will face off with Xavier on Wednesday night at 6 PM, for the first time since the Musketeers knocked the Bulldogs out of the BIG EAST tournament last season. The weekend will come to a close with a Friday night matchup against nationally-ranked Creighton at 6 PM. 

Bulldog Bits
- The Bulldogs completed the non-conference play with a 6-5 record and rank seventh in the conference standings. 
- BU holds a 7-17 record all-time against Xavier. The Bulldogs last win came in a four-set victory on Nov. 21, 2021. 
- The Musketeers knocked Butler out in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season in four sets. 
- Creighton has dominated the Bulldogs holding an 18-1 all-time record. Butler won the first meeting in four sets against the Blue Jays on Oct. 4, 2013, but have since lost the last 18 matches. 
- Since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, the Bulldogs are just 3-7 in conference openers. All three wins came on the road, including a win over DePaul in four sets last season. 
- As a team, Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST with 12.21 assists per set and 15.60 digs per set while also ranking second in total digs with 671. 
- The Bulldogs rank third nationally with 38.07 attacks per set totaling 1637 attacks this season.
- Jaymeson Kinley currently holds a conference-best 5.05 digs per set, which ranks 17th in NCAA after reaching 217 digs this season. 
-Kinley moved up to fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend. 
- Cora Taylor leads the BIG EAST with 10.47 assists per set totaling 450 assists on the season.
- Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were both named to the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational All-Tournament team last weekend.
- Three Bulldogs tallied 15 or more kills in the last match against Cincinnati including Abby Maesch (21) Elise Ward (17) and Mariah Grunze (15). 
- Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.

SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers arrive in Indianapolis to play for the first time since they bested the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season. Xavier began their 2023 campaign with a 7-4 record that included plenty of ups and downs. The Musketeers went undefeated in the opening tournament beating Indiana State (3-1), Cincinnati (3-1) and Alabama State (3-0) before failing to win a set in their next three matches against Colorado (3-0), Northern Colorado (3-0) and Charlotte (3-0). Xavier got back on track in their final five matches going 4-1 with wins against Buffalo (3-2), Bellarmine (3-0), Northern Kentucky (3-1) and Kennesaw State (3-0). Their lone setback came against Missouri (3-2) during this stretch. 

Xavier was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll. 

SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Blue Jays have looked like the team to beat in the BIG EAST this season as the team is currently ranked 11th nationally in the AVCA Top 25 Poll headed into the matchup this weekend with a 9-2 record. Creighton won all four tournaments they attended with victories over two ranked opponents including #18 Purdue in four sets along with a sweep against #9 Minnesota. Their two losses came against Duke (3-2) and #4 Nebraska (3-1), but the Blue Jays have regained their footing and are currently riding a four game winning streak. 

The Blue Jays' offense currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in three different categories, including kills per set (4th), assists per set (6th) and attacks per set (7th). Creighton was selected to place second in the 2023 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll. 

TOP DAWGS: Five different Bulldogs were selected to the All-Tournament team during the first four tournaments of the season. Jaymeson Kinley was named to the Dayton Flyer Classic All-Tournament team while Elise Ward and Cora Taylor were selected to the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational All-Tournament team. Last weekend, Mariah Grunze and Abby Maesch were recognized at the Dayton Beavercreek Invitational. 

Kinley, Grunze and Maesch all made the 2023 Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament team with Kinley taking home the MVP honors. 

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 217 digs (5.05 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 fifth on the Butler all-time list for career digs after her career total reached 1,671 digs last weekend. She is now just eight digs away from reaching fourth 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 450 total assists (10.47 assists per set) this season, which currently leads 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 1,442 career assists and is on pace to crack the top 10 of Butler's all-time career assist leaders this season.

Taylor set a new career-high 56 assists last weekend against Cincinnati, which is the third most in a match this season by any BIG EAST setter.

BULLDOGS ATTACK: As a team, the Bulldogs have begun to click on offense to start the season. Butler currently ranks third in the nation with 38.07 attacks per set while their 1637 total attacks rank 48th in the country. Junior Mariah Grunze was targeted 461 times on offense this season, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks 38th in the nation while the Georgia transfer Abby Maesch has racked up 396 attacks.

Grunze and Maesch are the only duo in the BIG EAST to each have at least 395 total attacks this season. The pin hitting duo has combined 855 attacks, which is the most in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will resume the BIG EAST action next week on the road with consecutive matches against Georgetown and Villanova. 

The Bulldogs will compete against Georgetown on Sept. 29 at 7 PM followed by a match against Villanova on Sept. 30 at 7 PM.