MATCH NOTES I WATCH

MOREHEAD, KY. - The Butler volleyball team will travel south to compete at the MSU Comfort Inn-Vitational this weekend. The Bulldogs will face Northern Kentucky (1 PM) and Indiana State (4:30 PM) on Friday, Sept. 8. Morehead State will play Butler in the final match of the tournament on Sept. 9 at 2 PM. 

2023 Dayton Flyer Classic Schedule

Friday, September 8
Indiana State vs. Morehead State - 11 AM
Northern Kentucky vs. Butler - 1 PM
Butler vs. Indiana State - 4:30 PM
Northern Kentucky vs. Morehead State - 7 PM

Saturday, September 9
Indiana State vs. Northern Kentucky - 11 AM
Butler vs. Morehead State - 2 PM

Bulldog Bits
-Butler began the season 3-3 and currently sits sixth in the conference standings.
-As a team, Butler ranks third in the BIG EAST in total kills with 304 and total assists with 284. 
-Jaymeson Kinley was selected to her second All-Tournament team of the season at the Dayton Flyer Classic last weekend after earning Tournament MVP honors at the Bulldog Brawl the week prior.
-Kinley currently holds 120 total digs, which ranks second in the BIG EAST and the 13th in the nation.
-Sawyer Jones ranks second in the BIG EAST with total blocks in a match after she recorded eight blocks in both matches against North Dakota State and Ohio.
-BU leads Northern Kentucky all-time with a 3-0 sweep in the lone meeting at the 2016 Butler Invitational.
-The Bulldogs hold a 6-1 overall record against Indiana State, including a five-set victory over the Sycamores in their last meeting at the 2020 Butler home opener. 
-Morehead State and Butler last met at the 2013 Cincinnati Invitational where the Bulldogs won 3-1.
-Cora Taylor made a season-high 50 assists in the five-set match against North Dakota State
-Abby Maesch earned a career-high 21 kills against North Dakota State

SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY: The Norse head into Week 3 with a 2-4 record, defeating the likes of South Dakota and East Tennessee State. On the other hand, they were swept in all four of their losses against top teams, including No. 3 Louisville, No. 14 Ohio State, Missouri, and Bowling Green. NKU hosted the first tournament of the season where they finished 1-2 with their lone 3-1 win over ETSU. The following week, they began the Mizzou Invitational 0-2 before capping off the tournament with a 3-2 win over USD. 

Graduate students Abby Kanakry and Anna Burke lead an experienced squad with Kanakry tallying 19 kills against South Dakota last weekend. The Norse were selected second overall in the conference preseason poll. 

SCOUTING INDIANA STATE: The Sycamores sit at 2-4 after knocking off UL-Monroe and Alabama State in four sets. Their losses come against Xavier (3-1), Cincinnati (3-0), Austin Peay (3-2) and Lindenwood (3-1). Head coach Ashlee Pritchard returns for just her second season and will be joined by eight players including six starters. 

The Trees welcome back their top five kill and block leaders from last year, including Kaitlyn Hamilton who leads the team in both categories with 74 kills and 12 blocks.

SCOUTING MOREHEAD STATE: The Eagles head into this week's tournament as the only team with a winning record at 4-2. MSU opened the season red-hot with a 4-0 record after sweeping all four teams including Stonehill, Queens, and USC Upstate at the Eagle Challenge. After knocking off Marshall 3-0 MSU lost their next two games against Akron 3-1 and Coppin State 3-0 to close out the Marshall Invitational. 

MSU has a well-rounded offense with five players tallying at least 45 kills in six matches including M.E. Hargan who leads the team with 52 kills. The Eagles were predicted to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. 

SOPHOMORE STAR: Setter Cora Taylor has picked up right where she left off tallying 239 assists this season, which currently ranks third in the BIG EAST and 24th in the nation. 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. Taylor reached 50 assists in a match last Friday for just the second time in her career against North Dakota State at the Dayton Flyer Classic. 

Last weekend, setter Cora Taylor cracked the 1,000 career assist mark in just her second season. She currently sits at 1231 career assists and is on pace to jump into the top 10 of Butler's all-time career assist leaders this season. 

LEGENDARY LIBERO: The two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson 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 enters the 2023 season on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team for just the second time in program history. On Aug. 28, Kinley was also named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week.

Kinley was selected to the Dayton Flyer Classic All-Tournament team last weekend after racking up 64 digs with an average of 5.33 digs per set. This is the second nomination of the season after she was named the Bulldog Brawl Tournament MVP during the opening weekend. 

WELCOME TO MAESCHVILLE: Transfer Abby Maesch has burst onto the scene for the Bulldogs this season. The local product from Avon, Ind. joined Butler after she was a steady contributor during her two years at the University of Georgia where she registered 142 kills and 12 serving aces. Maesch is the current Bulldog kill leader with 79 kills (3.29 kills per set) and third in digs with 53 (2.21 digs per set). 

Maesch finished with two double-doubles at the Dayton Flyer Classic last weekend including a 21-kill performance against North Dakota State last Friday. 

YOUNG PUPS: Butler's newcomers have made an immediate impact since joining the team this offseason. Freshmen Sawyer Jones and Jaeda Lockhart had big weekends after the Bulldogs were without middle blockers Destiny Cherry and Grace Boggess due to illness last weekend. In her first three matches of her career, Lockhart started all 12 sets earning 16 kills and six blocks. 

Jones is one of three Bulldogs to appear in all 24 sets to open the season. She has logged a team-high 24 blocks along with 48 kills, which is the highest out of any middle blocker on the team. 

WATCH THE BULLDOGS: The match between Butler and Morehead State will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning on Saturday at 2 PM. Viewers can follow along on the Live Stats for the Bulldogs' two matches on Friday. 

UP NEXT
Butler will head back to Dayton, Ohio to compete in their final tournament before BIG EAST conference play at the Tru by Hilton Invitational. Wright State will host two teams including BU and Cincinnati. 

The Bulldogs will face off against Wright State on Sept. 14 at 2 PM followed by a match against Cincinnati on Sept. 15 at 2 PM.