The Butler volleyball team will participate in the Lipscomb Invite over opening weekend. Action gets underway Friday afternoon with a match against #17 Arizona State. Belmont will take on Butler midday Saturday and the finale puts the Bulldogs up against the Bison.
 
2024 Lipscomb Invite Schedule
Friday, August 30 – Butler vs. Arizona State – 4 PM ET | 3 PM CT
Saturday, August 31 – Butler vs. Belmont – 12:30 PM ET | 11:30 CT
Sunday, September 1 – Butler at Lipscomb – 4 PM ET | 3 PM CT
 
Bulldog Bits
- Butler was picked fifth in the 2024 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll
- The Bulldogs are 0-2 all-time against Arizona State
- BU is 1-0 all-time against Belmont with a 3-0 win over the Bruins in the 2019 Bulldog Brawl
- Sunday's tilt at Lipscomb will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs
- Mariah Grunze heads into the season with 1,140 career points (3.39 points per set)
- Grunze would need 315 kills this year to move into the BU Record Book; she had 351 in 2023
- Abby Maesch averaged 2.95 kills per set in her first season at BU after transferring from Georgia
- Cora Taylor heads into her junior season with 2,136 career assists
- Taylor's next service ace will give her 50 in her BU career
- Elise Ward led Butler with 28 service aces in 2023
- Grace Boggess had more blocks last year (101) than he first two BU seasons combined (69)
- Boggess needs 10 kills to reach 300 in her career; 30 blocks will get her to 200
- BU went 3-0 in the 2023 Bulldog Brawl to signal the start of the season
- The tournament field was made up of Kent State, Fresno State and UC San Diego.
- Abby Maesch and Mariah Grunze made the 2023 Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament Team after opening weekend.

Watch the Bulldogs
All three BU volleyball matches this weekend will stream on ESPN+.
 
Guess Who's Back
Butler returns 12 of 13 players from last year's roster. Mariah Grunze, Abby Maesch and Elise Ward highlighted the offense in 2023, combining for 899 of Butler's 1459 kills (61%). Cora Taylor is back to setup the offense, while Grace Boggess and Destiny Cherry highlight the defense as top-notch middle blockers.
 
Moving in the Right Direction
Butler went 4-6 over their final 10 matches of the 2023 season. They posted wins over DePaul, UConn, Providence and Xavier. Four of their six setbacks came in five sets; the other two were against Marquette and Creighton.
 
Year Two
Kyle Shondell enters his second season at the helm of the Butler volleyball program. The Bulldogs went 13-16 last year with a 7-11 mark in the BIG EAST.
 
2024 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship
The 2024 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship will take place November 27-30 at D.J. Sokol Arena on the campus of Creighton University. Six teams will compete for a BIG EAST title, with the top-two seeds earning a first-round bye. First round action will begin Wednesday, Nov. 27 with the No. 3 seed and No. 6 seed squaring off, along with the No. 4 seed taking on the No. 5 seed. The pair of winners will advance to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 29. The championship game will then air on FS2 on Saturday, Nov. 30.
 
Up Next
Butler will play at IU Indy on Sept. 4 before hosting Indiana State in their home opener on Friday. The weekend will come to a close the next night with the Sycamores hosting BU at 5 PM.