INDIANAPOLIS — The Bulldogs get set for the BIG EAST opening weekend kicking off the competition with a pair of matches at home and on the road. Butler will begin the conference play in Hinkle Fieldhouse hosting DePaul on Sep. 27 at 7 PM before heading to Ohio for a road match against Xavier on Sep. 28 at 4 PM. 

Bulldog Bits

• Butler concluded the non-conference schedule last weekend falling in all three matches against Ball State, Bellarmine and Wright State.
• Laiya Ebo set a new career-high 17 kills while only making one hitting error on Friday
• Ebo hit for .615 against Bellarmine, which is the highest mark with 17 or more kills in a single match in the conference this season.
• Alaleh Tolliver earned her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs against Bellarmine
• Cora Taylor collected her team-high fourth double-double of the season against Bellarmine after reaching 52 assists and a season-high 14 digs against Bellarmine.
• The Bulldogs lead DePaul all-time at 16-6 with their last matchup being a reverse sweep victory over the Blue Demons last season. 
• Butler has only lost one out of 10 matches against DePaul in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Xavier holds a 18-8 all-time record against the Bulldogs but Butler won 3-1 the last time the two teams faced off.
• Butler's average of 2.27 blocks per set currently ranks third in the BIG EAST
• Grace Boggess leads the team with an average of 1.12 blocks per set, which is sixth in the conference.
• Jersey Loyer is four digs away from reaching 100 career digs.
• Elise Ward is 15 kills away from reaching 400 career kills.

SCOUTING DEPAUL
The Blue Demons enter the BIG EAST opening weekend with a 9-4 record, and have yet to be swept in a match this season. DePaul began the season undefeated at 3-0 before dropping their first game in four sets to San Diego State They would bounce back, winning the next two matches to go 5-1. The Blue Demons would close out the non-conference schedule with a 3-3 record with quality four set losses to Colorado State and Loyola Chicago. DePaul already kicked off their conference play Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over Xavier.

Outside hitter Jill Pressly returns as a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST after leading the conference in kills reaching 519 (4.45 per set) in 2023. She joins teammate Rachel Krasowksi on the Preseason All-BIG EAST list, after Krasowski also led the conference in digs. 

SCOUTING XAVIER
The Musketeers have struggled out of the gates sitting with a 2-8 non-conference record that ranks 10th in the BIG EAST. They began the season 0-4 before winning their first match against Saint Louis in four sets. After a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati, Xavier got their first sweep of the season after defeating Kent State. Since Sept. 13, Xavier has yet to win a match losing their next three matches including one to DePaul in Chicago at 3-1.

Xavier has faced issues stopping the attack letting up the second-most kills per set (13.38) in the BIG EAST. Despite the difficulty stopping the attack, middle blocker Margo Kemp has been able to return the favor hitting for .359 this season, which is the fifth best in the conference. Kemp also is tied with Sarah Stevens for the team-high 39 blocks (0.91 per set) this season.

EBO'S EXCEPTIONAL NIGHT
Ebo had a historic night in Friday's match against Bellarmine. Throughout the four sets, she hit for an incredible .615 with 17 kills while only making one hitting error to set all new career-highs. She would total a .418 hitting percentage with 28 kills and five blocks.

Ebo's mark of .615 in the match is the highest hitting percentage by a hitter in the BIG EAST with 17 or more kills in a single match this season.

TOLLIVER ON THE RISE
Tolliver received a larger role as the outside hitter this weekend and didn't disappoint. She earned starts in the two matches against Bellarmine and Wright State where she hit for a combined .268 with 25 kills and 22 digs. 

Tolliver also earned her first double-double of her career with 14 kills and 14 digs in Friday's match against Bellarmine.

BLOCKS GALORE
While the Bulldogs have struggled on offense, the defensive efforts especially at the front of the net have been keeping them in the match. Butler currently ranks third in the BIG EAST with an average of 2.27 blocks per set.

Grace Boggess has totaled a team-high of 47 blocks with an average of 1.12 blocks per set that is sixth in the conference. Destiny Cherry is not far behind totaling 33 total blocks (0.87 per set) this season.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD: Serving has been a double-edged sword for the Bulldog roster this season. Butler has recorded 61 serving aces as a team this season, which is sixth in the BIG EAST. However, they have nearly doubled this number in serving errors reaching a conference-high 113 errors. The Bulldogs will look to keep their serves under control with the against the BIG EAST foes.

Lauren Evans' streak of consecutive matches with at least one serving ace came to end on Friday after she reached nine matches in a row. She totaled 17 serving aces over this span for an average of 0.43 per set, which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.

UPCOMING CAREER MILESTONES: Butler has a few Bulldogs who are close to reaching new milestones this weekend. Jersey Loyer is just four digs away from reaching 100 career digs while Elise Ward is 15 kills away from 400 career kills. Destiny Cherry is also close to setting a new mark as she is just seven total blocks away from 200 career blocks.

UP NEXT: Butler will face off against the top programs in the conference beginning with a home match against No. 6 Creighton before heading north to Milwaukee to play Marquette (RV).

The Bulldogs will host the Blue Jays on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 PM  ET and will close out the weekend with a match at Marquette on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 2 PM ET.