The Butler Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse this weekend for their first home BIG EAST matches of the 2025 season. 
 
Butler will take on Providence Friday at 7 p.m. The Dawgs will face UConn Saturday at 5 p.m. Live stats for both matches can be found here. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. The matches are part of a busy Family Weekend on the Butler campus that also includes a Saturday 1 p.m. football game and a Saturday 2 p.m. men's soccer match.
 
Butler Recently 
Butler finished the nonconference portion of their schedule with a 7-6 record, but through four BIG EAST games, the Bulldogs have yet to earn a conference win. All four of those opening conference matches have come on the road. Last weekend, Butler dropped matches to Villanova and Georgetown.  
 
Bulldog Bites

• Alaleh Tolliver leads the BIG EAST in total kills with 242. Tolliver is third in the conference in kills per set (3.97).
• Tolliver is third in the conference in points per set (4.61) and is second in the conference in total points (281.5)
• Kaylee Finnegan leads the conference in assists (581). Finnegan is third in the BIG EAST in assists per set (9.85).
• Finnegan was named BIG EAST Setter of the Week on Sept. 2.
• Lauren Evans is third in the conference in digs (261) and digs per set (4.28). 
• Zoe McDonald is the team leader in blocks (60 total and 1.00 block per set). 
• Elise Ward, Zoe McDonald, and Sawyer Jones each have recorded more than 100 kills so far in the 2025 season for the Bulldogs.

 
Scouting Providence
The Friars will enter Friday night's matchup with Butler holding a 10-7 overall record and a 1-3 mark in BIG EAST play. Their lone conference win came last weekend against Seton Hall.
 
Head coach Margot Royer-Johnson is in her 25th season at the helm of the program. Sophomore Sophia Atkins leads Providence in kills (3.89 per set) and points (4.60 per set). She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in both categories.

Junior Miller McDonald serves as the team's primary setter, totaling 337 assists on the season and averaging 5.44 assists per set. Defensive Specialist Hadley Pride leads the conference in digs with 343.

Butler has won all 21 previous matches between the two programs. In 2024, the Bulldogs swept the Friars at Hinkle Fieldhouse and earned a 3-1 win in Rhode Island.

Scouting UConn
Connecticut will enter the weekend 13-3 and 2-2 in conference play. Last weekend, the Huskies went 2-0 picking up wins over Seton Hall and St. Johns. 

UConn head coach Ellen Herman-Kimball is in her seventh season leading the Huskies. Last season, she guided the program to a record-setting 26-8 finish, the most wins in UConn volleyball history.

Senior Emma Werkmeister leads the team in kills with 221. Doga Kutlu quarterbacks the Huskies' offense and ranks fourth in the conference in assists, averaging 9.18 per set. Defensively for Connecticut, McKenna Brand leads the team in digs with 224, while Audrey Rome paces the Huskies in blocks with 50.

The programs have met eight times, with UConn leading the all-time series, 5-3. In 2024, the Huskies defeated the Bulldogs in both matchups.

Up Next 
Butler will go back on the road next weekend for matches against DePaul and Marquette. The Bulldogs face DePaul on Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday night matchup with Marquette on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. ET.