After sweeping the Big Dawg Kickoff last weekend the 3-0 Butler Volleyball team is set to travel to Coralville Iowa to compete in the Iowa Invitational. This event will see the Bulldogs play three matches in three days starting tomorrow, Thursday September 4th at 7pm ET when they will take on Iowa. 

Butler's Schedule for the Iowa Invitational

Thursday 9/4 Butler at Iowa 7pm ET Live Stats Watch 
Friday 9/5 Butler vs Loyola Chicago 4pm ET Live Stats 
Saturday 9/6 Butler vs Illinois State 12pm ET Live Stats 

About Butler 

Last weekend Butler went undefeated in the Big Dawg Kickoff and 3-0 to start the season. The Dawgs took down Evansville and Purdue Fort Wayne last Friday and then took care of Middle Tennessee State in 3 sets last Saturday evening. 

Earlier in the week, junior Kaylee Finnegan was awarded BIG EAST Setter of the Week. Finnegean produced over 120 assists while averaging 10.67 assists per set. Sophomore Alaleh Tolliver was awarded with MVP of the Big Dawg Kickoff after Saturday's match vs MTSU. Tolliver finished the weekend with 44 total kills. Tolliver achieved her new career high in kills, 24 against Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday night. Tolliver, Elise Ward, and Zoe McDonald were the three Butler representatives on the Big Dawg Kickoff All-Tournament Team. Ward recorded 36 kills over the course of the 3 matches last weekend, while McDonald picked up 25 kills over her own and collected 13 blocks which leads the team. 

Bulldog Bites 

• Saturday night against Middle Tennessee State Butler finished Set 2 with an impressive 73% hitting efficiency. Butler won that match 3-0
• Lauren Evans leads the Dawgs in digs with 51
• Evans scored her career high in digs (21) against Purdue Fort Wayne Friday night
• Finnegan finished the match against PFW with 54 assists
• Sawyer Jones accumulated 27 kills over the course of the Dawgs first three matches
• Jones, Tolliver, and Carly Slusser each picked up 7 blocks over the weekend. 

Scouting Iowa
Iowa enters the Iowa Invitational 3-0 after picking up wins over UNLV, Utah Tech, and CSU Bakersfield. A season ago the Hawkeyes recorded a record of 10-22 and were 5-11 in home matches. Through their first three matches Iowa put together a well balanced attack. Five student athletes had at least 20 kills over the course of their first three matches. Their wins last weekend came in the Rebel Challenge where Clarie Ammeraal was named tournament MVP. Ammeraal finished the tournament with 87 assists, 25 digs, and 20 kills. 

Scouting Loyola Chicago 
The Ramblers come into the Iowa Invitational 1-2 after their first weekend of play at the Western Kentucky Invitational. In 2024 Loyola Chicago earned its second ever league title by taking down Dayton to receive an NCAA Tournament bid. In the tournament, the Ramblers swept BYU earning the program's first NCAA tournament win. So far through the young 2025 season, Leyna Nquyen leads the team in kills with 49 while Sam Falk leads the team in digs with 52. Loyola Chicago's setter, Ava Hunter picked 130 assists during the team's first three matches.    

Scouting Illinois State 
Illinois State heads into the Iowa Invitational with an undefeated 3-0 record. Last weekend, at the Western Michigan Tournament the Redbirds did not lose a set, they swept DePaul, Western Michian, and Oakland. In 2024 they finished with a record of 17-6 and were 5-2 in neutral site matches. At the Western Michigan Tournament, Aida  Shadewald led the team in kills with 29. A season ago, Shadewald scored 385 kills. Sophomore Khenedi Guest had 99 blocks in 2024 and picked up 13 during the team's first three matches. 


Full Iowa Invitational Schedule

9/4 Illinois State vs Loyola Chicago 4pm ET
9/4 Butler vs Iowa 7pm ET
9/5 Butler vs Loyola Chicago 4pm ET
9/5 Iowa vs Illinois State 7pm ET
9/6 Butler vs Illinois State 12pm ET
9/6 Iowa vs Loyola Chicago 3pm ET