Indianapolis - The Butler Bulldogs were defeated by the Xavier Musketeers on Wednesday evening. With the loss, the Bulldogs slide to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST action. The Musketeers improve to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in conference action.
Bulldog Bites
- Ava Hunter finished with 15 assists and four digs.
- Jersey Loyer registered 12 digs.
- Raegan Durbin recorded 11 kills, including six in the third set. She also tallied five digs.
- Elise Ward totaled seven kills, including three in both the first and third sets.
- Carly Slusser tallied five kills.
On the Record with Head Coach Kyle Shondell
"Xavier came in with an excellent game plan and executed nearly flawlessly. We didn't generate enough service pressure to slow them down at all. Our ball control cost us in both sides of the ball, and we've got a few things we need to lock down before we take the trip to Omaha."
Set 1 Xavier (25-21)
Butler opened set one with a 4-1 lead in the early moments of the set, sparked by three consecutive aces from Durbin
. However, Xavier continued to be aggressive, and the Musketeers took a narrow 15-13 edge over the Bulldogs at the midpoint of the set. Butler battled back late in the set with a 5-1 run behind two kills from Durbin and kills from Slusser and McDonald, but it wasn't enough, as Xavier claimed set one 25-21.
Set 2 Xavier (25-18)
The Bulldogs began set two trailing the Musketeers, with Xavier jumping out to a 15-8 lead over Butler at the halfway point. The Bulldogs continued to fight and put together a 8-5 run behind two aces and a kill from Slusser, along with kills from McDonald and Durbin. However, it wasn't enough to fend off the Musketeers, as Xavier closed out set two 25-18.
Set 3 Xavier (25-19)
Xavier jumped out to an early 10-6 lead to open the frame. The Bulldogs traded points back and forth as the set approached the midway mark; however, the Bulldogs still found themselves trailing the Musketeers 15-9. Butler continued to fight in the late moments of the frame; however, it was Xavier who won set three and took overall match victory.
Up Next
Butler will travel to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton on Friday, Oct. 9 at D.J. Sokol Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Central). The Bulldogs will be back in action against UConn on Friday, Oct. 16 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
