PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Butler Bulldogs fell to the Providence Friars, 3-1, on Friday evening. With the loss, the Bulldogs slide to 11-16 overall and 5-10 in the BIG EAST. The Friars improved to 16-10 overall and 8-7 in conference action.
Bulldog Bites
- Jersey Loyer recorded 17 digs and three assists.
- Raegan Durbin registered 15 kills, including five in the fourth set. She also recorded seven digs.
- Sarah Kempf tallied 15 assists; she split time with Ava Hunter, who posted 14 assists.
- Elise Ward posted nine kills, including five in the fourth set. She also marked nine digs.
- Ellery Rees totaled six kills.
On the Record with Head Coach Kyle Shondell
"Providence continues to play incredibly clean and aggressive volleyball. We lost our identity a little tonight and made too many unnecessary mistakes, while the Friars hardly made an error. I look forward to seeing this team's approach and mindset tomorrow afternoon."
Set 1 Providence (25-15)
Butler opened the match trading points back and forth with Providence, as kills from Durbin and Dutro kept BU in the lead at 6-5. However, the Friars responded with an 8-1 run, which put Providence ahead as they neared the halfway mark. Butler answered with a 3-2 run of their own, but Providence still took a 15-10 edge over BU at the midway mark of the first set. Butler continued to trade points with Providence in the late moments of the set with kills from
Ellery Rees and Durbin, but a 4-1 run by the Friars allowed them to take the first set, 25-15.
Set 2 Providence (25-16)
Providence began the second set by taking a narrow 6-3 edge over BU in the early moments and continued to pressure Butler. BU responded with a 4-2 run behind back-to-back kills from Durbin and a kill from Dutro, but the Friars answered with a 3-1 run to put them ahead 15-10 at the halfway mark of set two. Following the halfway mark, Providence came out on a 6-1 run to put them ahead 21-11. Butler responded with a 5-3 run behind kills from Dutro and Durbin, but Providence took the second set 25-16.
Set 3 Butler (25-19)
BU jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind a kill and an ace from Lemming to begin the third set. Providence responded with a 5-2 run that tied the set at 5-5. Both teams traded points until BU went on a 5-1 run, driven by kills from Durbin and Rees and an ace from
Elise Ward. Providence responded with a 5-2 run, but Butler still led 15-14 at the midway mark of the third set. BU followed the media timeout with a 3-0 run behind a solo block from
Carly Slusser and a kill from
Maria Nix. The Friars responded with a 4-1 run; however, Butler answered with a 6-1 run, led by kills from Nix, Durbin, Dutro, and Ward, to take the third set, 25-19.
Set 4 Providence (25-18)
Providence began the fourth set by jumping out to a 3-0 lead. A kill from Ward and a kill and block from Rees gave Butler some life in the early moments of the set; however, the Friars still led 8-3. Both teams traded points back and forth, but the Friars led 15-7 at the halfway mark of the set. BU responded with a 4-1 run driven by kills from Durbin and Slusser, but Providence responded with a 2-0 run of their own. Butler continued to fight with a 6-3 run behind kills from Durbin, Dutro, and Ward. However, Providence went on a 3-1 run to close out the fourth set, 25-18, and claim the overall match victory.
Up Next
Butler will travel to Storrs, Conn., to face UConn on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.
