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Bulldogs Take 2-0 Mark to Air Force Academy Falcon Invitational
Aug. 31, 2005 GO WEST, YOUNG WOMEN: Butler (2-0) travels to Colorado to spend Labor Day Weekend at the Air Force Academy Falcon Invitational. The Bulldogs match up with Southeast Missouri State (0-3) and Air Force (1-2) Friday, and then will play either San Jose State (1-0), No. 10 Wisconsin (0-0) or Weber State (0-1) Saturday. Live stats of all three of the Bulldogs' weekend matches will be provided. Links are available on www.butlersports.com. YOU'RE GETTING `SWEEPY': Butler opened the 2005 campaign with a pair of three-game wins, blanking Marian College at home Friday before matching that effort Saturday evening at Chicago State. Senior Candice Washington had 13 kills on .550 hitting against the Knights Friday, while redshirt freshman Alicia Coltrane threw down a match-high 15 kills in Saturday's match. LEADING THE WAY: Butler's successful weekend left the team and several individuals among the Horizon League statistical leaders. Butler ranks first in blocks (2.83 bpg), service aces (3.5 apg) and opponent hitting percentage (.067), and second in hitting percentage (.253), kills (14.00 kpg) and digs (16.83 dpg). Alicia Coltrane (.389), Candice Washington (.381) and Susana Henri (.333) rank second, third and fifth, respectively, in hitting percentage. Coltrane (5.00 kpg) leads the league in kills with Henri and Washington also appearing in the Top Ten. Megan Knightly leads the league and four Bulldogs in the top ten with an average of 1.17 service aces per game. Sophomore Michelle DeGeeter is tied for the league lead in blocks at 1.60 bpg, while Henri (4.83) and Knightly (4.17) are second and fifth, respectively, in digs.
`SETTING' RIGHT IN: Freshman setter Dana Daprile looked like a veteran in her first two collegiate matches. Daprile handed out 29 assists in both of the Bulldogs' weekend matches, helping Butler to hitting percentages of .308 and .215, respectively. Her average of 9.67 assists per game is fourth in the Horizon League after the first weekend of play. CAN YOU DIG IT?: Senior libero Megan Knightly ran her streak of consecutive matches with 10+ digs to 32 with 10 and 15 digs, respectively, in the Bulldogs' pair of weekend sweeps. She now has 1,244 career digs, just 54 shy of Allison Cox (1,298) and Butler's Top Ten. Jessica Taylor (1989-92) holds Butler's career mark with a total of 1,722. Knightly finished the 2004 season with 496 digs, the third-highest single-season total in Butler history. She needs to do just better than that (504) to claim the top spot on Butler's chart. The streak of double-figure digs dates back to the 2003 Horizon League Tournament. BULLDOGS PICKED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL: Horizon League head coaches tabbed the Bulldogs to repeat their 2004 success and finish second in the league standings, according to the league's preseason poll released last week. Butler's 38 total points were second only to UW-Milwaukee's mark of 49. The Bulldogs were picked to finish first prior to the 2004 campaign. Only five players from the 2004 12-member "All-Horizon League" Team return this season. THE COACH: In her sixth season at Butler, head coach Sharon Clark has established the Butler volleyball program as one of the Horizon League's elite, while earning respect on both the regional and national levels. One year after posting her first 20-win season at Butler, Clark's 2004 Bulldogs registered the team's best winning percentage (18-10, .643) of her five-year tenure. In her five seasons in Indianapolis, Clark boasts an 85-67 (.559) record, including a 41-27 league mark. In 12 total seasons at three institutions, Clark's teams have racked up an overall record of 187-175 (.517). FAMILY REUNION: This weekend marks the annual Parents' Weekend at the Air Force Academy. That's even better news for the family of Butler freshman Andrea Gallegos and Air Force senior Rebecca Gallegos. The sisters will square off against each other when the Bulldogs and Falcons meet Friday evening. The trip to Colorado is as close as Andrea and the Bulldogs will get to her home in Las Vegas, N.M., this season. QUICK HITS: With 15 service aces Friday, Butler tied a school record for aces in a three-game match...junior Susana Henri had a career-high 24 digs in Saturday's win at Chicago State. Freshman Nina Inic added a personal-best nine digs and three aces in the same outing...Megan Knightly had a career-high six aces in Friday's win over Marian College...Butler has hit better than .300 as a team in three of its six games this season. Its opponents' highest mark is .200 by Chicago State in the first game Saturday...sophomore Michelle DeGeeter had a career-high seven blocks (all assists) Saturday against Chicago State. ON THE HORIZON: The Bulldogs return from Colorado to meet in-state rival Purdue Wednesday, Sept. 7. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The teams have split a pair of matches in the last two seasons, with each team winning on its home court. Purdue received votes in the opening CSTV/AVCA Poll. |
