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Oct. 9, 2002

PLAYING FAVORITES: The Butler volleyball team's lone match of the week won't be an easy one, as the Bulldogs (8-12, 1-3 Horizon League) will have to battle it out against preseason Horizon League favorite Wright State (12-6, 2-2 Horizon League) on Friday (Oct. 11) in a 7 p.m. meeting at the C.J. McLin Gymnasium. Each team will be attempting to snap a losing streak in the league, as Butler has lost its last three matches, while the Raiders are riding a two-match losing skid. The Bulldogs hold a 17-10 all-time series lead over the Raiders, but WSU swept Butler in the 2001 campaign, winning both matches.

THE RUN-DOWN ON THE RAIDERS: The Raiders came out strong in non-conference action, starting out 7-1 on the season, which included a five-game win over No. 12 Michigan State. Wright State has stumbled as of late, though, losing both of their matches over the weekend to Loyola and UIC. The Raiders are led by 2001 Horizon League Player of the Year Karis Day and Mandy Gels, who was cited to the All-League Second Team. Day ranks in the top ten of the league in hitting percentage (.341), digs (3.16 pg) and kills (3.66 pg), while Gels is leading the league in assists (12.37 pg). As a team, the Raiders lead the Horizon League in digs, while ranking second in kills, blocks and opponent hitting percentage.

TOUGH COMPETITION: Four of Butler's Horizon League foes are ranked regionally in the Midwest. Loyola takes the league's top honors, standing at number three in the polls, while UIC is close behind in fifth place. Wright State is in a seventh-place tie in the rankings, and UW-Milwaukee, which is riding a three-match winning streak, is ranked ninth. The Bulldogs have also faced a pair of non-conference teams who are ranked in the polls - C-USA's Louisville, which is ranked first, and Saint Louis, which is tied for fifth.

STRUGGLING IN THE WINDY CITY: The Butler volleyball team had a rough weekend in Chicago, falling to UIC in five games, before getting swept by Loyola the following day. After leading 2-1 against the Flames, the Bulldogs poor passing finally caught up with them, as UIC won the final two games to close out the match. Butler led early in game one against Loyola, but the Ramblers recovered quickly to capture the 30-26 victory. Loyola would then cruise to a 30-19 win in game two, and escape with a 30-27 game three win.

KEELY'S KILLING 'EM: After going three matches without tallying double-figures in kills, senior Keely Norris got herself back on the right track against UIC, recording a season-high 23 kills, while hitting .513, against the Flames. Norris is now averaging 2.82 kills per game, which ranks second on the team.

OH SO CLOSE: Amanda Matthews once again missed her first career triple-double over the weekend, coming up one kill shy of recording the impressive feat against the Ramblers. Matthews posted 27 assists and 10 digs to go along with her team-best nine kills against the Ramblers. The junior setter also came close to recording a triple-double on a pair of occasions at the IU Credit Union Classic. The Fishers, Ind. native recorded 58 assists, 14 digs and eight kills against Indiana and then followed up that performance with a 39-assist, 14-dig, nine-kill match in Butler's win over Central Michigan. Matthews was one-kill shy of a triple-double last season when she tallied 65 assists, 20 digs and nine kills against the Lady Govs at the Butler/Double Tree Invitational.

DOUBLE DUTY: Sophomore Kali Carter's double-double of 13 kills and 16 assists gave her a team-leading nine double-doubles on the season. Carter, a 2001 Horizon League All-Newcomer selection, leads the Bulldogs with 3.11 kills per game, and ranks third on the team with 2.81 digs per game.

PASSING PROBLEMS: Butler's two losses over the weekend could be attributed to their difficulty in passing. The Bulldogs tallied nine serve reception errors against UIC, and recorded six more against Loyola. In addition, Butler struggled as a team from the service line, committing 15 service errors against their Chicago foes.

AN ACE AT THE LINE: Junior Halston Campagna has only played in 39 of the team's 76 games this season, but she has made the most of her time while on the court. Campagna ranks second on the team in service aces, behind classmate Amanda Matthews, averaging 0.23 aces per game.

MOVING ON UP: Keely Norris' 31 kills over the weekend moved her into eighth place in Butler's all-time kills list. Norris currently has 1,196 kills, and is on pace to move into the top five all-time before the season's end. Norris also ranks in the top ten of all-time block assists (293 -- 6th) and total blocks (358 -- 6th), while teammate Amanda Matthews ranks fifth in career assists (2,497).

OUCH!: Freshman Megan Knightly suffered a fracture to her right hand on the last point of the last match in last weekend's USF Molten Golden Gate Classic, rendering her inactive over the weekend in the IU Credit Union Classic. Knightly, who is listed as questionable for this weekend's upcoming match, fractured her hand when she ran into teammate Keely Norris while diving for a ball against IPFW. Fortunately, the Bulldogs ended up winning the match point, capturing the three-game win over the Mastodons. Knightly, who has earned a starting assignment in 10 matches this season, is averaging 1.85 kills and 3.02 digs.

CONFERENCE COMPARISON: While Butler currently stands in seventh place in the Horizon League, a few Bulldogs are among the league leaders in several categories. Keely Norris ranks in the top ten in hitting percentage (.314 - 2nd), and blocks (0.89 bpg - 9th) and classmate Laura Klancnik is in the top ten in hitting percentage, ranking fifth at .301. Setter Amanda Matthews ranks fifth in assists with 10.86 apg and Kamy Peters ranks second with 3.78 digs per game.

TOURNAMENT TESTED: The Bulldogs made it through the tournament portion of their September schedule with a 6-7 mark in tournament action. The Bulldogs went 2-1 at both Saint Louis University's Billiken Classic and the University of San Francisco's Molten Golden Gate Classic. Butler posted a 1-2 record at the IU Credit Union Classic and recorded a 1-3 mark at the Mortarboard Purdue Premier. Tournament action for the Bulldogs isn't over yet, though, as Butler will participate in the New Mexico University Albuturkey Tournament on Nov. 29-30, a week following the Horizon League Tournament.

TOURNEY HONORS: Junior Amanda Matthews earned all-tournament honors at the IU Credit Union Classic, marking the second time in her career she had received such an award. Matthews, who was named to Butler/Double Tree Invitational all-tournament team last season, collected 138 assists (10.62 pg), 36 digs (2.77 pg) and 18 kills throughout the tournament. Senior Keely Norris was named to all-tourney teams at Saint Louis, Purdue and San Francisco for her efforts on the court.

REACHING A MILESTONE: Senior Keely Norris became just the 11th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. She achieved the feat in the first game against Saint Louis in the Billiken Invitational.

REWRITING THE BOOKS: Senior Laura Klancnik set a Butler single match record with a 1.000 (12-0-12) hitting efficiency against Providence. That mark places her in a tie for fifth place in the NCAA record book for a three-game match (10-14 attempts).

UP NEXT: After battling out against the Raiders, Butler will return home for a trio of matches at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs will host instate rival, Valparaiso on Tuesday (Oct. 17) in a non-conference meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Butler will then welcome a pair of Ohio schools in to town the following weekend. The Bulldogs will battle it out against Youngstown State on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and will face Cleveland State on Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.