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Butler Places Four on "All-Horizon League" Teams
Nov. 17, 2004 Four Bulldogs earned Horizon League honors, capping off a 2004 regular season that saw Butler set a school record with 12 league wins. Junior libero Megan Knightly was recognized as the "Defensive Player of the Year," while seniors Areal Bienemy and Kali Carter earned "All-Horizon League" honors. Freshman Michelle DeGeeter rounded out the accolades with "All-Newcomer Team" honors. The league's coaches voted on the awards with the league office announcing the recipients today (Nov. 17). Knightly was the unanimous choice for the league's top defensive player, meaning that she received the vote of every league coach, except Butler coach Sharon Clark, who was not allowed to vote for anyone from her own team. The junior from Chicago led the conference in digs, averaging 4.51 digs per game. Knightly has recorded 10+ digs in 29 straight matches, a streak that spans back to the Bulldogs' two postseason matches in 2003.
Her digs average will set a new season record, breaking Lori Adams' 4.20 dpg mark from the 1989 season, while her 474 digs this season are seventh on Butler's single-season list. She is just 25 digs shy of second place on that list. Knightly, who recorded her 1,000th career dig earlier this season, posted 20+ digs on eight occasions, including a career-high 30 Sept. 23 at Wright State. Bienemy and Carter return to the 12-member "All-Horizon League" team for the second consecutive year. In 2003, Bienemy became the program's first AVCA All-American and has followed up that effort with a dominating performance in 2004. The senior averaged 3.92 kills, 1.30 blocks and 1.28 digs per game, while hitting .241 on the year. One of the most dynamic athletes in Butler's history, Bienemy posted double figures in kills on 21 occasions, including a career-high 23 three times. She is second in blocks, fourth in kills and eighth in hitting percentage among Horizon League players. Carter's numbers are the most impressive of the group, as her 4.61 kills and 3.54 digs per game both rank among the top five in the league. She posted the first 30-30 performance in Butler history with 32 kills and 30 digs in the Bulldogs' four-game win over Western Illinois Sept. 10. The 32 kills also set a single-match Butler record. The Columbus, Ind., native has recorded double figures in kills on 23 occasions and has posted 17 double-doubles. Carter has racked up 1,579 kills and 1,417 digs in her career entering this weekend's action. She will finish among the top four in Butler history in both categories. DeGeeter rounded out the honors by being selected to the six-member "All-Newcomer Team." She has posted 115 kills and 64 blocks so far in her first season at Butler, placing fourth on the team and first among Butler newcomers in both categories. The Warsaw, Ind., native has been clutch down the stretch, recording a career-high 15 kills on .440 hitting in the Bulldogs' win at UW-Green Bay Nov. 6 and eight kills and a career-high nine blocks in the Bulldogs' season finale Saturday. UW-Milwaukee, the regular season champion, had the "Player of the Year" (Karen Fruit), "Newcomer of the Year" (Leanne Felsing) and "Coach of the Year" (Kathy Litzau). Six teams had representatives on the "All-Horizon League" squad, with Loyola leading the way with three recipients. Butler, currently 18-9 on the season, enters this weekend's Horizon League Championships as the No. 2 seed and receives a bye into the semifinals of the tournament thanks to the team's 12-2 league record. Youngstown State is the tournament host. The Bulldogs' semifinal match is slated for 4:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 20). The championship match will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m. with the winner receiving the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The final will be televised live on Comcast Cable in Indianapolis, WMLW in Milwaukee, WFBT in Chicago and Time-Warner Cable in Dayton, Ohio. |
