As the spring sports season begins to wind down, many teams are already beginning to prepare for their next season.

The football team had its annual blue and white scrimmage, the men’s soccer team had its spring exhibition matches, and five teams have announced additions to their rosters for next year.

Let’s take a look forward and see how some of Butler’s teams will be changing for the 2012-13 school year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team finished the 2011-12 season with a 22-15 record, averaging 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were ranked eighth and 10th in the Horizon League in those categories, respectively.

The team has a chance to improve with the additions of senior guard and transfer Rotnei Clarke and incoming freshman guard Kellen Dunham.

In three seasons at Arkansas, Clarke averaged more than 15 points per game and shot nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.

Dunham averaged more than 29 points during his senior season at Pendleton Heights High School.

The Bulldogs will also be adding guard Devontae Morgan from Tampa, Fla., and guard Chris Harrison-Docks from Okemos, Mich.

Morgan led his high school team to a state championship last season, averaging more than 15 points and six rebounds per game.

Harrison-Docks averaged 21 points and five steals per game in his senior season.

The team will lose only two players—guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

Butler will have to make up for the loss of Nored’s defensive prowess, as well as the experience and leadership provided by the pair.

Clarke and seniors Emerson Kampen, Chase Stigall and Andrew Smith will likely be asked to step up and fill those roles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team concluded its 2011-12 season with a 13-17 record and said goodbye to two senior guards—Devin Brierly and Kaley May.

Brierly was the only Bulldog to start in all 30 of the team’s games. She recorded more than 32 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 11 points per game.

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm is the only returning player to average more than 10 points per game last season.

Hamm will be joined by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, freshman forward Hayley Howard and freshman guard Hannah Douglas, who all played key roles on the team last season.

Butler will also be adding four incoming freshman—forward Katie Brewer from Indianapolis, guard Blaire Langlois from Carmel, guard Lexus Murry from Indianapolis and forward-center Olivia Wrencher from West Chester, Ohio.

Brewer is a versatile player who has the ability to knock down three-pointers and battle down low.

Langlois has deep range on her jump shot but also has the ability to make plays with her passing.

Murry averaged more than 22 points per game during her senior season and can also be effective on the defensive end, where she averaged 3.5 steals per game.

Wrencher will bring size to the Bulldogs that will complement the play of Hamm and Howard under the basket.

SOFTBALL

The softball team will lose seven seniors at the conclusion of its current season, including four-year starting outfielder and third baseman Lauren McNulty, Butler’s home run record-holding first baseman Erin Falkenberry and catcher Mallory Winters.

Despite this, coach Scott Hall has five incoming players who could make an immediate impact on the program.

Alex Kotter, a shortstop from Vincennes Lincoln High School, had a .615 career batting average and was an Indiana first team All-State pick.

Chelsea Conover, an outfielder from Brownsburg, led her high school team in stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage for three years.

Audrey East is a utility player from New Palestine High School. East is one of the best power hitters in Indiana and boasted a .902 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 47 RBIs last season.

Taylor Lockwood, a pitcher from Southport High School, has good control and will be a solid addition to the pitching staff.

The same could be said for Kristin Gutierrez, a left-handed power pitcher from Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado.

Gutierrez, a 2011 Triple Crown All-American honoree, is a dual threat with her pitching and hitting. She led her conference with 127 strikeouts and recorded a .542 batting average.

The success of the pitching recruits could be key with the loss of senior pitcher Breanna Fisher and injuries to junior pitcher Jenny Esparza this season.

BASEBALL

The baseball team will add four players who could have an immediate impact next season.

Nick Bartolone is a left-handed outfielder from Harrison High School. Coach Steve Farley said he expects Bartolone to compete for position in the outfield next year.

Chris Marras, a catcher from Vernon Hills, Ill., will get the chance to work with two fifth-year senior catchers, Radley Haddad and Nick Hladek.

Nick Saldutti is a power-hitting first baseman from Westfield High School. He hit .477 with a .571 on-base percentage in his junior season.

Drew Small is a utility player from Zionsville. He was an All-State honorable mention.

His versatility and speed will help him compete for a spot in the outfield, especially with the loss of senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit.

The Bulldogs will also lose pitchers Dom Silvestri, Mike Hernandez, Brad Schnitzer, Brian Padove and Ryan Salvino, as well as senior infielder Griffin Richeson.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team is returning eight players who played in at least 50 sets last year and lost only one senior in Maureen Bamiro.

Bamiro, a former middle blocker, finished with the second-best attack percentage in Butler history and sixth all-time in kills and kills per set.

Last season, she was voted All-Horizon League.

The Bulldogs will return sophomore middle blocker Maggie Harbison, who will likely be a key contributor after being voted All-Horizon League last season.

Butler will also add two transfer students.

Freshman Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be an addition to the middle blocker position.

Stahl only has four sets of collegiate experience under her belt but was named among the top high school volleyball players by the Under Armour Watch list in 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Peterson, a setter from Middle Tennessee State, will have two years of eligibility with the Bulldogs.

She averaged 8.58 assists and 1.41 digs per set last season.

The Butler volleyball team won two matches over the weekend to pick up their ninth and 10th conference wins of the season and gain sole possession of third place in the Horizon League.

The Bulldogs (14-13, 10-5) grabbed their fourth consecutive victory when they topped Loyola in four sets on Saturday afternoon in Chicago.

Photo by Taylor Cox

The Bulldogs played even with the Ramblers (4-20, 1-13) through part of the first set before going on a 6-0 run that would eventually lead them to a 25-19 set victory.

The second and third sets would see each team score a combined 49 points, with the Ramblers taking the second set 26-24 and the Bulldogs taking the third set 25-23.

Butler would use the momentum from its victory in the third set to take control of the match in the fourth set.

In that set, the Bulldogs jetted out to a 16-9 lead and held off the Ramblers to clinch the match.

“I think the main thing is that we are all sticking together,” freshman libero Brooke Ruffolo said. “Before every game we scout the other teams intensely, and we learn their tendencies.

“It’s just one of those times in the season where everything is coming together.”

Butler was led by freshman outside hitter Belle Obert’s 21 kills and Ruffolo’s team-high 15 digs.

The third victory of the Bulldogs’ current four-match win streak came in a five-set win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Thursday.

Butler raced out to an early two-set advantage over the Phoenix (10-16, 5-7). The Bulldogs won the sets 25-22 and 25-19, respectively.

However Green Bay fought back to take two close sets, 25-23 and 25-21, respectively.

Butler regrouped and jumped out to an early lead in the deciding fifth set.

The Phoenix would pull within one point at 10-9 but would get no closer as the Bulldogs went on to win five of the last six points to seal the five-set victory 15-10.

Obert led the team with 16 kills, Ruffolo had 37 digs and senior middle back Maureen Bamiro added 13 blocks.

After starting 1-4 in Horizon League play, Butler has won nine out of its last 10 conference matches and is in third place in the Horizon League with one match remaining.

The Bulldogs conclude conference play on Friday when they head to Dayton, Ohio, to take on Wright State.

“We owe it to our senior to win the last conference match for her and go out with a bang,” Ruffolo said.  “Beating Wright State is going to be great, and I can’t wait.”

Senior middle blocker Maureen Bamiro ended her career at Hinkle Fieldhouse the same way she began it—with a bang.

Every set in Butler’s 3-0 win over Illinois-Chicago Saturday began and ended with a point from Bamiro, the lone senior Bulldog, including the match-clinching kill. Bamiro has started every match since her sophomore season and 118 of 121 overall.

The match was Butler’s (12-13, 8-5) second consecutive win and last home match of the season. The Bulldogs defeated the Flames (14-11, 7-6) 25-21, 25-10 and 25-23.

Bamiro, who is fourth in Butler history with a .269 career hitting percentage and ninth in blocks per set and all-time block assists, was honored during a break between the second and third sets in front of a crowd of 280.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling, but I’m content being done,” Bamiro said. “In my four years here, I’ve accomplished so much. That fulfillment is enough for me.”

Last season, the Bulldogs were crowned Horizon League champions with a conference record of 14-3 and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.

This year, a late-season surge has catapulted Butler to a third-place tie with Valparaiso in the Horizon League standings. The Bulldogs won seven of their last eight games, including a 3-1 win over the Crusaders Friday.

Following Saturday’s win against UIC, Butler coach Sharon Clark recognized the impact that Bamiro has had on the program over the past four years.

“She has been a dominant middle her entire career,” Clark said. “The biggest thing that she does is she shows people how to work hard. She has a great work ethic in the gym and has really shown the younger players how much hard work will pay off for them.”

Now the Bulldogs are focused on closing out the regular season and excelling in the Horizon League tournament, which begins Nov. 18.

“The biggest thing for us is consistency—going after teams and being the aggressor,” Clark said. “We’ve got to continue to do that, and things will keep going our way.”

Butler will face off against Wisconsin-Green Bay tomorrow and Loyola Saturday.

The Bulldogs defeated the Phoenix (10-14, 6-6) and Ramblers (4-18, 1-11) once each time this season.

The Butler volleyball team continued a string of good play over the weekend, capturing its second and third wins in a row.

The Bulldogs (8-12, 4-4) took two Horizon League matches at home when they defeated Loyola 3-1 on Saturday before disposing of Green Bay 3-0 on Sunday.

The Bulldogs got off to a quick start against the Phoenix (8-12, 4-4) from Green Bay, taking the opening set 25-21.

Butler kept Green Bay at a comfortable distance throughout the set. The Phoenix were able to pull within a couple points on a few occasions but were never able to close the gap.

The Bulldogs also jumped out to a big lead in the second set before Green Bay began to pressure.

Photo by Taylor Cox

Facing a Phoenix set point, senior middle back Maureen Bamiro notched a kill to even the score and then gave Butler the lead two serves later with another kill.

The second set would come to an end when Green Bay made an error, giving the Bulldogs a 27-25 set win.

“We practice working under pressure and in pressure situations all the time,” Bamiro said. “We just tried to focus on making the smart play and not trying to error ourselves out [of the match], and I thought we did a good job of that.”

The Bulldogs did not waste their opportunity to sweep the match, finishing strong to take the final set 25-21.

Bamiro led Butler with 17 kills while freshman libero Brooke Ruffolo recorded a team-high 21 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Kelly Kyle added 18 digs while junior setter Gina Vera finished with 40 assists.

The win Sunday followed a 3-1 victory for the Bulldogs Saturday against Loyola.

The Ramblers (4-12, 1-5) might have come in as the underdog, but they gave Butler all they could handle in the first set, winning it 25-23.

The Bulldogs would respond by taking the next two sets by decisive margins, 25-14 and 25-11, respectively.

“We came out lackadaisical in the beginning,” sophomore outside hitter Maggie Harbison said. “But then we said, ‘OK, we have to step it up, this is our home court,’ and we came out and served and received really well.”

The fourth set proved to be close until Butler finally pulled away to take the set and match 25-19.

Ruffolo led the team with 25 digs and Vera added 41 assists to complement her 12 digs.

Harbison added nine kills for the Bulldogs.

Photo by Taylor Cox

With the sweep, Butler moved to 4-4 in the Horizon League and into fifth place with eight conference matches remaining.

The Bulldogs look to extend their winning streak when they head to Ohio for a pair of weekend contests.

Butler will face Youngstown State on Friday before traveling to Cleveland State to take on the Vikings, who currently hold second place.

The Penguins (2-18, 1-7) from Youngstown State have struggled to get anything going this season, with a win against Loyola as their only conference victory.

The Bulldogs defeated the Penguins earlier in the season 3-0 behind 16 kills from Kyle and 13 digs from Ruffolo.

The Vikings (13-5, 6-1), like the Bulldogs, are currently riding a three-game winning streak.

Cleveland State has defeated every team in the Horizon League except for Wisconsin-Milwaukee this season, including a 3-0 win over Butler in September.

After losing two matches this past weekend and falling to 5-12 on the season, the Butler volleyball team is searching for answers.

Hurt by unforced errors, the young Bulldogs  (6-12, 2-4) cannot seem to string together enough wins to get themselves back on track.

“This season is just a lot different,” sophomore outside hitter Maggie Harbison said. “We’re still trying to figure out who the leaders are, and everyone is taking on different roles.”

On Saturday against Valparaiso, the Bulldogs’ youth was apparent.

The Crusaders (13-6, 4-1) narrowly took the first set 25-21, but the Bulldogs came back and won the second set.

Valparaiso came out of the break strong and cruised to win the third and fourth sets.

Middle back Maureen Bamiro, the only senior on this year’s Butler squad, led the Bulldogs with 10 kills. Harbison added nine kills and five blocks.

“On the stat sheet, we beat them, but unforced errors really hurt us,” Harbison said. “Our second game should be more of a rivalry, and we’re getting better with every game.”

Photo by Taylor Cox

Earlier in the weekend, the Bulldogs visited Chicago to take on the Illinois-Chicago Flames.

Amid a hostile crowd in a packed gym, the Bulldogs were able to push the Flames (11-5, 4-1) to a fifth set but dropped it and the match on a missed serve.

“It was a very emotional and intense game,” junior setter Gina Vera said. “We fought through the whole game and were proud of our effort.”

Freshman Kelly Kyle had a strong match, with 11 kills and nine digs. She was joined by Harbison, who recorded 10 kills and eight blocks.

Bamiro added 10 kills and four blocks.

The Bulldogs played well at times during the game but made too many self-inflicted errors to win.

“The gym was crazy, and they’re one of the best teams in the Horizon League,” Harbison said. “We went five with them, which was good to see.”

The Bulldogs took care of Wright State at home on Tuesday.

They took all three sets from the Raiders (2-16, 1-6) by scores of 25-17, 25-16 and 25-15.

The Bulldogs face Loyola Oct. 8. The game will start at 4 p.m. in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Inexperience and a low hitting percentage sent the Butler volleyball team to a 3-0 defeat Monday night against North Dakota State.

Butler coach Sharon Clark said it has been a growing year for the young team that includes six freshmen. She said this inexperience added to the Bulldogs’ 20 attack errors in the match.

“We have erred ourselves out of games this year,” Clark said, “but we’re looking at getting better in each game.”

The Bulldogs (5-10, 1-2) had a slow first two sets and ended the match with a .087 hitting percentage, a far cry from the .288 hitting percentage of the Bison (10-6).

Photo by Taylor Cox

Freshman middle back Stephanie Kranda had a strong first set for Butler. She ended the match with a team-high nine kills.

“[Kranda] is by far the ultimate utility player,” Clark said. “As she gets better playing at this level, she’ll really be a valuable weapon for us.”

The momentum was ultimately not in the Bulldogs’ favor, however, with the Bison taking the first set 25-18.

Butler sophomore middle back Claire Randich started off the second set with a kill, followed by a series of long volleys.

The two teams traded points until back-to-back kills by the Bison put them ahead 9-5.

The kills began a streak of 11 unanswered points by the Bison that ended when the Bulldogs scored on an error.

“Those long rallies are always energizing but also deflating whenever you come out on the short end of it,” Clark said.

Junior setter Gina Vera said the team tried to regroup between the second and third sets and focus on moving around the floor more quickly.

The third set started off tighter with kills by Kranda and senior middle back Maureen Bamiro.

The teams were neck and neck early in the set and tied at 15-15 following a kill by Bamiro.

They continued trading points, but the Bison pulled ahead and won the set 25-19.

The Bulldogs also fell 3-0 Friday against Milwaukee. The Panthers (11-4, 4-0) recorded a hitting percentage of .317, pushing them past the error-prone Bulldogs in three sets (25-23, 25-15, 25-14).

Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Harbison led the Bulldogs with six kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Kelly Kyle had a team-high nine kills and five digs in the loss.

Butler will hit the road this weekend, taking on conference opponents Illinois-Chicago Friday and Valparaiso Saturday.

Since arriving at Butler last month, Brooke Ruffolo has made everything look easy.

The freshman from Farmington Hills, Mich. immediately became the Bulldogs’ starting libero this season. In that role, she has played in every one of Butler’s 13 matches and 47 sets and leads the team in hitting percentage (.400) and digs (173).

The best part: Ruffolo is a walk-on player.

“I have a good work ethic, and I know what the coaches expected of me,” Ruffolo said. “It’s an honor to be a freshman walk-on and starting. I’m really lucky.”

Luck might not have as much to do with it as sheer ability and talent.

Photo by Taylor Cox

The nine-year player became serious about volleyball during the offseason of her junior year of high school.

After deciding that she indeed wanted to play the game at the collegiate level, Ruffolo starting winning awards and getting phone calls from multiple colleges.

One of those colleges, of course, was Butler.

“The coaches [at Butler] contacted me during a tournament, and I fell in love with the campus,” Ruffolo said. “The girls are very nice, and it was a perfect fit for me.”

Ruffolo has proved to be a perfect fit for Butler volleyball coach Sharon Clark’s team as well.

“[Ruffolo] has worked and competed hard for the starting libero spot,” Clark said. “She’s done a great job for us this year.”

Ruffolo said she can not only help the team with strong performances but also acquire a scholarship to help offset some of the cost of college.

“I hope there is a scholarship for me in the future,” Ruffolo said. “If I’m doing my job for the team, I don’t see why there can’t be.”

While Ruffolo’s work in the first 13 matches of this season has been impressive, she said she must keep working if there is any chance for her to attain a scholarship.

“I need to keep doing what I’m doing now,” Ruffolo said. “I need to scout opponents, get stronger and try to get better during practice.”

Ruffolo said that she hasn’t been treated any differently on the team because she is a walk-on, and Clark admits that she does not use the term walk-on.

This bodes well for a squad that is likely to return nearly all of its players, excluding lone senior Maureen Bamiro.

“Maureen [Bamiro] does a good job leading, and the juniors have stepped up, too,” Ruffolo said. “We all mesh well, and we’re optimistic about the future.”

Ruffolo, who is studying pre-med at Butler, said she expects to “do her own thing” after college. Even if that does not include volleyball, she said she knows she will be better off for competing at the college level.

“It will be a great experience,” Ruffolo said.

The Butler University volleyball team hung tough with three different teams over the course of 14 games at the Notre Dame Invitational, but they came up short in all three matches and started the season with a 0-3 mark.

The Bulldogs lost the first match 3-2 to Idaho and fell to Eastern Michigan by the same margin in the second match.

On the final day of the invitational, Butler gave Notre Dame a run for its money but dropped the match 3-1 to end their tournament.

Against Idaho, the Bulldogs fell behind two games to none before battling back to force a decisive fifth game.

“We got off to a slow start, but once we got together and regrouped ourselves, we came out with fire, and we got those two games right back,” senior middle blocker Maureen Bamiro said.

The Vandals (1-2) proved to be too much for the Bulldogs, however, winning the final game 15-11.

Freshman outside hitter Kelly Kyle led Butler with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Bamiro, a returning all-league and all-region player, added 10 kills and four digs.

Junior setter Gina Vera, who ranked fifth in the Horizon League in assists last season, provided 47 of them for the Bulldogs.

“We came back and fought and that shows a lot of character in us,” Bamiro said. “We have the ability to be great. We just have to learn how to put our abilities together and finish a game.”

The Bulldogs would get another chance to finish their match against Eastern Michigan, which lasted five games.

Butler lost the first game before picking up consecutive victories. After the Eagles (2-1) won the fourth game, they used the momentum to capture the fifth game 17-15.

Bamiro led the team with 19 kills, and sophomore outside hitter Maggie Harbison added 17 kills and 11 digs to bolster Butler’s offense.

The Bulldogs won more points than Eastern Michigan, outscoring them 113-95, but close games were the Achilles’ heel for Butler.

“We made a lot of unforced errors at the wrong times,” Harbison said. “We just need to be more consistent.”

The Bulldogs wrapped up their weekend with a match against Notre Dame.

Butler split the first two games with the Fighting Irish (3-0), but Notre Dame proved to be too much for Butler, taking the final two games for a 3-1 victory.
The win allowed the Fighting Irish to capture the invitational crown and achieve their best start to a season since 2006.

Bamiro again led the Bulldogs in kills, tallying 13 along with 5 blocks. Sophomore libero Maureen Nesbit chipped in with a team-high 16 digs.

Butler did not get the results it wanted over the weekend, but Bamiro said the squad did leave with an idea of what it needed to work on as the season progresses.

“We made a lot of progress,” Bamiro said. “We just have to work on putting it all together. Just working on that constant repetition and finding our niche, and just doing it over and over again so that we don’t have to think about it [will help us].”

The Bulldogs will return to action this Thursday when they head west to compete in the Portland Classic.

In the Classic, they will take on teams from  Portland, Texas A&M, Nevada and Washington State.

Butler is now tied with Milwaukee for first place in the Horizon League after blocking conference foe Wright State off the court last Friday in a 3-1 win.

As SuperCuts hairdressers helped willing fans donate to the Locks of Love foundation, the Bulldogs (8-6, 3-0 HL) trimmed down the Raiders (6-8, 1-2 HL) with defense.

Butler had 12.5 team blocks and dug most of the balls that got past the front line.

Junior middle Maureen Bamiro led the team with 3.5 blocks in the match.

Bamiro was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 20-26 after compiling 14 blocks in two matches last week.

“Blocking has always been one of our strengths,” senior middle Jalesa Lee said. “The entire week we had been focusing on defense, and you could tell during the match.”

Lee was one of four Bulldogs who had two blocks against the Raiders.

In the back row, the team saved 68 attacks in four sets, and five different players had double-digit digs with senior

Jessie Wolfe leading the team with 15.

Senior Jessie Wolfe and junior Maureen Bamiro stand at the net preparing to block a Wright State attack. Wolfe and Bamiro combined for 5.5 of the team's 12.5 blocks in the match. (Photo by Caroline Johnson)

“Everybody has been contributing to that team defense, and that’s why we’re doing so well in the Horizon League,” second assistant coach Nina Inic said.
Entering the match on a three-match win streak, the Bulldogs grabbed the momentum from the start of the first set with a 6-1 run.
From there, the

Bulldogs heavy hitting took over. Eighteen team kills led Butler to a 25-21 win.

“We wanted to focus on jumping on it right away,” Inic said. “It’s not really something that you work on. It’s more of a mindset of ‘get in there and get it done.’”
The Bulldogs used the same template for the second set, starting with an 8-2 run. Butler knocked in 16 kills on only three errors.

The Bulldogs finished the set with the same intensity that they started, winning 25-17 and taking a 2-0 lead into the break.

“One thing we’ve been trying to eliminate is our errors and play a smarter game,” Lee said. “We have to know when we have the right opportunities to go for it and when to take your time and play smart.”

The Bulldogs came out flat during the third set. Butler tied the set at 17 after being down 10-2. However, the Raiders took the final eight points to win the game 25-17.

After hitting only .026 on six errors in the third set, the Bulldogs got back on track in set four with another early run, capturing eight of the first 10 points.

Butler protected its lead with more team defense and won the match on one of Bamiro’s team-leading 13 kills, which finalized a .417 hitting percentage.

“Bamiro was unstoppable at the net,” Inic said. “And Gina [Vera] made some good decisions at crucial moments, and that is a big reason why we’re playing so well.”

Senior outside Jessie Wolfe and freshman opposite Maggie Harbison were in full support of Bamiro with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively.

After being ranked fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll, Butler now finds themselves sitting atop the Horizon League standings.

“I felt like we all thought that we had something to prove and that we were underestimated [in the rankings],” Lee said. “We’ve been working really hard and are hungry to prove them wrong.”
Butler hosts the UIC Flames (7-7, 2-2 HL) this Saturday in Hinkle Fieldhouse and will look to extend their winning streak to five matches.

The Butler women’s volleyball team will begin Horizon League play this week after hosting a four-team inviational last weekend.

Junior Maureen Bamiro attacks from the right side. (Photo by Rachel Senn)

The pre-conference invitational was Butler’s first in four years. The team finished second in their tournament after two 3-0 wins over UNC-Wilmington and Army and a 3-2 loss to tournament champion Xavier.

“It was great after all the travel to just be able to go to class and then walk over to Hinkle for our game,” freshman outside hitter Maggie Harbison said.

The Bulldogs (4-6) didn’t disappoint the volleyball crowds in Hinkle throughout the day.

Beginning the tournament with a match against UNC-Wilmington (3-7) on friday afternoon.

Butler won the first set 25-14.

Butler finished the second set, winning 18 of the final 20 points to take it 25-6.

The Bulldogs finished off the match with a 25-17 win in the third set as senior Jalesa Lee capped off the match with two kills.

The Bulldogs racked up 19 kills during the final set against UNC-Wilmington.

“Its so nice to get a big win,” Harbison said. “I think we’re starting to feel more confident on the court.”

Butler continued their winning ways against Army (4-7) that evening.

In front of over 1,000 fans packed into Hinkle for the Butler Invitational All-American Night, the Bulldogs completed a perfect day, defeating the Black Knights 3-0.

Butler jumped to a quick lead, going up 13-2 in the first game behind Lee’s strong serving.

Army was only able to trade points from that point on, and Butler won the set 25-14.

In the second game, after grabbing a 21-17 lead, Butler allowed the Black Knights to tie the match at 23-23. Neither team could break the deadlock until Butler finally strung together two points to win the game at 32-30.

The Bulldogs took the third set 25-17 to clinch the match.

In the final match of the tournament, the Bulldogs took on Xavier (5-4) for the tournament title. The Bulldogs won sets one and three 25-19, but dropped the second 25-16.

Butler couldn’t hang on to a lead or sustain things in the fourth set and, after being tied at 16, lost 25-19.

Xavier closed the match 15-6 in the final set and seal the tournament win.

Senior Jessie Wolfe and junior Maureen Bamiro were named to the all-tournament team. The pair combined for 62 kills during the weekend.

Wolfe is ranked 35th in the nation in kills per set (4.14) and 52nd in points per set (4.53).

Butler’s first two league foes will be Loyola and Valparaiso.

“It all starts this weekend, this is serious,” Harbison said.