Volleyball Concludes Homestand Against Butler

Thursday, October 27

Cincinnati, Ohio

6 p.m.

Xavier University

Butler

Volleyball Concludes Homestand Against Butler

10.25.16 | Volleyball

Live Stats Watch Live - BEDN

Thursday's BIG EAST matchup will be aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier volleyball closes a five-match homestand on Thursday, Oct. 27 against Butler. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. with the match being aired on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

The Musketeers enter the match with a 13-11 (7-4 BIG EAST) record to rank third in the conference standings. The Bulldogs (16-11, 5-6 BIG EAST) are tied for sixth in the conference standings with Seton Hall.

PROMOTIONS

Dig Pink Game
Pink can koozies will be given to first 100 students and 100 fans in attendance.

THE MATCHUP VS BUTLER

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (13-11, 7-4) vs BUTLER BULLDOGS (16-11, 5-6)
Match Info: Thursday, Oct. 27 - 6 p.m. - Cintas Center
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2dtvbSL
Watch Live - BEDN: http://bit.ly/2dCTfDQ

ABOUT BUTLER

2016 Record: 16-11 (5-6 BIG EAST)
Series History: Xavier leads, 16-12

NOTABLES
• Butler leads the nation in team assists (1,331) and team kills (1,421). The Bulldogs also rank third in team total attacks (3,724) and 21st in team digs (1,515).
• Sophomore Anna Logan ranks fourth nationally in points (526) and total kills (464). Junior Makayla Ferguson ranks sixth in total assists (960).
• The Bulldogs have won three of their last four matches, all being played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Thursday's contest will be Butler's first road game since Oct. 12.

SERIES HISTORY

• Xavier leads the all-time series with Butler, 16-12. The Musketeers are 7-5 in home matches against the Bulldogs.

The Musketeers won the first meeting this season in five sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-13, 24-26, 15-12).

Xavier 3, Butler 2 - Oct. 8, 2016 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Seniors Abbey Bessler, Brooke Betts and Sofia Peterson combined for 47 of the Musketeers 66 kills in the first meeting.
• Abbey Bessler posted a match-high 22 kills, while adding five digs and two blocks.
• Sofia Peterson matched her career high in kills with 17. The senior right side added a match-high .536 hitting percentage to go along with four digs and three blocks.
• Brooke Betts chipped in eight kills with a .500 hitting percentage. The senior middle blocker also had a team-high six blocks.
• Meredith Klare was one of four Musketeers with 10 or more digs – posting a match and season-high 25 digs. Samantha Foti added 15 digs.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD

• Abbey Bessler was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The award recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the volleyball court.

• To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Bessler was one of four BIG EAST volleyball players named to the list.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Senior outside hitter Abbey Bessler was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after helping the Musketeers post a 2-0 record last week. The Hebron, Ky., native has been recognized for her on-court performances three times by the conference office this season.

• Bessler averaged 4.50 kills and 1.75 digs per set, while posting a .310 hitting percentage. She also added four blocks.

• Bessler had 18 kills in the four-set win over St. John's on Thursday before following that performance with 18 kills in the four-set win over Seton Hall on Friday.

BIG EAST Weekly Award Winners

Name	Award	Week
Abbey Bessler	Honor Roll	Oct. 25
Sofia Peterson	Honor Roll	Oct. 17
Sofia Peterson	Honor Roll	Oct. 10
Abbey Bessler	Honor Roll	Sept. 26
Abbey Bessler	Player of the Week	Aug. 29

NOTABLES

• Xavier had six more (9-3) service aces than its opponents last week. Mackenzi Humm led the squad with four aces.

• Xavier hit .304 last week with Alexis Newsome pacing the team with a .556 attack percentage. The middle blocker added 17 kills and a team-leading 14 blocks.

• Sofia Peterson averaged 2..88 kills per set last week with a .474 hitting percentage. The senior right side added three digs and three blocks.

• Kristen Massa averaged 2.14 kills per set in two matches last week, while adding six blocks. Brooke Betts added 12 kills and hit .385.

• Mackenzi Humm posted 5.62 assists per set last week, while McKena Estes recorded 5.12 assists per set. Defensively, Samantha Foti led the team in digs (2.75 d/s).

• Xavier has posted 48 more total blocks (206.5-158.5) thank its opponents this season.

BIG EAST STATS: XU TOP-FIVE

Hitting Percentage

1.	Marquette	.263
2.	Creighton	.260
3.	Villanova	.256
4.	DePaul	.248
5.	Xavier	.246

Assists (a/s)

1.	Creighton	13.36
2.	Villanova	13.22
3.	Butler	12.80
4.	Xavier	12.78

Kills (k/s)

1.	Creighton	14.63
2.	Villanova	14.18
3.	Xavier	13.99

Blocks (b/s)

1.	St. John's	2.90
2.	Marquette	2.48
3.	Butler	2.29
4.	Xavier	2.24

Individual Hitting Percentage

1.	Jasmine King, St. John's	.396
2.	Sofia Peterson, XU	.365

Individual Kills (k/s)

1.	Anna Logan, Butler	4.46
2.	Taylor Louis, Marquette	4.43
3.	Allie Loitz, Villanova	3.76
4.	Abbey Bessler, XU	3.73

Individual Service Aces (a/s)

1.	Allie Loitz, Villanova	0.42
2.	Megan Ballenger, Creighton	0.40
3.	Samantha Foti, XU	0.33

Individual Blocks (b/s)

1.	Danisha Moss, St. John's	1.46
2.	Jenna Rosenthal, Marquette	1.26
3.	*Alexis Newsome, XU*	*1.18*

Individual Points (p/s)

1.	Anna Logan, Butler	5.06
2.	Taylor Lewis, Marquette	4.98
3.	Allie Loitz, Villanova	4.49
4.	Brittany Maxwell, DePaul	4.29
5.	*Abbey Bessler, XU*	*4.10*

NCAA STATS

• Xavier ranks eighth in team kills (1,287) and ninth in team assists (1,176).

• Individually, Alexis Newsome ranks 25th in total blocks (107), Samantha Foti ranks 67th in service aces (30) and Abbey Bessler ranks 44th in total kills (336).

CAREER RECORD WATCH: BESSLER

KILLS

Rank	Kills	Name	Years
1.	1,779	Sally Schulte	1993-96
2.	1,645	Abbey Bessler	2013-pres.

ATTACK ATTEMPTS

Rank	AA	Name	Years
1.	4,745	Abbey Bessler	2013-pres.

POINTS

Rank	Points	Name	Years
1.	1,860	Abbey Bessler	2013-pres.

DIGS

Rank	Points	Name	Years
5.	1,338	Sally Schulte	1993-96
6.	1,312	Abbey Bessler	2013-pres.

PRESEASON POLL

• The Musketeers were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll as announced by the conference office on Aug. 3. The preseason poll and All-BIG EAST selections were voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST

• Three Musketeers were selected to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team in Abbey Bessler, Kristen Massa and Sofia Peterson. Xavier and Creighton were the only two teams with three players each on the preseason team.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• The Musketeers posted an 18-12 overall record last year, the team's 18th straight year with a .500 or above record.

• Xavier has posted a 45-18 record in BIG EAST play since joining the conference in 2013. The Musketeers have advanced to the conference tournament in all three seasons.

• Xavier players have earned AVCA All-American honors eight times in the last 11 years. Aubree Smith earned the honors last season, while Abbey Bessler picked up the recognition in 2013.