Villanova, Pa. - Villanova volleyball returns to action with back-to-back matchups beginning with Butler on Friday at 6 p.m. The team then has a quick turnaround travelling to Cincinnati to face Xavier Saturday night at 6 p.m.
 
Villanova (14-6, 5-3) will reach the halfway point of the conference slate following the match with Butler. Villanova took down Butler in the first match this season in straight sets behind strong offensive performances from Clare Delaplane, Mallory Potts and Sanaä Barnes who all tallied double-digit kills. Delaplane also recorded a season-high 15 digs in that match.
 
Butler (8-12, 5-3) is one of three teams tied at 5-3 in the conference standings, making Friday night's matchup an important one. Additionally, the Wildcats will be looking for their first ever win in Indianapolis, after going 0-6 since Butler joined the BIG EAST in 2013. Since the two teams last matchup in the second weekend of conference play, Butler has won three of its last four.
 
The Bulldog offense is led by Anna Logan with 213 kills and Megan Ramseyer with 660 assists. Butler ranks last in the conference in hitting percentage, but makes up for that with a strong defense. The defense, anchored by Elizabeth Labue with 376 digs, leads the conference in digs/set at 16.19 and is third in blocks.
 
"It's a big weekend on the road for us," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "We've got to be really good. Butler is in a three-way tie with us right now so it's going to be a match that has a lot to say for who qualifies for the BIG EAST tournament at the end of the year. We'll have to be sharp and play our best."
 
Villanova then moves on to Cincinnati to face Xavier (7-11, 4-4) Saturday night at 6 o'clock. Xavier has also proven to be a tough place to play for the Wildcats, who have just one win there since they joined the conference the same year as Butler. While both are at home, the Musketeers will also be playing their second match in as many nights following their meeting with Georgetown this Friday. Xavier has gone 3-2 since the last meeting at Villanova, a straight sets victory for the Wildcats. Nova held Xavier to hitting just .151 while Allie Olsonoski and Barnes led the charge for Villanova. Emma Decker put up 38 assists against Xavier, her most in a three-set match so far this season.
 
 Xavier is another strong defensive team, flipping with Butler in the two primary defensive categories. The Musketeers lead the conference in blocks with 2.40 per set, and are third in digs at 15.19. The defense is led by Jayda Carlton averaging 1.22 blocks/set, while MaryAnn O'Toole, Madi Kutruff and Alyssa Overbeck have 219, 217 and 216 digs, respectively. 
 
Senior libero Regan Lough will be chasing a milestone this weekend, as she is just 12 digs shy of second place in program history. She is currently at 1,708 for her career, and averaging 4.45 digs per set.
 
Keep up with this weekend's action with @NovaVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram, and follow live with the links provided on the Villanova.com volleyball schedule page.