INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The final road match of the 2024 regular season is on tap for Saturday afternoon as Villanova volleyball (14-12, 7-8 BIG EAST) travels to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against the Butler Bulldogs.

LAST TIME WE MET
When the Wildcats last saw Butler on Oct. 26, the result was Villanova's eighth sweep of the season (and also their most recent to this point) as the 'Cats emerged with a straight-set victory at Jake Nevin Field House. The Wildcats got production across the board in that contest due to Alyssa Nelson (16 assists) and Taylor Jakubowski (15 helpers) distributing the ball evenly to the tune of six Wildcats over a quartet of kills. Cat Young and Abby Harrell led VU with nine terminations, plus Campbell McKinnon added eight with a team-best four blocks. That match saw Butler with a hot start in the opening set before a six-point Villanova run allowed the 'Cats to take the first, the second consisted of back-and-forth action that the Wildcats pulled out and VU domination in the third completed the sweep. Saturday will also be Butler's Alumni Day, fitting since the VU-BU matchup at Nevin was Villanova's Alumni Night.

CONFERENCE CRUNCH TIME    
Conference tournaments are fast approaching in college volleyball as the BIG EAST regular season winds down next weekend, and it'll be a photo finish for which six teams will make the late November trek to Omaha. Creighton and Marquette have each locked up spots in the league playoffs with CU undefeated in BIG EAST play and the Golden Eagles owning just a pair of losses (both to Creighton) with only four matches to play. From there, it's a five-team battle for the other four slots and as it currently stands, the 'Cats are one spot out but have played one more match than 7-7 Xavier. Villanova has just one contest remaining against a current member of the tournament field and one opponent is already eliminated from contention. While running the table would all but confirm a VU postseason berth, a pair of victories in the final three will likely be enough for Villanova to take a Thanksgiving week expedition to the Cornhusker State.

BREAKING DOWN BUTLER

• The Bulldogs maintain a 6-20 overall mark, 4-10 in BIG EAST play but are victims of three straight sweeps and five losses in the last six matches.
• Butler is second in the league for service aces at 1.66 per set, but ranks 10th or 11th as a team in every other category. BU's 2024 victories have come over Indiana State and Providence (twice each), Seton Hall and Georgetown.
• Abby Maesch is Butler's leading attacker, one of five BIG EAST hitters over 3.6 kills per set, but hasn't played since Oct. 25 and missed the first VU matchup. Cora Taylor is sixth in the league at 8.82 assists per frame, Grace Boggess has 83 blocks on the year and Lauren Evans leads the team at 220 digs on the year.

The match will stream without commentary on the Butler Athletics YouTube with statistics available on StatBroadcast.