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Stingy Defense Leads Bulldogs To Sweep Of Marian
Sept. 3, 2008
Indianapolis, Ind. - Butler notched a season-high 13.5 blocks while holding visiting Marian to just .049 hitting (26-21-103) en route to a 27-25, 25-15, 25-16 sweep of the Knights on Wednesday (Sept. 3) evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs finished with 25 block assists as a team, including seven from freshman Maureen Bamiro, as Butler improved to 3-1 on the season. The loss drops Marian to 5-4. The Knights gave the Bulldogs a fight in the opening set, as the cross-town rival jumped ahead to as much as a seven-point advantage at 17-10. The Bulldogs rallied back to tie the bout, however, as a trio of service aces and three kills each by Jessica Wolfe and Dana Daprile brought the scoring even at 20-20 before back-to-back kills by Kelsey Labrum gave Butler its first lead since 2-1. Marian hung around late, breaking a pair of set points, but a block by Bamiro and Wolfe sealed the first set in favor of the Bulldogs. The Knights kept things interesting at the start of the second game, taking a 7-5 lead on a block by Rachel Klene and Brittany Miller, but five straight points by the Bulldogs put Butler on top for good. The deciding bout saw more of the same, as Marian took a slim 3-2 edge early on before a 7-2 jaunt by Butler put the Bulldogs in the driver's seat for the match victory. Butler dominated the Knights on the defensive end in the final two sets, holding Marian to .000 (15-15-66) while notching 9.5 of its total blocks. Labrum led the way on offense for the second time this season, totaling 12 kills. Wolfe also finished in double-figures with 11 kills, while Bamiro boasted a staggering .857 hitting percentage (6-0-7). Butler returns to action this weekend when it heads to Atlanta, Ga., for the Kennesaw State Owls Challenge. The Bulldogs kick off the tournament on Friday (Sept. 5) with a 5:00 p.m. match against Austin Peay.
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