Volleyball: Weekly Notes (November 21, 2001)

Nov. 21, 2001

A HEARTBREAKING END: The Butler volleyball team ended its season in a heartbreaking fashion, losing to top-seeded Loyola in the Horizon League volleyball tournament semifinals on Saturday (Nov. 17) at UW-Milwaukee's Klotsche Center. The Bulldogs, which were the fifth seed in the tournament, defeated No. 4 UIC in first round action to advance on to the semifinals. Butler ends the season 12-13, and 6-8 in league action.

BULLDOGS DOUSE FLAMES: The Butler volleyball team cruised to a three-game victory (30-17, 30-22, 30-26) over UIC in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Friday (Nov. 16) at the Klotsche Center. The Bulldogs jumped out early in game one, and never looked back, winning 30-17 while hitting .406 as a team. The two teams were tied 17-17 in game two before freshman Sara Gallagher served up eight straight points, giving Butler a 25-17 advantage. The Bulldogs would go on to win the game 30-22. UIC put up a better fight in game three, as the Flames held a 25-23 lead down the stretch. Butler's Keely Norris and Areal Bienemy would each record a pair of key kills, giving their team a 30-26 triumph.

RAMBLERS SLIP PAST BUTLER: After being down 23-15 in game one, the No. 5 seeded Bulldogs made a valiant comeback and went on to win 30-26. Loyola took games two and three 30-25, 30-24, but Butler captured game four, 30-26, forcing a fifth game. Senior Andrea King's solo block gave the Bulldogs a 12-10 lead in the final game, but Loyola was quick to retaliate, tying the game up 13-13. The Bulldogs would pull ahead to match point, 14-13, but a kill by Shari Davis evened the score up 14-14. King would again give her team match point, 15-14, as she pounded down a cross-court kill, but another kill of the hand of Davis would tie the game again. Back-to-back kills by Kristen Daly would then seal the win for the Horizon League regular season champions, ending the game 17-15. Butler has not beaten Loyola since the 1997 season, losing the last seven contests to the Ramblers.

KING OF THE COURT: Butler senior Andrea King was honored to the Horizon League All-Tournament team for her efforts on the court over the weekend. This is the third straight season King, a Connersville, Ind. native, has been cited to the All-Tournament team. King had 12 kills against UIC, while hitting .391. The 6-3 middle blocker pounded down 17 kills against Loyola, hitting a .394 clip, and added seven block assists to her totals.

HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS: Junior Keely Norris was named to the All-Horizon League second team and freshman Kali Carter was cited to the league's all-newcomer team. The awards were voted on by the league's head coaches. Norris, who was named to the all-conference second team in 2000, led the Bulldogs with 3.46 kills per game, while hitting a team-best .296. The 6-1 middle blocker played in all 25 matches this season, averaging .77 blocks per game. Despite missing five matches this season due to an illness, Carter was one of the six newcomers to be selected to the all-newcomer team. The 6-0 outside hitter averaged 2.34 kills per game and 2.81 digs per game, both of which were best among all Butler rookies. A product of Columbus, Ind., Carter has played in 20 matches this season, earning a starting role in 18 contests.

GOING OUT IN STYLE: Seniors Allison Cox and Kristi Kerkhoff ended their collegiate career by posting solid marks against Loyola. Cox tallied her third 20-20 match of her career against the Ramblers with 20 kills and 24 digs, both of which were match-highs. Cox ends her career with 1,074 kills (10th all-time) and 1,298 digs (9th all-time). Kerkhoff also enjoyed a great career with the Bulldogs. The Romney, Ind. native played in 105 matches throughout her four-year career, averaging 1.58 digs per game.

SHE'S DIGGIN' IT: Freshman Areal Bienemy had an outstanding weekend at the Horizon League Tournament. The 6-0 outside hitter recorded eight kills and a career-high 16 digs in the three-game win over UIC. She then posted a double-double of 14 kills and 13 digs against the Ramblers. Bienemy, who played in 20 matches this season for the Bulldogs, averaged 2.00 kills and 1.96 digs per game.

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO: Head coach Sharon Clark has a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season. She returns four starters (Areal Bienemy, Kali Carter, Keely Norris and Amanda Matthews) along with five players who saw quality playing time off the bench this season (Kamy Peters, Halston Campagna, Laura Klancnik, Elizabeth Moreau and Sara Gallagher). The Bulldogs will also welcome the additions of redshirts Sarah Clough and Candice Washington to the court, as both players elected to sit out during the 2001 campaign.