Bulldogs Open Season At Marian On Friday

Aug. 24, 2006

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This week in Butler Volleyball...
August 25 - at Marian, 6:00 p.m.

The Week Ahead: Butler opens up competition this weekend when they make the three-mile trek south to Marian College on Friday (August 25) for a 6:00 p.m. match.

Young Guns Ready For Action: When the Bulldogs take the floor for the first time this year against Marian, 10 of the 14 players will be freshmen or sophomores. This fact has given head coach Sharon Clark little cause for concern, as five of last year's seven starters and four of the five leading scorers are also returning to the floor in 2006. In fact, seniors Krystal Hendrix and Susana Henri, junior Michelle DeGeeter and sophomore Alicia Coltrane accounted for 70 percent of the 2005 team's offense, registering a combined 857 kills. After her stellar freshman campaign was cut short due to injury, sophomore Dana Daprile should be ready to begin the season as the team's starting setter. She and Coltrane were both mentioned on the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team in 2005. The Bulldogs will have extra depth to the rotation as well thanks to the addition of six newcomers to the roster. Head coach Sharon Clark (94-83) is in her seventh season with Butler.

League Tabs Bulldogs Fourth: Butler was picked to finish fourth in the 2006 season, according to the Horizon League Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs garnered 29 points in the poll of the league's eight head coaches, placing behind UW-Milwaukee with 49 and both UIC and defending tournament champion Loyola with 39 each.

Four Out Of Five Scorers Agree: The Bulldogs boast four of their top five scoring threats from a year ago in seniors Krystal Hendrix and Susana Henri, junior Michelle DeGeeter and sophomore Alicia Coltrane. The quartet was responsible for 70 percent (857 of 1,224) of the team's kills in 2005.

They Come From Near And Far: Three of the Bulldog's six newcomers didn't have to travel too far to reach campus this fall. Sophomore transfer Corissa Foster and freshman Porshia Allen both hail from Indianapolis, while freshman Stephanie Steele comes from Sellersburg in southern Indiana. The other three, however, covered quite a bit more distance in their relocations. Freshmen Melody Austin (New Orleans, La.), Adrianna Higle (San Antonio, Texas) and Stephanie McGurk (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) combined for nearly 4,100 miles in their trips to Indianapolis.

Hendrix Leads The Way: Senior middle blocker Krystal Hendrix returns for her final collegiate season as the Bulldogs' active leader in kills (618), attacks (1,875), aces (73), digs (487) and total blocks (327). Last season, she finished second on the team with 24 service aces, third with 82 total blocks and fifth with 155 kills.

Set To Return: Sophomore setter Dana Daprile returns to the Butler lineup this season following a break-out freshman campaign that was cut short due to a knee injury. A Horizon League All-Newcomer Team member last year, she paced the squad with 476 assists (8.07 apg) despite only playing in 59 games.

Working Her Way Up The Charts: Not only is Krystal Hendrix listed as the top active player in blocks, she is also one of the best all time in that category. The Salt Lake City native currently ranks seventh with 303 block assists and ninth with 327 total blocks. While the school record of 536 total blocks, held by Amy Pickett, is a way off, a strong showing in Hendrix's final campaign could push her totals near Pickett's record of 413 block assists.

Get Ready To Rumble: The Horizon League volleyball season provides challenging competition every year, and coach Clark planned accordingly when scheduling non-conference opponents. To prepare the Bulldogs for the rigors of the league campaign, the early-season slate features some demanding non-conference matches, including Duke, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships, and Notre Dame, which reached the Sweet 16 of the national tournament.

Head Coach Sharon Clark: Entering her 14th year of coaching and seventh season with the Bulldogs, head coach Sharon Clark sits just four wins shy of 200 career victories and needs only six victories to eclipse the century mark in total wins as the head coach of Butler. Clark has compiled a 196-191 record in 13 years as a head coach, including a 94-83 record at Butler. During her tenure with the Bulldogs, she has coached a pair of All-Americans, nine All-Horizon League Team members and seven all-newcomer team members.

Clark Receives Sam Lacy Pioneer Award: On August 18, head coach Sharon Clark was named as a recipient of the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award by the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She was presented with the honor for her success as one of the few black major-college volleyball coaches and the leadership she has shown in American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and NCAA activities. The Pioneer Awards, which pay tribute to black groundbreakers in the sports world, are the most prestigious honors bestowed by the NABJ Sports Task Force, which is comprised of black print and broadcast sports journalists nationwide.

Next Up: The Bulldogs welcome Chicago State to Hinkle Fieldhouse on August 29 for the home opener beginning at 6:00 p.m. Butler then hosts Army, Evansville and Kennesaw State in the Butler Invitational from Sept. 1-2.