Indianapolis, IND – The Butler Bulldogs (8-11, 1-5 BIG EAST) were unable to carry the momentum from their previous night’s victory, falling in straight sets (18-25, 18-25, 14-25) to the visiting UConn Huskies (14-4, 3-3 BIG EAST) on Saturday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Huskies, bouncing back from a loss on Friday, delivered a powerful performance characterized by efficient attacking and relentless serving, making quick work of the Bulldogs in the BIG EAST contest.

➡️  Butler vs UConn photos

UConn established control early in the first set, leveraging Butler miscues to build an immediate 5-1 advantage. Although the Bulldogs briefly rallied, tying the score at seven with an ace from Alaleh Tolliver, the Huskies swiftly recaptured momentum, extending their lead to five points midway through the frame. Despite a late push by Butler—fueled by a Tolliver kill—UConn’s attack remained potent, sealing the 25-18 victory and setting a demanding tone for the match.

The pattern of early Huskies dominance repeated in the second set, where UConn charged to a 13-6 lead. Butler managed to cut the deficit to three points at 18-15 following a pair of aces from Elise Ward, but this was the closest the home team would get. UConn responded with a late-set surge, closing out the frame 25-18 to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the intermission. Butler struggled significantly with their offense, registering a team hitting percentage of just $.098$ for the match, a stark contrast to UConn’s $.369$.

The third and final set saw the Huskies display their most dominant volleyball, jumping ahead 9-4 and never looking back. UConn’s service game proved overwhelming, contributing to 11 total aces for the match. Despite a kill from Sawyer Jones that momentarily brought the Bulldogs within three, UConn used another strong run to close the gap on their second road sweep of the season. The Huskies took the set decisively, 25-14, completing the 3-0 sweep and moving the Bulldogs to a 1-5 record in conference play. Butler will now head back on the road next weekend to face DePaul and Marquette.