Butler sweeps the Billikens in three sets to get into A-10 tournament
The Billiken women’s volleyball conference schedule came to an end on Saturday. SLU dropped a match at Butler in straight sets. The Bulldogs won the sets 27-25, 25-14 and 25-16.
During the match, Senior Cassie Clark notched her 13th double-double of the season. She had 13 digs and 28 assists. While performing well offensively, Clark was not happy with the team’s execution.
“I am a little disappointed about our performance on Saturday against Butler. I do not think that we played SLU volleyball and I think that we could have given them a better game,” she said.
In the match, Junior Grace Bonoma recorded 14 digs. Those put her at 1,136 for her college career. Bonoma is now eighth all-time in career digs at SLU.
Rachel Barber of the Bulldogs had 14 kills in the match, helping her win A-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Morgan Peterson also had a double-double, collecting 36 assists and 16 digs for Butler.
The loss was the next-to-last game of the season for the volleyball team. The Bills have concluded their A-10 season.
This season has been a difficult one for the Billikens. They have had to deal with a death in the SLU family, injuries and recently getting stuck in hurricane Sandy. Even so, Clark has enjoyed a positive experience with her team this year.
“I think that one thing that you can always expect from our team is [for us] to play our hearts out,” Clarke said. “We play very hard as a collective group and we work well together. On and off the court we get along, so that makes it a lot more enjoyable, as well as easier, on the court.”
The Bills had a tough A-10 season. The team lost their first five conference matches before picking up their first victory against Butler. After those six games, the Bills only won three more games this conference season. The team missed the A-10 tournament, as Butler’s victory over the Bills ensured them the final spot in the A-10 conference tournament.
Five seniors played their final conference game at Butler: Clarke, Aleksandra Niemiec, Andrea Bolt, Carly Marcum and Carly Schumacher. These players played their final game at Chaifetz Pavillion on Nov. 3 against La Salle, where they won in three sets.
Although the team missed the A-10 tournament, they will play one more game this season. The team will conclude their season against the University of Kansas on Wednesday, Nov. 21. The game will be played in Lawrence, Kan.
