Butler volleyball team to face Dayton in 2010 NCAA Tournament
The Horizon League champion Butler volleyball team will open NCAA Tournament play at No. 14 seed Dayton Friday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. in UD's Frericks Center. It is Butler's first NCAA appearance since 1997, and second overall.
"The team is very excited," head coach Sharon Clark said. "Everything has been fun and the girls are excited to play close to their friends and family. We should have a nice crowd following us."
The Bulldogs and Flyers will play for the right to advance to the second round against the winner of Ohio State and Lipscomb. Butler and Dayton have met 27 times on the volleyball court, with BU holding an 18-9 advantage. The last meeting in the series was a 3-0 Butler win in 2004.
The Bulldogs (21-9) captured the Horizon League's automatic bid by winning the Horizon League Volleyball Championship. Butler was the No. 2 seed after going 13-3 in league play, and captured the tourney title with wins over Cleveland State and Valparaiso. Butler has won 12 of its last 14 matches.
Currently, Dayton is one of the Midwest's top programs. The Flyers have won 22 consecutive matches and went undefeated in Atlantic 10 play this season. Dayton was ranked 12th in the regular season's final AVCA Coaches Poll.
"Dayton is a strong program. We've played them in the past," Clark said. "They have a very, very good team. But, we'll be ready."
