INDIANAPOLIS, In.-   UConn Volleyball hit the road with hopes to run their conference winning streak to four as they faced the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday night.

Three early kills from Butler's Abby Maesch ignited the Bulldog offense. UConn responded with blocks from Loren Winn, Taylor Pannell, and Grace Maria to push the Huskies to an early 7-4 lead. Kills from Audrey Rome and Hanna Tylska, along with aces from Pannell and Isabella Suhy kept UConn in front at 15-11. Maria rattled off three kills in a row for the Huskies, extending the UConn advantage to 19-13 in the first set. Pannell added another ace and a kill late in the frame to lift the Huskies in the first set 25-15.

Elise Ward got Butler started in the second, with four rapid kills to get the home team in front 5-1.  A handful of Bulldog miscues got the Huskies back in front at 8-7. The dogfight continued throughout the second, with both squads trading points to pull even at 12 each. An ace from Maesch and UConn errors gave Butler the advantage at 15-13 at the media timeout. Ayva Cebollero gave the Huskies a huge boost off the bench, with a kill and multiple assists to Tylska. Tylska and Pannell turned up the intensity on the attack, leading UConn on an extended 10-0 run that lifted the visitors to a second set win, 25-19.

Maria and Pannell got the Huskies started in the third with a kill each to go ahead 5-3. A balanced offensive attack from Pannell, Tylska, and Doga Kutlu got Butler to call a timeout, going on a 4-0 scoring run midway through the set. In her Indiana homecoming, Anna Herman had three kills and a block assist in the frame to pace the Huskies in their third set run to go up 15-8. UConn did not relent in their pursuit to win their fourth in a row, sweeping the Bulldogs on the road to move to 4-2 in BIG EAST play. 

Pannell and Tylska each notched double-digit kills to lead the victorious Huskies. Maesch topped Butler with 11 kills in the defeat. The .039 hit percentage for Butler was the second-lowest for a UConn opponent this season (CCSU on 9/21). UConn's team hit % at .388 was the second-highest of the season (also CCSU 9/21).

Up Next: UConn will have a week between matches, returning home to take on Villanova and St. John's next weekend at the UConn Volleyball Center. Butler will face off against Providence on Sunday afternoon at home.