Sharon Clark

Under the guidance of head coach Sharon Clark, who will be in her 19th season with the Bulldogs in 2018, the Butler volleyball program has won championships, reached the NCAA Tournament and produced All-American players.

The 2017 campaign got underway with Butler hosting a tournament over opening weekend at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time since 2001 and ended with a trip to the BIG EAST Conference Tournament. BU played as the No. 3 seed in the 2017 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship. It was their second trip to the tournament since joining the BIG EAST in 2013. Butler earned the No. 3 seed by posting a 13-5 record against BIG EAST foes. 13 conference wins was Butler's highest total as a member of the BIG EAST.

Milestones for the program during 2017 included Coach Clark reaching 300 career wins at Butler, junior outside hitter Anna Logan moving past 1,000 career kills and reaching 20 or more wins in four of the last five seasons.

Butler reached 10 non-conference wins for the sixth time under Coach Clark. A hot start included BU winning seven-straight during the month of September, the fourth longest winning streak under Clark. Butler went 7-1 during the month of October, accomplishing something that has only been done one other time (2014). Butler won at Marquette for the first time since 1990 when each program was a member of the MCC. They also won three consecutive five-set matches during the 2017 campaign.

Individual honors for Bulldogs during the 2017 season included Bri Lilly and Anna Logan earning AVCA All-East Region honors. Lilly, Logan and Makayla Ferguson were all First Team All-BIG EAST selections. Lilly posted the highest attack percentage of any Bulldog in school history (.378) by collecting 258 kills in just 532 swings with 57 errors.

Butler ended the 2016 campaign with a 20-14 overall record. The team led the NCAA in both total kills and total assists for a majority of the season, ending the year ranked 11th in each category. Coach Clark helped sophomore outside hitter Anna Logan reach All-America status. Logan ended the year ranked seventh in the NCAA with 659.5 total points. She was also in the top-ten (9th) in total kills with 578. Those numbers allowed Logan to earn First Team All-BIG EAST, AVCA All-Region and AVCA honorable mention All-American honors.

The Bulldogs enjoyed their second straight 20-win season in 2014, defeating non-conference foes Virginia Tech and Indiana on their way to finishing with a 20-10 overall record. Butler went 12-6 in conference play and tied for fourth in the BIG EAST with Xavier, the seventh consecutive season the team finished with a conference record at .500 or better.

The 2014 season saw seniors Belle Obert and Erica Stahl take all-conference honors yet again, with Obert taking home First Team All-Conference honors and Stahl second team honors. Obert was later recognized as an All-East Region selection. Newcomer Makayla Ferguson earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors while also being named Second Team All-Conference.

The Bulldogs opened the 2013 season with a 16-3 record, with wins over regionally-ranked opponents Illinois State and Creighton. Clark’s leadership helped the team finish the regular season strong by winning six of their last seven matches.

Post-season awards followed the final game of the year as Belle Obert and Erica Stahl, were named First Team All-BIG EAST. Senior setter Morgan Peterson was tabbed Second Team All-BIG EAST. The trio of Obert, Stahl and Peterson continued to collect hardware under Clark’s coaching as each student-athlete went on to be named All-East Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Stahl would take the ultimate award home for the 2013 season as she was named to the AVCA honorable mention All-America Team on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Clark has posted nine winning seasons during her tenure, including six-straight winning seasons from 2008-2013. She has achieved four 20-win seasons at Butler in 2003, 2009, 2010, and 2013.

In 2010, Clark mentored the Bulldogs to the Horizon League Volleyball Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The 2010 season started with the team playing some of the nation's top teams, including Baylor, Louisville and Arizona. The tough competition paid off as Butler would go 13-3 in the Horizon League and then win the league tournament as the No. 2 seed. After playing in the NCAA tourney, Butler finished the 2010 season with a 21-10 record.