Volleyball Closes First Half of MVC With Trips To UE, SIU
10/14/2009 11:15:00 AM | Volleyball
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Creighton Volleyball (6-11, 3-4 MVC) closes out the first half of the MVC season this weekend with road trips to Evansville, Ind., and Carbondale, Ill.
The Bluejays will play at Evansville (10-9, 3-4 MVC) on Friday night in a 7 pm match at Carson Center (500).
On Saturday night, Creighton plays at Southern Illinois (13-4, 3-4 MVC) in another 7 pm contest at Davies Gym (1,250).
This Week
Oct. 16 7:00 pm Creighton at Evansville Carson Center
Oct. 17 7:00 pm Creighton at Southern Illinois Davies Gym
Radio Broadcast Information
Neither match will be broadcast on Omaha radio this weekend, but that doesn't mean the match with SIU can't be followed.
Friday's match from Evansville will not have any radio broadcast.
Saturday's match from Carbondale will be broadcast by the Southern Illinois student station WIDB. The match can be heard at
http://www.stretchinternet.com/siuschedule.html.
Video Webcast Information
Both matches this week will be video webcast.
Friday's match at Evansville will be webcast by Evansville at www.gopurpleaces.com, then clicking on the Gameday Central link on the left side. A single match pass costs $5.95.
Saturday's match will be webcast by Southern Illinois University at www.siusalukis.com, then clicking on the Saluki All-Access link on the right side of the page. A single match is available for $6.95.
Subscribers to Creighton's annual or monthly pass on www.gocreighton.com will NOT have these matches added to their subscription since CU, SIU and UE all use different software platforms from different companies.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for the exact links.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters this week tied for fourth in the MVC standings with a 3-4 league mark, and is 6-11 overall. The Bluejays have played seven of their matches against teams receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll, including a win on Oct. 2 over then-No. 25 Wichita State.
Junior OH Allie Oelke leads the team with 2.68 kills per set and ranks second with 2.49 digs per set. She has posted four double-doubles in CU's first seven Valley matches so far.
Senior MB Jessica Houts averages 2.60 kills per set and ranks 10th nationally with a league-best 1.45 blocks per set. She is the reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was an AVCA honorable-mention All-American last fall.
Junior L Nayka Benitez paces the back row with 4.52 digs per set. She's led CU in digs in all but two matches and also tops the club with 24 service aces.
The Bluejays average 11.77 kills, 1.05 aces, 14.00 digs and 2.88 blocks per set (10th nationally) while hitting .189 as a team.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville is currently 10-9 on the season and in a four-way tie for fourth place in the MVC with a 3-4 league mark. The Purple Aces are a perfect 3-0 at home, where they average 289 fans per match.
The Purple Aces have lost to the top three teams in the MVC, as well as Southern Illinois, but own league triumphs over Bradley, Indiana State and Illinois State.
Ginta Gabruseva tops UE with 3.03 kills per set, but her 108 attack errors are also second-most in the MVC. Not far behind Gabruseva's offensive numbers were Brooke Maher (2.72 kps.) and Emily Wandersee (2.63 kps.).
Ellen Sawin averages 10.53 assists per set, while Julie Sylvester leads the team with 4.21 digs per set. Wandersee owns a team-best 0.81 blocks per set.
Evansville averages 12.89 kills, 0.77 aces, 16.73 digs and 1.76 blocks per set while hitting .187 as a team.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 13-4 on the season, but just 2-4 since a record-breaking 11-0 start to the season. The Salukis are 3-4 in the MVC and 5-1 at home, where it averages 347 fans.
Jennifer Berwanger ranks second in the MVC with 3.56 kills per set and her 3.52 kills per set is tops among the Valley's non-liberos.
Freshman Rachael Brown averages 10.52 assists per set, Lauren Blomhorst averages 4.05 digs per set and Chandra Roberson leads the team with 70 blocks (1.13 bps.).
SIU averages 12.91 kills, 1.28 aces, 14.67 digs and 2.55 blocks per set while hitting .240 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 112-83 record in her seventh season with the Bluejays. She became the program's all-time winningest coach on Aug. 25, 2007 with a 3-0 win over Stephen F. Austin and joined the 100-win club with an Oct. 31, 2008 win at Drake.
Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
Booth is helped by associate head coach Paul Giesselmann, assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Mike Weber.
Evansville is coached by Mike Swan, who owns an 80-123 record in his seventh year with the Purple Aces. He owns a career record of 467-353 in 24 seasons overall. He is assisted by Tom Mendoza and Rose Obunaga.
Southern Illinois is led by Brenda Winkeler, who owns a 66-67 record in five years with the Salukis and a career mark of 148-139 in 10 seasons. She is assisted by Julie Yankus and Katie Carrier.
Series History vs. Evansville
Creighton is 21-10 all-time against Evansville, including a 9-6 mark in Evansville against the Purple Aces. Ten of the 31 meetings have gone the maximum five sets.
The Jays have won the last 12 meetings in the series, and 15 of the past 16. Creighton has won six straight matches in Evansville.
Creighton has won the first set in the last 10 meetings with UE and taken the third set in the past 12 encounters.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-0 against Evansville and Mike Swan.
Series History vs. Southern Illinois
Creighton is 22-9 all-time vs. Southern Illinois, including a 10-5 mark in Carbondale. CU's 22 wins against SIU are tied for its second-most against any opponent, trailing Indiana State (23).
The Bluejays have won 13 straight meetings against SIU, its best run against any team in program history.
Sweeps have been the norm in this series, as 1996 remains the only time in 15 years of meeting that the schools have split the season series.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 13-0 against Southern Illinois and 9-0 against Brenda Winkeler.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton lost in four sets at Drake last Saturday night, falling 25-18, 15-25, 26-24, 25-21. Allie Oelke led CU with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Jessica Houts had 12 kills and four blocks for CU.
Houts One of a Kind
Senior Jessica Houts is averaging 1.45 blocks per set and 1.02 digs per set. That makes her the only player in the country to average at least 1.10 blocks and 1.00 digs per set.
In fact, you have to go all the way down to No. 98 on this week's national blocking leaders, Kansas State's Kelsey Chipman (1.08 bps., 1.06 dps.) and Missouri State's Kelley Michnowicz (1.08 bps., 0.90 dps.), to find another player with at least 1.08 blocks per set and more than 0.90 digs per set.
Last year while playing all six rotations Houts averaged an even more impressive 1.35 blocks and 1.72 digs per set, making her the only player in the nation to reach both those standards.
Four-Way Tie For Fourth
Creighton moved from sixth place to a tie for fourth place despite not winning last weekend. That's because two of the teams above them, Southern Illinois and Evansville, went 0-2, and seventh-place Drake won a match to move to 3-4 in league action.
Not far behind the four-way tie for seventh place is Illinois State, which is 3-5 and at Indiana State this weekend. The Redbirds have never missed an MVC Tournament, which will consist of the top six teams in the league standings at the end of the year.
Booth Unbeaten Against This Duo
Since Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, Creighton is 12-0 against Evansville and 13-0 vs. Southern Illinois. The Purple Aces and Salukis are the only Valley opponents that Booth has not lost to.
Those two streaks also represent the only times in program history it has beaten another school in 10 or more consecutive meetings.
Extra Fans On Hand?
When the Creighton volleyball is playing at Carson Center in Evansville on Friday night, it might have about 25 more fans than normal.
The Creighton men's soccer team (5-2-2 before Wednesday night's game vs. Drake) will play at Evansville on Saturday night and might choose to stop by to cheer on its schoolmates the night before the soccer match.
Last season the Bluejay soccer team also supported the CU volleyball team when the men's squad was in town for the State Farm MVC Tournament. The team showed up early in the third set of a match tied at 1-1, and their energy and support were crucial as CU posted a pair of 25-17 wins to close out the victory. Following the contest, the two Creighton teams exchanged high-fives. The men's soccer team would go on to win the MVC Tournament the following day.
Looking To Finish Above .500
Currently 3-4 in league play, Creighton will close out the first half of league play this weekend. The Jays need two wins to go .500 or better at the midway mark for the sixth time in seven seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Creighton has had a winning record at the midway point of conference play on nine previous occasions, and qualified for the MVC Tournament that season every time.
Acing The Aces
Friday's match against Evansville will be a contrast of serving strategies.
Evansville owns just 87 service errors (second-fewest in the MVC) and is 10th in the league with 58 aces and 0.77 aces per set. The Purple Aces own an astonishingly-low 24 serving miscues in 29 league sets.
Creighton, on the other hand, owns 157 serving errors, second-most in the league (trailing the 157 by Wichita State). The Jays, surrender less than one ace per set (0.98) though, and have not allowed more than five aces in any MVC match this fall.
Benitez Starts 30/30 Club
Junior libero Nayka Benitez became the first player in Creighton history to post 30 or more digs in consecutive matches on October 2nd when she posted a career-high 36 digs in a victory over Wichita State. The contest followed up her previous best, 30 digs at Illinois State, the previous Saturday.
Benitez has led CU in digs in all but two matches and her 36 digs are the second-most of any player in the MVC in any match this fall.
Bober Named MVC Freshman of the Week
Megan Bober was named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on October 4th. This was her first honor of the season, and she is the only first Bluejay to earn MVC Player, Defensive or Freshman of the Week accolades this fall.
Bober hit .400 while averaging 10.29 assists, 1.86 digs, 1.86 kills and 1.71 blocks in two of her best all-around performances to date against the top two teams in the MVC preseason poll.
She began her week by tying her career highs with 43 assists and seven kills while adding seven blocks and five digs in a 3-1 victory over Wichita State that was CU's first-ever win over a ranked team.
On Saturday, Bober had six kills while hitting .500 and added 29 assists, five blocks and eight digs against MVC co-leader Missouri State.
In conference-only matches, Bober leads all MVC freshmen in blocks per set (1.00) and hitting percentage (.283) while ranking second with 9.62 assists per set.
Blocking A Key Stat
Creighton leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks per set in league-only (2.88 bps.) matches as well as all matches (2.67 bps.).
Creighton is 6-5 when posting 10 or more blocks, but 0-6 when failing to reach double-digits in that category.
An Impressive Streak Ends
Creighton extended an impressive streak in its Sept. 25th 3-2 win at Indiana State, only to see it snapped the following day against Illinois State. Before the Sept. 26th loss to the Redbirds, the Bluejays had won 13 straight MVC road matches to go five sets, a streak that began in 2000.
During that impressive run, CU owned at least one five-set road win against each of the other nine teams in the MVC.
Date Opponent 5th Set Score
10/14/00 at Indiana State 15-12
11/04/00 at Evansville 16-14
10/04/03 at Bradley 15-6
10/15/04 at Bradley 15-11
10/15/05 at Southern Illinois 15-8
11/18/05 at Northern Iowa 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 17-15
11/18/06 at Evansville 15-10
09/11/07 at Drake 17-15
09/21/07 at Northern Iowa 15-12
10/10/08 at Illinois State 15-9
10/25/08 at Missouri State 15-12
09/25/08 at Indiana State 15-12
Schulze Swings Away
Senior Sarah Schulze had 24 kills in CU's first 11 matches before putting down 46 kills in the past six matches.
Schulze has had eight or more kills in four of the past six matches, with a high of 10 against Indiana State on Sept. 25th.
Schulze hadn't recorded 10 or more kills in a match since the MVC Tournament during her sophomore campaign.
Near Triple-Double
Jessica Houts nearly posted Creighton's first triple-double since 2001 when she turned in 15 kills, nine blocks and nine digs in CU's 3-1 win over No. 25 Wichita State on Oct. 2. No Bluejay has put together a triple-double in kills/digs/blocks since JoDe Cieloha in 1996.
The 15-9-9 performance by Houts was her first MVC match this fall with at least seven kills, seven digs and seven blocks. Only Wichita State MB Sarah McGee can also claim one this year.
Last season Houts had six of the league's seven 7-7-7 matches in conference action.
7+ Kills, 7+Digs, 7+Blocks in an MVC Match, 2009
Name, School SETS K D B Date
Jessica Houts, CU 4 15 9 9 10/2
Sarah McGee, WSU 4 12 8 7 10/2
Against Ranked Teams
Creighton's 3-1 win over Wichita State on October 2nd marked its first-ever win over a ranked team.
Creighton had entered the match with an 0-35 record all-time against ranked teams, which included an 0-19 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and 0-11 record at home against ranked foes.
In its first 35 matches against ranked teams Creighton had forced a match to five sets just once, last year in an eventual 3-2 loss to then- No. 21 LSU.
Creighton vs. Ranked Teams All-Time
Date Opponent Result
09/01/98 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
09/04/98 vs. #19 Texas A&M (@Pacific) L 0-3
09/05/98 at #11 Pacific L 0-3
09/14/99 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
10/16/99 #16 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/08/00 at #6 Hawai'i L 0-3
10/03/00 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara L 1-3
09/09/01 vs. #13 UC-Santa Barbara (at Santa Clara) L 0-3
09/25/01 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/13/01 #16 Northern Iowa L 0-3
11/09/01 at #18 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/06/02 vs. #13 Pacific (at Columbia, S.C.) L 0-3
09/21/02 at #7 Northern Iowa L 1-3
09/29/02 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
10/18/02 #10 Northern Iowa L 0-3
10/04/03 at #10 Northern Iowa L 1-3
11/01/03 #12 Northern Iowa L 1-3
10/10/04 vs. #5 Nebraska (North Platte, Neb.) L 0-3
09/06/05 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
09/10/05 vs. #3 Stanford (Boulder, Colo.) L 0-3
10/11/05 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/29/05 at #25 Wichita State L 1-3
09/24/06 #1 Nebraska L 1-3
08/31/07 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/02/07 #18 Cal Poly L 0-3
09/15/07 at #13 Minnesota L 1-3
11/10/07 at #24 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/08 #16 Minnesota L 0-3
08/30/08 #21 LSU L 2-3
09/27/08 #14 Wichita State L 1-3
10/05/08 #2 Nebraska L 0-3
10/24/08 at #12 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/09 #10 Illinois L 0-3
09/01/09 at #6 Nebraska L 0-3
10/02/09 #25 Wichita State W 3-1
NCAA Stats Update
Creighton is ranked 10th-best nationally with 2.88 blocks per set, according to the most recent set of NCAA statistics through matches of October 11th. Texas tops the nation with 3.21 blocks per set. That is the only team category that ranks Creighton in the top-150.
Individually, two players rank in the top-100 of any category. Senior Jessica Houts is 10th in the country with 1.45 blocks per set, trailing the leader Alli Arbogast of South Florida's 1.69 bps. Additionally, Nayka Benitez has moved to 64th at 4.52 digs per set.
Close Doesn't Count
Part of Creighton's struggles can be attributed to its difficulty in winning close sets. Creighton is just 5-13 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-11 in the team's 11 match losses.
Evansville is 10-4 in sets decided by two points this fall, while Southern Illinois is 10-6 in sets decided by two points this fall.
TGIF
Creighton will have its next opportunity to continue its recent Friday success on the road in the MVC on October 16th at Evansville.
The Jays have won 14 of their past 15 Friday road matches in MVC play. The only setback in the last four years was the Oct. 24, 2008 loss at undefeated Wichita State.
Creighton is 19-7 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in MVC road matches played on Friday and 16-13 in MVC road matches played on Saturdays. The Jays are also 0-1 in MVC Sunday road matches and 1-0 in MVC Tuesday road matches under Booth.
Obstacle Course
Only three individuals in the MVC own 10 or more blocks in a match this season, with two of them playing for Creighton.
Senior Jessica Houts leads that list with 14 blocks against Lipscomb (Sept. 4), while sophomore teammate Laurel Sanford had 10 blocks against Connecticut on September 12th.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
At the start of the conference season, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools will harbor dreams of a regular-season league title. If the past is any indication, only Creighton, Missouri State, Wichita State, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois still have a chance.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
Even better for Creighton, two of the last three eventual regular-season champions opened the MVC season against Bradley.
Blocked By Bober
Freshman Megan Bober tied a Creighton record for most blocks in a match by a setter when she had nine rejections on Sept. 5 in four sets against Lipscomb. Melissa Weisensee also had nine blocks against Wichita State on Nov. 15, 1996.
Bober, who added 14 digs and 29 assists in the match, nearly recorded CU's first triple-double since 2001 and would have been the first player in school history with double-digits in assists, digs and blocks in the same match.
Dig Leader
Junior libero Nayka Benitez has led Creighton in digs in 15 of the team's first 17 matches to date and tops the squad with 294 digs on the year.
Benitez became the second-quickest in CU history to 100 career digs, reaching that mark in her eighth match. She was also the second-quickest to 200 digs by doing it in her 13th match.
She's likely to reach 300 digs in her 18th or 19th career match, also second-fastest in CU history.
Below is a list that shows Creighton's quickest players to 100, 200 and 300 digs in a career.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 6 09/02/07 Cal Poly
Nayka Benitez 8 09/12/09 vs. Connecticut
Three Players 10
Creighton's Quickest Players To 200 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 11 09/15/07 vs. Charlotte
Nayka Benitez 13 09/25/09 at Indiana State
Kailey Reyes 16 10/17/98 at Illinois State
Creighton's Quickest Players To 300 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 15 09/28/07 Illinois State
Kailey Reyes 25 09/03/99 vs. Gonzaga
Allie Oelke 29 11/16/07 Drake
Melissa Walsh 30 09/10/99 Southern Illinois
Brittany Coleman 31 09/03/04 at Missouri
Let's Start With Houts
Senior Jessica Houts has started each of her last 62 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 105 of her past 106 appearances overall.
Houts is just the fourth player in Creighton history to make 100 career starts, joining Korie Lebeda (119), Melissa Walsh (107) and Kelly Goc (103).
New Facility Dedicated
The Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena was dedicated on the morning of August 28th in a 10 am ceremony. There was also a smaller presentation made during the intermission of the Creighton/Texas Tech match later that evening.
The facility will host the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this November.
Full House
Creighton has finished in the top-26 of the nation's attendance leaders each of the past three seasons, and is off to another good start this fall.
Creighton is averaging 1,214 fans per match so far, a figure that currently ranks 32nd-best nationally. Below is the nation's top-35:
Average Attendance Leaders (through 10/11)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Hawaii 6,227 13
2. Nebraska 5,308 8
3. Minnesota 4,345 7
4. Wisconsin 3,832 6
5. Texas 3,163 4
6. Penn State 3,070 6
7. Florida 2,808 7
8. Wichita State 2,726 8
9. Saint Louis 2,584 3
10. Northern Iowa 2,465 4
11. Stanford 2,408 4
12. Purdue 2,277 9
13. New Mexico State 2,029 6
14. UCLA 1,991 3
15. Colorado State 1,888 9
16. Illinois 1,866 6
17. Idaho 1,701 1
18. Iowa State 1,686 5
19. Kansas State 1,655 7
20. South Florida 1,582 4
21. Michigan State 1,567 5
22. New Mexico 1,500 9
23. Missouri 1,498 8
24. Oregon State 1,408 6
25. Texas A&M 1,405 6
26. California 1,377 5
27. Texas State 1,296 8
28. Iowa 1,267 5
29. Kentucky 1,264 5
30. North Dakota State 1,240 4
31. Long Beach State 1,220 7
32. Creighton 1,214 7
33. Oregon 1,191 7
34. Michigan 1,165 9
35. Notre Dame 1,100 8
Back Home On Campus
The match on Aug. 28 was Creighton's first regular-season contest on campus since playing at the Kiewit Fitness Center from 1994-96.
Since leaving the Kiewit Fitness Center, Creighton had played at five other home venues: Qwest Center Omaha, the Omaha Civic Auditorium and three Omaha high schools (Skutt, Marian and South).
A Fresh Start
Between 2000 and 2008, the only freshmen to start CU's season-opener had been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005) and Allie Oelke (2007). All four of those women went on to earn a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman team.
The Jays started three freshmen in this year's season opener, as Megan Bober, Brooke Boggs and Heather Thorson all earning a starting nod.
Crowd Control?
Creighton attracted the fourth-largest crowd in program history for the Aug. 28 home opener against Texas Tech when 2,285 fans packed D.J. Sokol Arena.
The previous largest on-campus crowd for CU had been 476 for a match vs. Evansville on Nov. 4, 1994.
The previous largest crowd for a home opener had been the 1,227 that saw Middle Tennessee on Aug. 24, 1997.
Below are Creighton's largest home volleyball crowds all-time. The top three crowds took place at Qwest Center Omaha.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton VB History
Att. Opponent Date CU Result
13,081 #18 Cal Poly 09/02/07 L 0-3
12,112 #1 Nebraska 09/24/06 L 1-3
8,037 #2 Nebraska 10/05/08 L 0-3
2,285 Texas Tech 08/2809 W 3-0
1,557 Northern Iowa 11/21/08 W 3-0
1,357 Northern Iowa 10/20/07 L 0-3
1,325 Indiana State 09/29/07 W 3-0
1,319 Northern Iowa 10/06/06 L 2-3
1,227 Middle Tennessee 08/24/07 L 0-3
1,187 Missouri State 10/03/09 L 0-3
Another Year, Another Schedule Adjustment
For the second consecutive season, Creighton's non-conference schedule was altered due to a rare occurrence out of its control.
This year, the Tulane volleyball team withdrew from the Bluejay Invitational (Aug. 28-29) after six players showed symptoms of the H1N1 virus, which prevented the squad from travelling.
Last year, Creighton's scheduled participation in the Ladyjack Invitational on the campus of Stephen F. Austin was cancelled due to the fact that the Nacogdoches, Texas school's campus was located in the path of Hurricane Ike. That cost Creighton matches against Oklahoma, Rice and host Stephen F. Austin.
Record Home Win Streak Snapped By Illini
Creighton had its school-record seven-match home win streak snapped on Aug. 29 in a 3-0 loss to No. 10 Illinois. That stretch had started on Oct. 17, 2008 with a win over Evansville and also contained victories over Southern Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Bradley and Texas Tech.
Hitting On All Cylinders
Creighton attacked at a robust .398 clip in its Aug. 28 romp over Texas Tech. That ranks as the fifth-best figure for a match in school history.
Creighton is 47-1 all-time when hitting .300 or better, including 41 straight victories.
Best Creighton Attack Percentage in a Match
Pct. Opponent (K-E-TA) (Sets) Date
.536 vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s) 10-27-95
.495 vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s) 09-02-05
.418 vs. Evansville (98-21-184) (4s) 11-02-96
.414 vs. UC Riverside (57-11-111) (3s) 09-02-05
.398 vs. Texas Tech (47-10-93) (3s) 08-28-08
I'll Take Houts For The Block
Jessica Houts broke Creighton's all-time block assist record last Nov. 7 against Indiana State and with 470 currently, she has flown past Ashley Williams' (2001-04) old mark of 347.
Houts claimed Creighton's total block record in this year's season-opening 3-0 win over Texas Tech. Her 537 career blocks are many more than Williams' 447, and she became the first player in CU history to reach 500 career blocks on Sept. 19 vs. Northern Iowa.
Also listed is the MVC's all-time leaders in block assists:
Total Blocks, Creighton History
Name Sets BS BA Tot. Years
1. Jessica Houts 401 67 470 537 2005-Pr.
2. Ashley Williams 359 100 347 447 2001-04
3. JoDe Cieloha 398 106 331 437 1994-97
4. Melissa Walsh 394 46 320 366 1998-01
5. Kelly Goc 394 44 310 354 2004-07
6. Sarah Beulke 299 57 250 307 2001-04
7. Shelly Kapler 388 40 241 281 1996-99
8. Korie Lebeda 428 42 236 278 2005-08
9. Lauren Bloemke 299 36 218 254 2006-Pr.
10. Lisa Meekins 292 16 208 224 1999-01
Most Block Assists, MVC History
Name, School Block Assists Years
1. Danielle Brazda, UNI 658 2004-07
2. Molly O'Brien, UNI 653 2000-03
3. Ashten Stelken, UNI 540 2005-08
4. Mindy Struckhoff, MSU 527 1985-88
5. Shari Vermeer, UNI 489 2001-04
6. Kendra Haselhorst, ILS 482 1997-00
7. Chris Less, UNI 476 1988-91
8. Jessica Houts, CU 470 2005-Pres.
9. Holly VanHofwegen, UNI 464 1996-99
10. Elizabeth Meyers, WSU 460 2002-05
Freshman Setters Nothing New
For the third time in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's seven seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays began the season starting a freshman setter. Both setters on this year's roster, Brittany Moon and Megan Bober, are freshmen, with Bober earning every start so far.
In 2003 with Brittany Coleman starting as a freshman, Creighton improved from 3-23 (in 2002) to 12-18, a nine-win improvement. Coleman set a then-CU record with 1,347 assists while starting all 30 matches.
Creighton then finished 16-14 in 2005 as freshman Korie Lebeda arrived and Coleman was shifted to libero. Lebeda broke Coleman's record with 1,401 assists while averaging a league-record 13.34 assists per set.
Both Coleman and Lebeda would both go on to earn a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Dandy Debuts
Nayka Benitez had 15 digs in the season-opening victory over Texas Tech, the most in school history by a player making their debut.
Fellow newcomer Alicia Runge also approached a pair of school records for a debut. Her three blocks were one shy of the record (held by current teammate Lauren Bloemke).
Additionally, Runge's nine kills were tied for second-most in CU history for a debut and the most since Heidi Higginbotham had nine in 1995.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 133-8 (.943) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 75-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 63-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-149 (.039) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-49 mark in those home matches. Those six comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll. Five of those squads will visit D.J. Sokol Arena, including No. 10 Illinois, No. 18 Wichita State, No. 20 Saint Louis and votegetters Tulane and Missouri State.
Creighton also plays on the road at No. 3 Nebraska and No. 18 Wichita State as well as votegetter Missouri State.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won four matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 112-0 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 96 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 87-9. CU is 94-13 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one.
On the other hand, Creighton is just 18-70 in matches under Booth when it drops the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 21-10 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-3 6-11
Total 36-38 205-235
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in a preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches. Defending regular-season champion Wichita State was picked to win the league, while defending tournament champion Missouri State was second. Northern Iowa was third, Creighton fourth and Southern Illinois fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Evansville, Illinois State, Drake, Bradley and Indiana State.
Eight players were also named preseason all-MVC, including Bluejay senior Jessica Houts.
Each of the past six years Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll.
Year Preseason Pick Finish Move
1994 11th 9th #2
1995 9th 7th #2
1996 9th 6th #3
1997 8th 3rd #5
1998 6th 8th i2
1999 T-7th 5th #2
2000 4th T-4th - -
2001 2nd 4th i2
2002 7th 9th i2
2003 9th T-5th #4
2004 5th 5th - -
2005 5th 5th - -
2006 4th 4th - -
2007 3rd T-2nd #1
2008 3rd 2nd #1
2009 4th ??? ???
Production Returning
Creighton returned 6-of-12 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 161.5 (59.9%) 108 (40.1%)
Matches Started 97 (59.9%) 65 (40.1%)
Points 895.5 (52.5%) 809.0 (47.5%)
Kills 693 (51.8%) 646 (48.2%)
Aces 41 (42.7%) 55 (57.3%)
Digs 600 (34.9%) 1120 (65.1%)
Assists 58 (4.7%) 1189 (95.3%)
Dig This
Creighton is one of just 11 squads to average at least 17.20 digs per set in each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Creighton, Duke, Green Bay, Illinois State, Murray State, North Carolina, Rice, Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois.
During that same span, Creighton's 18.851 digs per set average ranks fourth-best nationally, as seen below:
Digs Per Set, Nationally, 2006-08
Rk. School SP DIGS DPS
1. Murray State 338 6918 20.467
2. Chattanooga 361 7356 20.377
3. Illinois State 348 6812 19.575
4. Creighton 323 6089 18.851
5. Wichita State 342 6399 18.711
6. Austin Peay 345 6435 18.652
7. North Dakota State 323 6015 18.622
8. High Point 364 6763 18.580
9. Western Illinois 344 6391 18.578
10. SE Missouri State 348 6398 18.385
AVCA Honors CU Volleyball For Academics
The Creighton volleyball program was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the 2009 AVCA Team Academic Award. Creighton previously won the award in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and are one of nine Division I schools nationwide to win the award in six consecutive campaigns.
The award honors teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. Last spring the Bluejay volleyball team posted a combined GPA of 3.41.
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 18-9 and narrowly missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays went 15-3 to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference and had a year-end RPI of 46.
Korie Lebeda, Amanda Cvejdlik and Jessica Houts were named first-team all-MVC, while Bianca Rivera was a second-team all-Valley selection. Houts was also named MVC Defensive Player of the Year and AVCA honorable-mention All-American.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 26 matches (14 home, 12 away) this season. The matches will air on KOIL (1180 AM) and KKAR (1290 AM) and be webcast on-line at www.gocreighton.com as well.
The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
A complete list of remaining matches follows:
2009 Volleyball Remaining Broadcast Schedule
Oct. 23 Illinois State (KOIL)
Oct. 24 Indiana State (KOIL)
Oct. 30 at Missouri State (KOIL)
Oct. 31 at Wichita State (KOIL)
Nov. 7 Drake (KOIL)
Nov. 10 Saint Louis (KOIL)
Nov. 13 Southern Illinois (KOIL)
Nov. 14 Evansville (KOIL)
Nov. 20 at Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Nov. 26-28 MVC Tournament (KOIL)
Creighton Ticket Information
Tickets to Creighton's home regular-season matches are sold at all Ticketmaster outlets. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 years of age or younger) for reserved seats and $7 (adult) and $4 (youth) for general admission seating. Children three and under are admitted free.
Season ticket information is available online at www.gocreighton.com or by calling (402) 280-JAYS. Creighton has sold approximately 700 season tickets for volleyball this year.
