Volleyball Hosts Redbirds, Sycamores This Weekend
10/20/2009 11:45:00 AM | Volleyball
Next Matches
Creighton Volleyball (7-12, 4-5 MVC) begins the second half of the MVC Volleyball season this weekend with a pair of home matches.
The weekend starts on Friday night with a 7 pm match against Illinois State (9-11, 4-5 MVC).
On Saturday night, Creighton will host Indiana State (6-16, 2-7 MVC) on the school's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
Both matches will be held in Omaha at D.J. Sokol Arena (2,950).
This Week
Oct. 23 7:00 pm Illinois State at Creighton Ryan Athletic Center
Oct. 24 7:00 pm Indiana State at Creighton Ryan Athletic Center
Radio Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will be broadcast locally on KOIL (1180 AM).
The match will also be streamed live for free on-line at http://www.gocreighton.com, then clicking on the Live Audio tab on the left sidebar.
Brad Burwell and Erin Swanson will call the action.
Video Webcast Information
Both of this weekend's matches will be video webcast.
To sign up, visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Video tab on the left sidebar. An annual subscription costs $69.95, while a monthly subscription costs $11.95 per month.
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 links the exact link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters this weekend tied for fifth in the MVC standings with a 4-5 league mark, and is 7-12 overall.
The Bluejays have played six 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 is tied for the team lead with 2.72 kills per set and is second on the club with 2.57 digs per set. She's had a double-double in three straight matches and five of the past six contests.
Tied with Oelke for the team lead in kills is senior MB Jessica Houts, who averages 2.72 kills per set and a Valley-best 1.34 blocks per set (22nd nationally). Houts was a first-team all-MVC selection in 2008, when she was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year as well as AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American.
Topping Creighton's back row is junior libero Nayka Benitez, who averages 4.43 digs and 0.35 aces per set to lead the team in both categories.
The Bluejays average 12.00 kills, 1.07 aces, 14.16 digs and 2.90 blocks per set (7th nationally) while hitting .194 as a team.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State is 9-11 on the season and tied for fifth in the MVC with Creighton and Evansville with a 4-5 league mark. The Redbirds have alternated wins and losses in its last five matches.
Junior OH Mallory Leggett tops ISU with 3.40 kills and 0.47 aces per set while ranking second on the squad with 2.60 digs per set.
Also averaging multiple kills per set is sophomore MB Tabitha Visk (2.63 kps.) and freshman OH Angela Rego (2.33 kps.).
Senior libero Kasey Mollerus owns the Redbird school record for career digs and tops the club with 3.92 digs per set.
Illinois State averages 11.93 kills, 1.32 aces, 16.18 digs and 1.88 blocks per set while hitting .175 as a team.
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State is 6-16 on the season, including a 2-7 league mark. The Sycamores have lost six of the past seven contests, with an Oct. 10 sweep over Bradley the lone win in the last three weeks.
In fact, ISU has lost 16 straight on the road and 41 straight MVC road contests.
Jodilynne Stoker leads ISU with 2.84 kills per set and is second on the club with 13 aces.
Also averaging more than two kills per set is Ana Maira Charun (2.45 kps.) and Stacy Qualizza (2.09 kps.).
Whitney Fromm (7.81 aps.) leads the team in assists, while libero Kiya James (4.60 dps.) tops the squad in digs.
As a team, Indiana State averages 11.44 kills, 0.97 aces, 13.99 digs and 1.57 blocks per set while hitting .179 overall.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 113-84 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.
Melissa Myers (Juniata College, 1998) owns a 25-26 record in her second season at Illinois State. That moves her career record as a head coach to 186-75 when you include her six years at California (Pa.). Myers is assisted by Adriano de Souza and BJ Trame.
Traci Dahl (Long Beach State, 1997) is 14-39 in her second year at Indiana State, which also doubles as her career mark. Dahl had been an assistant at Cal State Fullerton and Hofstra before coming to Terre Haute. As a player, Dahl was an All-American middle blocker and a member of Long Beach State's 1993 national championship team. She is assisted by Camille Gutierrez, Katie Ragsdale and Sam Jones.
Series History vs. Illinois State
Though Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 24-10 margin, it's been mostly Bluejays of late. The Jays have won the seven of the past eight meetings in the series since snapping an 11-match losing streak to the 'Birds in 2006.
The lone exception came on Sept. 26th in Normal, where ISU won the final two sets to win a 3-2 decision at Redbird Arena.
Creighton is just 5-10 in Omaha against ISU, but has won its last three home matches against the Redbirds.
Creighton has taken a 2-0 lead in four of the 34 meetings against Illinois State, but has never swept the Redbirds.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 7-8 against Illinois State and 2-1 versus Melissa Myers.
Series History vs. Indiana State
Creighton is 23-9 all-time against Indiana State, including an 11-4 record in Omaha. Creighton has won the past nine meetings in the series, which included eight straight sweeps before CU's 3-2 road win in Terre Haute on Sept. 25th.
The Jays 23 wins against the Sycamores are tied for its most against any opponent (also Southern Illinois).
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-3 all-time against Indiana State and 3-0 against Traci Dahl.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton split a pair of road matches, losing at Evansville (3-2) before winning at Southern Illinois (3-1).
Jessica Houts led CU with 32 kills (3.56 kps.) while hitting .448, while Laurel Sanford averaged 2.22 blocks and 2.44 kills per set over the weekend.
Jays To Wear Pink on Saturday Night
Creighton will wear its alternate pink jerseys on Saturday night as part of the program's annual Breast Cancer Awareness program, and invites its fans to also wear pink that evening.
Groups participating include CUMC's Center for Breast Care, American Cancer Society/Colleges Against Cancer and Creighton University's Status of Women. Those groups have all received coupons that admit cancer survivors and their families free of charge to this game. CUMC and ACS will have tables set up in the Ryan Athletic Center corridors displaying information as part of its awareness campaign.
This is the third straight season that the team has worn its pink jerseys to help with the cancer awareness campaign, having also done it in 2007 against Northern Iowa and in 2008 against Evansville.
Last weekend Creighton picked up a 3-1 win to beat Southern Illinois in Carbondale while wearing its pink jerseys when the Salukis had their own such evening.
Duo Earns Weekly Awards
Two members of the Creighton volleyball team were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference for their play last week. Sophomore Laurel Sanford was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman Megan Bober is the MVC Freshman of the Week.
A sophomore middle blocker from Eagan, Minn., Sanford averaged a whopping 2.22 blocks per set last week to go with 2.44 kills and 0.22 digs per set as Creighton split road matches at Evansville and Southern Illinois.
She opened her week with a career-high 16 kills, six more than her previous best, and added eight blocks while hitting .333 in a five-set match at Evansville. She had four kills and two blocks in the fifth set while trying to carry the Bluejays to victory.
One night later Sanford had a huge blocking night, nabbing 12 blocks (1 solo, 11 assists) to go with six kills, in a four-set win at SIU. The 12 blocks for Sanford were second-most in CU history for a four-set match, second-most in the MVC this year and make her the only player in the MVC with two matches of 10 or more blocks this fall.
This is Sanford's first career weekly honor from the MVC.
Bober averaged 11.00 assists, 2.22 digs, 0.89 kills and 0.44 blocks per set and earns her second MVC Freshman of the Week accolade this month (also Oct. 5).
She had a career-high 57 assists on Friday in a five-set match at Evansville, easily surpassing her previous best of 43 assists. She added eight digs, two aces, three kills and a solo block. Bober closed her weekend with 42 assists, 12 digs, five kills and three blocks in Creighton's 3-1 win at Southern Illinois for the second double-double of her young career.
Houts One of a Kind
Senior Jessica Houts is averaging 1.34 blocks per set and 1.04 digs per set this fall. That makes her the only player in the country to average more than 1.10 blocks and 1.00 digs per set.
Last year while playing all six rotations Houts was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 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.
Oelke Doubling Up
Junior Allie Oelke has put together three consecutive double-doubles, and five of her past six matches. That gives her six double-doubles this year and 23 in her career.
The last CU player with three straight double-doubles was Korie Lebeda, who did it from Nov. 21-28, 2008.
The last CU player with four straight double-doubles was Carolyn Decker, who did it from Oct. 17-25, 2008.
The last CU player with five or more straight double-doubles was Lebeda, who had six straight from Sept. 6-Oct. 3, 2008.
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
Defensive Display
Last year Creighton had a season-high 106 digs in its Nov. 8 home win over Illinois State, easily a season-high.
Creighton owns just six home matches in the last five years in which it has 97 digs or more, but four of those have come against Illinois State.
In that span, Creighton has averaged 25.18 digs in those 17 sets played in Omaha against Illinois State.
The Redbirds will make their annual trip to Omaha on Friday.
Illinois State at Creighton, Last Four Years
Date Sets CU Digs ISU Digs
11/08/08 4 106 102
09/28/07 4 114 108
10/28/06 4 111 92
10/21/05 5 97 95
The Race is On
The race is officially on for top six spots in the MVC standings and a slot in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
As tournament host, Creighton is guaranteed one of the six spots in the tournament, regardless of its league finish.
Northern Iowa (9-0 MVC), Missouri State (8-1) and Wichita State (6-3) all seem to be in excellent shape, while Bradley's chances (0-9) seem slim.
That leaves five teams fighting for two spots with nine matches to play. Currently, Drake is 5-4 and alone in fourth place, one game ahead of Creighton, Illinois State and Evansville.
Southern Illinois is alone in eighth at 3-6, while Indiana State is ninth at 2-7.
The Redbirds have never missed an MVC Tournament, having qualified each of the past 27 years.
If the past is any indication, teams should plan on winning nine league matches to assure themselves a spot. Since the league went to an 18-match league schedule and six-team league tournament (1996), all 67 teams with nine or more league wins have qualified for the MVC Tournament.
Teams with eight or more league wins have advanced 72 of 74 times. The first exception was Southern Illinois (8-10) in 1997, which lost a tiebreaker with Indiana State (8-10). The second exception was in 2000, when sixth place Bradley (8-10) was bumped in favor of seventh place Indiana State (7-11) since the Sycamores were hosting the tournament.
Friday Night Lights
Creighton has won eight straight home matches played on a Friday heading into this Friday's home match against Illinois State.
In those eight Friday home match victories during this streak, Creighton has hit .279 and averaged 14.96 kills, 3.30 blocks and 18.85 digs per set, well above its averages of 12.27 kills, 2.75 blocks and 15.47 digs per set while hitting .195 in all other matches in that span.
Houts Nears 100 Blocks, Again
Jessica Houts has played in 114 matches in her career, and had at least one block in 110 of them.
In fact, the only match to last longer than three sets that didn't see Houts record a block was on Sept. 26th at Illinois State, when she had none in a five-set loss.
Houts enters this weekend with 99 blocks on the season and needs one more rejection to become the first player in CU history to post four different seasons of 100 or more blocks.
How impressive is that? Only five other players in school history have done it even once: JoDe Cieloha (3 times), Ashley Williams (2), Melissa Walsh (2), Sarah Beulke (1) and Lauren Bloemke (1).
Schulze Closes In On Milestones
Senior Sarah Schulze is closing in on a few milestones this weekend.
Her next match played will be the 100th of her career, making her the 16th player to reach that mark.
Already ninth in CU history with 918 career digs, she is four behind Shelly Kapler (1996-99) and 17 behind Abby Baumann (2004-07), putting her in prime position to be seventh by Saturday night.
Random Number
Allie Oelke enters this weekend with exactly 728 career kills and 728 career digs.
No player in CU history with at least five matches played has ever finished with the same number of career kills and career digs.
The person who is closest is Julianne Jackson, who had 24 kills and 25 digs in her career at CU from 2003-06.
Blocking A Key Stat
Creighton leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks per set in league-only (2.90 bps.) matches as well as all matches (2.75 bps.).
Creighton is 7-6 when posting 10 or more blocks, but 0-6 when failing to reach double-digits in that category.
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 three 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.
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 CU 15-12
11/04/00 at Evansville CU 16-14
10/04/03 at Bradley CU 15-6
10/15/04 at Bradley CU 15-11
10/15/05 at Southern Illinois CU 15-8
11/18/05 at Northern Iowa CU 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State CU 17-15
11/18/06 at Evansville CU 15-10
09/11/07 at Drake CU 17-15
09/21/07 at Northern Iowa CU 15-12
10/10/08 at Illinois State CU 15-9
10/25/08 at Missouri State CU 15-12
09/25/08 at Indiana State CU 15-12
Schulze Swings Away
Senior Sarah Schulze had 24 kills in CU's first 11 matches before putting down 65 kills in the past eight matches.
Schulze has had eight or more kills in six of the past seven matches, with a high of 10 on two occasions.
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 seventh-best nationally with 2.90 blocks per set, according to the most recent set of NCAA statistics through matches of October 18th. Idaho tops the nation with 3.10 blocks per set. That is the only team category that ranks Creighton in the top-150.
Individually, three players rank in the top-100 of any category. Senior Jessica Houts is 22nd in the country with 1.34 blocks per set, trailing the leader Amanda Gil of UCLA's 1.58 bps. Bluejay teammate Laurel Sanford is 51st with 1.19 blocks per set. Additionally, Nayka Benitez has moved to 74th at 4.43 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 6-14 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-12 in the team's 12 match losses.
Illinois State is 5-7 in sets decided by two points this fall, while Indiana State is 8-4 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 30th at Missouri State.
The Jays have won 14 of their past 16 Friday road matches in MVC play.
Creighton is 19-8 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in MVC road matches played on Friday and 17-13 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 and 12 blocks at Southern Illinois on Oct. 17th.
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 16 of the team's first 19 matches to date and tops the squad with 328 digs on the year.
Benitez became the second-quickest in CU history to 100 career digs (8 matches), 200 digs (13 matches) and 300 digs (18 matches)
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
Nayka Benitez 18 10/16/09 at Evansville
Kailey Reyes 25 09/03/99 vs. Gonzaga
Let's Start With Houts
Senior Jessica Houts has started each of her last 64 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 107 of her past 108 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 10/18)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Hawaii 6,363 16
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. Illinois 2,489 8
10. Stanford 2,408 4
11. Northern Iowa 2,369 6
12. Purdue 2,277 9
13. New Mexico State 2,029 6
14. UCLA 1,991 3
15. Michigan State 1,963 7
15. Colorado State 1,888 9
16. Illinois 1,866 6
17. Kansas State 1,864 9
18. Washington 1,764 4
19. Iowa State 1,704 6
20. Missouri 1,625 9
21. New Mexico 1,501 10
22. Oregon State 1,408 6
23. Texas A&M 1,392 7
24. California 1,377 5
25. Oregon 1,312 9
26. North Dakota State 1,309 6
27. Texas State 1,296 8
28. Michigan 1,290 11
29. Kentucky 1,275 8
30. Iowa 1,267 5
31. South Florida 1,244 7
32. Creighton 1,214 7
33. Long Beach State 1,213 8
34. Saint Louis 1,121 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 475 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 542 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 410 67 475 542 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 475 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 113-0 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 97 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 88-9. CU is 95-13 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one.
On the other hand, Creighton is just 18-71 in matches under Booth when it drops the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 21-11 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 1-4 7-12
Total 36-39 206-236
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%)
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.
