Volleyball Puts Win Streak On The Line At MSU, WSU This Weekend
10/28/2009 7:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Next Matches
Riding a season-long three-match winning streak, Creighton Volleyball (9-12, 6-5 MVC) hits the road this weekend for the toughest trip in The Valley.
The Bluejays will play at second-place Missouri State (15-7, 8-2 MVC) on Friday night in a 7 pm match from the Hammons Student Center (8,846) in Springfield, Mo.
After a long overnight bus ride, Creighton takes on third-place Wichita State (16-4, 7-3 MVC) on Saturday night in a 7 pm contest held at Charles Koch Arena (10,400).
This Week
Oct. 30 7:00 pm Creighton at Missouri State Hammons Student Center
Oct. 31 7:00 pm Creighton at Wichita State Charles Koch Arena
Radio Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will be broadcast locally on KOIL (1180 AM).
The matches 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 will call the action.
Video Webcast Information
Both matches will be video webcast by the host school.
To sign up to purchase, fans can visit Missouri State's website at www.missouristatebears.com or the Wichita State website at www.goshockers.com.
Subscribers to Creighton's annual or monthly pass on www.gocreighton.com will have the MSU (and hopefully WSU) match added to their subscription and should be able to receive the video feed at no additional cost thanks to an agreement between Creighton and both schools.
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 fifth in the MVC standings with a 6-5 league mark, and is 9-12 overall. Creighton has won a season-best three straight matches.
The Bluejays have played five 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.
Senior MB Jessica Houts, leads Creighton with 2.73 kills per set and a Valley-best 1.44 blocks per set (10th 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.
Junior OH Allie Oelke is second on the club with 2.69 kills and 2.85 digs per set. She's had a double-double in seven of Creighton's 11 MVC matches this fall.
Topping Creighton's back row is junior libero Nayka Benitez, who averages 4.36 digs and 0.35 aces per set to lead the team in both categories.
The Bluejays average 12.09 kills, 1.02 aces, 14.72 digs and 3.04 blocks per set (3rd nationally) while hitting .195 as a team.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State is 15-7 overall and second in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8-2 league mark. The Bears are in the midst of a rare three-match losing streak, matching its longest skein since 1999.
The Bears are a perfect 9-0 at the Hammons Student Center, where they average 820 fans per match.
Calli Norman averages a team-best 2.99 kills per set and leads the MVC with a .385 attack percentage. She also averages 0.94 blocks per set.
Addie Foley (2.69 kps.) and Sara Staubach (2.57 kps.) also average better than 2.50 kills per set. Kelley Michnowicz (2.38 kps., 1.00 bps., .341%), who had 16 kills and hit .536 on Oct. 3 in Omaha, missed both matches last weekend.
Melissa Gmur (8.44 aps.) handles most of the setting duties, while reigning MVC Tournament MVP Cara Hackmann has shifted to libero and is second in the league with 5.70 digs per set.
Missouri State averages 13.14 kills, 1.05 aces, 16.28 digs and 2.43 blocks per set while hitting .238 as a team.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 16-4 on the season and 7-3 in MVC play, which puts them in third place in the league race. The Shockers are a perfect 9-0 at Charles Koch Arena, where it ranks seventh nationally with 2,824 fans per home match.
Reigning MVC Player of the Year Emily Stockman averages 3.96 kills, 3.64 digs and 0.34 aces per set. Her 277 kills are nearly as many as the next two teammates, combined.
Second on the team in kills and topping the team in blocks per set is preseason all-Valley pick Sarah McGee (2.56 kps., 1.23 bps.).
Mary Elizabeth Hooper leads the MVC with 10.91 assists per set, while libero Melissa Granville owns the team lead with 4.33 digs per set.
Wichita State averages 13.44 kills, 1.49 aces, 16.47 digs and 2.74 blocks per set while hitting .243 as a club.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 115-84 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 Stokes is in her 14th season at Missouri State, where she owns a 308-142 record. She has led MSU to five NCAA Tournaments in the last six years. Jeni Jones and Leah Johnson are assistant coaches. Four-time MVC Coach of the Year Chris Lamb is in his 10th season with Wichita State. Lamb owns a 209-90 record, all with the Shockers, and led WSU to the second round of the 2004, 2007 and 2008 NCAA Tournaments. He is assisted by Jeff Sanders and RJ Abella.
Series History vs. Missouri State
Missouri State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 26-6 margin, including a 12-3 mark in Springfield. The Bears had won 19 straight over CU before the Jays started a three-match win streak in the series in 2007. Missouri State ended that spell with a 3-0 win over the Jays on October 3rd in Omaha.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-10 all-time vs. MSU and Melissa Stokes, while Stokes is 22-6 in her career vs. the Bluejays.
Series History vs. Wichita State
Wichita State owns an 18-15 lead in 33 all-time match-ups with Creighton. The Shockers are 10-5 in Wichita against the Bluejays.
Creighton beat the then-No. 25 Shockers in four games in Omaha on October 2nd, the Jays first-ever win against a ranked team in 36 tries.
The first set winner of the CU-WSU match has won 11 straight meetings and 15 of the past 16 match-ups. Additionally, Wichita State has won 16 straight third sets against the Bluejays.
Booth is 4-10 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 12-8 vs. Creighton all-time.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton had its first undefeated weekend of the season, beating Illinois State in four sets on Friday before routing Indiana State in three sets one night later. Creighton was led by Alicia Runge's 3.43 kills per set on .345 hitting. Jessica Houts averaged 2.57 blocks and 2.86 kills per set as well.
Houts Named Defensive Player of the Week
Jessica Houts was named the 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, but incredibly, had never been named Valley Defensive Player of the Week until Monday.
Houts earned her first such honor in recognition of a week that saw her average 2.86 kills, 2.57 blocks and 1.43 digs per set in wins over Illinois State and Indiana State.
On Friday against Illinois State, she had 15 kills while also becoming the first player in school history to amass 100 or more blocks in four straight years. Saturday night against Indiana State she tied a 14-year-old school record with 12 blocks in a three-set match.
She also moved from eighth to fifth in MVC history with 490 career block assists on the weekend.
Houts One of a Kind
Senior Jessica Houts is averaging 1.44 blocks per set and 1.04 digs per set this fall. That makes her the only player in the country to average more than 1.40 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.
National Block Leaders (stats through 10/25)
Rk. Name, School Sets BPS DPS
1. Johannah Bangert, Illinois 67 1.67 0.37
2. Amanda Gil, UCLA 73 1.63 0.89
3. Alli Arbogast, USF 57 1.61 0.26
4. Sarah Morton, Syracuse 96 1.56 0.55
5. Erica Jepsen, Portland State 63 1.56 0.22
6. Arielle Wilson, Penn State 70 1.53 0.39
7. Annie Gruenschlaeger, Morehead St. 88 1.47 0.25
8. Debbie Pederson, Idaho 85 1.46 0.53
9. Anna Breyfogle, Baylor 74 1.45 0.59
10. Jessica Houts, Creighton 81 1.44 1.07
11. Brittany Hewitt, Hawaii 52 1.44 0.23
12. Anna McKinney, Idaho 86 1.44 0.09
13. Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh 84 1.40 0.46
14. Lauren Gibbemeyer, Minnesota 77 1.40 0.77
15. Fatima Balza, Penn State 66 1.39 0.08
Stuff City
Creighton set all sorts of blocking marks in Saturday's sweep of Indiana State. Creighton's 20 blocks were a school-record for a three-set match and one away from the record for a match of any duration. It also ties the most in the MVC this season with the 20 stuffs CU had against Lipscomb in a four-set match in September.
In addition, Jessica Houts tied a Creighton record for blocks in a three-set match with 12 rejections. With 18 blocks in seven sets last week, Houts moved from eighth to fifth in MVC history for career block assists with 490.
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, just ahead of No. 5 Wichita State's 18.711 average, 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
Haunted Series
Creighton has beaten Wichita State 15 times and Missouri State six times, but only once have the Bluejays beaten the Shockers and Bears on consecutive nights. That came all the way back in 1997, when CU beat Missouri State on Halloween night, then topped Wichita State the following day.
Creighton is 3-1 all-time when playing on Halloween, and will spend the holiday playing Wichita State this Saturday.
Just Do It, Again
Creighton opened the month of October with a 3-1 win over then- No. 25 Wichita State, and will close the month at Charles Koch Arena looking to complete a season sweep of the Shockers. Creighton hasn't beaten Wichita State twice in the same season since 2001, Chris Lamb's second season in Wichita.
Wichita State has won 21 straight MVC home matches since falling to UNI on Sept. 14, 2007.
Can They Repeat This Effort?
Creighton's win over Wichita State on October 2nd featured several numbers that jump out of the stat sheet.
Creighton libero Nayka Benitez had 36 digs, including 16 in the second set alone, a figure that ranks tied for third in school history for a single match.
Creighton managed 14.5 blocks on the night, including nine from Jessica Houts who also had 15 kills and nine digs in the near triple-double.
Additionally, Shocker All-American OH Emily Stockman had just one kill at the intermission after a dreadful 0-7-16 (-.438) start to the match.
One Tough Trip
Both Missouri State and Wichita State enter this weekend with unblemished 9-0 home records.
On a national basis, only SMU (11-0), Virginia Tech (10-0) have more home wins without a home loss.
Eight other teams, including WSU and MSU, are 9-0 at home. In an interesting twist, Creighton has played four of those teams (WSU, MSU, Lipscomb and Dayton) this season, but only Dayton was a true road match for the Jays.
Also interesting, of the 10 teams that are 9-0 at home or better, only No. 1 Penn State is in this week's AVCA Top 25.
Long, Difficult Trip
There's multiple reasons that the Missouri State/Wichita State road swing is considered the league's most difficult.
In the past seven years, teams from either Wichita State or Missouri State (or both) have made the NCAA Tournament, a trend that WSU and MSU are in the running to continue this year.
In the last seven years, Wichita State is 172-38 overall and 105-13 in MVC contests. Missouri State is 164-62 overall and 92-26 in MVC contests. Eighteen of their losses were against either WSU/MSU, including 14 in MVC play.
In the last seven years, Wichita State is 79-12 at home overall and 53-6 in MVC home contests. Missouri State is 87-15 at home overall and 50-9 in MVC home contests. Six of the 15 MVC home losses came when MSU or WSU beat the other on its home floor.
Another difficult part of the trip is the distance between the schools is 272 miles, which can mean a 4-5 hour trip after a match. Often times, the visiting team will not arrive until the wee hours of Saturday morning, sometimes as late as 2 or 3 am.
Since 2003, the only team to win at both Wichita State and Missouri State on the same road trip was Illinois State, which did it Nov. 17-18, 2006.
Last 6+ Years (2003-Present)
Category WSU MSU CU
Overall W-L 172-38 164-62 115-84
MVC W-L 105-13 92-26 76-43
Overall Home W-L 79-12 87-15 50-32
MVC Home W-L 53-6 50-9 39-21
NCAA Trips 4 5 0
Duo Earned Weekly Awards
Two members of the Creighton volleyball team were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference for their play on October 19th. 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 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 was 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 October 16th 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.
Oelke Doubling Up
Junior Allie Oelke has put together double-doubles in six of her past eight matches, and seven of the first 11 MVC matches of the fall. That gives 24 double-dips in her career.
The Race is On
The race is officially on for the 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 (11-0 MVC), Missouri State (8-2) and Wichita State (7-3) all seem to be in excellent shape, while Bradley's chances (0-11) seem impossible.
That leaves four teams fighting for two spots with seven matches to play. Currently, Drake is 7-4 and alone in fourth place, one game ahead of Creighton. Travel partners Southern Illinois and Evansville are tied for sixth place at 5-6, but have to travel to eighth-place Illinois State (4-7) this weekend. The Redbirds have never missed an MVC Tournament, having qualified each of the past 27 years.
In a distant ninth place is Indiana State, which is 2-9 and would likely have to win out to have a bid.
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 nine straight home matches played on a Friday.
Additionally, Creighton is 14-2 in its 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.
Houts Surpasses 100 Blocks, Again
Jessica Houts has played in 116 matches in her career, and had at least one block in all but four of them.
Last weekend Houts became 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), Lauren Bloemke (1) and Laurel Sanford (1).
Schulze Eyes Milestones
Senior Sarah Schulze is closing in on a few milestones.
Last Friday against Illinois State was the 100th match of her career, making her the 16th player to reach that mark.
She has also moved into seventh place in CU history with 944 career digs, needing just 56 to reach 1,000 in her career.
Blocking A Key Stat
Creighton leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks per set in league-only (3.04 bps.) matches as well as all matches (3.03 bps.).
Creighton is 9-6 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
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
NCAA Stats Update
Creighton is ranked third-best nationally with 3.04 blocks per set, according to the most recent set of NCAA statistics through matches of October 25th. Idaho tops the nation with 3.19 blocks per set. That is the only team category that ranks Creighton in the top-125.
Individually, three players rank in the top-100 of any category. Senior Jessica Houts is 10th in the country with 1.44 blocks per set, trailing the leader Johannah Bangert of Illinois' 1.67 bps. Bluejay teammate Laurel Sanford is 37th with 1.25 blocks per set. Additionally, Nayka Benitez has moved to 85th at 4.36 digs per set.
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
Close Doesn't Count
Part of Creighton's struggles can be attributed to its difficulty in winning close sets. Creighton is just 7-15 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-12 in the team's 12 match losses.
Missouri State is 9-4 in sets decided by two points this fall, while Wichita State is 3-6 in sets decided by two points this fall.
Obstacle Course
Only two individuals in the MVC own 10 or more blocks in multiple matches this season, with both of them playing for Creighton.
Senior Jessica Houts had 14 blocks against Lipscomb (Sept. 4) and 12 stuffs against Indiana State, 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 21 matches to date and tops the squad with 353 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 66 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 109 of her past 110 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 1,190 fans per match so far, a figure that currently ranks 34th-best nationally. Below is the nation's top-35:
Average Attendance Leaders (through 10/25)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Hawaii 6,363 16
2. Nebraska 5,077 10
3. Minnesota 4,467 9
4. Wisconsin 3,912 8
5. Texas 3,226 6
6. Penn State 3,022 8
7. Wichita State 2,824 9
8. Florida 2,723 9
9. Illinois 2,489 8
10. Washington 2,460 6
11. Stanford 2,372 6
12. Northern Iowa 2,369 6
13. Purdue 2,283 11
14. Michigan State 2,256 8
15. North Carolina 2,227 7
16. Kansas State 1,913 10
17. Colorado State 1,888 9
18. New Mexico State 1,836 10
19. Iowa State 1,822 7
20. Missouri 1,625 9
21. Oregon 1,596 8
22. UCLA 1,577 5
23. Fresno State 1,567 6
24. New Mexico 1,548 12
25. Oregon State 1,408 6
26. Texas A&M 1,396 8
27. Kentucky 1,384 10
28. California 1,377 5
29. North Dakota State 1,309 6
30. Michigan 1,290 11
31. South Florida 1,244 7
32. Iowa 1,224 7
33. Long Beach State 1,192 9
34. Creighton 1,190 9
35. Texas State 1,161 11
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 490 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 560 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 417 70 490 560 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. Jessica Houts, CU 490 2005-Pres.
6. Shari Vermeer, UNI 489 2001-04
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.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 134-8 (.944) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 76-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 64-4 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
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.
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 115-0 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 99 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 90-9. CU is 97-13 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 9-12
Total 36-39 208-236
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. 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.
