Volleyball Hosts No. 20 Saint Louis on Tuesday
11/9/2009 7:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Next Match
Creighton (10-14, 7-7 MVC) steps out of MVC play for the final time this regular-season when it hosts nationally-ranked Saint Louis (19-6, 12-1 Atlantic-10) on Tuesday night.
First serve at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,950) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7 pm.
Next Match
Nov. 10 7:00 pm #20 Saint Louis at Creighton Ryan Athletic Center
Radio Broadcast Information
Tuesday's match will be broadcast locally on KOIL (1180 AM).
Audio from 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 & Erin Swanson will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Tuesday's match 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
Tuesday's match 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 is 10-14 on the season and in a tie for fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 7-7 league mark.
Senior MB Jessica Houts, leads Creighton with 2.80 kills per set and a Valley-best 1.46 blocks per set (eighth 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 2.62 kills and 3.00 digs per set. She's had a double-double in eight of Creighton's 14 MVC matches this fall.
Topping Creighton's back row is junior libero Nayka Benitez, who averages 4.32 digs and 0.37 aces per set to lead the team in both categories.
The Bluejays average 12.00 kills, 1.05 aces, 14.95 digs and 3.07 blocks per set (third-most nationally) while hitting .184 as a team.
Scouting #20 Saint Louis
After a 4-5 start against some of the nation's top contenders, Saint Louis has won 15-of-16 matches, with all but two of those coming by sweep. In fact, SLU's only loss in that time was a heartbreaker at Dayton, where it wasted a 14-11 fifth-set lead against the Flyers.
Bridget Fonke tops the team with 271 kills (3.35 kps.) while hitting .267. She also averages 2.44 digs and 0.42 aces per set.
Another potent weapon is Sammi McCloud, who tops the club with 3.47 kills per set while hitting .304.
Whitney Roth directs the SLU offense, averaging 11.08 assists per set.
The Billikens average 13.96 kills, 1.57 aces, 14.63 digs and 1.70 blocks per set while hitting .273 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 116-86 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.
Saint Louis is coached by Anne Kordes (Louisville, 1998), who owns a 122-60 mark in her sixth year with the Billikens. Kordes led SLU to an unblemished 13-0 Atlantic-10 record last season and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She is assisted by Kyle Walton, Corey Arbini and Angela Powers.
Series History vs. Saint Louis
Creighton is 1-2 all-time against Saint Louis, though the Bluejays won the most recent meeting in 2006. That match was held in Murfreesboro, Tenn., at the Blue Raider Bash, and saw CU win by scores of 27-30, 30-25, 30-17, 27-30, 15-13.
In that contest, Kelly Goc had 22 kills while hitting .450, and Abby Baumann added 15 kills and 17 digs. SLU's Angela Powers led the Billikens with 17 kills.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton swept Drake last Saturday in its only match of the weekend. The Jays overcame big deficits in each of the first two sets en route to its 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 triumph. Allie Oelke and Jessica Houts each had 10 kills to pace the victors.
Will Lightning Strike Twice?
Creighton hosts Saint Louis on Tuesday night in its final non-conference home match of the season. The Bluejays will be looking to upset the 20th-ranked Billikens and improve to 2-35 all-time against ranked teams.
The last time CU played a ranked team (Oct. 2nd), it beat No. 25 Wichita State for its only win ever against a ranked foe.
Houts Can Set Longevity Records
Should she play against Saint Louis, senior Jessica Houts will break Korie Lebeda's school record for matches played in a career with 120.
Houts could also establish the school record for sets played with 429 by playing in two sets on Tuesday.
Setting A Block
Megan Bober has already set a Creighton single-season record for blocks in a season by a setter with 87 stuffs. That easily outpaces the previous blocking mark by a CU setter of 77 held by Korie Lebeda from 2007.
In addition, Bober's 0.97 blocks per set easily outpaces Lebeda's 0.72 bps., also from the 2007 season.
With 13 more blocks, Bober will become the first player in Creighton history to record 100 assists and 100 blocks in the same campaign.
Putting Up A Wall
Creighton's biggest statistical advantage heading into Tuesday's match is its blocking numbers.
Saint Louis owns 137.5 blocks on the season, an average of 1.70 blocks per set.
By comparison, Creighton owns 279.5 blocks on the season, an average of 3.07 blocks per set, and is led by 133 blocks from Jessica Houts.
Creighton has five players with 59 or more blocks, while SLU does not have a single player with 47 or more blocks on the season.
A November To Remember
Creighton will play at home in three of the final four weekends, as it started a season-long four-match homestand last Saturday against Drake.
Incredibly, this will be the first time in school history that the Jays have hosted four straight matches in the month of November.
Creighton is 1-0 in this November and 21-8 overall in November during the past five seasons.
Almgren Steps Up
Sophomore Karisa Almgren had a career night against Drake last Saturday, finishing with new single-match highs of four kills, three blocks, two digs and an assist.
Almgren had checked in to play in the front row for Sarah Schulze with CU trailing 14-11 midway through the first set. She quickly produced two kills, a dig and an assist as Creighton would eventually win that set 25-20.
The Houts 506
Jessica Houts owns 506 block assists in her stellar career. The only players ahead of her in league history are Danielle Brazda (658), Molly O'Brien (653), Ashten Stelken (540) and Mindy Struckhoff (527).
Oelke Earns MVC's Defensive Weekly Honor
Creighton Volleyball's Allie Oelke has been named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week. A junior outside hitter from Chanhassen, Minn., Oelke is the third different Bluejay to win the award in the past four weeks, joining Laurel Sanford (Oct. 19) and Jessica Houts (Oct. 26).
Oelke had 10 kills, 17 digs, two blocks and two assists in Creighton's 3-0 win over Drake on Saturday. Oelke's 17 digs led all players in the match and helped pave the way for her team-best eighth double-double of the season.
Oelke hit .296 in the match and had at least three kills and three digs in all three sets.
Oelke has previously been honored by the league as MVC Freshman of the Year in 2007, a season that saw her win MVC Freshman of the Week accolades on four occasions.
Benitez Aces This Test
Junior libero Nayka Benitez served up a remarkable five straight aces in the second set of its Oct. 30th match at Missouri State.
Making her achievement all the more impressive is that MSU was allowing a scant 0.53 aces per set in league play entering the contest.
Benitez's 34 aces rank ninth-most in CU single-season history and are already more than her next two teammates combined.
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 October 26th.
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 Oct. 23 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. The following night against Indiana State she tied a 14-year-old school record with 12 blocks in a three-set match.
Houts One of a Kind
Senior Jessica Houts is averaging 1.46 blocks per set and 1.09 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 11/8)
Rk. Name, School Sets BPS DPS
1. Johannah Bangert, Illinois 82 1.70 0.41
2. Amanda Gil, UCLA 87 1.60 0.84
3. Alli Arbogast, USF 70 1.59 0.29
4. Arielle Wilson, Penn State 82 1.56 0.45
5. Erica Jepsen, Portland State 72 1.54 0.19
6. Sarah Morton, Syracuse 111 1.52 0.61
7. Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh 93 1.48 0.45
8. Jessica Houts, Creighton 91 1.46 1.09
9. Anna McKinney, Idaho 104 1.45 0.09
10. Debbie Pederson, Idaho 103 1.45 0.52
11. Sabel Moffett, Northwestern 97 1.44 0.30
12. Brittany Hewitt, Hawaii 65 1.43 0.23
13. Anna Breyfogle, Baylor 90 1.40 0.61
Block Assist Records In Danger
Jessica Houts is fast approaching CU's single-season mark for block assists in a season. Houts, with 123 shared stuffs, already ranks second. The only Creighton student-athlete ahead of her is Ashley Williams, who had 143 block assists in 2003. The MVC single-season mark is 188, set by Sabrina Apker in 2004.
Creighton is also going to set the block assist record by a team in a single-season. The current school record of 475, set in 2006, is just 12 ahead of the current 2009 club.
Schulze Eyes 1,000 Digs
Sarah Schulze is closing in on 1,000 career digs. The senior from Dixon, Ill., has moved into seventh place in CU history with 977 career digs, needing just 23 to reach 1,000 in her career.
When she gets there, she'll be the seventh CU player to reach 1,000 career digs, but the first Bluejay to do it who spent the majority of her career as an outside hitter.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
2. Kailey Reyes 368 1,258 1998-01
3. Melissa Walsh 394 1,240 1998-01
4. Melissa Weisensee 411 1,223 1994-97
5. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
6. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
7. Sarah Schulze 374 977 2006-Pr.
8. Abby Baumann 375 935 2004-07
9. Shelly Kapler 388 922 1996-99
10. Erin Swanson 319 908 1998-01
Oelke Doubling Up
Junior Allie Oelke has put together double-doubles in seven of her past 11 matches, and eight of the first 14 MVC matches of the fall. That gives her 25 double-dips in her career.
Matches With a Double-Double, Career
D-D Name Years
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
64 Kailey Reyes 1998-01
60 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
56 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
35 Erin Swanson 1998-01
29 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
27 Brittany Coleman 2003-05
26 Michelle Prorock 1994-96
25 Leah Ratzlaff 2002-05
25 Allie Oelke 2007-Pres.
23 Shelly Kapler 1996-99
23 Abby Baumann 2004-07
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 (14-0 MVC), Missouri State (11-3) and Wichita State (11-3) have all clinched a spot, while Bradley (0-14) and Indiana State (3-12) have been eliminated.
That leaves four teams fighting for two spots with three/four matches to play. Currently, Drake and Creighton are tied for fourth place with a 7-7 mark. One-half game behind is Southern Illinois (7-8) and Evansville (6-9) and Illinois State trail the Salukis by one game. 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.
NCAA Stats Update
Creighton is ranked third-best nationally with 3.07 blocks per set, according to the most recent set of NCAA statistics through matches of November 8th. Idaho tops the nation with 3.15 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 eighth in the country with 1.46 blocks per set, trailing the leader Johannah Bangert of Illinois' 1.70 bps. Bluejay teammate Laurel Sanford is 31st with 1.27 blocks per set. Additionally, Nayka Benitez has moved to 100th at 4.32 digs per set and is 75th with 0.37 aces per set.
Blocking A Key Stat
Creighton leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks per set in league-only (3.08 bps.) matches as well as all matches (3.07 bps.).
Creighton is 10-7 when posting 10 or more blocks, but 0-7 when failing to reach double-digits in that category.
Stuff City
Creighton set all sorts of blocking marks in its Oct. 24 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.
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
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.
Friday Night Lights
Creighton has won nine straight home matches played on a Friday.
Additionally, Creighton is 14-3 in its past 17 Friday road matches in MVC play.
Creighton is 19-9 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in MVC road matches played on Friday and 17-14 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 119 matches in her career, and had at least one block in all but four of them.
On Oct. 23rd, 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).
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's 36 digs are the third-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 and Bradley's Madelyn Ervin 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
Madelyn Ervin 5 7 8 7 11/6
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 8-16 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-13 in the team's 14 match losses.
Saint Louis is 6-8 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 17 of the team's first 24 matches to date and tops the squad with 393 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, 300 and 400 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
Creighton's Quickest Players To 400 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 20 10/13/07 Missouri State
Kailey Reyes 34 09/18/99 at Bradley
Allie Oelke 38 09/06/08 vs. Mississippi
Melissa Walsh 40 09/26/99 UMKC
Melissa Weisensee 41 09/30/95 at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze 41 10/12/07 Wichita State
Let's Start With Houts
Senior Jessica Houts has started each of her last 69 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 112 of her past 113 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).
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 1,157 fans per match so far, a figure that currently ranks 35th-best nationally. Below is the nation's top-35:
Average Attendance Leaders (through 11/8)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Hawaii 6,423 20
2. Nebraska 4,983 11
3. Minnesota 4,153 11
4. Wisconsin 4,025 10
5. Texas 3,337 7
6. Penn State 2,990 10
7. Iowa State 2,855 10
8. Wichita State 2,729 11
9. Florida 2,714 11
10. Washington 2,460 6
11. Stanford 2,359 8
12. Illinois 2,315 10
13. Purdue 2,213 13
14. Northern Iowa 2,077 9
15. North Carolina 2,032 12
16. Michigan State 2,018 10
17. Ohio 1,936 8
18. New Mexico State 1,919 12
19. Fresno State 1,871 8
20. Colorado State 1,819 12
21. Kansas State 1,793 12
22. Missouri 1,775 12
23. Texas A&M 1,681 10
24. New Mexico 1,677 14
25. UCLA 1,577 5
26. Oregon State 1,472 10
27. Oregon 1,433 10
28. Kentucky 1,384 10
29. North Dakota State 1,300 9
30. Michigan 1,254 13
31. South Florida 1,244 7
32. Iowa 1,224 7
33. BYU 1,175 11
34. Long Beach State 1,173 11
35. Creighton 1,157 10
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 morning 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 later this month.
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 506 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 576 career blocks are many more than Williams' 447, and she became the first player in CU history to reach 500 career total 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 427 70 506 576 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 506 2005-Pr.
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 135-8 (.944) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 77-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 65-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-150 (.038) 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 116-0 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 101 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 91-10. CU is 98-14 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one.
On the other hand, Creighton is just 18-72 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 10-14
Total 36-39 209-238
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
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.
