Volleyball Opens 2009 Season With Bluejay Invitational
8/25/2009 6:00:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend
The 2009 volleyball season opens this weekend when Creighton hosts the Bluejay Invitational. In addition to host Creighton, No. 10 Illinois, Texas Tech and Tulane will be competing.
The event starts on Friday at 4 pm with Illinois taking on Tulane. Creighton and Texas Tech will follow at 6:30 pm.
Play continues on Saturday at 10 am when Creighton and Illinois tangle, followed by Tulane and Texas Tech at noon.
The Saturday evening session features Texas Tech vs. Illinois at 5 pm before Tulane vs. Creighton rounds out the event.
All matches will be held at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Capacity for the facility is listed at 2,950.
This will mark the first time since the end of the 1996 season that Creighton Volleyball will play regular-season matches on campus.
This Weekend -- Bluejay Invitational
Aug. 28 4 pm #10 Illinois vs. Tulane Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Aug. 28 6:30 pm Texas Tech at Creighton (1290 KKAR) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Aug. 29 10 am #10 Illinois at Creighton (1180 KOIL) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Aug. 29 Noon Tulane vs. Texas Tech Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Aug. 29 5 pm Texas Tech vs. #10 Illinois Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Aug. 29 7 pm Tulane at Creighton (1290 KKAR) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Radio Broadcast Information
All of Creighton's matches this weekend will be broadcast on the radio. Creighton's matches against Texas Tech and Tulane can be heard on KKAR (1290 AM), while the match vs. Illinois will air on KOIL (1180 AM).
All matches will 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
All matches from this weekend's Bluejay Invitational 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
All matches at the Bluejay Invitational 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 returns six letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that finished 18-9 overall and second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 15-3 league record.
Seniors Jessica Houts, Sarah Schulze and Lauren Bloemke join junior Allie Oelke to lead the way.
Houts was a first-team all-MVC pick, honorable-mention All-American and MVC Defensive Player of the Year last season, averaging 3.14 kills and 1.35 blocks per set while hitting .287.
Bloemke averaged 1.40 kills and 0.81 blocks per set while hitting .280. Schulze averaged 1.94 digs per set and Oelke averaged 1.77 kills and 1.99 digs per set.
Creighton graduated four seniors last season that enjoyed highly-decorated careers. Korie Lebeda (5,281 assists, 1,130 digs) was a three-time all-MVC pick and started all 119 matches of her career, while Amanda Cvejdlik (1,029 kills, 221 blocks) was also a first-team all-Valley selection as a senior. Bianca Rivera (1,118 digs) departs after two record-setting seasons at libero, while Carolyn Decker's (651 kills, 629 digs, 89 aces) five-year run also came to a close.
Creighton is picked fourth (of 10) in the MVC this fall, with Houts earning preseason all-Valley accolades.
Scouting Texas Tech
Texas Tech went 5-26 last year, when it was 0-20 (11th place) in the Big 12 Conference. Four starters (Amanda Dowdy, Becca Baldwin, Hayley Ball and Caroline Courtney) join libero Jenn Harrell among a team that returned 7-of-15 letterwinners.
Dowdy headlines that group of returners after pacing the Red Raiders with 301 kills, 66 blocks and a .286 hitting percentage last season. The only Texas Tech player to ever be named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, Dowdy spent part of the summer on USA Volleyball's 2009 Women's Junior National Team.
The Red Raiders have brought in a new head coach (Trish Kissiar-Knight) to help turn the program around. Knight was 676-170-3 with the Missouri State-West Plains program she began in 1993.
Scouting No. 10 Illinois
The return of six starters plus star libero Ashley Edinger has Illinois looking to improve upon last year's 26-8 season that ended in the Sweet 16.
The nation's No. 10-ranked team in the preseason AVCA poll, the Illini return second-team All-American Laura DeBruler (4.66 kps., 3.01 dps.), national blocks per set leader Johannah Bangert (1.60 bps) and 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Michelle Bartsch (2.34 kps., 1.06 bps.) among a talented cast.
The biggest change for Illinois will be on the bench, where five-year assistant Kevin Hambly takes over after Don Hardin retired.
The Illini have been picked third (of 11) in the preseason Big Ten poll, with DeBruler and Bartsch both earning spots on the 14-member preseason all-Big Ten squad.
Scouting Tulane
Tulane returns two starters and libero Jenn Miller from last year's team that finished 28-6 and won the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles.
The biggest names from that team are gone, including honorable-mention All-American Bridget Wells (3.04 kps., 0.72 bps.) and four-time All-American and 2008 CUSA Player of the Year Sara Radosevic (3.62 kps.), but the cupboard is not bare by any means.
The Green Wave return two starters: sophomore OH Visnja Djurdjevic (2.42 kps., 2.38 dps.) and junior MB Lindsey Shepard (0.82 kps., 0.90 bps.).
Another player to watch is Ksenija Vlaskovic (2.31 kps. in 2008), who was AVCA MIdwest Region Freshman of the Year in 2006 and garnered first team all-CUSA honors in 2007. She already ranks 11th in Tulane history with 1,182 career kills.
Sinisa Momic takes over as head coach after six years as an assistant to Liz Kritza. Kritza took the head coaching job at Colorado in February.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 106-72 record entering 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.
Texas Tech is coached by Trish Kissiar-Knight, who is in her first year leading the Red Raiders. Knight was previously head coach with Missouri State-West Plains, where she went 676-170-3 and led the Lady Grizzlies to 10 consecutive appearances in the NJCAA Tournament. Knight is assisted by Beth Falls and Loran Richardson.
Illinois is coached by Kevin Hambly, who is in his first year as a head coach at any level. He is assisted by Kent Miller and Jen Oldenburg.
Tulane is coached by Sinisa Momic, who is in his first year as a head coach at any level. He is assisted by Amy Morrison, Kallie Noble and Blazen Draguljic.
Series History vs. Texas Tech
Creighton has never faced Texas Tech.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never coached against Texas Tech or Trish Kissiar-Knight.
Series History vs. No. 10 Illinois
Creighton and coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth are 0-1 all-time against Illinois, losing 30-22, 17-30, 30-25, 30-22 on Sept. 8, 2007 at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill., during the State Farm Illini Classic.
Allie Oelke shared team-best honors with 11 kills for Creighton, while the Illini were paced by Laura DeBruler's 18 kills and 10 digs.
Series History vs. Tulane
Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Tulane, losing 15-6, 15-8, 15-11 at the Tulane Invitational on Sept. 2, 1994.
JoDe Cieloha led Creighton with 11 kills and six digs in the loss. Tulane was paced by 16 kills, six blocks and six aces by Alicia Robertson.
That match was the second of Creighton's 1994 season that saw the program revived after a 15-year absence, and also doubles as the program's first loss in the “modern” era.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never coached against Tulane.
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.
Volleyball Mecca
The eyes of the college volleyball world will no doubt be on Omaha this weekend. The Bluejay Invitational will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena while the Runza/AVCA Showcase will be just down the street at Qwest Center Omaha.
The two tournaments will feature five ranked teams, including No. 3 Nebraska, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 16 Michigan and No. 22 Kansas State. Additionally, Tulane received the 35th-most votes in the preseason AVCA poll and just missed a spot in the top-25.
Across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Iowa Western Community College will be hosting the IWCC Invitational. Among the teams in that field are Missouri State-West Plains, the long-time home of Texas Tech coach Trish Kissiar-Knight.
Facility Dedication Scheduled
The Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena will be dedicated on Friday morning in a 10 am ceremony.
There will also be a smaller presentation made during the intermission of the Creighton/Texas Tech match later that evening.
Back Home On Campus
The matches this weekend will be Creighton's first regular-season contests on campus since playing at the Kiewit Fitness Center from 1994-96.
Since leaving the Kiewit Fitness Center, Creighton has played at five other venues: Qwest Center Omaha, the Omaha Civic Auditorium and three Omaha high schools (Skutt, Marian and South).
A full chart of those venues is below. Notably, Creighton has gone 4-2 in its first match at its past home facilities.
Alumni Coming Back Too
The Creighton Volleyball program will welcome back some of its alumni this weekend as well. The group will play shortly after the Tulane/Texas Tech match concludes, roughly from 2:00-3:30 pm.
The Alumni match is open to the public and admission is free.
Season Opening History
With its loss to No. 16 Minnesota last year, Creighton fell to 7-8 in season-opening matches since restarting the program in 1994. Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-3 in opening matches.
Booth also dropped to 2-4 at Creighton in home openers with the loss to the Gophers.
Hello World!
Eight of the 14 players on Creighton's 2009 team have never played a point at the Division I level. Freshmen Lisa Greisch, Heather Thorson, Caitlin Templeton, Brittany Moon, Brooke Boggs and Megan Bober as well as juniors Alicia Runge and Nayka Benitez, could all make their Division I debut this Friday. Below is the current Creighton players and how they performed in their regular-season collegiate debuts.
Since 2000, the only freshmen to start CU's season-opener have 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.
Records for a Bluejay debut can be found at the bottom of this page.
Year Name SP K E TA Pct. A SA Dig TB
2007 Allie Oelke• 3 4 7 24 -.125 1 3 6 3
2008 Laurel Sanford 2 2 0 2 1.000 0 0 0 0
2005 Jessica Houts 2 2 1 4 .250 0 0 0 2
2006 Lauren Bloemke 3 1 1 6 .000 2 0 0 4
2008 Karisa Almgren 1 0 0 0 --- 0 1 0 0
2006 Sarah Schulze 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0
Crowd Control?
Creighton officials are expecting one of the top five crowds in program history for Friday's home opener against Texas Tech.
The previous largest on-campus crowd for CU is 476 for a match vs. Evansville on Nov. 4, 1994.
The previous largest crowd for a home opener is 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, while the matches played in slots 4-10 were played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium:
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
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
1,183 Drake 11/16/07 W 3-1
1,162 Bradley 11/22/08 W 3-0
Home Win Streak Record Possible
Creighton has won six consecutive home matches, a streak that started Oct. 17, 2008 with a win over Evansville and also contains victories over Southern Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Bradley.
That ties a school-record previously set Oct. 22, 2005 to Sept. 2, 2006.
Initiation Ritual
Creighton has won 14 straight matches against first-year head coaches dating to an Aug. 27, 2005 setback to Iowa State's Christy Johnson, a streak it will look to continue on this weekend when it faces three first-year coaches at the Bluejay Invitational.
Creighton faced four coaches in their first year at a school last season, beating Bradley's Sean Burdette, Indiana State's Traci Dahl, Illinois State's Melissa Myers and Drake's Phil McDaniel twice each.
In 2007, CU beat the only first-year coach it faced, Charlotte's Chris Redding.
In 2006, Creighton beat the only first-year coach it faced, North Dakota State's Erich Hinterstocker.
In 2005, Creighton went 5-1 against first-year coaches, winning its final four matches after losing to Johnson. However, CU did beat Drake's Amy Farber Knowles and Southern Illinois' Brenda Winkeler twice each, in addition to a season-opening win over Northern Colorado coach Lyndsey Benson.
Longitude Aptitude
There have been 11 previous schools (besides Creighton) to play in the Bluejay Invitational. Teams located west of Omaha are a combined 1-10 with no titles, while teams to the east are 14-6 with four titles. Of this year's field, Illinois and Tulane are east of Omaha while Texas Tech is located west of Omaha.
The Sport Court Report
Remember that 1991 Cheers episode where the gang is celebrating Norm's 40th birthday, and someone asks Kevin McHale about how many bolts are in the famous parquet floor at the Boston Garden?
And then McHale becomes so obsessed with counting the bolts that his game suffers?
After you read the trivial information below, there should be no such trouble or questions about the D.J. Sokol Arena Sport Court surface.
The new floor consists of 9,572 squares, not including the 378 black end pieces that surround the perimeter. Each square piece of tile is 9.8 inches, a half-inch thick and weighs .62 pounds.
First Sets Not Close
Creighton has not had a first set played closer than 25-21 in any of its last 18 matches, dating all the way to a 27-25 loss at UNI on Sept. 20, 2008.
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 382 currently, she has flown past Ashley Williams' (2001-04) old mark of 347.
This weekend should also see Houts claim Creighton's total block record as well. Her 443 career blocks are just five away from passing Williams' 447, as seen below:
Total Blocks, Creighton History
Name Sets BS BA Tot. Years
1. Ashley Williams 359 100 347 447 2001-04
2. Jessica Houts 336 61 382 443 2005-Pr.
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 278 36 216 252 2006-Pr.
10. Lisa Meekins 292 16 208 224 1999-01
Freshman Setters Nothing New
For the third time in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's seven seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays will begin the season with a freshman setter. Both setters on this year's roster, Brittany Moon and Megan Bober, are freshmen.
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.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 46-53 in the 32 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 3-3 mark last year. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 28-20 in 17 regular-season tournaments, including five titles.
The last tournament title came Sept. 9-10, 2006, when CU won the Blue Raider Bash hosted by Middle Tennessee with wins over Saint Louis, Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee.
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Against Ranked Teams
Saturday's contest against No. 10 Illinois will give Creighton another chance to snap its 0-33 record against ranked opponents.
The Jays almost made history last season at the Bluejay Invitational, but they were unable to hold a 2-0 intermission lead against No. 21 LSU.
Creighton is 0-2 against teams ranked exactly 10th, and 0-14 against top-10 teams all-time.
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 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 vs. #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
What's New?
Several rules have been modified for the 2009 season. Most noticeable is the following:
Rule 5.2.4.4 - Coaches may make requests for substitutions, timeouts or line-up checks from anywhere in the bench area, including the warm-up area.
Rule 11.1.3.3 - By agreement of both coaches, the length of all timeouts in a non-broadcast match may be extended from the 60-second default length to the length of a media timeout (75 seconds to 90 seconds). If both coaches do not agree to an extended length, the default of 60 seconds will be used.
Rule 17.2.2.5 and Rule 17.2.3.1 - Additional resources may be used if needed by the referees or tournament protest committee in the case of a score discrepancy that results in a protest. In addition to a review of the scoresheet for errors and consultation with all assigned referees and scorekeepers (including the alternate official if one has been assigned), the referees or protest committee may also review information available from an official statistician if an electronic play-by-play system is in use. If that resource is not available, the referees may use information from the teams' bench statisticians or scorekeepers, provided both are in agreement as to the score and/or sequence of events.
The following points of emphasis will also be watched:
Rule 12.1.3 - It is vital that the libero's jersey differ significantly from her teammate's jersey. The rule states that the libero must wear a jersey that is “immediately recognized from all angles as being in clear contrast to and distinct from” her teammates. Both pattern and color-contrast must be considered. Combinations such as burgundy and black, dark green and black, old-gold and white, and light pink and white do not provide sufficient contrast.
Rule 15.1.1 - In order for the “pursuit rule” to be utilized, the rules require at least 2 meters of free space between the pole and the score table, and behind the first referee's platform. That measurement must take into consideration the pole padding, walkways for fans, fans' location on the first row of bleachers, etc. Only if there is actually 2 meters of space after all of those are taken into consideration may use of the pursuit rule be approved by the referees.
Nebraska Connections
All three visiting teams to the Bluejay Invitational have a connection to the Omaha-metro area in some capacity.
Both Illinois and Tulane have a student-athlete that graduated from Millard North. For Illinois that would be redshirt freshman RS Keelin Bourne and for Tulane that would be sophomore L Hanah Rasmussen.
Rasmussen played three years at Millard West HS before spending her final year at Millard North HS. Interestingly enough, Rasmussen played her lone year of junior college ball at Missouri State-West Plains, where she was coached by new Texas Tech head coach Trish Kissiar-Knight.
Texas Tech has a pair of players that played for two years at Iowa Western CC, just across the river in nearby Council Bluffs, Iowa. Those players are junior middle blocker Barbara Conceicao and sophomore middle blocker Michelle Kuester.
Creighton junior OH Alicia Runge also played at Iowa Western CC.
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.
Looking For 200 Wins
Creighton Volleyball owns 199 wins since restarting its program in 1994. A win at the Bluejay Invitational would mark the 200th in the modern era. Kirsten Bernthal Booth has won more than half (106) of those matches.
Win # Opponent, Date All-Time W-L
1 vs. Chattanooga, 9/2/94 1-0
25 Wichita State, 11/15/96 25-57
50 Southern Illinois, 9/10/99 50-91
75 at Evansville, 11/4/00 75-112
100 at Bradley, 10/4/03 100-160
125 vs. UC-Riverside, 9/2/05 125-182
150 Drake, 9/22/06 150-197
175 at Indiana State, 10/26/07 175-213
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 20-7 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
Total 35-35 199-224
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 129-7 (.949) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 71-1 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 61-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-144 (.040) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-46 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
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 106-0 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
Production Returning
Creighton returns 6-of-14 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 161.5 (59.9%) 108 (40.1%)
Matches Started 97 (59.9%) 65 (40.1%)
Points 895.5 (52.5%) 809.0 (47.5%)
Kills 693 (51.8%) 646 (48.2%)
Aces 41 (42.7%) 55 (57.3%)
Digs 600 (34.9%) 1120 (65.1%)
Assists 58 (4.7%) 1189 (95.3%)
Dig This
Creighton is one of just 11 squads to average at least 17.20 digs per set in each of the past 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
Game 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 89 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 81-8. CU is 88-12 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 18-60 under Booth when it drops the first game.
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 ??? ???
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.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 27 matches (15 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 Broadcast Schedule
Aug. 28 Texas Tech (KKAR)
Aug. 29 Illinois (KOIL)
Aug. 29 Tulane (KKAR)
Sept. 1 at Nebraska (KKAR)
Sept. 4 vs. Florida International (KOIL)
Sept. 4 vs. Lipscomb (KKAR)
Sept. 5 at Kansas (KOIL)
Sept. 11 vs. Samford (KOIL)
Sept. 12 vs. Connecticut (KOIL)
Sept. 12 at Dayton (KOIL)
Sept. 18 Bradley (KOIL)
Sept. 19 Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Sept. 22 South Dakota State (KOIL)
Sept. 26 at Illinois State (KOIL)
Oct. 2 Wichita State (KOIL)
Oct. 3 Missouri State (KOIL)
Oct. 10 at Drake (KOIL)
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. 27-29 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.
