Creighton University
TEXAS TECH
VB Opens Ryan Athletic Center/D.J. Sokol Arena With 3-0 Sweep of Texas Tech
8/28/2009 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton Volleyball team celebrated the regular-season opening of the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena with a commanding 3-0 sweep over Texas Tech on Friday night at the Bluejay Invitational. The match was the season-opener for both teams and featured an intermission presentation honoring the Ryan and Sokol families that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
More than 850 students helped turn up the noise in the new gym, part of a crowd of 2,285. That ranks as the fourth-most in program history and easily outdistances the previous on-campus best of 476 set in 1994. The three previous largest crowds all took place at Qwest Center Omaha and featured a strong contingent of Nebraska fans.
Jessica Houts led Creighton with 11 kills and eight blocks while hitting .556. Her eight blocks give her 451 in her career, three more than previous school record holder Ashley Williams (447). Allie Oelke had 10 kills, five digs and five blocks while Alicia Runge contributed nine kills and two aces in her debut.
The Bluejays started three freshmen in the season opener and they delivered in a big way. Heather Thorson (3 kills, 2 blocks), Megan Bober (7 kills, 32 assists) and Brooke Boggs (3 digs) combined to hit .588 without an error. Four others saw their first action with Creighton off the bench, including Runge. Nayka Benitez had a match-best 15 digs, the most ever by a CU player in their debut. Freshmen Lisa Greisch and Brittany Moon also gained some experience.
"I thought our young kids did a great job," said CU head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "We're going to see growing pains throughout the year but if there was a mistake I didn't see it turn into another mistake. I thought we did a good job where if we made a mistake we came back and played a good next point."
Creighton finished with 47 kills, four aces, 40 digs and 11 blocks while hitting .398. That .398 attack percentage is fourth-best in CU history and the best ever in a season-opening match.
Texas Tech was led by 10 kills by Amanda Dowdy. The Red Raiders hit .086 in the match and finished with 27 kills, five aces, 29 digs and six blocks. The match marked the first at Tech for Trish Kissiar-Knight, who saw members from her former school Missouri State-West Plains attend the match when they completed play on Friday at the Iowa Western Invitational across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Creighton trailed 3-2 early before Bober helped turn the momentum with a 10-point serving run. CU hit .520 in the opening set, winning easily despite five serving miscues.
Texas Tech had a 15-13 second-set lead before Creighton made a late push. Allie Oelke served CU into the lead with a 4-0 surge and a kill from Houts closed the door on the Red Raiders in the second set.
Houts then put on a blocking clinic in the third and final set, tallying an incredible seven block assists. Three of the blocks came on consecutive points which lifted the hosts to an 18-9 lead. Bober, who opened the facility with a kill on the first point, would end the match with a kill as well.
The Bluejay Invitational continues on Saturday when No. 10 Illinois plays Texas Tech at Noon. The Fighting Illini then takes on the host Bluejay to conclude the event at 7 pm.
NOTES: The win was the 200th for Creighton since restarting volleyball in 1994 ...Creighton is now 5-2 in its first match of a home facility ...Creighton is now 8-8 in home openers (since '94) and 4-3 under Booth ...Alicia Runge's nine kills were the most in a Bluejay debut since Heidi Higginbotham had nine in 1995 ...Creighton had started just four freshmen in all its season-openers combined since 2000 before starting three freshman tonight.
