Volleyball Opens MVC Play with Bradley & UNI This Weekend
9/16/2009 1:00:00 PM | Volleyball
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Creighton (2-7, 0-0 MVC) opens Missouri Valley Conference play with a pair of home matches this weekend.
On Friday at 7 pm the Bluejays will welcome upstart Bradley (8-5, 0-0 MVC).
Saturday night Creighton hosts traditional power Northern Iowa (9-2, 0-0 MVC) in another 7 pm start.
Both matches will be played on the Creighton campus at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,950).
This Week
Sept. 18 7 pm Bradley at Creighton (KOIL 1180 AM) Omaha, Neb.
Sept. 19 7 pm Northern Iowa at Creighton (KOIL 1180 AM) Omaha, Neb.
Radio Broadcast Information
Both of Creighton's matches this weekend will be broadcast 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 and Erin Swanson will call the action.
Video Webcast Information
Both of this weekend's matches this weekend will be video webcast.
To sign up, visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Video tab on the left sidebar. An annual subscription costs $69.95, while a monthly subscription costs $11.95 per month.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton brings a 2-7 record into Missouri Valley Conference play after facing one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules once again.
The Jays own wins over Texas Tech and Samford, but have lost to Illinois, Nebraska, Florida International, Lipscomb, Kansas, Connecticut and Dayton.
Senior Jessica Houts has been named to the All-Tournament Team at all three events thus far and leads Creighton in kills per set (2.58) and blocks per set (1.55). She was an honorable-mention All-American last fall and a preseason all-MVC pick this season.
Allie Oelke ranks a close second to Houts offensively, averaging 2.55 kills per set while also hitting .211. Oelke's 1.85 digs per set is second on the team to libero Nayka Benitez, who averages 4.03 dps.
The Bluejays average 11.06 kills, 1.09 aces, 11.88 digs and 3.00 blocks per set while hitting .200 as a team.
Scouting Bradley
After finishing 6-26 last season, this year's Bradley team is off to an 8-5 start. The eight wins are already BU's most since 2006 (8-22) and puts the Braves in prime position to reach double figures in wins for just the second time in the past six years.
On a team full of talented newcomers, it is veterans Amy Reichel (2.46 kps.) and Annie Cave (2.24 kps.) that lead Bradley in kills. Sophomore Megan Schmidt (2.13 kps., 0.89 bps.) is third on the team in kills but paces the squad in blocks per set.
Freshman setter Skylar Lesan is averaging 10.06 assists per set and leads the MVC with 27 aces. Another freshman making a difference is Alise Tupuritis, who leads the team with 3.13 kills per set but has missed the past four matches.
As a team, Bradley averages 12.65 kills, 1.77 aces, 13.44 digs and 1.85 blocks per set while hitting a healthy .228.
Scouting Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa has won seven straight matches and is 9-2 on the season. Included in UNI's hot start is victories over Virginia, Ohio and Middle Tennessee, while only Texas A&M and Iowa State have topped the Panthers to date.
Beth Discher (2.84 kps.) is one of six players to average more than two kills per set, a group that also includes Michelle Burow (2.58), Shannon Aschoff (2.42), Amy Braun (2.28), Megan Lehman (2.25) and Bre Payton (2.05). Payton also tops the team with 9.87 assists and 0.34 aces per set. UNI also boasts one of the nation's top liberos, as Ellie Blankenship averages 5.97 digs per set.
As a team, UNI averages 13.82 kills, 1.39 aces, 16.50 digs and 2.43 blocks per set while hitting .245 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 108-79 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.
Bradley is coached by former Ohio State assistant Sean Burdette (Ohio Dominican, 1997). Burdette spent five seasons at Ohio State and has also been an assistant at Towson and Pittsburgh. He is 14-31 in his second year as a head coach at any level. He is assisted by Nancy Mueller and Savanah Parra. UNI is coached by Bobbi Petersen (Northern Iowa, 1990), who owns a 237-72 record in her 10th year with the Panthers. Petersen was named 2002 AVCA National Coach of the Year and also earned MVC Coach of the Year honors in 2006. Generally regarded as one of the best players in MVC history, Petersen ranked 10th nationally among active coaches in winning percentage entering 2009. Petersen is assisted by Kalani Mahi, Kim Davis, Shaun Juan and Michelle Coulter.
Series History vs. Bradley
Creighton owns a 17-13 lead in the series with Bradley, and the Jays lead 9-6 in Omaha. The Jays have swept BU in each of the last three meetings in Omaha, winning by six or more points in every set during that run.
Creighton has won all but one of the last 12 meetings in the series, but three of those contests went the distance.
CU head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 11-1 vs. Bradley, and 2-0 against Sean Burdette.
Series History vs. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa owns a 32-3 record all-time against Creighton, including a 14-1 record in Omaha. That lone Bluejay win in Omaha came last season, when CU swept the Panthers 25-16, 25-19, 25-16 on Nov. 21st.
The Panthers have also ended Creighton's season at the MVC Tournament each of the last four years.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-13 vs. Northern Iowa and 3-13 vs. Bobbi Petersen. Petersen is 20-3 overall against Creighton.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton went 1-2 at the Dayton Flyer Classic, beating Samford (3-0) on Friday before losing in five sets to both Connecticut and Dayton on Saturday. Jessica Houts hit .333 and averaged 2.08 kills and 1.00 blocks per set last weekend and was named to the all-tournament team.
Valley Streak Back In Play
Creighton has won its last eight regular-season matches against MVC competition, a streak that began Oct. 25, 2008 with a five-set win at Missouri State.
The longest MVC win streaks in school history are nine, done twice previously as seen below:
Consecutive Regular-Season MVC Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2
9 Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007 at Wichita State, 3-0
8 Oct. 25, 2008-Present ? ? ?
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2001 #16 Northern Iowa, 3-0
New Valley Home = Win?
When Creighton takes the floor against Bradley on Friday night at D.J. Sokol Arena, it will mark the sixth different home venue in which the Jays have played a conference match in.
Creighton is 4-1 in its facility openers against league foes, including wins at Skutt High School (9/26/97), Marian High School (10/10/97), Omaha South HS (9/18/98) and most recently the Omaha Civic Auditorium (9/19/03).
Creighton's only setback came in its first-ever home Valley contest, when it fell on Sept. 9, 1994 at the Kiewit Fitness Center to Bradley.
Seven Straight For Houts
Preseason all-MVC pick Jessica Houts was named to the All-Tournament Team at this past weekend's Dayton Flyer Classic. It marks the seventh straight regular-season tournament in which she's earned all-Tournament Team accolades, and the eighth time overall in her esteemed career.
In The Red Zone
Creighton has won seven straight matches against Bradley, which also happens to be its next opponent on Friday. CU is 11-1 against the Braves since 2003 to reclaim a 17-13 all-time lead in the series.
Obstacle Course
Only four individuals in the MVC own nine or more blocks in a match this season, but three of them play for Creighton.
Senior Jessica Houts leads that list with 14 blocks against Lipscomb (Sept. 4), while sophomore teammate Laurel Sanford had 10 blocks last Saturday against Connecticut. Additionally, freshman setter Megan Bober had nine blocks against Lipscomb as well.
MVC Opener Histories
Creighton owns an 8-7 record all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including three straight wins and a 5-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (5) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories. In the eight seasons that Creighton won its MVC opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and owns a combined .631 winning percentage in MVC action.
In the seven years in which Creighton lost its MVC opener, the Jays have had a losing record five times and own a combined .315 winning percentage during league contests.
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.
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.
Home Losses Are Also Devastating
The 2006 Northern Iowa and 2007 Wichita State teams are the only programs in MVC history to lose a home conference match and still win the regular-season title outright in that same season.
It's also worth noting that 14 of the last 15 regular-season MVC champions finished the year with one regular-season league loss or fewer. The exception was that 2006 UNI team that was 16-2, with both losses coming against Wichita State.
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.
An All-New 24?
Nayka Benitez had a career-high 24 digs last Saturday night against Dayton. With 24 or more digs against Bradley, she could join Bianca Rivera, Janeen Piller, Katie Mehal and Brittany Coleman as the only players in CU history with consecutive matches of 24 or more digs.
Not coincidentally, either Benitez, Rivera, Piller, Mehal and Coleman have played nearly all of Creighton's matches at libero since the rule was introduced in 2002.
Close Doesn't Count
Part of Creighton's early-season struggles can be attributed to its difficulty in winning close sets. Creighton is just 3-8 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-8 in the team's seven match losses.
Bradley is 4-4 in the eight sets is has played that have been decided by two points.
Northern Iowa has lost only nine sets all season, but six of them have been by the minimum two points. As a result, UNI is 3-6 in the sets decided by two points, but 26-3 in all other sets.
A Bunch of Winners
All but one team that Creighton has played this fall has been .500 or better at the time of the match vs. Creighton.
Opponent W-L heading Into CU Match
Texas Tech 0-0
Illinois 1-0
Nebraska 1-1
Florida International 2-1
Lipscomb 2-2
Kansas 3-2
Samford 3-3
Connecticut 3-6
Dayton 8-0
Bradley 8-5
Northern Iowa 9-2
Benitez Nearing 100 Digs
Junior libero Nayka Benitez has led Creighton in digs in all nine matches to date and tops the squad with 133 digs on the season.
Benitez became the second-quickest in CU history to 100 career digs, reaching that mark in her eighth match.
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
Melissa Weisensee 10 09/30/94 Missouri State
Kailey Reyes 10 09/27/98 at Western Illinois
Brittany Coleman 10 09/19/03 Southern Illinois
NCAA Stats Update
Creighton is ranked seventh-best nationally with 3.00 blocks per set, according to the first set of NCAA statistics. Texas tops the nation with 3.50 blocks per set. That is the only team category that ranks Creighton in the top-150.
Individually, senior Jessica Houts is Creighton's only player to rank in the top-100 of any category. Houts is sixth in the country with 1.55 blocks per set.
Let's Start With Houts
Senior Jessica Houts has started each of her last 54 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 97 of her past 98 appearances overall.
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.
Back Home On Campus
The matches on Aug. 28-29 were 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 had played at five other home venues: Qwest Center Omaha, the Omaha Civic Auditorium and three Omaha high schools (Skutt, Marian and South).
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 averaged 1,721 fans in two home matches Aug. 28-29, a figure that currently ranks 13th-best nationally. Below is the nation's top-15:
Average Attendance Leaders (through 9/14)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Nebraska 6,541 4
2. Hawaii 6,369 9
3. Minnesota 5,371 3
4. Northern Iowa 3,576 2
5. Wisconsin 3,528 3
6. Penn State 3,135 3
7. Florida 2,964 3
8. Wichita State 2,933 4
9. Saint Louis 2,584 3
10. Purdue 2,401 3
11. Colorado State 1,987 6
12. Illinois 1,740 2
13. Creighton 1,721 2
14. Michigan State 1,627 3
15. Kansas State 1,588 5
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
1,183 Drake 11/16/07 W 3-1
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 429 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 494 career blocks are many more than Williams' 447, and put her in prime position to be the first player in CU history to reach 500 career blocks:
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 369 65 429 494 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 291 36 218 254 2006-Pr.
10. Lisa Meekins 292 16 208 224 1999-01
Most Block Assists, MVC History
Name, School Block Assists Years
1. Danielle Brazda, UNI 658 2004-07
2. Molly O'Brien, UNI 653 2000-03
3. Ashten Stelken, UNI 540 2005-08
4. Mindy Struckhoff, MSU 527 1985-88
5. Shari Vermeer, UNI 489 2001-04
6. Kendra Haselhorst, ILS 482 1997-00
7. Chris Less, UNI 476 1988-91
8. Holly VanHofwegen, UNI 464 1996-99
9. Elizabeth Meyers, WSU 460 2002-05
10. Staci Schmidt, DU 459 1993-96
11. Jenny Kabbes, ILS 457 1998-2002
12. Emily Kabbes, ILS 437 2002-05
13. Jessica Houts, CU 429 2005-Pres.
14. Michelle Burvee, UNI 428 2000-03
15. Linette White, MSU 421 2000-03
Freshman Setters Nothing New
For the third time in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's seven seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays began the season starting a freshman setter. Both setters on this year's roster, Brittany Moon and Megan Bober, are freshmen, with Bober earning every start so far.
In 2003 with Brittany Coleman starting as a freshman, Creighton improved from 3-23 (in 2002) to 12-18, a nine-win improvement. Coleman set a then-CU record with 1,347 assists while starting all 30 matches.
Creighton then finished 16-14 in 2005 as freshman Korie Lebeda arrived and Coleman was shifted to libero. Lebeda broke Coleman's record with 1,401 assists while averaging a league-record 13.34 assists per set.
Both Coleman and Lebeda would both go on to earn a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Dandy Debuts
Nayka Benitez had 15 digs in the season-opening victory over Texas Tech, the most in school history by a player making their debut.
Fellow newcomer Alicia Runge also approached a pair of school records for a debut. Her three blocks were one shy of the record (held by current teammate Lauren Bloemke).
Additionally, Runge's nine kills were tied for second-most in CU history for a debut and the most since Heidi Higginbotham had nine in 1995.
An Even 200 Wins
Creighton Volleyball owns exactly 201 wins since restarting its program in 1994. The win over Texas Tech marked the 200th in the modern era. Kirsten Bernthal Booth has won more than half (108) 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
200 Texas Tech, 8/28/09 200-224
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 131-8 (.942) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 73-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 62-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-147 (.039) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-47 mark in those home matches. Those six comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll. Five of those squads will visit D.J. Sokol Arena, including No. 10 Illinois, No. 18 Wichita State, No. 20 Saint Louis and votegetters Tulane and Missouri State.
Creighton also plays on the road at No. 3 Nebraska and No. 18 Wichita State as well as votegetter Missouri State.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won four matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 107-0 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-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%)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 92 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 83-9. CU is 90-13 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one.
On the other hand, Creighton is just 18-66 in matches under Booth when it drops the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 20-9 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 0-2 2-7
Total 35-37 201-231
Dig This
Creighton is one of just 11 squads to average at least 17.20 digs per set in each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Creighton, Duke, Green Bay, Illinois State, Murray State, North Carolina, Rice, Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois.
During that same span, Creighton's 18.851 digs per set average ranks fourth-best nationally, as seen below:
Digs Per Set, Nationally, 2006-08
Rk. School SP DIGS DPS
1. Murray State 338 6918 20.467
2. Chattanooga 361 7356 20.377
3. Illinois State 348 6812 19.575
4. Creighton 323 6089 18.851
5. Wichita State 342 6399 18.711
6. Austin Peay 345 6435 18.652
7. North Dakota State 323 6015 18.622
8. High Point 364 6763 18.580
9. Western Illinois 344 6391 18.578
10. SE Missouri State 348 6398 18.385
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.
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
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. 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.
