Volleyball Takes Perfect Road Record To Drake
10/12/2010 1:57:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend
Oct. 16 7:00 pm Creighton at Drake (1180 KOIL) Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Knapp Center)
This Weekend
Second-place Creighton Volleyball closes out the first half of the Missouri Valley Conference season with a lone road match this weekend.
The Bluejays (12-6, 7-1 MVC) visit travel partner Drake (17-5, 3-5 MVC) for a 7 pm match in Des Moines.
The contest will be played inside Drake Knapp Center (7,152).
Radio Broadcast Information
Saturday's contest can be heard on KOIL (1180 AM).
The match will also be streamed live free on-line at http://www.gocreighton.com, then clicking on the Live Audio tab on the left sidebar. Brad Burwell and Rob Anderson will call the action.
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's match will be video webcast by Drake. However, subscribers to Creighton's “Jays Video” package will be able to log-in as normal and watch the event. Fans wishing to purchase the game can do so through Drake's web site at www.godrakebulldogs.com.
Live Stats Information
Saturday'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 to the exact link.
Scouting Creighton
Winners of nine of its last 10 matches, Creighton is 12-6 overall and second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 7-1 league record. The Bluejays are a perfect 6-0 on the road and 4-4 against a strong home schedule that has featured a pair of ranked teams.
Creighton has been led by its three healthy seniors. OH Allie Oelke averages 2.64 kills and 3.90 digs per set, while OH Alicia Runge leads the team and is fourth in the MVC with 3.81 kills per set. Defensively, DS Nayka Benitez leads the team with 21 aces and is second with 4.13 digs per set.
Setting the Bluejay offense is sophomore Megan Bober, who averages 10.07 assists, 2.07 digs, 1.01 blocks and 1.52 kills per set.
Freshman Julianne Mandolfo has taken over the libero role and leads the MVC with 6.03 digs per set in league play.
Creighton averages 13.26 kills, 18.54 digs, 2.46 blocks and 1.17 aces per set while hitting .209 as a team.
Scouting Drake
After a perfect 14-0 non-conference season, Drake has gone 3-5 in league play to drop to 17-5 overall. Drake's 17 wins entering the week are tied for third-most nationally.
Senior OH Angela Bys leads Drake with 3.90 kills per set, while her 898 attack attempts are more than any two other teammates combined. She is second on the team with 2.49 digs per set.
Emily Heffernen is second on the team with 2.21 kills and 0.88 blocks per set while leading the team with .339 hitting.
The Bulldogs employ two setters on a regular basis. Caitlin Johnson averages 6.46 assists per set, while Susan Clausen averages 4.09 assists per set.
Drake libero Alana Wittenburg ranks second nationally in digs per set at 5.89 dps.
As a team, Drake averages 13.57 kills, 0.91 aces, 17.60 digs and 2.37 blocks while hitting .231.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 132-95 record in her eighth 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 assistant coaches Tom Mendoza and Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Amanda (Gates) Sjuts.
Phil McDaniel (Culver-Stockton College, 1996) is 51-37 in his third season at Drake, which also doubles as his career mark as a head coach. McDaniel spent three seasons as an assistant at both South Dakota State and New Mexico State before heading to Drake. He is assisted by Erin Hirsch and Chris Brees.
Series History vs. Drake
Creighton owns a 19-14 record in 33 all-time meetings with Drake, including a 9-7 mark in Des Moines.
Creighton has won 13 of the last 15 meetings in the series, but the teams have split the last four matches in Des Moines. Creighton has not swept Drake in Des Moines since 2003. Drake has not swept Creighton at any site since 1998.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 13-2 against Drake and 4-1 versus Phil McDaniel.
Saturday's match is the first meeting between the schools since Creighton swept Drake in the quarterfinal round of the 2009 MVC Tournament.
Been There, Done That
Creighton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to come back and beat Wichita State in five sets on Saturday night.
Four of Creighton's last five wins against the Shockers have been five-set victories.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 23-13 in five-set matches at Creighton, and this weekend marked the first time since 1997 that the Jays won consecutive matches in five sets.
On A Roll
Creighton has won nine of its last 10 matches and its five-match winning streak is its longest since winning the final eight matches of the 2008 regular-season.
In the 38 sets during this 9-1 stretch, Creighton has served 57 aces against just 62 errors, while allowing only 29 aces to the opposition.
This is the ninth winning streak of five wins or more since the program's 1994 reinstatement. Eight of those nine streaks have come under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Consecutive Matches Won
Wins Dates Snapped By
8 Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2
7 Sept. 4-Sept. 17, 2004 Illinois State, 3-0
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 6, 2007 Wichita State, 3-0
5 Sept. 24-Oct. 2, 1999 at Missouri State, 3-0
5 Nov. 4-19, 2005 at Northern Iowa, 3-0
5 Aug. 25-Sept. 2, 2006 Iowa, 3-2
5 Sept. 9-16, 2006 at South Dakota State, 3-1
5 Oct. 26-Nov. 9, 2007 at #24 Wichita State, 3-1
5 Sept. 25, 2010-Present ? ? ?
Road Win Streak Ties Record
Creighton won its final road match last year (at Bradley), and is a perfect 6-0 on the road this season.
That seven-match win streak in true road matches ties the longest in school history, which was originally set in 2007.
Creighton's Longest Road Win Streaks
Wins Dates Snapped By
7 Sept. 21-Nov. 9, 2007 at #24 Wichita St., 3-0
7 Nov. 21, 2009 - Present ? ? ?
6 Oct. 14-Nov. 17, 2000 at Missouri St., 3-0
5 Nov. 21, 2003-Sept. 14, 2004 at Wichita St., 3-1
Road Perfection
Creighton owns the nation's second-best road record in 2010, as it is 6-0 in true road matches. Nationally, only eight schools total remain unbeaten in true road matches.
Additionally, the only team that has lost fewer sets than Creighton (1) on the road is Hawaii, which has swept both matches off the island.
In fact, through matches of October 10, only six teams owned more road wins than Creighton's six.
Below is the complete list of undefeated teams in road matches this season:
Road Sets Next Road
School W-L Lost Match
Tulsa 7-0 5 10/15
Creighton 6-0 1 10/16
Nebraska 6-0 3 10/16
Miss. Valley State 6-0 6 10/15
Florida 5-0 2 10/27
Arizona 5-0 6 10/22
Northern Illinois 5-0 6 10/22
Hawaii 2-0 0 10/21
Libero Showdown
Saturday's match-up features the top two liberos (statistically) in the Missouri Valley Conference.
In MVC play, Creighton freshman Julianne Mandolfo leads the league with 6.03 digs per set. Drake senior Alana Wittenburg is a fraction behind, also averaging 6.03 digs per set to rank second in Valley action.
Wittenburg owns eight matches of 24 digs or more this season, while Mandolfo has done so five times.
Difference Maker
Creighton is 11-2 in the matches Laurel Sanford has started after going 1-4 in five matches she didn't start following an early-season ankle injury.
Finally healthy again, Sanford has had 10 or more kills in each of her last four matches after doing that just four times in the first 55 matches of her career.
With Sanford in the line-up, Creighton's offense has benefited greatly, averaging 13.72 kills per set on .231 hitting. Additionally, Creighton has averaged 1.26 aces per set while yielding just 0.72 aces per set.
In the five matches not started by Sanford, Creighton averages 12.05 kills per set on .154 hitting. CU also averages 0.95 aces per set while allowing 1.32 by the opposition.
Creighton is 36-14 in the sets started by Sanford this season, but 7-12 in the sets she hasn't.
Quite The Valley Run
In Creighton's last 15 matches against Missouri Valley Conference foes, the Jays are an impressive 12-3. All three setbacks have come against Northern Iowa.
Creighton is not the only one with problems taming the Panthers, as UNI has won its last 27 matches vs. league foes.
Chasing History
Julianne Mandolfo owns 287 digs (4.16 dps.) this season as she continues to chase a couple of school records.
Mandolfo's 33 digs vs. Missouri State on Oct. 8 were the most in CU history by a freshman, surpassing the 30 by Melissa Walsh on Oct. 10, 1998 vs. Drake.
Creighton's record for digs by a freshman is 341 by Allie Oelke in 2007.
Creighton's record for digs per set by a freshman is 3.40 by Kailey Reyes (1998).
Walsh, Oelke and Reyes would all go on to earn spots on the MVC's All-Freshman Team, with Oelke being named Freshman of the Year.
Digs Per Set, Creighton Freshmen
DPS Name, Year Digs SP
4.16 Julianne Mandolfo, 2010 287 69
3.40 Kailey Reyes, 1998 299 88
3.19 Allie Oelke, 2007 341 107
3.12 Sarah Schulze, 2006 253 81
2.76 Melissa Walsh, 1998 251 91
2.71 Melissa Weisensee, 1994 233 86
2.58 Jodi Bjoin, 1999 209 81
Mandolfo Honored, Again
On Monday Creighton Volleyball's Julianne Mandolfo was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Mandolfo previously won the award on Sept. 27.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Mandolfo averaged 5.80 digs, 1.20 assists, 0.20 aces and had her first career kill as Creighton defeated both Wichita State and Missouri State in five sets last week. It was just the second time in program history that Creighton beat the Bears and Shockers on consecutive nights.
Mandolfo began her weekend with a career-best 33 digs vs. Missouri State, most in Creighton history by a freshman and most by any Valley freshman since 2008. She added a career-high eight assists, and had her first career kill to give Creighton a 11-7 lead late in the fifth set.
On Saturday against Wichita State, Mandolfo had 25 digs, four assists and an ace in a five-set win over Wichita State.
On the weekend, she was perfect in 63 serve reception attempts, a major factor the Jays allowed just three aces in 10 sets against MSU and WSU.
Valley On The Rise
A strong non-conference season has lifted the Missouri Valley Conference into sixth place of the annual league rankings provided by RichKern.com. The league has never finished a season higher than ninth.
In the past eight years, the No. 6 ranked conference has garnered 28 NCAA Tournament bids, an average of 3.5 per season, receiving three or more in seven of those campaigns.
According to the RKPI, the top eight leagues, in order, are Big Ten, Pacific-10, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, Missouri Valley, Big West and Mountain West.
The MVC is 15-12 against the other top-eight leagues, going 3-4 against the Big Ten, 5-4 against the Big 12, 1-0 against the Pacific-10, 2-0 against the Southeastern, 2-3 against the Atlantic Coast and 2-1 against the Mountain West. The MVC has not met the Big West.
Creighton owns an official NCAA ranking of 32nd. Creighton had been 55th in the initial RPI one week earlier. Saturday's opponent, Drake, has an RPI of 59.
By comparison, Creighton's final year-end RPI was 56th in 2007 and 46th in 2008 in a pair of years in which the Jays ended up on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Serving It Up
Creighton's serving has improved greatly since a disastrous opening night (1 ace, 21 errors) behind the service line.
In Creighton's current 9-1 stretch, the Jays have served up 57 aces against just 62 errors. Nayka Benitez has 17 aces compared to 12 errors in that time, while fellow senior Allie Oelke (14 aces, 11 errors) has also picked up the pace of late.
You Dig?
Helped by three players averaging 3.9 digs per set or more, Creighton ranks fifth nationally in digs per set, averaging 18.54 digs per set.
Baylor leads the way with 18.81 digs per set and is followed by Dartmouth (18.61), West Virginia (18.59) and Western Michigan (18.54). Southeast Missouri State is sixth at 18.45 dps.
Saturday's foe, Drake, is 15th with 17.60 digs per set.
Oelke Joins 1,000/1,000 Club
Allie Oelke (1,013 kills, 1,186 digs) has become just the second player in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, joining Melissa Walsh (1,596 kills and 1,240 digs), in that exclusive club. Walsh entered the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
Oelke reached her milestone late in the first set vs. Wichita State on Oct. 9.
Most Career Kills, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Leah Ratzlaff 409 1,622 2002-05
2. Melissa Walsh 394 1,596 1998-01
3. Kelly Goc 394 1,414 2004-07
4. Jessica Houts 451 1,385 2005-09
5. JoDe Cieloha 398 1,375 1994-97
6. Amanda Cvejdlik 343 1,029 2005-08
7. Allie Oelke 390 1,013 2007-Pr.
8. Shelly Kapler 388 1,000 1996-99
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs. No. Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
Sanford Joins Double-Double Club
Junior MB Laurel Sanford recorded her first career double-double when she had 10 kills and 11 blocks in a three-set win at Indiana State on Oct. 2.
In doing so, she became Creighton's first player since 1995 (JoDe Cieloha) with a kill-block double-double in a three-set match.
It was the fourth time in Sanford's career she's had 10 or more blocks, but first time she's done it while also producing 10 or more kills on offense.
First Third Excellent Again
Creighton has started 5-1 or better for the fourth time in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's eight seasons at the helm. Her 2003, 2006 and 2007 squads also did so.
Over her tenure, Creighton has been a collective 32-16 in the first six games of MVC play, 27-17 in the middle six, and 28-14 in the final six.
Creighton by Thirds in MVC Play, Under Booth
Year First 6 W-L Middle 6 W-L Last 6 W-L
2010 5-1 2-0 --
2009 3-3 3-3 4-2
2008 4-2 5-1 6-0
2007 6-0 3-3 5-1
2006 5-1 4-2 3-3
2005 1-5 4-2 5-1
2004 3-3 4-2 3-3
2003 5-1 2-4 2-4
Total 32-16 (.667) 27-17 (.614) 28-14 (.667)
Redbird Arena Success = MVC Success
Creighton won at Illinois State last Friday for fourth time in the last five years, but just the fifth time in regular-season action overall in school history.
In those five seasons, Creighton owns a combined Valley record of 59-23 (.720), compared to a 90-138 (.395) league mark in years it has lost at Redbird Arena.
Almost Halfway Home
Creighton's match vs. Drake on Saturday will finish off the first half of the MVC schedule. With a win over the Bulldogs, Creighton can own an 8-1 mark at the halfway point for the first time ever.
Even more encouraging is the fact that Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams have matched or bettered their first-half record in the second trip through the league the past three years, and in five of her seven completed seasons.
Creighton has had a winning record at the midway point of conference play on nine previous occasions, and qualified for the MVC Tournament each time.
League Record by Year
Year 1st Half 2nd Half MVC Finish
2010 7-1 so far ? ? ? ? ? ?
2009 4-5 6-3 T-4th
2008 7-2 8-1 2nd
2007 7-2 7-2 T-2nd
2006 7-2 5-4 4th
2005 4-5 6-3 5th
2004 5-4 5-4 5th
2003 5-4 4-5 T-5th
2002 1-8 1-8 T-9th
2001 7-2 5-4 4th
2000 5-4 5-4 T-4th
1999 5-4 4-5 5th
1998 2-7 3-6 8th
1997 6-3 4-5 T-3rd
1996 2-7 3-6 T-6th
1995 3-7 3-7 T-7th
1994 2-8 1-9 T-9th
Total 79-75 70-76 --
Booth era 46-25 41-22
Haunted Series
Last weekend marked just the second time ever that Creighton beat Missouri State and Wichita State on consecutive nights.
The first occasion came all the way back in 1997, when CU beat Missouri State on Halloween night, then topped Wichita State the following day.
Mandolfo Digs This
Freshman Julianne Mandolfo had 23 digs in her first appearance as Creighton's libero in a Sept. 17 sweep at Southern Illinois.
Her 23 digs were tied for fourth-most in school history for a three-set match.
Mandolfo then had 27 digs in back-to-back matches vs. UNI and Bradley on Sept. 24-25, an average of 6.75 per set. For those efforts, Mandolfo was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27th.
Mandolfo added to her numbers on Oct. 1 with a 29 digs in four sets at Illinois State.
For the season, Mandolfo leads the team with 287 digs and 4.16 digs per set. Her 287 digs lead all MVC freshmen. Mandolfo also leads all MVC players with 6.03 digs per set in league play.
She is also the only freshman in Creighton history with three or more matches of 20 digs, having done so six times now.
Mandolfo has played in 18 matches and owns 287 digs. She became the third quickest player in CU history to 200 career digs.
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
Julianne Mandolfo 15 10/01/10 at Illinois State
Kailey Reyes 16 10/17/98 at Illinois State
Melissa Walsh 20 10/30/98 at Wichita State
Brittany Coleman 20 10/18/03 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
Allie Oelke 29 11/16/07 Drake
Melissa Walsh 30 09/10/99 Southern Illinois
Let's Hit It
Creighton hit .654 in the third set of its win over Bradley, with 18 kills and one error in 26 attempts.
The hitting percentage was the third-best mark in school history, and best by any Jays squad since hitting a school-record .684 (13-0-19) in the second set of a 15-0 win at Eastern Illinois on October 15, 2000.
Attack of the Jays
Creighton hit a season-best .402 in its Oct. 2 win at Indiana State, finishing with 39 kills and four errors in 87 swings. Creighton's four errors tied its fewest in school history, done previously on Oct. 27, 1995, when Creighton hit a school-record .536 in a win over Tulsa.
Creighton's 25-7 win in the third set of its win at Indiana State was the fewest points allowed in any set since Bradley was held to six in the fifth set on Oct. 4, 2003, and fewest allowed ever in any set played to 25 by Creighton.
Seventh Heaven
After just seven aces in Creighton's first 13 matches of the season, senior Nayka Benitez served up a career-high seven aces in a 3-1 victory over Bradley on Sept. 25.
The figure was tied for second-most in Creighton history and was also a D.J. Sokol Arena record. Four of her aces came consecutively in the fourth set.
Last year, she served five straight aces in a match against Missouri State.
As a team, Creighton served up 12 aces, doubling its previous season-high and was the program's most since Sept. 30, 2006.
Benitez has 14 aces (0.67 saps.) and just eight serving miscues during Creighton's last five matches.
Service Aces, Single-Match
Aces Name, Opponent (Sets) Date
8 Carolyn Decker at New Mexico (3s) 9-4-04
7 Molly Moran vs. Drake (3s) 9-22-00
7 Kelli Koochi at Indiana State (4s) 10-19-01
7 Nayka Benitez vs. Bradley (4s) 9-25-10
Road Success
When Creighton swept Southern Illinois and Evansville in consecutive road matches two weeks ago, it marked just the second time in program history it had swept each set of a two-match Valley trip.
Overall, Creighton is 6-0 in true road matches this year, winning five of those matches by 3-0 scores.
A Good Barometer
Illinois State and Creighton have long been competitive in head-to-head match-ups. Since Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, Creighton is 9-8 against Illinois State. They are the only Valley program that Booth is within seven matches of the .500 mark against.
Since her arrival Booth's Creighton teams have finished better than Illinois State in the standings four times, but behind them three times. Every other team in the MVC has beaten Creighton in the standings either 0/1 time, or 6/7 times.
Opponent Booth W-L Better-Worse-Same
Bradley 14-1 7-0-0
Drake 13-2 6-0-1
Evansville 14-1 7-0-0
Illinois State 9-8 4-3-0
Indiana State 12-3 6-0-1
Missouri State 4-11 1-5-1
Northern Iowa 3-17 1-5-1
Southern Illinois 16-0 7-0-0
Wichita State 5-11 0-7-0
Bluejay Duo Earn MVC Honors
On Oct. 4, Megan Bober and Laurel Sanford were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference as its Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
Bober averaged 9.43 assists, 2.00 kills, 1.71 digs, 1.71 blocks and 0.29 aces per set as Creighton won road matches at Illinois State and Indiana State. She hit .375 in the process, while also setting the Jays to .274 hitting for the weekend.
On Friday, Bober helped Creighton hand Illinois State its first home loss of the year, as she had 44 assists, nine digs, five blocks and five kills. She also had a season-best two aces, as Creighton avenged a five-set loss in Normal last season.
On Saturday, Bober had a career-high with nine kills on season-best .562 hitting in 16 errorless swings. She added 22 assists, seven blocks and three digs as Creighton held the Sycamores to .018 hitting. She also set Creighton to .402 hitting, sixth-best in school history, as the Jays tied a program-record with just four hitting errors. The win was Creighton's seventh straight on the road, tying another school-record.
This is the first time that Bober has been honored as MVC Player of the Week.
Sanford averaged 2.86 kills, 2.14 blocks and 0.71 digs while hitting .372 on the weekend.
She had 10 kills, five digs, four blocks and hit .269 in a Creighton win at Illinois State on Friday. Her five digs were a career-high.
Sanford then had her first career double-double at Indiana State on Friday, finishing with 10 kills on 17 swings, hitting .529, while recording 11 blocks. She had four kills and five blocks in the first set, four more blocks in the second set, and four kills and two blocks in the final set.
The 11 blocks for Sanford is the most in any three-set match in the MVC this season. Impressively, nine of her blocks came against Valley kill leader Morgan Dall, who had seven kills against 12 hitting errors and hit -.143 for the night in 35 swings.
Sanford is second in the MVC with 1.20 blocks per set, a figure that climbs to 1.26 bps., in MVC play and 1.75 bps., in road matches.
This is the third time in Sanford's career that she's won this award, and second time in three weeks (also Sept. 24, 2010).
MVC Honors Bluejay Duo
Two members of the Creighton Volleyball team earned recognition from the Missouri Valley Conference on Sept. 20 after helping the Bluejays to road sweeps of Southern Illinois and Evansville. Allie Oelke was named MVC Player of the Week and MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week, while Laurel Sanford
A senior outside hitter from Chanhassen, Minn., Oelke averaged 4.00 kills, 4.33 digs and 1.00 blocks per set. She hit a collective .333 for the weekend, hitting .312 on Friday and .360 on Saturday.
Oelke had 12 kills and 13 digs in both matches, giving her 35 career double-doubles. She had three aces and four blocks in the win at SIU, then added two blocks and four assists in the victory at Evansville.
She also owns a 3.794 GPA in Elementary Education.
Though this is the first time in her career that Oelke has been named MVC Player of the Week, she's no stranger to MVC recognition. Oelke was a four-time honoree as MVC Freshman of the Week and earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2007. She was also named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 9, 2009, and was a 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team selection.
A junior middle blocker from Eagan, Minn., Sanford averaged 2.67 kills, 1.83 blocks and 0.50 digs per set last week.
Sanford had eight kills, four blocks, three digs and an ace in the Jays sweep of Southern Illinois. She then added eight kills and seven blocks in Creighton's sweep over UE on Saturday night. Three of her blocks vs. the Purple Aces came in the final set, including one to end the contest.
Putting It Down
Alicia Runge had one of the most efficient matches of her career on Sept. 25 vs. Bradley, pounding 17 kills on 26 swings. She had just one error, giving her a robust .615 hitting percentage for the evening.
Runge's .615 hitting is the second-best in Creighton history for a player with 25 or more attacks in a match, and is also a D.J. Sokol Arena record.
Attack Percentage, Match (min. 12 kills)
Pct. Name (K-E-TA), Opponent (Sets) Date
.750 Katy Grady (12-0-16) vs. Auburn (3s) 8-30-03
.750 Abby Baumann (12-0-16) at San Diego St. (3s) 9-03-05
.737 Lauren Bloemke (14-0-19) vs. Evansville (3s) 11-04-07
.714 Amanda Cvejdlik (15-0-21) vs. Drake (3s) 10-03-08
.667 Katy Grady (12-0-18) at Drake (3s) 9-27-03
.667 Kelly Goc (14-0-21) vs. Stephen F. Austin (3s) 8-25-07
.632 Amanda Cvejdlik (12-2-19) vs. Indiana St. (3s) 10-22-05
.625 Kelly Goc (26-1-40) vs. Drake (4s) 11-16-07
.615 Alicia Runge (17-1-26) vs. Bradley (4s) 9-25-10
.607 Carolyn Decker (17-0-28) vs. Bradley (3s) 11-13-04
Double Trouble
Allie Oelke had exactly 12 kills and 13 digs in victories over both Southern Illinois (Sept. 17) and Evansville (Sept. 18). She owns nine double-doubles this season and 38 in her career, which is fifth-most in school history.
She has had a double-double in each of her three matches against both SIU and UE.
Oelke also had a double-double in all three matches vs. Drake last season.
Oelke Joins Century Club
Allie Oelke became the 18th player in Bluejay history to play in 100 career matches when she started at Southern Illinois on Sept. 17th.
The senior, who has played in all 107 matches in her career to date, became just the fifth player in school history to reach that mark without missing a match, joining Korie Lebeda (119), Leah Ratzlaff (115), Melissa Weisensee (111) and Melissa Walsh (108).
Digging From The Outside
Senior OH Allie Oelke had 33 digs last weekend, giving her 1,186 career digs. She has moved past former teammate Sarah Schulze (1,056 digs from 2006-09) and ranks fifth-most in school history.
Oelke's dig total is also the highest in school history by a Bluejay outside hitter, a mark formerly held by Schulze.
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. Allie Oelke 390 1,186 2007-Pr.
6. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
7. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
8. Sarah Schulze 398 1,056 2006-09
9. Abby Baumann 375 935 2004-07
10. Shelly Kapler 388 922 1996-99
Dos Liberos
After playing Nayka Benitez at libero for each of the program's 41 matches the past two seasons, freshman Julianne Mandolfo claimed that role on Sept. 17.
This marks just the third different season in the nine-year history of the libero that Creighton has used multiple liberos in the same season.
In 2006, Katie Mehal (113 sets) and Sarah Schulze (three sets) both wore the alternate jersey.
In 2005, five different players were libero at one point: Mallory Lahm (51 sets), Emily Greisch (12 sets), Brittany Coleman (38 sets), Molly Lahr (one set) and Mehal (three sets).
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
At the start of the conference season, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools harbored 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.
The only teams that remained undefeated after the first weekend of play this fall were Creighton (2-0), Northern Iowa (2-0) and Illinois State (1-0).
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 15 of the last 16 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.
So far this year the only three teams that are unbeaten at home in MVC play at Northern Iowa, Missouri State and Wichita State.
Runge on a Tear
Alicia Runge had 10 or more kills in her final match of 2009, and her first 15 contests of 2010. That streak came to an end on Oct. 2 when she had six kills on just 18 swings at Indiana State. The stretch was third-longest in Bluejay history.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Kills
58 Leah Ratzlaff, Sept. 13, 2003-Sept. 9, 2005
19 JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 26-Nov. 21, 1997
16 Alicia Runge, Nov. 27, 2009 - Oct. 1, 2010
14 Kelly Goc, Sept. 8-Oct. 19, 2007
13 JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 7-Oct. 18, 1996
Road Sweeps To Start
Creighton has swept five of its six true road matches to date, beating Saint Louis, Marquette, Southern Illinois, Evansville and Indiana State, in addition to a 3-1 win at Illinois State. This is the first time in program history that the team has started a season 6-0 on the road.
The Jays, who swept Bradley in Peoria to end the 2009 regular-season, swept five straight true road matches for the first time in school history.
Creighton's current seven-match road win streak ties a school-record, also done in 2007.
All-Tourney Duo, Again
For the second straight weekend, Alicia Runge and Megan Bober picked up all-tournament team honors at the Marquette Invitational while leading the Jays to a second-place showing.
Bober averaged 9.58 assists, 2.25 digs, 1.76 kills and 0.83 blocks per set while hitting .319. This was her second career honor to an all-Tourney Team.
Runge averaged 4.58 kills and 0.83 digs per set while hitting .358. It was the third straight tournament that the senior has been recognized.
Booth Reaches 125 Wins
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth became the first Bluejay volleyball coach to 125 wins with her Sept. 11 win over Central Michigan. Now in her eighth year, Booth is 132-95 with the Bluejays.
Below is a list of games/matches needed by some of Creighton's most prominent coaches to reach 125 wins.
Coach Sport Games to 125 Wins
Ed Servais Baseball 194
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 211
Jim Flanery Women's Basketball 213
Kirsten Booth Volleyball 219
Jim Hendry Baseball 222
Bruce Erickson Women's Soccer 238
Brent Vigness Softball 239
Two Points From A Title x 2
Creighton finished second in each of its final two preseason tournaments. In both events, the Jays went 2-1 and their only loss was by two points in the fifth set.
In the Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge, Creighton lost 20-18 in the fifth set against Iowa. At the Marquette Invitational, Creighton lost 15-13 in the fifth set of a match vs. Toledo.
On the season, Creighton is 11-7 in sets decided by exactly two points.
Non-Conference Report Card
Creighton started 5-5 after a non-conference schedule gauntlet full of postseason hopefuls, including three teams picked to win their conferences (Central Michigan, Nebraska, Lipscomb).
If the past is any indication, good things happen when Creighton goes .500 or better through 10 matches.
The last time Creighton was 5-5 after 10 matches in 2008, the Jays finished a best-ever 15-3 in the MVC and alone in second place.
In both 2006 and 2007, Creighton was over .500 after 10 matches and would finish 21-10 overall.
All seven previous Bluejay teams to be .500 or better after 10 matches finished fifth or higher in the league, and all would also post a winning record in Valley play to finish with a winning overall record.
Comeback For The Ages Falls Short
Creighton posted a comeback for the ages on Sept. 4, surviving seven different match point opportunities before eventually falling 20-18 in the fifth set of a match vs. Iowa.
Creighton trailed 14-9 before winning five consecutive points to tie the score. Creighton also held on when facing match point at 15-14 and 18-17.
Iowa also survived multiple match points, getting sideouts with CU serving for the match at 16-15 and 17-16.
The combined 38 points between Creighton and Iowa in the fifth set were the most in school history. Below are the most points scored in a fifth set in school history. Creighton is 11-2 all-time when scoring 16 or more points in the fifth set of a match.
CU - Most Points Scored, 5th Set, School History
Score Opponent Date
W 19-17 vs. Idaho 09/02/00
W 19-17 Evansville 09/27/02
W 18-16 Evansville 11/14/98
W 18-16 vs. McNeese State 08/30/03
L 18-20 vs. Iowa 09/04/10
W 17-15 at Wichita State 10/13/06
W 17-15 at Drake 09/11/07
L 16-18 Drake 11/15/02
W 16-14 at Drake 09/13/97
W 16-14 at Evansville 11/04/00
W 16-14 Wichita State 10/10/03
W 16-14 vs. Marquette 09/11/05
W 16-14 at Northern Iowa 11/18/05
Runge & Bober Earn All-Tourney in St. Louis
A pair of Creighton players were named to the Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge All-Tournament Team in St. Louis on Sept. 3-4.
Senior OH Alicia Runge earned the honor after averaging 4.91 kills and 0.55 blocks per set while hitting .254 in three matches. Runge led CU in kills all three matches, including a career-high 26 vs. Iowa.
Also recognized was sophomore setter Megan Bober. Bober averaged 10.55 assists, 2.45 digs, 1.00 blocks and 1.45 kills per set, helping Creighton to .228 hitting.
Iowa's Bethany Yeager was named MVP, and joined on the All-Tournament Team by Mallory Husz (Iowa), Alyssa Deno (Saint Louis) and Kelsey Jones (Wake Forest).
Tied For First, But Second Place
Though Creighton finished with a 2-1 mark that was identical to Iowa's final record at the Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge, it was the Hawkeyes who celebrated with the team title.
With two teams finished at 2-1, Iowa won the tiebreaker by virtue of its head-to-head victory over Creighton.
Had Saint Louis been able to maintain its 5-0 lead early in the fifth set to defeat Iowa in the tournament finale, Creighton would have won the event since Creighton defeated Saint Louis head-to-head.
Savannah Smith Shines; Named MVC FOW
True freshman MB Savannah Smith had a big weekend in St. Louis on Sept. 3-4, averaging 1.55 kills, 1.64 blocks and hitting .350 in three matches.
Smith had seven blocks and four kills vs. Saint Louis, five kills and seven blocks while hitting .385 vs. Iowa, and wrapped up her weekend with a career-best eight kills, four blocks and .389 hitting versus Wake Forest.
Smith followed her weekend with seven kills and .400 hitting vs. Toledo on Sept. 10th, becoming Creighton's first freshman ever to pound five or more kills while hitting .385 or better in three consecutive matches.
For her efforts, Smith was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 5th.
Sanford Shakes Off Injury
Creighton went just 1-3 as junior MB Laurel Sanford missed four matches from Aug. 28-Sept. 3 with a bad ankle, but her return to the line-up coincided with Creighton winning nine of its last 10 matches.
Sanford is hitting .247 this season and averages 2.33 kills and 1.20 blocks per set.
Creighton is 36-14 in sets started by Sanford this season, but 7-12 when she doesn't start a set.
Mandolfo Digs Deep
Freshman DS Julianne Mandolfo became the second player (and first non-libero) in school history to record 10 or more digs in the first six matches of her career, a streak that was snapped on Sept. 4 vs. Wake Forest.
Mandolfo's 13 digs in her debut vs. San Francisco were third-most in school history, and tops of any non-libero.
Former libero Bianca Rivera owns the school record with 10 or more digs in the first 27 matches of her career in 2007.
Runge On Bluejay Invite All-Tourney Team
Alicia Runge was Creighton's top offensive weapon all weekend at the Bluejay Invitational, and that excellence was rewarded with a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Runge led Creighton in kills during all three matches, including 18 vs. San Francisco and 19 versus Lipscomb. Both of those matches eclipsed her 2009 high of 17 kills in a contest.
Runge was joined on the All-Tournament Team by San Francisco's Joan Caloiaro, Lipscomb's Jake Pease and Alex Kelly, and the Kansas tandem of Allison Mayfield and Karina Garlington. Garlington was named tournament MVP.
Almgren All Over
Junior Karisa Almgren had a breakthrough weekend at the Bluejay Invitational, posting 25 kills and nine blocks on .250 hitting in 60 swings.
Compare that to her first two years with the Bluejays, when Almgren amassed 18 total kills and nine total blocks.
Almgren's top offensive match of the opening weekend saw her claim single-match career highs with 11 kills and five blocks vs. Lipscomb.
She eclipsed that personal best with 12 kills while hitting .400 in a three-set victory over Saint Louis on Sept. 3.
On Oct. 8 vs. Missouri State, Almgren had four of her career-high 13 kills in the fifth set of the 3-2 victory.
Almgren ranks fourth on the team with 112 kills and third with 319 attack attempts this fall.
Thunder Of Thorson
Karisa Almgren isn't the only Bluejay that has stepped up, as sophomore Heather Thorson also has showed off her improved skills when given the opportunity.
Thorson averages 1.12 kills per set as well as 0.79 blocks per set. That includes a career-best nine kills vs. Kansas on Aug. 28, a figure she tied on Oct. 9 in a five-set win over Wichita State.
Thorson owns 64 kills and 45 blocks this year after posting 29 kills and 22 blocks her entire freshman campaign.
Going Streaking
Before being limited to just five digs on Aug. 31 vs. Nebraska, Allie Oelke had owned 10 or more digs in each of her previous 18 matches. That was the fourth-longest streak in school history, and is the longest mark by any Bluejay outside hitter.
Oelke owns 10 or more digs in her last 14 contests, and 32 of her last 33 matches.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
19 Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
18 Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009 - Aug. 28, 2010
15 Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
15 Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
15 Nayka Benitez, Nov. 13, 2009-Sept. 10, 2010
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 14-17 last year but managed to finish tied for fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 league record.
Senior Jessica Houts ranked 12th nationally with 1.44 blocks per set and earned a spot on the all-Valley First Team for a second straight season. The stellar blocking of Houts as well as Laurel Sanford (1.30 bps.) and Megan Bober (0.93) helped Creighton rank third nationally in blocks per set.
The 2009 season saw Creighton move into a new on-campus home, D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center, as the program hosted the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time.
Bloemke Out With Injury
Fifth-year senior MB Lauren Bloemke will miss the 2010 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during the final week of July. Bloemke had surgery on the knee on August 17th.
Bloemke, who missed most of last season after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the spring of 2009, will remain involved with the program as a student assistant coach and remains on pace to graduate in the spring.
Bloemke ranks 19th in school history with 478 career kills and ninth in both career block assists (218) and career total blocks (254).
Bober's The Best At Blocking
Last season Creighton setter Megan Bober had 107 blocks, easily the most ever in one year by a Creighton setter. In doing so, she became the first player in Creighton history to have both 100 blocks and 100 assists in the same season.
In fact, Bober's 0.93 blocks per set led the country among setters, and she was the nation's only player to average at least 0.9 blocks and 7.5 assists per set.
She's off to a quick start as a sophomore, averaging 1.01 blocks per set, including a Bluejay-best 70.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 144-8 (.947) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including an 85-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 68-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-155 (.037) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-53 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 132-1 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa in an eventual 20-18 loss.
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
Game 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 117 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 105-12. CU is 112-16 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 20-79 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 23-13 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 14-17
2010 2-2 12-6
Total 38-41 225-247
Production Returning
Creighton returns 11-of-14 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1256 (94.8%) 69 (5.2%)
Aces 90 (80.4%) 22 (19.6%)
Digs 1377 (75.2%) 454 (24.8%)
Matches Started 129 (69.4%) 57 (30.6%)
Blocks 242.0 (68.3%) 112.5 (31.7%)
Points 1274.0 (67.7%) 607.5 (32.3%)
Kills 942 (66.6%) 473 (33.4%)
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll. Four of those squads will visit D.J. Sokol Arena, including No. 2 Nebraska, No. 24 Northern Iowa and votegetters Wichita State and Missouri State.
Creighton also plays on the road at No. 24 Northern Iowa as well as votegetters Saint Louis, Wichita State and Missouri State.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in a preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches. Defending regular-season champion Northern Iowa was the unanimous pick to win the league, with Missouri State and Wichita State second and third. Creighton fourth and Drake fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Evansville, Indiana State and Bradley.
Each of the past seven 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 T-4th - -
2010 4th ??? ???
AVCA Honors CU Volleyball For Academics
The Creighton volleyball program was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the 2010 AVCA Team Academic Award. Creighton previously won the award in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are one of eight Division I schools nationwide to win the award in seven consecutive campaigns.
The award honors teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. Last fall the Bluejay volleyball team posted a combined GPA of 3.50.
Huskers Returned To Campus, Finally
Aug. 31 marked Nebraska volleyball's first visit the Creighton campus since 1980, when the Huskers swept a best-of-three contest at Kiewit Center.
Since then, Creighton had twice hosted its in-state rival, but both of those matches took place at Qwest Center Omaha.
Crowd Control
The Aug. 31 crowd of 2,514 fans vs. Nebraska was the fourth-largest home crowd in program history for match, and was the first sellout at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Previously, the largest crowd at D.J. Sokol Arena had been the 2,285 that saw Creighton host Texas Tech last year on Aug. 28, 2009.
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 Site
13,081 #18 Cal Poly 09/02/07 Qwest
12,112 #1 Nebraska 09/24/06 Qwest
8,037 #2 Nebraska 10/05/08 Qwest
2,514 #7 Nebraska 08/31/10 Sokol
2,285 Texas Tech 08/28/09 Sokol
1,557 Northern Iowa 11/21/08 Civic
1,357 Northern Iowa 10/20/07 Civic
1,325 Indiana State 09/29/07 Civic
1,319 Northern Iowa 10/06/06 Civic
1,304 San Francisco 08/27/10 Sokol
1,250 #16 Northern Iowa 09/24/10 Sokol
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 23 matches (12 home, 11 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:
2010 Volleyball Broadcast Schedule
Oct. 16 at Drake (KOIL)
Oct. 22 at Bradley (KOIL)
Oct. 23 at Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Oct. 29 Indiana State (KOIL)
Oct. 30 Illinois State (KOIL)
Nov. 5 at Wichita State (KOIL)
Nov. 6 at Missouri State (KOIL)
Nov. 13 Drake (KOIL)
Nov. 19 Evansville (KOIL)
Nov. 20 Southern Illinois (KOIL)
Nov. 25 at MVC Tournament (KOIL)
Nov. 26 at MVC Tournament (KOIL)
Nov. 27 at 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 two and under are admitted free. Cost of tickets for the Aug. 31 match vs. Nebraska was $15 (reserved) and $12 for general admission.
Season ticket information is available online at www.gocreighton.com or by calling (402) 280-JAYS. Creighton sold a school-record 890 season tickets for volleyball this year. was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week.
