Volleyball Opens MVC Play With Trip To Face Salukis, Aces
9/16/2010 10:51:00 AM | Volleyball
This Weekend
Sept. 17 7 pm Creighton at Southern Illinois Carbondale, Ill. (Davies Gym)
Sept. 18 7 pm Creighton at Evansville Evansville, Ind. (Carson Center)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball (5-5, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference) opens league play with a road trip to Carbondale, Ill., and Evansville, Ind.
On Friday, Creighton takes on Southern Illinois (9-1, 0-0 MVC) at Davies Gym (1,250) in a 7 pm start in Carbondale, Ill.
On Saturday, the Jays head to play Evansville (10-1, 0-0 MVC) at Carson Center (500) in another 7 pm start in Evansville, Ind.
Radio Broadcast Information
Neither match this weekend will be broadcast in Omaha. There does not appear to be any links to audio-only broadcasts out of Carbondale or Evansville either for this weekend.
Video Webcast Information
Both matches will be video webcast this weekend by the host schools.
To view the SIU match, fans can visit http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/siu.portal#. Cost for that match is $9.95.
Saturday's match at Evansville will be video webcast at http://www.gopurpleaces.com/showcase/#liveevents. Cost for that match is $6.95.
Live Stats Information
Both of this weekend's matches will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-5 heading into Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bluejays own wins over San Francisco (3-1), Saint Louis (3-0), Wake Forest (3-0), Marquette (3-0) and Central Michigan (3-1), but have lost to Lipscomb (3-1), Kansas (3-1), No. 7 Nebraska (3-0), Iowa (3-2) and Toledo (3-2).
Creighton has been led by its three healthy seniors. OH Allie Oelke averages 2.53 kills and 3.89 digs per set, while OH Alicia Runge leads the team and MVC with 4.45 kills per set. Defensively, Nayka Benitez averages 4.84 digs per set and owns six aces.
Setting the Bluejay offense is sophomore Megan Bober, who averages 9.89 assists, 2.18 digs, 0.97 blocks and 1.39 kills per set.
Creighton averages 12.84 kills, 17.82 digs, 2.43 blocks and 0.92 aces per set while hitting .191 as a team.
The Bluejays return 11 letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that finished 14-17 overall and tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 league record.
Creighton is picked fourth (of 10) in the MVC this fall.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois has started 9-1 on the season, including a 4-0 mark at home. Eight of the nine triumphs have been sweeps. The only loss for the Salukis came on Aug. 28 at Iowa, when SIU blew a 2-0 intermission lead and three match points in an eventual 17-15 fifth set loss.
All-Valley outside hitter Jennifer Berwanger leads the Salukis with 3.33 kills and 4.00 digs per set while hitting an impressive .283.
Second on the team in kills and third in blocks is OH Alicia Johnson (2.94 kps., 0.76 bps.). Also averaging multiple kills is Sydney Clark (2.22 kps.) and Alysia Mayes (2.03 kps., 0.91 bps., .279%). Jasmine Conner leads SIU with 1.34 blocks per set.
Rachael Brown averages 10.06 assists while running the Saluki offense, while Bailey Yeager (3.58 dps.) patrols the back line as SIU's libero.
As a team, Southern Illinois averages 12.79 kills, 1.88 aces, 15.24 digs and 2.85 blocks per set while hitting .254 as a team.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville is off to a 10-1 start this season and winners of eight straight matches. Thus far, the only team to beat the Purple Aces has been Michigan State, which swept UE on Aug. 28th.
This week's reigning MVC Player of the Week, Emily Wandersee, tops the Purple Aces with 4.00 kills on league-best .379 hitting. She also leads UE with 1.12 blocks per set.
Also averaging multiple kills per set are Brooke Maher (3.50 kps., 3.21 dps. .276%), Kasi Nixon (1.97 kps., 1.09 bps., .243%) and Hannah Wilson (2.12 kps.).
Evansville averages 14.35 kills, 1.32 aces, 15.94 digs and 2.35 blocks per set while hitting a league-best .269 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 125-94 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.
Southern Illinois is led by Brenda Winkeler, who owns an 80-76 record in six years with the Salukis and a career mark of 162-148 in 11 seasons. She is assisted by Julie Yankus and Evan Hook.
Evansville is coached by Mike Swan, who owns a 94-131 record in his eighth year with the Purple Aces. He owns a career record of 481-361 in 24 seasons overall. He is assisted by Josh Wielebnicki and Rose Obunaga.
Series History vs. Southern Illinois
Creighton is 24-9 all-time vs. Southern Illinois, including an 11-5 mark in Carbondale. CU's 24 wins against SIU are tied for its most against any opponent along with Indiana State.
The Bluejays have won 15 straight meetings against SIU, its best run against any team in program history.
Sweeps have been the norm in this series, as 1996 remains the only time in 16 years of meeting that the schools have split the season series.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 15-0 against Southern Illinois and 11-0 against Brenda Winkeler.
Series History vs. Evansville
Creighton is 22-11 all-time against Evansville, including a 9-7 mark in Evansville against the Purple Aces. Eleven of the 33 meetings have gone the maximum five sets.
Before falling in five sets on Oct. 16, 2009, Creighton had won 12 straight meetings in the series, and 15 of the past 16.
The team winning the first set has won each of the last 12 meetings.
Creighton has won the first set in 11 of the last 12 meetings with UE and taken the third set in the past 14 encounters.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 13-1 all-time against Evansville and Mike Swan.
Booth Near Perfect Against This Duo
Since Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, Creighton is 13-1 against Evansville and 15-0 vs. Southern Illinois. The Salukis are the only Valley opponent that Booth has not lost to.
The win streak over SIU also represents the longest win streak over one opponent in school history.
MVC Opener Histories
Creighton owns a 9-7 record all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including four straight wins and a 6-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (6) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories.
In the nine seasons that Creighton has won its MVC opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and owns a combined .623 winning percentage in MVC action.
In the seven years in which Creighton has lost its MVC opener, the Jays have had a losing record five times and own a combined .315 winning percentage during league contests.
Creighton is 9-7 all-time in MVC road openers, including a 6-1 record under Booth. The Jays have won five straight MVC road openers, while the other nine schools in the Valley combine for a MVC road opener winning streak of four (two for UNI, one for Drake and MSU).
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.
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.
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. Last weekend Creighton lost 15-13 in the fifth set of a match vs. Toledo.
On the season, Creighton is 7-6 in sets decided by exactly two points. That figure was helped greatly by a 5-2 mark over the weekend in such closely-contested sets.
Seven Straight For Runge
Alicia Runge has been on a tear to start her senior season, leading Creighton in kills in all 10 matches to date.
She's averaging a league-best 4.45 kills per set, including 4.58 last weekend.
Runge, who also tied for the Creighton kills lead in the 2009 season finale vs. Northern Iowa, is the first person to lead Creighton in kills per set in 11 straight matches since Leah Ratzlaff, who had a streak of 14 straight in 2005 to begin her senior season.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Kills
58 Leah Ratzlaff, Sept. 13, 2003-Sept. 9, 2005
19 JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 26-Nov. 21, 1997
14 Kelly Goc, Sept. 8-Oct. 19, 2007
13 JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 7-Oct. 18, 1996
12 Amanda Cvejdlik, Aug. 25-Sept. 19, 2006
11 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 14-Nov. 17, 2000
11 Kelly Goc, Oct. 14-Nov. 19, 2005
11 Amanda Cvejdlik, Oct. 14-Nov. 19, 2005
11 Alicia Runge, Nov. 27, 2009 - Present
10 JoDe Cieloha, Oct. 29, 1994-Sept. 2, 1995
10 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 5-Nov. 3, 2001
10 Kelly Goc, Sept. 24-Oct. 28, 2006
All Alicia, All The Time
Alicia Runge is one of three players in the MVC with 10 or more kills in every match this season, joining Wichita State's Camri Zweisler (9) and Drake's Angela Bys (14).
Runge, who also paces the MVC with 4.45 kills per set, is hitting .265 on the season as well. Since 2001, Bradley's Lindsay Stalzer is the only player in the MVC that can boast both of those levels in the same season, having done so in 2004 (4.97 kps., .271%).
Since the move to 25-point sets in 2008, the only MVC player to average more than 3.70 kills per set was former Valley Player of the Year Emily Stockman from Wichita State in 2009.
Consec. Matches, 10 or More Kills, To Start Year
29 Leah Ratzlaff (every match) 2004
12 Amanda Cvejdlik 2006
10 Alicia Runge 2010
8 JoDe Cieloha 1994
7 Leah Ratzlaff 2003
7 Leah Ratzlaff 2005
Oelke To Join Century Club
Allie Oelke will play in her 100th match on Friday at Southern Illinois. That will make her the 18th player in Bluejay history to join that exclusive club.
The senior, who has played in all 99 matches in her career to date, will be just the fifth player in school history to reach that mark without missing a match.
Currently, the only players in CU history to play in the first 100 matches of their career are Korie Lebeda (119), Leah Ratzlaff (115), Melissa Weisensee (111) and Melissa Walsh (108).
Digging From The Outside
Senior OH Allie Oelke had 43 digs last weekend, giving her 1,065 career digs. That moves her past former teammate Sarah Schulze (1,056 digs from 2006-09) and ranks seventh-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. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
6. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
7. Allie Oelke 359 1,065 2007-Pr.
8. Sarah Schulze 398 1,056 2006-09
9. Abby Baumann 375 935 2004-07
10. Shelly Kapler 388 922 1996-99
Oelke Also Moving Up Kills List
Allie Oelke is also quickly moving up the list for most kills in Creighton history, currently ranking 10th with 927. With a strong weekend, Oelke can move past Ashley Williams (941) and Erin Swanson (955) into eighth in school history.
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. Shelly Kapler 388 1,000 1996-99
8. Erin Swanson 319 955 1998-01
9. Ashley Williams 359 941 2001-04
10. Allie Oelke 359 927 2007-Pr.
Mendoza Makes Return To Evansville
A year ago at this time, Creighton assistant coach Tom Mendoza was assisting Mike Swan on the Evansville bench.
Mendoza, however, accepted a job at Creighton in June and will be on the Creighton sideline assisting Kirsten Bernthal Booth when he returns to the Carson Center on Saturday.
Road Sweeps To Start
Creighton has swept each of its two true road matches to date, beating Saint Louis and Marquette in three sets the past two Fridays.
It's just the second time since the program's 1994 reinstatement that CU has swept its first two true road matches, joining the 2006 team.
With a win on Friday at Southern Illinois, Creighton can start 3-0 on the road for just the second time, joining the 2004 squad.
Creighton has never started 4-0 on the road.
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.
According to the RKPI, the top eight leagues, in order, are Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10, Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Missouri Valley, Mountain West and Western Athletic.
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's 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 Saturday's win over Central Michigan. Now in her eighth year, Booth is 125-94 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 234 (121 wins so far)
Brent Vigness Softball 239
10 Match Report Card
Creighton is off to a 5-5 start 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.
Marathon Matches in Evansville
Creighton fell in a five-set marathon at Evansville last year after being unable to hold a 2-1 lead. Incredibly, it was the sixth time in 16 all-time meetings in Evansville that the teams played the maximum five sets. Creighton is 2-4 in those five-set matches.
The teams have played five sets in 11 of 33 all-time meetings.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 53-63 in the 39 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 5-4 mark this year. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 34-30 in 23 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.
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 with a bad ankle, but her return to the line-up coincided with Creighton winning five of its last seven matches.
Sanford is hitting .171 this season and averages 1.75 kills and team-best 1.10 blocks per 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.
Thunder Of Thorson
Karisa Almgren isn't the only Bluejay that has stepped up, as sophomore Heather Thorson also showed off her improved skills.
Thorson averages 0.88 kills per set as well as 0.85 blocks per set. That includes a career-best nine kills vs. Kansas on Aug. 28.
Thorson owns 29 kills and 28 blocks this year after posting 29 kills and 22 blocks her entire freshman campaign.
Record Watch
Allie Oelke enters this weekend ranking eighth in Creighton history with 1,065 career digs. She reached the 1,000 dig mark in Creighton's 3-0 win over Saint Louis on Sept. 3, the 94th match of her career.
If Oelke can duplicate the 379 digs she had last year, she'll finish second in school history in career digs.
Oelke also ranks sixth in Creighton history with 33 career double-doubles, including two in the opening weekend. All but six of those career double-doubles have come against Missouri Valley Conference competition.
Below is a list of the quickest players in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career digs.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 53 11/08/08 Illinois State
Kailey Reyes 77 09/01/01 vs. Texas-San Antonio
Janeen Piller 80 09/25/04 at Missouri State
Melissa Walsh 85 09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara
Allie Oelke 94 09/03/10 at Saint Louis
Melissa Weisensee 97 10/04/97 at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze 101 11/13/09 Southern Illinois
Korie Lebeda 108 10/17/08 Evansville
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.
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.
Hello World!
Three of the 16 players on Creighton's 2010 team have still never played a point at the Division I level. Freshmen Brianne Fliss, Natalie Hackbarth and Lexi Malm could all make their Division I debut this weekend. Below is the current Creighton players and how they performed in their regular-season collegiate debuts.
Since 2000, the only true freshmen to start CU's season-opener have been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005), Allie Oelke (2007), Brooke Boggs (2009), Heather Thorson (2009) and Julianne Mandolfo (2010).
Year Name SP K E TA Pct. A SA DIG TB
2009 Alicia Runge 3 9 4 20 .250 1 2 5 3
2009 Megan Bober• 3 7 0 11 .636 32 0 2 1
2007 Allie Oelke• 3 4 7 24 -.125 1 3 6 3
2010 Savannah Smith 4 3 1 7 .286 0 0 1 2
2009 Heather Thorson• 3 3 0 6 .500 0 0 0 2
2008 Laurel Sanford 2 2 0 2 1.000 0 0 0 0
2006 Lauren Bloemke 3 1 1 6 .000 2 0 0 4
2010 J. Mandolfo• 4 0 0 0 --- 1 0 13 0
2009 Nayka Benitez 3 0 0 0 --- 7 1 15 0
2009 Brooke Boggs• 3 0 0 0 --- 0 0 3 0
2009 Brittany Moon 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 1 0
2008 Karisa Almgren 1 0 0 0 --- 0 1 0 0
2009 Lisa Greisch 2 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0
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 0.97 blocks per set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 21-13 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 0-2 5-5
Total 36-41 218-246
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 141-8 (.946) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including an 82-2 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 6-154 (.038) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-52 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 125-1 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
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%)
Game 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 111 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 99-12. CU is 106-16 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 19-78 under Booth when it drops the first set.
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
1,227 Middle Tennessee 08/24/07 Civic
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
Sept. 24 Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Sept. 25 Bradley (KOIL)
Oct. 8 Missouri State (KOIL)
Oct. 9 Wichita State (KOIL)
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.
