Volleyball Heads to State Farm MVC Tournament
11/22/2011 2:34:00 PM | Volleyball
2011 State Farm MVC Tournament
Cedar Falls, Iowa • McLeod Center
Nov. 24 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 #6 Indiana State (14-16, 6-12 MVC) vs. #3 Wichita State (19-9, 13-5 MVC) 5 pm
Match 2 #5 Illinois State (17-13, 9-9 MVC) vs. #4 Creighton (17-13, 12-6 MVC) 7:30 pm
Nov. 25 (Semifinals)
Match 3 Match 1 Winner vs. #2 Missouri State (22-7, 15-3 MVC) 5 pm
Match 4 Match 2 Winner at #1 Northern Iowa (30-1, 18-0 MVC) 7:30 pm
Nov. 26 (Championship)
Match 5 Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner (Fox Sports Midwest) 6:37 pm
This Week
Creighton Volleyball heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take part in the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as McLeod Center (6,650) hosts the action.
The six-team event begins on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24) with a pair of matches. Third-seeded Wichita State (19-9) opens the event with a 5 pm match against sixth-seeded Indiana State (14-16). That match will be followed by fifth-seeded Illinois State (17-13) taking on fourth-seeded Creighton (17-13) at 7:30 pm.
Friday's first semifinal features the Indiana State/Wichita State winner against second-seeded Missouri State (22-7) at 5 pm, followed by the Illinois State/Creighton victor taking on top-seeded tournament host Northern Iowa (30-1) at 7:30 pm.
Saturday's championship match will start at 6:37 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
All of Creighton's MVC Tournament matches will be broadcast on radio. Brad Burwell and Rob Anderson will call the action on KOIL (1180 AM) and it will also be streamed on-line via a link at gocreighton.com.
Video Webcast Information
Both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the State Farm MVC Tournament will be video webcast at http://www.valley-live.tv, with Greg Halbleib and Linda Dollar on the call.
Saturday's final will be video webcast on ESPN3.com outside the six-state MVC footprint, which means it won't be video webcast in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana or Missouri.
Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament 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 to Creighton's matches. Live stats from Creighton's matches are also available on your mobile phone by clicking on www.gocreightonstats.com.
Television Information
Saturday's final will be televised by Fox Sports Net Midwest, with Greg Halbleib and Linda Dollar on the call. In Omaha, fans can watch it on Cox channel 76.
The telecast will be cleared live on the following cable outlets: Indiana – Bright House (Indianapolis – Channel 81), Comcast (Fort Wayne – Channel 9), Comcast (Indianapolis/Shelbyville – Channel 81), Insight (Evansville – Channel 2), Time Warner (Newburgh – Channel 23; Terre Haute – Channel 13) and WOW (Evansville – Channel 7); Iowa – Mediacom (statewide -- Channel 22); Kansas – Cox (statewide -- Channel 22 or 76) and Knology (formerly Sunflower -- Channel 172); Missouri – Charter (St. Louis – Channel 125), Comcast (Kansas City – Channel 261), Mediacom (Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield – Channel 22) and Time Warner (Kansas City – Channel 5); Nebraska – Cox (Omaha – Channel 2).
The match will also be cleared live on FOX College Sports (56 million digital homes), ESPN3 (outside the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), DirecTV (Channel 658), Dish Network (Channel 449) and AT&T U-Verse (Channel 693).
The telecast will also be shown at 2 p.m. Central on November 27 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (4.759 million homes).
Niles Media Group – the Missouri Valley Conference's production company – will televise the match digitally in SD 16:9 format via satellite.
Below are the coordinates for Saturday's final:
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 16, TR K14, Digital Slot A
Band: Digital KU
Format: SD 16:9
Video Compression: 4:2:2
Modulation: QPSK
Bandwidth: 18 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC 3/4
Symbol Rate: 13.235
Data Rate: 18.295
Downlink Frequency: 11971 Megahertz Horizontal
On-Air Talent: Greg Halbleib, Linda Dollar
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 17-13 on the season and finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 12-6 league mark. The Bluejays have gone 15-7 since a 2-6 start.
Creighton has won 16 of 25 matches since going to a 6-2 offense, with junior Megan Bober (2.36 kps., 6.62 aps., 2.45 dps., 0.65 bps.) and freshman Michelle Sicner (0.89 kps., 4.36 aps., 2.19 dps., 0.29 saps., 0.49 bps.) taking turns at setter. Both women turned in a triple-double in Creighton's Sept. 17 match vs. UAB.
Senior MB Laurel Sanford leads the team in kills per set (2.38 kps.) and blocks per set (1.20) while also owning a team-best .296 attack percentage. Another weapon in the middle is junior MB Heather Thorson, who is second on the team in blocks per set (0.84) and hitting percentage (.284).
Sophomore libero Julianne Mandolfo averages 5.96 digs per set, easily the best in the MVC, and fifth-best nationally.
As a team, Creighton averages 12.78 kills, 1.14 aces, 17.21 digs and 2.51 blocks per set while hitting .206.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State is 17-13 this season and finished fifth in the MVC with a 9-9 mark.
Sophomore OH Shannon McGlaughlin leads ISU with 3.47 kills per set, while classmate LeighAnn Hranka averages 3.13 kills per set to go with a 20 aces (0.20 saps.).
Senior Kristin Stauter has logged most of the playing time at setter, averaging 9.54 assists per set, while Jenny Menendez (4.51 dps.) is the Redbird libero.
ISU averages 12.89 kills, 0.94 aces, 16.16 digs and 2.22 blocks per while hitting .191 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 158-114 record in her ninth 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. Last season she was named CVU.com's National Coach of the Year after leading Creighton to the second round during its first NCAA Tournament bid.
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.
Melissa Myers (Juniata College, 1998) owns a 64-57 record in her fourth season at Illinois State. That moves her 10-year career record as a head coach to 225-108 when you include her six years at California (Pa.). Myers is assisted by Adriano de Souza and BJ Trame.
Series History vs. Illinois State
Though Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 24-15 margin, it's been mostly Bluejays of late. The Jays have won 12 of the past 13 meetings in the series since snapping an 11-match losing streak to the 'Birds in 2006.
The lone exception came on Sept. 26, 2009 in Normal, where ISU won the final two sets to win a 3-2 decision at Redbird Arena.
Creighton won both meetings this season, winning 3-1 in Omaha on Sept. 30 and winning 3-2 in Normal on Oct. 29.
Creighton is 0-1 at neutral sites against ISU, having been swept in Wichita in the 2004 MVC Tournament.
Creighton has taken a 2-0 lead in four of the 39 meetings against Illinois State, but has never swept the Redbirds.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-8 against Illinois State and 7-1 versus Melissa Myers.
This Year vs. Illinois State
Creighton won both meetings this season against Illinois State, winning 3-1 in Omaha on Sept. 30th and 32 in Normal on Oct. 29th.
In the first meeting, Leah McNary had a career-high 16 kills and Karisa Almgren added 13 more as CU pulled out a 25-18, 26-24, 24-26, 25-20 win.
In the most recent encounter, Megan Bober had a career-high with 19 kills and Julianne Mandolfo had a career-best with 36 digs in CU's 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 20-25, 15-8 triumph.
Last Week Summary
Creighton closed the regular-season with a 3-2 win at Drake, taking a 15-10 decision in the final set. Megan Bober had her ninth triple-double (11 kills, 36 assists, 14 digs), while Natalie Hackbarth had a career-high 14 kills to go with 13 digs.
MVC Tournament History
Creighton owns a 6-12 all-time record at the MVC Tournament, which includes a 5-8 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Creighton is 4-8 in neutral site matches, and 1-2 against Illinois State in Valley Tourney action all-time.
The Jays are also 2-3 all-time as the No. 4 seed, going 0-1 in 2001 and 1-1 in both 2006 and 2008.
Creighton is 2-3 all-time in MVC Tournament matches played in Cedar Falls, losing to Missouri State (3-1) in 1999 and to the host Panthers (3-0) in 2005. Last year the Jays beat Drake (3-1) and Wichita State (3-1) before falling in the final to UNI (3-1).
Records By Seed
The chart below showcases the record by seed in each MVC Tournament since the current six-team format was adopted in 1995.
Year-by-Year Tourney Record, By Seed
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6
1995 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 1-1 0-1
1996 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
1997 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
1998 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 1-1 0-1
1999 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2000 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2001 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 1-1 0-1
2002 2-0 0-1 2-1 0-1 1-1 0-1
2003 1-1 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2004 2-0 0-1 2-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2005 1-1 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2006 2-0 0-1 2-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2007 0-1 2-0 1-1 0-1 2-1 0-1
2008 0-1 0-1 2-1 3-0 0-1 0-1
2009 2-0 0-1 2-1 1-1 0-1 0-1
2010 2-0 0-1 2-1 0-1 1-1 0-1
Totals 26-4 13-13 22-16 12-15 7-16 0-16
Championship Game W-L Records
12-2 3-7 0-6 1-0 0-1 0-0
Comeback Note
Did you know that the only two teams to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win an MVC Tournament match were Illinois State over Bradley in the 1999 semifinals and Illinois State over Southern Illinois in the 1983 finals.
Since the start of the 1995 format still in use today, set one winners have won 62 of 75 matches.
Five Sets Favor Recent Upsets?
Each of the last five MVC Tournament matches to go five sets have been won by the lower (worse)-seeded team.
The last time a higher-seeded team won a five-set match at the MVC Tournament was the 2004 championship match.
Creighton is 5-2 in five-set matches this fall (Illinois State is 2-6), and the Jays have had at least one five-set contest each of the last five weekends.
With A Win...
-Creighton would improve to 18-13 on the season, the fifth time in the last six years it has reached 18 victories.
-Creighton would reach the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament for the sixth straight season.
-Creighton would improve to 2-2 all-time against Illinois State in the MVC Tournament.
-Creighton would improve to 7-12 all-time in the MVC Tournament, including a 6-6 mark in the quarterfinal round.
-Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth would improve to 6-8 in the MVC Tournament and 5-3 in quarterfinal round play.
-Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth would improve to 13-8 in her career against Illinois State.
Dead End?
You can be sure revenge will on the mind of the Bluejay seniors should it match up against Northern Iowa on Friday. The Panthers ended the Creighton season in the finals last season, in the semifinals from 2006-09, and in the quarterfinals in 2005.
Creighton and UNI have met in each of the past six MVC Tournaments, with UNI winning each time. It's the only time in Valley Volleyball Tournament history that two schools have met in six straight seasons.
Finalists Advance To NCAA's
The Missouri Valley Conference has earned 15 NCAA Tournament bids in the past five seasons. Notably, every team to reach the MVC Tournament final has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in that time.
The top two seeds have both advanced to the finals just twice since 2002 (2005 and 2003), but the last time the top seed beat the second seed in the final was 2001.
Bober Sets Valley Record
Megan Bober set a Valley record with her eighth triple-double of the fall when she had 12 kills, 31 assists and 12 digs at Bradley on Nov. 12th, breaking a record she had shared with UNI's Bre Payton (2009). Creighton entered the year without a triple-double since 2001, but Bober has now recorded a triple-double each of the last six weekends.
Bober's ninth and most recent triple-double came against Drake on Nov. 19th, when she had 11 kills, 36 assists and 14 digs.
Triple-Double Regular
Junior Megan Bober set an MVC single-season record with nine triple-doubles, and has averaged 11.1 kills, 10.4 digs and 26.9 assists in Creighton's last 11 matches while still hitting at a .268 clip.
She's had at least one triple-double each of the last six weekends, including her most recent meeting with Illinois State on Oct. 29th in Normal (19 kills, 33 assists, 12 digs).
Creighton opens MVC Tournament play on Thursday against the Redbirds.
State Farm Specialists
Creighton opens State Farm MVC Tournament play looking to reach the semifinal round for the sixth straight season.
Tournament host Northern Iowa has eliminated the Bluejays in the Valley Tournament each of the past six seasons, and the teams can meet on Friday in the semifinals if Creighton can eliminate Illinois State in the quarterfinal round.
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 12-8 against Illinois State.
Since her arrival Booth's Creighton teams have finished better than Illinois State in the standings six times, but behind them three times.
Opponent Booth W-L Better-Worse-Same
Bradley 16-2 9-0-0
Drake 16-3 8-0-1
Evansville 17-1 9-0-0
Illinois State 12-8 6-3-0
Indiana State 15-3 8-0-1
Missouri State 4-14 2-6-1
Northern Iowa 3-20 1-7-1
Southern Illinois 19-0 9-0-0
Wichita State 6-13 0-9-0
You Dig?
Julianne Mandolfo became Creighton's single-season recordholder for digs in a season on Nov. 12, when she had 31 digs at Bradley. Mandolfo's 674 digs are third-most in MVC history, and just three shy of the MVC record by a sophomore, set by Ellie Blankenship in 2008. Drake's Alana Wittenburg owns the MVC record with 764 digs in 2010.
Mandolfo is now averaging 5.96 digs per set, a figure that would have led the country last season. She has averaged 6.43 digs per set in her past six matches while averaging 30 digs per match.
Creighton is 12-4 when Mandolfo outdigs an MVC opponent's libero this fall, but 0-2 when she doesn't.
Most Digs, MVC Single-Season History
764 Alana Wittenburg, Drake 2010
676 Ellie Blankenship, UNI 2008
674 Julianne Mandolfo, Creighton 2011
671 Cara Hackmann, Missouri State 2009
669 Ellie Blankenship, UNI 2009
Fighting For Five
Creighton has played five-set matches vs. Southern Illinois (Oct. 21), Illinois State (Oct. 29), Wichita State (Nov. 4), Bradley (Nov. 12) and Drake (Nov. 19) in the past five weekends, improving to 5-2 this year in five-set contests. Creighton is now 29-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Creighton is 4-2 in five-set matches vs. Illinois State all-time, including a 2-2 mark under Booth.
Stepping Up
One big reason for Creighton's 5-2 record in five-set matches this fall is the play of all-MVC candidates Julianne Mandolfo and Megan Bober.
Mandolfo, the Valley leader in digs per set, has 30 or more digs in all seven matches to go the distance, averaging 6.37 digs per set during those matches.
Bober, meanwhile, has a triple-double in six of the seven matches to go five sets, and was one kill and two digs away in the other.
Scholars, Athletes
Creighton placed a pair of women on the MVC's Scholar-Athlete Team that was announced on Tuesday.
Megan Bober was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team for the first time in her career. The junior owns a 3.791 GPA and studies in Exercise Science
In addition, junior Brooke Boggs was picked as an honorable-mention choice on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Boggs owns a 3.891 GPA and studies Health Care Administration.
Defensive Display
Creighton owns just 12 home matches in the last seven years in which it has 90 digs or more, but the Jays have reached that figure in each of Illinois State's last seven trips to town, including Sept. 30 in the Redbirds' annual trip to Omaha.
Since 2005, Creighton has averaged 24.21 digs in those 29 sets played in Omaha against Illinois State. At all sites, Creighton has 1,352 digs in 63 sets versus the Redbirds since 2005 (21.46 dps.).
Including this year's 92 digs vs. the Redbirds, Creighton's season-high for digs at home has come against Illinois State in five of the last six seasons.
Illinois State at Creighton, Last Seven Years
Date Sets CU Digs ISU Digs
09/30/11 4 92 79
10/30/10 4 90 93
10/23/09 4 92 88
11/08/08 4 106 102
09/28/07 4 114 108
10/28/06 4 111 92
10/21/05 5 97 95
Most Creighton Digs, Home Matches, Since 2005
Digs Opponent Date CU Result
114 Illinois State 09/28/07 W 3-1
111 Illinois State 10/28/06 W 3-1
106 Illinois State 11/08/08 W 3-1
103 Northern Iowa 09/17/05 L 1-3
101 Iowa 09/02/06 L 2-3
97 Illinois State 10/21/05 L 2-3
94 Missouri State 10/08/10 W 3-2
94 Wichita State 11/04/11 W 3-2
92 Illinois State 10/23/09 W 3-1
92 Illinois State 09/30/11 W 3-1
91 #25 Wichita State 10/02/09 W 3-1
90 Illinois State 10/30/10 W 3-1
Seniors Earn 50th MVC Win
Creighton seniors Laurel Sanford and Karisa Almgren won 50 regular-season MVC matches during their careers, one of the most successful senior groups in program history.
Rare Air
In only one match from 1994-2010 did Creighton ever have a player lead the team in both kills and assists in the same match, but Megan Bober has done it 10 different times this season. Her versatility has helped her be in the running for the team lead in both kills and assists, a most unlikely statistical pairing.
Through matches of Nov. 23rd, only Zuzana Markova (Louisiana-Monroe) leads her team in assists and kills. Bober leads Creighton in assists and is two behind Laurel Sanford for the team lead in kills.
Bober enters this weekend with 585 kills and 3,127 career assists, making her the first Bluejay in school history with at least 500 kills and 3,000 assists in a career.
Mandolfo's 20/21 Vision
Julianne Mandolfo owns 20 or more digs in 21 of Creighton's 30 matches this season. Her 21 matches with 20 digs sets CU's single-season record, (previously 15) held by Bianca Rivera in 2007.
Her nine career matches with 30 or more digs are a Creighton school record, while her 32 career matches with 20 or more digs are also most in program history.
Matches With 30+ Digs, Career
30+D Name Years
9 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-Pres.
4 Janeen Piller 2001-04
4 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
4 Nayka Benitez 2009-10
1 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
1 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-Pres.
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
20 Janeen Piller 2001-04
Matches With 20+ Digs, Season
20+D Name Year
21 Julianne Mandolfo 2011
15 Bianca Rivera 2007
13 Janeen Piller 2004
Mandolfo Digs To New Heights
Julianne Mandolfo dug a career-high 36 balls in Creighton's 3-2 win at Illinois State on Oct. 29th. The figure is tied for third-most (two behind the record) in CU history and was also the most in the MVC this fall at the time.
After becoming the first freshman in school history with 500 or more digs in a season last fall, she has now become the first sophomore in school history with 500 or more digs.
Mandolfo is already the only player in CU history with multiple seasons of 525 or more digs.
Thorson Power
Heather Thorson has upped her hitting percentage to .284 on the year, including a team-leading .311 in Valley action.
Her last five matches have done nothing but help that figure, as she's hit .349 with 81 kills and just 14 errors in 192 attacks.
Creighton is 10-2 all-time when Thorson has 10 or more kills.
Bober Goes Back-to-Back
Before this season no Creighton player had ever had more than one triple-double in the same season.
Junior Megan Bober has rewritten the records in that category, as she's had back-to-back triple-doubles twice this season already (Oct. 29 & Nov. 4; Nov. 12 & 19).
With a triple-double on Thursday, she'd become the first player in Bluejay history with three straight matches where she registered a triple-double.
Triple-Double Leaders
Megan Bober owns nine triple-doubles this season, the most in one year in MVC history.
According to the AVCA's web site, Bober's nine triple-doubles are the most in the country this fall, three more than Florida's Kelly Murphy. Murphy, a first-team All-American in 2010, owns a staggering 28 career triple-doubles.
In addition to her nine triple-doubles, Bober has eight other matches with at least eight kills/digs/assists this year.
Here's a list of most triple-doubles in a season in MVC history.
No. Name, School Year
9 Megan Bober, CU 2011
7 Bre Payton, UNI 2009
6 Bre Payton, UNI 2010
6 Sam Hardwick, BU 2000
4 Shannon Perry, UNI 1999
4 Mary Bernhardt, UNI 1987
3 Bre Payton, UNI 2011
3 Sam Hardwick, BU 1999
Rivera's Creighton single-season record of 618 digs in 2007, and is 89 digs shy of Ellie Blankenship's MVC record for digs by a sophomore of 676 in 2008.
Creighton is 11-2 when Mandolfo outdigs an MVC opponent's libero this fall, but 0-2 when she doesn't.
Rare Air
In only one match from 1994-2010 did Creighton ever have a player lead the team in both kills and assists in the same match, but Megan Bober has done it nine different times this season. Her versatility has helped her be in the running for the team lead in both kills and assists, a most unlikely statistical pairing.
Through matches of Nov. 10th, only Kelly Kirby (Furman) and Zuzana Markova (Louisiana-Monroe) are leading their teams in assists and kills. Bober leads Creighton in assists and is four behind Laurel Sanford for the team lead in kills.
Bober enters this weekend with 550 kills and 3,036 career assists, making her the first Bluejay in school history with at least 500 kills and 3,000 assists in a career.
Jays vs. Ranked Teams
Creighton could take on No. 12 Northern Iowa on Friday while looking to upend a top-25 team for a third straight season. The Jays defeated No. 25 Wichita State in 2009 and No. 16 Iowa State last season. The victory over Iowa State was the highest-ranked team that Creighton has ever beaten.
Creighton is 2-46 all-time against ranked schools (2-30 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth). That includes an 0-25 road record, 1-16 at home and 1-5 at neutral sites, and an 0-5 record against teams ranked exactly No. 12.
Creighton vs. Ranked Teams All-Time
Date Opponent Result
09/01/98 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
09/04/98 vs. #19 Texas A&M (@Pacific) L 0-3
09/05/98 at #11 Pacific L 0-3
09/14/99 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
10/16/99 #19 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/08/00 at #6 Hawai'i L 0-3
10/03/00 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara L 1-3
09/09/01 vs. #13 UC-Santa Barbara (at Santa Clara) L 0-3
09/25/01 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/13/01 #16 Northern Iowa L 0-3
11/09/01 at #18 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/06/02 vs. #13 Pacific (at Columbia, S.C.) L 0-3
09/21/02 at #7 Northern Iowa L 1-3
09/29/02 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
10/18/02 #10 Northern Iowa L 0-3
10/04/03 at #10 Northern Iowa L 1-3
11/01/03 #12 Northern Iowa L 1-3
10/10/04 vs. #5 Nebraska (North Platte, Neb.) L 0-3
09/06/05 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
09/10/05 vs. #3 Stanford (Boulder, Colo.) L 0-3
10/11/05 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/29/05 at #25 Wichita State L 1-3
09/24/06 #1 Nebraska L 1-3
08/31/07 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/02/07 #18 Cal Poly L 0-3
09/15/07 at #13 Minnesota L 1-3
11/10/07 at #24 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/08 #16 Minnesota L 0-3
08/30/08 #21 LSU L 2-3
09/27/08 #14 Wichita State L 1-3
10/05/08 #2 Nebraska L 0-3
10/24/08 at #12 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/09 #10 Illinois L 0-3
09/01/09 at #6 Nebraska L 0-3
10/02/09 #25 Wichita State W 3-1
11/10/09 #20 Saint Louis L 0-3
11/20/09 at #21 Northern Iowa L 1-3
11/27/09 #20 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/01/10 #7 Nebraska L 0-3
09/24/10 #16 Northern Iowa L 1-3
10/23/10 at #14 Northern Iowa L 0-3
11/27/10 at #11 Northern Iowa L 1-3
12/03/10 vs. #16 Iowa State (Minneapolis) W 3-2
12/04/10 at #12 Minnesota L 0-3
09/08/11 at #11 Nebraska L 0-3
10/15/11 #12 Northern Iowa L 0-3
11/11/11 at #12 Northern Iowa L 1-3
RPI Update
The NCAA's sixth official RPI rankings of the fall is out, and Creighton dropped three spots to 61st in the Nov. 21 rankings. By comparison, last year CU was 39th in the Nov. 22 rankings, eventually reaching as high as No. 29 (Nov. 28), before finishing the year 32nd.
Creighton has played 13 matches against top-48 clubs this season, facing Nebraska (3), UNI (6 twice), Texas A&M (19, twice), Northern Illinois (17), Kansas State (27), Marquette (39), Missouri State (42, twice), Wichita State (46, twice) and Saint Mary's (51).
Updated RPI rankings for the MVC Tournament field include Northern Iowa (6), Missouri State (42), Wichita State (46), Creighton (61), Illinois State (121) and Indiana State (204).
Mandolfo Surpasses 1,000
Julianne Mandolfo has 1,205 career digs in 63 career matches. She went over the 1,000 dig plateau vs. Evansville on Oct. 22 in her 56th career contest, second-quickest in CU history to 1,000 digs.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 53 11/08/08 Illinois State
Julianne Mandolfo 56 10/22/11 Evansville
Nayka Benitez 60 11/27/10 at #11 Northern Iowa
Kailey Reyes 77 09/01/01 vs. UTSA
Janeen Piller 80 09/25/04 at Missouri State
Melissa Walsh 85 09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara
Allie Oelke 95 09/04/10 vs. Iowa
Melissa Weisensee 97 10/04/97 at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze 101 11/13/09 Southern Illinois
Korie Lebeda 108 10/17/08 Evansville
Most Digs in Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
2. Allie Oelke 445 1,382 2007-10
3. Kailey Reyes 368 1,258 1998-01
4. Melissa Walsh 394 1,240 1998-01
5. Melissa Weisensee 411 1,223 1994-97
6. Julianne Mandolfo 237 1,205 2010-Pr.
7. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
8. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
9. Sarah Schulze 398 1,056 2006-09
10. Nayka Benitez 233 1,053 2009-10
Booth Passes 100 Valley Wins
Now in her ninth season at Creighton, Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns a 105-57 record in MVC regular-season matches. She became the eighth coach in league history to reach 100 victories with a five-set win against SIU on Oct. 22nd, the same team she beat in five sets for her first MVC victory in 2003.
Booth is seventh on the MVC's all-time list for regular-season league victories with 105.
Most Regular-Season MVC Wins, MVC HIstory
Rk. Name, School W-L Pct.
1. Melissa Stokes*, MSU 208-80 .722
2. Iradge Ahrabi-Fard, UNI 196-29 .871
3. Bobbi Petersen*, UNI 185-31 .856
4. Julie Morgan, ILS 157-32 .831
5. Chris Lamb*, WSU 157-59 .727
6. Linda Dollar, MSU 121-32 .791
7. Kirsten Bernthal Booth* CU 105-57 .648
8. Sonya Locke, SIU 101-142 .416
*active
Wild(wood) October
Like World Series MVP David Freese, Creighton defensive specialist Brooke Boggs also hails from Wildwood, Mo., and attended Lafayette High School. Another prominent Lafayette alum with MVC ties is current Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, a former NL MVP who attended Missouri State.
Setting The Table
Creighton owns a pair of players with more than 400 assists this season in Megan Bober (748 assists) and Michelle Sicner (436) for the first time in program history.
It's just the second time in program history they've used two setters so often, joining the 2002 team that had Jaden Custer (387) and Liz Hagerman (303) share setting duties with Jadee Tanabe (193).
Crowded House
Here's the 10 largest home crowds in Creighton Volleyball history, which includes three matches from CenturyLink Center Omaha, four from D.J. Sokol Arena and three from the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
The Oct. 14 crowd of 2,135 to see Creighton topple Bradley was the sixth-largest in school history and third-largest ever at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton VB History
Att. Opponent Date CU Result
13,081 #18 Cal Poly-C 09/02/07 L 0-3
12,112 #1 Nebraska-C 09/24/06 L 1-3
8,037 #2 Nebraska-C 10/05/08 L 0-3
2,514 #7 Nebraska-D 8/31/10 L 0-3
2,285 Texas Tech-D 8/28/09 W 3-0
2,135 Bradley-D 10/14/11 W 3-1
1,557 Northern Iowa-O 11/21/08 W 3-0
1,493 Wichita State-D 11/04/11 W 3-2
1,357 Northern Iowa-O 10/20/07 L 0-3
1,325 Indiana State-O 09/29/07 W 3-0
C = CenturyLink Center Omaha
D = D.J. Sokol Arena
O = Omaha Civic Auditorium
Win The First Set, Win The Match
The team to win the first set has won 45 of Creighton's last 48 matches, and 42 of Creighton's last 44 contests against MVC competition.
Under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 136-17 when winning the first set, but 22-97 in matches it loses the opening frame.
Liberated Liberos
Just a sophomore, Creighton libero Julianne Mandolfo is on pace to shatter program records for digs in a career (1,392 by Janeen Piller) and approach the mark for digs per set (5.40 by Bianca Rivera).
Her career path seems similar to that of 2010 MVC Libero of the Year Ellie Blankenship, who ended her UNI career last fall ranked sixth in NCAA history with 2,656 career digs and sixth in NCAA history with 5.59 digs per set.
Stat Mandolfo Blankenship
Digs as a Freshman 531 624
DPS as a Freshman 4.28 5.43
Digs as a Sophomore 674 676
DPS as a Sophomore 5.96 5.59
Total Career Digs 1,205 2,656
Total Career DPS 5.08 5.59
Triple-Double Trouble
Prior to Sept. 17, Creighton had never seen multiple players earn a triple-double in the same season. That's no longer the case, however, as both Michelle Sicner and Megan Bober turned in a triple-double on Sept. 17 in the same match vs. UAB.
Sicner had 11 kills, 17 digs and 22 assists against the Blazers, while Bober turned in 11 kills, 12 digs and 25 assists.
It was Bober's second triple-double in as many nights, as she also had one (by intermission) during a three-set sweep of Drake one night earlier.
Here are the only known matches in MVC history where two or more teammates had a triple-double:
Two Triple Doubles on Same Team, Same Match
No. Team Date
3 Northern Iowa 9/14/85
2 Wichita State 9/15/89
2 Bradley 9/25/99
2 Northern Iowa 11/20/99
2 Missouri State 11/24/06
2 Creighton 9/17/11
2 Northern Iowa 10/28/11
Triple-Double Threat
In Creighton's season-opener vs. UTSA on Aug. 26th, Megan Bober had the program's first triple-double since 2001 when she finished with 11 kills, 14 digs and 51 assists.
She became the first player in school history with two triple-doubles in the same season on Sept. 16 vs. Drake, when she had 12 kills, 18 digs and 20 assists. Incredibly, she had a triple-double by the intermission after the second set. The triple-double was the first at home by a CU player since Melissa Weisensee in 1994.
One evening later Bober had a triple-double for the third time this fall vs. UAB, when she had 11 kills, 12 digs and 25 assists.
Bober had her fourth triple-double of the fall on Oct. 14 vs. Bradley, finishing with 13 kills, 35 assists and 10 digs.
Bober's fifth triple-double came vs. Southern Illinois on Oct. 21st, when she finished with 19 kills, 28 assists and 11 digs in a 3-2 win.
Her sixth triple-double came vs. Illinois State on Oct. 29th, when she had 19 kills, 33 assists and 12 digs in a 3-2 win.
Bober had her seventh triple-double on Nov. 4 vs. Wichita State, when she had 10 kills, 27 assists and 18 digs in a 3-2 win.
Bober's eighth triple-double came on Nov. 12 at Bradley, when she had 12 kills, 31 assists and 12 digs in a 3-2 loss.
Her most recent triple-double came on Nov. 19 at Drake, when she had 11 kills, 36 assists and 14 digs.
In addition to those nine triple-doubles, she's had eight other matches with at least eight digs, eight kills and eight assists in the same contest.
Triple-Double Fun
Junior Megan Bober has nine triple-doubles this fall, the first Bluejay ever with more than one in a single-season. Her nine career triple-doubles are more than twice as many as the previous the school-record of four by Kailey Reyes from 1998-2001.
Creighton Triple-Doubles
Melissa Weisensee
1) 40a-19d-10k vs. Illinois State (4s) 9/10/94
2) 65a-22d-12k at Evansville (5s) 11/9/97
JoDe Cieloha
1) 15k-10d-12b at Bradley (3s) 9/9/95
2) 22k-15d-12b at Western Illinois (5s) 11/10/96
Kailey Reyes
1) 62a-21d-10k at Indiana State (5s) 10/16/98
2) 47a-11d-11k at Wichita State (5s) 10/9/99
3) 71a-17d-13k at Indiana State (5s) 10/14/00
4) 48a-11d-11k at UMKC (4s) 10/28/01
Megan Bober
1) 51a-14d-11k vs. UTSA (5s) 8/26/11
2) 20a-18d-12k vs. Drake (3s) 9/16/11
3) 25a-12d-11k vs. UAB (4s) 9/17/11
4) 35a-10d-13k vs. Bradley (4s) 10/14/11
5) 28a-11d-19k vs. Southern Illinois (5s) 10/21/11
6) 33a-12d-19k at Illinois State (5s) 10/29/11
7) 27a-18d-10k vs. Wichita State (5s) 11/4/11
8) 31a-12d-12k at Bradley (5s) 11/12/11
9) 36a-14d-11k at Drake (5s) 11/19/11
Michelle Sicner
1) 22a-17d-11k vs. UAB (4s) 9/17/11
D.J. Sokol Arena Records Fall
Numerous D.J. Sokol Arena single-season and career records were rewritten this fall.
Julianne Mandolfo now owns single-season and career records for both digs and digs per set mark in the facility.
Megan Bober set the D.J. Sokol Arena record for double-doubles in a season with eight, one more than Allie Oelke's previous record.
Additionally, Laurel Sanford set the career record for career kills in the facility in her final home match.
Digs, Season, D.J. Sokol Arena
Name Sets No. Year
1. Julianne Mandolfo 51 326 2011
2. Nayka Benitez 51 257 2009
3. Julianne Mandolfo 50 236 2010
Digs Per Set, Season, D.J. Sokol Arena (Min. 30 sets)
Name Sets No. Avg. Year
1. Julianne Mandolfo 51 326 6.39 2011
2. Nayka Benitez 51 257 5.04 2009
3. Julianne Mandolfo 50 236 4.72 2010
Digs, Career, D.J. Sokol Arena
Name Sets No. Years
1. Julianne Mandolfo 101 562 2010-Pr.
2. Nayka Benitez 101 488 2009-10
3. Allie Oelke 101 402 2009-10
4. Megan Bober 152 335 2009-Pr.
5. Brooke Boggs 135 290 2009-Pr.
Digs Per Set, Career, D.J. Sokol Arena (Min. 350 Digs)
Name Sets No. Avg. Years
1. Julianne Mandolfo 101 562 5.56 2010-Pr.
2. Nayka Benitez 101 488 4.83 2009-10
3. Allie Oelke 101 402 3.98 2009-10
Double-Doubles, Season, D.J. Sokol Arena
Name D-D Year
1. Megan Bober 8 2011
2. Allie Oelke 7 2009
3. Allie Oelke 6 2010
Kills, Career, D.J. Sokol Arena
Name Sets No. Years
1. Laurel Sanford 138 330 2009-Pr.
2. Alicia Runge 101 318 2009-10
3. Allie Oelke 101 264 2009-10
4. Megan Bober 152 262 2009-Pr.
5. Karisa Almgren 114 215 2009-Pr.
More McNary
Speaking of Leah McNary, the Florida native's 16 kills vs. Illinois State on Sept. 30 were the most by a Bluejay freshman since Allie Oelke had 19 kills vs. Southern Illinois in the 2007 MVC Tournament.
McNary is currently averaging 2.04 kills per set. If she maintains that pace, she will be the 14th Bluejay freshman in school history to average at least 2.00 kills per set.
Most Kills Per Set, Creighton Freshman
(min. 100 kills)
KPS Name Year
3.75 Melissa Walsh 1998
3.39 JoDe Cieloha 1994
3.29 Allie Oelke 2007
2.85 Amanda Cvejdlik 2005
2.84 Jessica Houts 2005
2.72 Kelly Goc 2004
2.70 Carolyn Decker 2004
2.44 Shelly Kapler 1996
2.44 Rachelle Von 1997
2.33 Erin Swanson 1998
2.17 Leah Ratzlaff 2002
2.08 Shannon Scrutton 1996
2.05 Michelle Prorock 1994
2.04 Leah McNary 2011
On A Roll
Creighton's 5-0 start in MVC play this season marked the third time in the last six years the Jays started 5-0 or better. CU also started 5-0 in 2006, and had a program-best 7-0 start in 2007.
You Got Served
Freshman Michelle Sicner is fourth in the MVC with 0.29 aces per set.
She tied a D.J. Sokol Arena record with seven aces on Sept. 17 vs. McNeese State. That performance featured five aces in a six-point span, including four in a row, during the third set.
After no aces in Creighton's first seven contests of the season, she has 29 aces in CU's last 23 matches.
Sicner Joins 20/20 Club
Michelle Sicner became just the fifth player in Creighton history to have 20 or more digs and 20 or more assists in the same contest when she did that on Sept. 30 vs. Illinois State.
Sicner, who finished with 27 assists and 20 digs, joined Melissa Weisensee and Brittany Coleman as the only freshman in CU history to have a 20/20 match.
20 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match
A D Name Opp. Date
27 20 M. Sicner Illinois State (4s) 09/30/11
71 20 K. Lebeda at Evansville (5s) 11/18/06
62 21 B. Coleman at So. Illinois (4s) 10/29/04
54 22 B. Coleman at Illinois State (4s) 10/18/03
45 20 K. Reyes vs. Evansville (4s) 11/24/00
64 23 K. Reyes at Evansville (5s) 11/04/00
44 23 K. Reyes Bradley (4s) 10/28/00
49 28 K. Reyes at Illinois State (4s) 10/13/00
40 21 K. Reyes Missouri State (4s) 11/06/99
65 24 K. Reyes Illinois State (4s) 09/24/99
55 28 K. Reyes Evansville (5s) 09/11/99
65 22 M. Weisensee at Evansville (5s) 11/08/97
46 21 M. Weisensee Missouri State (4s) 10/31/97
46 38 M. Weisensee Evansville (4s) 10/10/97
40 23 M. Weisensee at Drake (5s) 09/13/97
53 24 M. Weisensee at Indiana St. (5s) 10/18/96
51 21 M. Weisensee at Wichita St. (5s) 09/14/96
47 22 M. Weisensee Bradley (4s) 09/09/94
Sanford Stuffing
Senior MB Laurel Sanford had a career-high 13 blocks in the win over Southern Illinois on Oct. 21, tying the most by any player in the MVC this season. Her previous career-high of 12 had also come against Southern Illinois back in 2009.
Her 13 blocks rank fourth-most in CU history for a match.
Sanford is the only player in Creighton history with five career matches of 10 or more blocks.
Matches With 10+ Blocks, Career
10+B Name Years
5 Laurel Sanford 2008-Pres.
4 Ashley Williams 2001-04
4 Jessica Houts 2006-09
3 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
History At The Midway Point
Creighton reached the midpoint of the MVC slate with a 6-3 record. The Jays owned a winning record at the turn for the fifth time in six seasons.
League Record by Year
Year 1st Half 2nd Half MVC place
2011 6-3 6-3 4th
2010 7-2 6-3 3rd
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 85-79 82-82 --
.518 .500
Secret Weapon
Freshman OH Leah McNary has averaged 2.04 kills per set in CU's last 23 matches. After Creighton started 2-5 without McNary, the Jays are 15-8 since her debut.
McNary was named MVC Freshman of the Week for her performance on Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
Nifty 251
Since its 1994 reinstatement, Creighton owns 251 wins in program history, compared to 266 losses. Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 158 of the wins. CU's win vs. Wichita State on Nov. 4 was the 250th win.
Good To Be Home
Creighton is 20-3 in its last 23 MVC matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, with two losses coming to Northern Iowa and one other to Missouri State.
All-time, CU is 22-5 in regular-season Valley matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, but 0-3 against Northern Iowa.
Defensive Difference-Maker
Sophomore L Julianne Mandolfo earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career on Oct. 3 after averaging 7.86 digs per set in two wins.
Mandolfo had 28 digs in a four-set win over Illinois State on Sept. 30, then dug 27 balls in a three-set win over Indiana State on Oct. 1.
The 27 digs against the Sycamores ranks as second-most in CU history for a three-set match.
She earned the honor for the second time on Oct. 17 after averaging 6.86 digs and 0.29 aces per set in matches vs. Bradley and UNI last week.
Thorson's Thunder
Junior MB Heather Thorson had two of the best matches of her career on Sept. 23-24, helping Creighton to road wins at Evansville and Southern Illinois. She tied her career-high with 12 kills in a win at Evansville while also hitting a season-best .500 in 22 swings, adding four blocks.
Thorson came out one day later and set another career-high in kills, this time finishing with 15 kills on .342 hitting in a 3-1 victory at SIU. She also had a season-high six blocks, including a solo stuff in the fourth set with the score tied at 25.
Thorson dominated both teams in Omaha as well. She had 13 kills and four blocks vs. SIU on Oct. 21, then had 14 kills on .636 hitting one day later vs. Evansville.
For the season, Thorson hit .568 while averaging 4.33 kills and 1.00 blocks per set vs. Evansville, and hit .303 while averaging 3.11 kills and 1.11 blocks per set vs. SIU.
Duo Honored as MVC Player of the Week
Creighton had two players earn MVC recognition when the league handed out its weekly awards on Oct. 24th.
Megan Bober was named MVC Player of the Week for the third time in her career, while Laurel Sanford was tabbed MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career.
Bober hit .500 in 46 swings and averaged 3.25 kills, 6.38 assists, 2.38 digs and 0.62 blocks per set. She had her fifth career triple-double on Friday in a 3-2 win over Southern Illinois.
Sanford averaged 2.25 blocks, 1.62 kills and 0.75 digs per set in two wins, including a career-high 13 blocks in the win over Southern Illinois.
More Service Please
Creighton's 13 aces against McNeese State were second-most in school history for a three-set match. It was also a D.J. Sokol Arena team record for a contest of any length.
Sicner Earns Another Freshman Award
Creighton Volleyball's Michelle Sicner was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Sept. 26th after helping Creighton complete an unbeaten road swing at Evansville (3-0) and Southern Illinois (3-1), averaging 6.00 assists, 2.86 digs, 1.14 blocks and 1.29 kills per set last week.
Sicner opened her week with her by nearly posting her second straight triple-double, finishing with 20 assists, 12 digs and eight kills in a three-set win at Evansville. Sicner also hit .368 in the contest and added a team-best five blocks.
In the Sept. 24th four-set win at Southern Illinois, Sicner had 22 assists, eight digs, three blocks and three aces.
The Millard North product was previously honored as MVC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 12.
All-Tourney Combo
Sophomore Julianne Mandolfo and senior Laurel Sanford both earned a spot on the Creighton Classic All-Tournament Team on Sept. 16-17. Mandolfo averaged 6.80 digs per set and had four different sets in which she owned 10 or more digs. Sanford averaged 2.90 kills and 0.90 blocks per set while also hitting a team-best .339 in three matches. It's the third all-Tourney honor in four events this fall for Sanford, but the first all-Tourney accolade of Mandolfo's career.
Reasons For Success
Creighton owns a 57-24 home record in regular-season MVC matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Before losing to Missouri State on Nov. 5th, the Jays had won 29 straight at home against teams picked below them in the preseason MVC poll (since a 2007 loss to Missouri State). The Jays are now 47-3 under Booth in such home scenarios, with two of those losses to MSU.
In matches not against the power trio of Northern Iowa (1-8), Missouri State (2-7) and Wichita State (5-4), Creighton's home MVC record under Booth improves to 49-5.
Early Tests Pay Big Dividends
For the fifth straight season, Creighton entered MVC play with an overall record at the .500 mark or worse, as it was 4-6 this season before MVC play.
The willingness of Creighton to test itself early has paid dividends when conference play rolls around. During this five year stretch, Creighton is 18-26 (.409) in matches before league play starts, but 64-26 (.711) in Valley action. The Jays 64 Valley wins in that time trail only UNI (81), Wichita State (76) and Missouri State (66) league-wide.
Year W-L Entering MVC MVC W-L Finish
2003 2-7 9-9 T-5th
2004 7-1 10-8 5th
2005 5-4 10-8 5th
2006 8-1 12-6 4th
2007 4-4 14-4 T-2nd
2008 3-4 15-3 2nd
2009 2-7 10-8 T-4th
2010 5-5 13-5 3rd
2011 4-6 12-6 ?
Total 40-39 105-57
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked third in a preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches. Defending regular-season champion Northern Iowa was the unanimous pick to win the league, with Wichita State second. Creighton is third, Missouri State fourth and Illinois State fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Drake, Evansville, Southern Illinois, Indiana State and Bradley.
In addition, Megan Bober was named preseason all-MVC.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in eight of nine seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
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 3rd #1
2011 3rd 4th i1
All-Tourney Duo
Creighton had two players named to the All-Tournament Team at the Ameritas Players Challenge (Sept. 8-10), Michelle Sicner and Laurel Sanford.
Sicner averaged 3.44 assists, 2.00 kills, 0.67 aces, 1.67 digs and 1.11 blocks per set in three matches over the weekend, hitting .205 in 44 swings. Her 10 overall blocks led the team, while her six aces, 31 assists and 18 kills were second-most on the Bluejay squad. Sicner was also named MVC Freshman of the Week for her efforts.
Sanford averaged 1.89 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting a robust .381 overall. She had nine kills and five blocks while hitting .500 in the Jays win over Saint Mary's on Saturday morning that clinched the second-place finish. This was the second career all-tournament selection for the senior from Eagan, Minn., joining the all-Tourney accolade she won at the season-opening Texas A&M Invitational.
Setting Them Straight
Creighton started two players with setting skills in its Sept. 3 nightcap against Marquette, as both Michelle Sicner and Megan Bober were in the starting six.
Bober finished with 10 assists, nine digs and eight kills while starting a match as an outside hitter for the first time at the collegiate level.
Sicner, who was the setter on the first few points of the match, finished with a team-best 18 assists. It was the first time in Bober's 71-match career that she did not lead Creighton in assists.
In the 25 matches with Creighton using a 6-2 offense, Bober leads the team with 231 kills (2.48 kps.) and 584 assists (6.28 aps.), while Sicner owns 88 kills (0.96 kps.) and is second with 434 assists (4.72 aps.).
Bober Named MVC Player of the Week
After posting two triple-doubles in three matches at the Creighton Classic (Sept. 16-17), Bluejay junior Megan Bober was named the Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Player of the Week on Sept. 19.
It was the second time she's been honored by the MVC with Player of the Week accolades, having also earned similar recognition on Oct. 4, 2010.
For the week, the all-Valley setter averaged 2.80 kills, 6.90 assists, 0.40 aces, 3.5 digs and 0.40 blocks per set while hitting at a .280 rate.
Bober also claimed Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week for her week. The Exercise Science major owns a 3.791 GPA in the classroom.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 29-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark this season. 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 3-3 21-12
2011 5-2 17-13
Total 44-44 251-266
Two Of A Kind
Michelle Sicner had a solid all-around match in Creighton's Sept. 9 victory over Weber State, finishing with 11 assists, five kills, four aces, four blocks and two digs.
Since Creighton Volleyball was reinstated in 1994, the only other player reached all of those minimums (or better) in the same match was Melissa Weisensee vs. Evansville on Nov. 2, 1996. Weisensee had 80 assists (still a CU record), five kills, four aces, five blocks and 14 digs.
Stepping Up
Veteran leaders Karisa Almgren and Heather Thorson each had a big match vs. UTSA to open the regular-season.
Almgren tied her career-high with 14 kills, while Thorson's 11 kills were one shy of her career-best at the time.
Creighton is 14-5 all-time when Almgren has nine or more kills in a match and 13-2 when Thorson reaches that figure.
Milestone Match For Booth
Creighton's Sept. 8 match at Nebraska was Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 250th match at Creighton, and moved her record to 143-107 (.572).
She now owns a 158-114 (.581) mark to date in nine years, compared to the program's 93-152 (.380) record in 245 matches during the nine seasons prior to her arrival.
Just In Time
Creighton Volleyball faced a 14-12 fifth-set deficit against preseason Southland Conference favorite UTSA in its Aug. 26 season-opener, only to rally for a 16-14 set victory to win the match.
Creighton has now won five matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 158-1 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 fifth set loss.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
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-16 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1415 (91.2%) 137 (8.8%)
Aces 89 (56.3%) 69 (43.7%)
Digs 1264 (53.8%) 1085 (46.2%)
Matches Started 140 (70.7%) 58 (29.3%)
Blocks 230.5 (78.7%) 62.5 (21.3%)
Points 1234.5 (58.0%) 892.5 (42.0%)
Kills 915 (54.6%) 761 (45.4%)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 142 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 129-13. CU is 136-17 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 22-97 under Booth when it drops the first set.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 162-8 (.953) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 103-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 75-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-170 (.034) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-58 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
Last Year Summary
Creighton had its most successful year in program history, tying a school-record with 21 wins while also reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Megan Bober was named first-team all-MVC and honorable-mention All-American after averaging 10.26 assists, 1.95 digs, 1.48 kills and 0.92 blocks per set. Named second-team all-Valley were Laurel Sanford (2.47 kps., 1.10 bps.) and Alicia Runge (3.73 kps.). In addition, Julianne Mandolfo (4.28 dps.) was named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Creighton ranked second nationally with 18.94 digs per set a season ago and was also top-60 in kills per set and blocks per set.
AVCA Honors CU Volleyball For Academics
The Creighton volleyball program was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the 2011 AVCA Team Academic Award. Creighton previously won the award in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 are one of seven Division I schools nationwide to win the award in eight 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 3.45.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 24 matches (14 home, 10 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.
Creighton Ticket Information
Tickets to Creighton's home regular-season matches could be purchased at the Creighton Ticket Office located inside the Ryan Athletic Center (19th and Webster) as well as all Ticketmaster outlets.
Cost was $8 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 3-18) for reserved seats and $7 (adult) and $4 (youth) for general admission seating. Children two and under were admitted free.
Creighton sold a school-record 890 season tickets for volleyball this year. Single-match tickets went on sale Aug. 29th.
