Volleyball Opens 2011 Season Friday in Texas
8/24/2011 9:51:00 AM | Volleyball
This Week -- Texas A&M Invitational
Aug. 26 9:30 am Creighton vs. UTSA College Station, Texas
Aug. 26 2:30 pm Creighton at Texas A&M College Station, Texas
Aug. 27 12:30 pm Creighton at Texas A&M College Station, Texas
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball opens the 2011 season on the road this weekend, as it heads to College Station, Texas, to play in the Texas A&M Invitational.
Creighton (0-0) opens the regular-season on Friday with a 9:30 am match against UTSA (0-0), then plays host Texas A&M (0-0) at 2:30 pm.
The Bluejays and Aggies will then play again on Saturday at 12:30 pm.
All three matches will take place at Reed Arena (12,989).
Radio Broadcast Information
The only match broadcast on radio this weekend will be Friday's match between UTSA and Creighton. The match will be broadcast by UTSA staff and available at http://www.goutsa.com for a $5.95 monthly subscription fee.
Creighton will begin its 24-match broadcast schedule next Tuesday at Kansas State.
Video Webcast Information
Creighton's final two matches of this weekend's Texas A&M Invitational will be video webcast, but the season-opener vs. UTSA is not being streamed.
To sign up to watch, visit aggieathletics.com and click on a link for “12th Man TV”. There is no charge to register and then watch the match.
Live Stats Information
All matches at the Texas A&M Invitational 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 links.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns 11 letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that finished 21-12 overall and third in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-5 league record. Creighton earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in program history and defeated No. 16 Iowa State to reach the tournament's second round. Creighton is picked third (of 10) in the MVC this fall.
Spearheading the returners are seniors Laurel Sanford (2.47 kps., 1.10 bps., .262%) and Karisa Almgren (1.97 kps., .234%), as well as junior Megan Bober (1.48 kps., 10.26 aps., 1.95 dps., 0.92 bps.). Sanford was a second-team all-MVC pick a year ago, while Bober was first-team all-Valley and earned honorable-mention All-America accolades.
A talented class of five newcomers (Kelli Browning, Leah McNary, Katie Neisler, Michelle Sicner, Lizzy Stivers) are also expected to make immediate contributions.
Scouting UTSA
UTSA went 22-12 last season while reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. The Roadrunners return nine letterwinners, including four starters and their libero, and have been picked by Southland Conference sports information directors to win the league title.
OH Whitney Walls (2.64 kps., .66 bps.) is the team's top returning attacker, while S Kelsey Schwirtlich (9.894 aps., 2.33 dps.) runs the offense. Libero Kelsey Jewasko topped the squad with 5.24 digs per set a year ago and is a two-time conference Libero of the Year. Both Schwirtlich and Jewasko were named preseason all-Southland earlier this month.
The Roadrunners will be without two senior starters who graduated after last season, OH Kendra Rowland (3.25 kps., 2.69 dps.) and MH Briana Mason (1.86 kps., 1.00 bps.)
Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M went 13-17 last season, but returns 14-of-15 letterwinners, including all six starters (and its libero).
Kelsey Black led the team with 4.08 kills and 0.37 aces per set while ranking second on the team with 2.99 digs per set. Black, along with setter Allie Sawatzky (9.71 aps., 1.59 dps., 1.12 kps.) have been named preseason all-Big 12.
The Aggies also return a pair of middle blockers who averaged more than a block per set, Lindsey Miller (2.05 kps., 1.10 bps.) and Stephanie Minnerly (1.58 kps., 1.03 bps.).
The Aggies are picked fourth in the preseason Big 12 Conference poll after finishing eighth in the league with an 8-12 mark a year ago.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 141-101 record entering 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 appearance.
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.
UTSA is coached by Laura Neugebauer-Groff (Texas, 1986), who is 146-142 entering her 10th season as head coach at the school. Neugebauer-Groff owns a career record of 402-204 entering her 18th season. She is assisted by Zheng Xiang and former Creighton head coach Howard Wallace.
Texas A&M is coached by Laurie Corbelli (San Francisco, 1988), who enters her 19th season with the Aggies with a 376-186 mark. Her career record is 476-292 in 25 previous seasons overall. She is assisted by John Corbelli and Steve Greene.
Series History vs. UTSA
Creighton has won both previous meetings with UTSA, both of which have occurred at neutral sites.
The Bluejays won 3-1 (15-12, 15-9, 13-15, 15-6) at UNLV on Sept. 5, 1997, led by double-doubles from Rachelle Von and Melissa Weisensee.
Creighton also won 3-0 (30-16, 30-23, 30-17) at Northern Illinois on Sept. 1, 2001 behind 16 kills and 10 digs from Erin Swanson.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced UTSA, and UTSA coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff has never faced Creighton.
Series History vs. Texas A&M
Creighton and Texas A&M have split two previous meetings, but have never met in College Station.
The first encounter took place on Sept. 4, 1998, when No. 19 Texas A&M won a 3-0 (15-2, 15-8, 15-1) match over the Jays in Stockton, Calif. Creighton was paced by eight kills and six digs from Shelly Kapler.
Most recently, Creighton swept the Aggies 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-14) on Aug. 30, 2008 as part of the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha. Creighton was led by double-doubles from Carolyn Decker and Korie Lebeda. Two players who played in that match are still active, A&M's Kelsey Black and Chelsea Ringel.
Blue-White Scrimmage Summary
Megan Bober set the Blue team to a 4-1 victory in the annual Blue-White scrimmage last Saturday. Scores of the predetermined five-set match were 18-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12.
On a night that saw 10 of the 18 women in uniform play for both squads, Bober remained on the Blue team the entire night and finished with 37 assists and nine digs.
Heather Thorson and Katie Neisler alternated teams and both finished with a combined 13 kills for the evening, Laurel Sanford led all players with seven blocks, Brooke Boggs served up seven aces and Julianne Mandolfo topped all players with 30 digs.
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.
NCAA Showdown
Friday's Creighton vs. UTSA contest is one of just nine contests nationwide that feature a pair of 2010 NCAA Tournament teams matching up against one another in a season-opener this fall.
2010 NCAA Tournament Schools Site
Middle Tennessee vs. Colorado State Arkansas
North Carolina vs. Auburn Florida
Kentucky at Florida State Florida State
Tulsa vs. Albany Florida State
Arizona vs. Wichita State Hawaii
Cincinnati vs. Iowa State Northern Illinois
USC vs. Minnesota Penn State
Creighton vs. UTSA Texas A&M
High Point vs. Indiana Virginia Tech
Season Opening History
With its 3-1 win over San Francisco last year, Creighton improved its record to 9-8 in season-opening matches since restarting the program in 1994. Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 5-3 in opening matches and on a two-year winning streak.
Booth is 6-2 in Creighton's first match away from home, helping Creighton improve to 9-8 in such contests.
Hello World!
Five of the 16 players on Creighton's 2011 team have never played a point at the Division I level. Freshmen Kelli Browning, Leah McNary, Katie Neisler, Michelle Sicner and Lizzy Stivers could all make their Division I debut this Friday. 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).
Records for a Bluejay debut can be found at the bottom of this page.
Year Name SP K E TA Pct. A SA DIG TB
2009 Megan Bober• 3 7 0 11 .636 32 0 2 1
2009 Heather Thorson• 3 3 0 6 .500 0 0 0 2
2010 Savannah Smith 4 3 1 7 .286 0 0 1 2
2008 Laurel Sanford 2 2 0 2 1.000 0 0 0 0
2010 J. Mandolfo• 4 0 0 0 --- 1 0 13 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
2010 Brianne Fliss 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 1 0
2010 Natalie Hackbarth 1 0 0 1 .000 0 0 0 0
2010 Lexi Malm 1 0 1 3 -.333 0 0 1 0
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been 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.
Each of the past eight 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 3rd #1
2011 4th ??? ???
No Texas Hold 'Em Here
Hailing from Double Oak, freshman Katie Neisler is the first native Texan to play volleyball for Creighton since Plano native Jessica Klein from 1997-2000. The only other Texan to play for Creighton was Amarillo native Rachael Waitt (1994-95).
Speaking of Texas, this will be Creighton Volleyball's first trip to the Lone Star State. A planned trip to play in a tournament at Rice on Sept. 12-13, 2008, was cancelled due to Hurricane Ike.
Booth Meets Predecessor
Before Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired as Creighton head coach on Feb. 3, 2003, her predecessor was Howard Wallace.
Wallace coached at Creighton from 1997-2002, running up a 68-94 record in six seasons with the Bluejays. He was named 1997 MVC Co-Coach of the Year before eventually resigning on Dec. 10, 2002.
Wallace is entering his ninth season as an assistant coach at UTSA, Creighton's opponent on Friday.
In nine years under Booth, Creighton is 141-101.
Volleyball For Breakfast?
Friday's season-opener vs. UTSA will begin at 9:30 am. That's the earliest start to a Creighton match since a 9 am start where Creighton beat Saint Louis on Sept. 9, 2006 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in a tournament hosted by Middle Tennessee.
The 9:30 am start on Friday means the Bluejays will be the first MVC squad to get their 2011 season underway.
Last season, Creighton was the last MVC squad still playing, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament before getting eliminated by Minnesota on Dec. 4th.
Go The Distance?
Last season UTSA played the maximum five sets in 10-of-34 matches, going 7-3 when pushed to the distance.
In last year's season-opener the Roadrunners needed five sets to beat eventual NCAA participant Ole Miss, including a 34-32 third set win and a 20-18 fifth-set triumph. Overall, UTSA staved off nine different match point opportunities for the Rebels while overcoming an 0-2 deficit.
Creighton went 3-3 in five-set matches last season and is 1-0 all-time in season-opening matches to go five sets (a win over Montana in 2004).
Bober's The Best At Blocking
Last season Creighton setter Megan Bober had 114 blocks, the most in one year by a Creighton setter in program history. Bober, who had 107 blocks as a freshman, is the only player in Creighton history to have both 100 blocks and 100 assists in the same season.
Bober's 0.92 blocks per set last season ranked second nationally among setters (trailing only National Player of the Year Carli Lloyd from California), and Bober was the nation's only player to average at least 1.40 kills, 0.90 blocks and 10.00 assists per set.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 54-63 in the 39 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 5-4 mark last 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.
Record Watch
Laurel Sanford enters this weekend seventh in school history with 245 career block assists. She's five away from 250, which would also tie her with Sarah Beulke (2001-04).
Sanford's 275 career total blocks are ninth in program history. She's three behind Korie Lebeda (2005-08) for eighth and six behind Shelly Kapler (1996-99) for seventh place.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has six matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Creighton will play No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln on Sept. 8, two days before taking on also receiving votes Saint Mary's.
Creighton also has home-and-home matches with conference rivals Northern Iowa and Wichita State. UNI is ranked No. 14, while Wichita State received votes.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 24-14 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 3-3 21-12
Total 39-42 234-253
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 150-8 (.949) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 91-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 72-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-160 (.036) 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 141-1 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
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 126 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 114-12. CU is 121-16 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 20-85 under Booth when it drops the first 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.
A complete list of remaining matches follows:
2011 Volleyball Broadcast Schedule
Aug. 30 at Kansas State (KKAR)
Sept. 2 Northern Illinois (KKAR)
Sept. 3 South Dakota (KOIL)
Sept. 3 Marquette (KKAR)
Sept. 8 at Nebraska (KOIL)
Sept. 9 vs. Weber State (KOIL)
Sept. 10 vs. Saint Mary's (KOIL)
Sept. 16 Drake (KOIL)
Sept. 17 McNeese State (KOIL)
Sept. 17 UAB (KOIL)
Sept. 30 Illinois State (KOIL)
Oct. 1 Indiana State (KOIL)
Oct. 7 at Missouri State (KOIL)
Oct. 8 at Wichita State (KOIL)
Oct. 14 Bradley (KOIL)
Oct. 15 Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Oct. 21 Southern Illinois (KOIL)
Oct. 22 Evansville (KOIL)
Oct. 29 at Illinois State (KOIL)
Nov. 4 Wichita State (KOIL)
Nov. 5 Missouri State (KOIL)
Nov. 11 at Northern Iowa (KOIL)
Nov. 12 at Bradley (KOIL)
Nov. 19 at Drake (KOIL)
Nov. 24-26 at MVC Tournament (KOIL)
Creighton Ticket Information
Tickets to Creighton's home regular-season matches can be purchased at the Creighton Ticket Office located inside the Ryan Athletic Center (19th and Webster) as well as all Ticketmaster outlets.
Cost is $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 are admitted free.
Creighton has sold a school-record 890 season tickets for volleyball this year.
What's New?
Several rules have been modified for the 2011 season. Most noticeable is the following:
In 2010, Rule 1.1.1.2 was modified to permit media personnel onto the court during timeouts and between sets. To clarify, that permission was
intended for video camera operators and their support crew who are associated with recognized media outlets, and who have been approved/credentialed by the host institution prior to the match.
Rule 4.2.4 describes the ruling when nonplayers (for example, media personnel or spectators) interfere with a legitimate effort by a player to play the ball. To clarify, cheerleaders are considered spectators, and legitimate interference caused by a cheerleader (or cheerleader “gear”)
may result in a replay. When clearing an area to allow play, cheerleaders should make every effort to take their “gear” (megaphones, pompons, etc.) with them to avoid injury.
The restrictions on use of electronic aids as described in Rule 6.1.5 have not been changed. Prohibited items include the use of a computer or
other device that is used to transmit any information (including statistics) to the bench from any area in the facility other than the bench.
Rule 7.2.2 describes jewelry as illegal equipment. To further clarify, dermal implants (jewelry surgically implanted in the skin) is considered jewelry, and is to be considered illegal equipment. Sub-dermal implants (embedded items that do not protrude/break the skin) are permitted.
The following points of emphasis will also be watched:
Rules 10.3.1 and 10.3.2 describe the requirements for players to be in legal positions at the time of service contact. Second referees must work very diligently to track the position of the receiving team and ensure that the rules regarding position faults are applied. While preventative officiating or “warnings” are encouraged when players are close to an illegal position, blatant position faults (overlaps) should be whistled when they occur. Of course, just like any other rules infraction, the second referee should not whistle a position fault (overlap) unless s/he is absolutely sure the fault has occurred.
Rule 10.1.1.1 was changed in 2010 to indicate that lineups for the first set are due at the three-minute mark on the clock timing the pre-match warmups, and allowed changes to be made by the coaches without penalty or substitution until the one-minute mark. Rule 18.4.3.2 further clarifies that other match personnel (statistics crews, announcer, etc.) should not be permitted to see the lineups until they are final, which means at the one-minute mark. At that time, the lineups can be provided to those individuals.
The rule book Event Management section states that there should be chairs available for line judges at or near the score table (meaning, behind or at the table), to be used prior to the match as needed, and between sets. Event Management personnel should provide this seating area. If the facility set-up does not provide space for chairs in this area, the line judges should stand behind the score table, not courtside. If there is not room for the line judges to sit or stand behind the score table, the final option is that, after getting water, the line judges return to a position near the first referee's stand, at the attack line/sideline intersection, moving near to the R1 stand if teams are warming up on the court.
It is a fairly frequent occurrence that a substitute enters the substitution zone and the coach really does not want that substitution to occur. Some coaches do not know what their options are at that time – there is a general belief that the substitution simply must be completed. Once a substitute enters the zone and the second referee whistles to acknowledge the request, the coach's options are to either quickly complete the substitution or be charged a delay sanction. If a delay sanction is assessed, neither that substitution nor a subsequent substitution on that dead ball will be allowed.
It is part of the typical protocol in a collegiate volleyball match to have a brief meeting between coaches and referees during the warm-up period. The purpose of this meeting is to exchange necessary information only, and referees are being instructed to keep this interchange professional and brief. Both coaches and referees should limit the discussion to information pertinent to the upcoming contest.
As a reminder, NCAA women's volleyball rules did NOT change to the current USAV ruling on net faults. The NCAA rule still calls faults when net contact is made while playing the ball EVEN IF the contact is in the middle or bottom of the net.
It is re-emphasized that, whenever possible, spectators should be restricted from the playing area through the use of stanchions or by establishing spectator walkways that are not part of the playing area.
