Volleyball Hosts UNI and Bradley in Key Weekend
10/3/2012 4:12:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend
Oct. 5 7:00 pm Northern Iowa at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Oct. 6 5:00 pm Bradley at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball (13-3, 4-1 MVC) is home for the third time in four weekends as it hosts a pair of MVC matches this Friday and Saturday.
The second-place Bluejays will host first place Northern Iowa (13-5, 5-0 MVC) on Friday night at 7 pm.
On Saturday night, Creighton welcomes Bradley (6-10, 0-5 MVC) to town for a 5 pm match.
Both matches will be held at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,500).
Pre-Game Chili Feed Friday Night
Fans are invited to a pre-game chili feed set for Friday, Oct. 5 at Billy Blue's Alumni Grill located on the lower level of the Mike & Josie Harper Center on campus from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., prior to the Bluejays hosting UNI.
Cost of the all-you-can-eat chili feed, an event open to all Creighton fans, is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 11 and under and $3.00 for Creighton students with a valid identification.
Radio Information
Both Creighton matches this weekend will air on the KZOT (1180 AM), with Brad Burwell and Rachel Houseman on the call.
The contests are also streamed free of charge on the internet at www.mighty1290koil.com and clicking on the Listen Live button.
Video Information
Both matches this weekend will be video webcast. To sign up, visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Video tab on the top of the page. A 4-month subscription costs $34.95, while a monthly subscription costs $10.95 per month.
Fans can also purchase a 24-hour pass ($4.99) or a 48-hour pass ($5.99) that begins the moment you sign up.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats graphic at the top of the page for the exact link.
Live stats from all Creighton home events are also available on your mobile phone by clicking on www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton (13-3, 4-1 MVC) has tied its best 16-match start in the program's modern history and is alone in second place in the MVC with a 4-1 record.
Creighton's has beaten five NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago (Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Ball State, Wichita State, Missouri State), and its only losses have come to Kansas State, Kansas and Southern Illinois.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.73 aps., 2.83 dps., 1.68 kps., 1.02 bps., .291%) was named Tournament MVP at the USF Invitational and All-Tournament at Northern Colorado. She was the lone Bluejay to earn Preseason All-MVC accolades this fall, has started all 111 matches in a Creighton uniform, and is the team's active leader in assists, blocks, digs, kills and aces.
Creighton's leading attackers have been sophomores Leah McNary (3.03 kps., .251%) and Kelli Browning (2.95 kps., 1.70 bps., .397%). McNary owns 10 or more kills in seven of CU's last eight matches, while Browning tied an MVC record with 15 block assists vs. Tulsa (Sept. 8th) and leads the nation in blocking.
Creighton's freshman class is also making an impact, as Kate Elman (4.63 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.55 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.67 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.18 saps.) own 46 of the team's 76 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.47 kills, 1.27 aces, 16.47 digs and 3.08 blocks per set while hitting .257.
Scouting Northern Iowa
Three-time defending league champion Northern Iowa is 13-5 on the season, including five straight victories. UNI's 5-0 Valley record is good for first place and stretches their win streak in league play to 59 consecutive victories.
Three-time MVC Player of the Year Bre Payton has graduated, but junior Molly Turk has stepped in to average 11.05 assists per set.
Turk sets a well-balanced offense that includes Megan Lehman (3.27 kps.), Amy Braun (2.97 kps., 3.86 dps.), Shelby Kintzel (2.52 kps., 1.33 bps.) and Krista DeGeest (2.51 kps., 0.98 bps., .276%).
Candice Burke (4.89 dps., 0.25 saps.) leads UNI in digs and aces.
The Panthers average 14.08 kills, 0.94 aces, 17.02 digs and 2.56 blocks per set while hitting .234 overall.
Scouting Bradley
Bradley has lost 10 of 11 matches after a 5-0 start, including an 0-5 mark in MVC play. The Braves are 0-6 at home but a healthy 3-2 in road matches to date.
Alise Tupuritis leads BU with 2.95 kills per set, with Amy Angelos (2.79 kps., .271%) not far behind.
Other top contributors on offense include Madelyn Ervin (1.97 kps.) and Courtney Keefe (1.61 kps., 2.63 dps.).
Madison Kamp (9.32 aps.) sets the offense, while Lauren Zerante (4.16 dps.) is the team's libero.
BU averages 12.44 kills, 0.95 aces, 14.52 digs and 1.85 blocks per set while hitting .189 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 171-118 record in her 10th 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. She was named the 2010 CVU.com 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.
UNI is coached by Bobbi Petersen (Northern Iowa, 1990), who owns a 335-83 record in her 13th year with the Panthers. Petersen was named 2002 AVCA National Coach of the Year and also earned MVC Coach of the Year honors in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Generally regarded as one of the best players in MVC history, Petersen ranks sixth nationally among active coaches in winning percentage. Petersen is assisted by Kalani Mahi and Kim Davis.
Bradley is coached by Jenny Maurer (Washington [Mo.], 1999). Maurer spent four seasons as head coach at Lehigh before moving to Peoria last season. She is 18-26 in her second year at Bradley, and 58-97 in her sixth season overall as a head coach. She is assisted by Jimmy Munoz and Lindsay Allman.
Series History vs. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa owns a 40-3 record all-time against Creighton, including an 18-1 record in Omaha. Creighton's lone win in Omaha came on Nov. 21, 2008 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which is also CU's only sweep of the Panthers in history.
The Panthers have ended Creighton's season at the MVC Tournament six of the last seven years.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-21 vs. Northern Iowa and 3-21 vs. Bobbi Petersen. Petersen is 28-3 overall against Creighton.
Series History vs. Bradley
Creighton owns a 22-15 lead in the series with Bradley, and the Jays lead 12-6 in Omaha. Creighton's 12-match win streak over Bradley was snapped in their most recent meeting, a 3-2 Braves win in Peoria on Nov. 12, 2011.
Creighton has won all but two of the last 18 meetings in the series, but four of those contests went the distance.
The winner of the first set has won each of the past 16 meetings in this series.
CU head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 16-2 vs. Bradley, and 1-1 against Jenny Maurer.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton split a pair of four-set road matches last weekend, losing at Southern Illinois on Friday before topping Evansville on Saturday. Kelli Browning led the Jays with 29 kills and 14 blocks on the weekend, while Kate Elman topped the club with 47 digs.
Just Do It, Again
Creighton hosts Northern Iowa on Friday night, where it will look to beat the Panthers for the first time since Nov. 21, 2008.
That was also the last time that UNI lost a regular-season match in MVC play. Since then, the Panthers have won 59 consecutive regular-season MVC matches, the second-longest streak in Valley history, and 16th longest streak against league opponents in NCAA history.
Northern Iowa has also won 65 straight matches against MVC opponents (including MVC Tournament play), a streak that ranks as the second-longest streak in MVC history and is also tied for the 15th-longest such streak in NCAA history.
1 vs. 2
Northern Iowa and Creighton aren't just first and second in the MVC standings, but also when it comes to hitting percentage and opponent's hitting percentage.
Northern Iowa is hitting .291 in MVC play and holding foes to .096 hitting. Both marks lead the league.
Creighton is second in both categories, hitting .275 on offense and slowing opponents to .147 efficiency.
Triple Up
Megan Bober had a triple-double in both meetings with Bradley last season. She had 35 assists, 10 digs and 13 kills on Oct. 14 in Omaha, then had 31 assists, 12 digs and 12 kills on Nov. 12 in Peoria.
Bober is the only player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles against the same program twice in the same season, having also done it last year vs. Drake as well.
First of Many?
Just a sophomore, MB Kelli Browning has torn up the MVC this year and is quickly approaching several school records for both a single-season and a career.
Browning is currently hitting at a .397 clip this season and a .336 mark for her career. Creighton's single-season record stands at .368 by Kelly Goc in 2007. Goc also owns the career mark of .296. Browning, who currently owns 231 career kills, will qualify for the career hitting percentage mark with 19 more kills.
Browning's 1.70 blocks per set is also on pace to shatter a Creighton mark for a single-season, easily outpacing the current mark of 1.48 blocks per set by Ashley Williams in 2003.
For those wondering, the last MVC player to average 1.70 blocks per set in a season was Missouri State's Sabrina Apker in 2005. The only MVC player to finish a year hitting .397 or better was Wichita State's Elizabeth Meyers, also in 2005.
Jereb Named MVC Freshman of the Week
Melanie Jereb was named MVC Freshman of the Week after averaging 2.67 kills, 2.92 digs and 1.00 bocks per set while hitting .304 in three matches last week. During the week, she had 32 kills and just four attack errors in 92 swings.
She opened her week with 15 digs, four kills and two blocks in a 3-1 win over South Dakota. She then had a double-double in her first career MVC road match, hitting .300 while finishing with 10 kills, 12 digs, four blocks and an ace at Southern Illinois.
Jereb closed out her weekend with 18 kills, eight digs, six blocks and an ace on .349 hitting in a 3-1 win at Evansville. Jereb's 18 kills were a career-high and the most by a Bluejay freshman against an MVC foe since Allie Oelke in 2007.
This is Jereb's second weekly honor of the season, also winning the same award on Sept. 17th.
Talented Prep Team
Two of Bradley's top freshmen, Lea Sack and Allie Falter, hail from Lincoln, Neb. Both Sack and Falter were high school teammates of Creighton MB Lauren Smith at Pius X.
The MVC also boasts two other Pius X products, as Drake's Scarlett Howerter and Cassie Effken also went to school there.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 33-15 (.688) all-time record in D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009. Seven of those 15 losses have come against ranked teams. The Jays are a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches in the building.
The Jays have been at their best in the facility during MVC play, where CU is 25-5 (.833). Northern Iowa owns three of those wins, while Missouri State can claim the other two. Against the other seven MVC rivals, Creighton is a perfect 23-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
Northern Iowa is 5-0 all-time in matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, beating Creighton three times in regular-season matches and winning twice in the 2009 MVC Tournament vs. Creighton and Wichita State.
Unranked Panthers An Unusual Sight
Northern Iowa started the year in the national rankings, but is no longer in the top-25. Friday will mark the first time the Jays have played an unranked UNI squad since Sept. 19, 2009. UNI had been ranked the past seven meetings.
Taking On The Favorites
Northern Iowa was the unanimous favorite to win the MVC this season, a role they've lived up to thus far.
The Jays are 3-20 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when taking on the league's preseason favorite, including a win over UNI in 2007.
New Kid On The Block
Sophomore Leah McNary has been leading Creighton in kills virtually all season long, but she got into the act with her blocking as well during last Tuesday's victory over South Dakota.
McNary entered the evening with 23 blocks in 13 matches, then had a career-best seven blocks vs. USD to lead all players.
McNary led Creighton in blocks in two different matches last season, but tied for the team lead in both instances.
September Surge
Creighton went 9-3 this September, one win shy of the school-record for victories in any month. Creighton's 2006 team went 10-3 in September.
Creighton is 49-31 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in October matches, including a 13-5 mark the past two seasons.
Let's Hear It For The Sophomores
Creighton's sophomore class earned 41 of Creighton's 56 kills in its Sept. 25th win over South Dakota.
Leah McNary had 20 kills, while classmate Kelli Browning chipped in with a career-best 18 kills. In addition, Michelle Sicner had three kills in the victory.
For the season, CU's sophomores (which also includes Katie Neisler and Savannah Smith) has been responsible for 413 of the team's 808 kills (51.1 percent).
Jack Of All Trades
Watch Megan Bober play and it's obvious her importance to Creighton. The senior setter and two-time All-Valley pick leads all active Bluejay players in kills (695), assists (3741), aces (68), digs (922) and blocks (359).
Bober already ranks in the top-10 in CU history in assists and blocks, and has a solid chance to finish in the top-10 in aces and digs as well.
Nov. 9 Start Time Changed
Creighton has changed the start time for its Nov. 9 match vs. Indiana State. The Jays and Sycamores will now begin at 5 pm Central at D.J. Sokol Arena.
The move was made to avoid going head-to-head with Creighton men's basketball's regular-season opener vs. North Texas, which begins at 7 pm at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Sweet Sixteen
Creighton's 13-3 start matches the program's best record after 16 matches, as the 2006 team also opened 13-3.
Creighton's most wins with four losses is 15 (also in 2006), while its most wins with five losses is also 15 (in 2006).
Top 30 RKPI
Monday marked the fourth rankings from the Rich Kern Percentage Index, a ranking system developed by RichKern.com that mimics the official NCAA RPI. Thanks in part to four wins over top-56 foes (Wisconsin, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Wichita State), the Jays are 27th in this week's RKPI. Kansas State and Kansas, the first two teams to beat CU this fall, are seventh and ninth, respectively, while Southern Illinois is No. 72.
CU's schedule is ranked as the No. 40th-toughest nationally.
Northern Iowa is No. 46 in the RKPI rankings, while Bradley comes in at No. 221.
Vote For CU!
Creighton received a pair of top-25 votes in the Aug. 27 AVCA poll. This was the first time in program history the team has received such recognition in the regular-season, as its only previous votes had come following the 2010 NCAA Tournament, when it received three points in the poll.
On Sept. 10th, Creighton reached new heights when it was voted into a tie for 36th place, earning seven votes.
The rise of the Jays continued on Sept. 17th, as Creighton is up to 32nd place with a best-ever total of 34 points in the poll.
On Sept. 24th, the Jays were in 33rd place, earning 14 votes.
Creighton did not receive any votes on October 1st.
Creighton in the AVCA Poll, All-Time
Date Votes Received Rank
12/21/10 3 36th
08/27/12 2 T-38th
09/10/12 7 T-36th
09/17/12 34 32nd
09/24/12 14 33rd
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 171-8 (.955) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 113-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 82-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-171 (.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
Freshman Digging Pipeline
Creighton had two freshmen with 20 or more digs on Sept. 19th, as both Kate Elman (21) and Melanie Jereb (20) reached that plateau at Kansas. Believe it or not, it's the first time since the program's 1994 reinstatement that two Bluejay freshmen have had 20 or more digs in the same match.
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2012 compares to the past two seasons, as well as the aforementioned 2006 club's first 16 matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 16 13-3 9-7 10-6 13-3
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.47 12.79 13.19 16.58
Hitting % .257 .197 .206 .221
Aces/Set 1.27 1.40 1.17 1.80
Digs/Set 16.47 17.49 18.58 17.49
Blocks/Set 3.08 2.55 2.51 2.84
CLASS Act
Creighton's Megan Bober is one of 30 student-athletes who excel both on and off the court and were announced as candidates for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Bober has started all 111 Creighton matches in the past four seasons and joined Northern Iowa's Amy Braun as the only MVC representatives on this year's list.
Bober ranks second in league history with 10 triple-doubles, and is currently averaging 1.68 kills, 9.73 assists, 2.83 digs and 1.02 blocks per set for a Bluejay team that is 13-3. In the classroom Bober maintains a 3.83 GPA while studying exercise science and is a four-time MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week selection.
Jereb A Past MVC Freshman of the Week
Melanie Jereb averaged 3.22 kills, 2.44 digs and 0.89 blocks per set while hitting .338 in wins vs. Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1) to earn her MVC Freshman of the Week award on Sept. 17th. She also handled 46 serve receptions without an error, 24 of which the Jays converted directly into a kill.
Jereb recorded her first two collegiate double-doubles in the wins, finishing with 15 kills and 10 digs vs. MSU and 14 kills and 12 digs vs. WSU. Jereb's 15 kills against Missouri State were a career-high, as were her seven blocks. She served the final three points in CU's opening set victory, and would end up the match-clinching kill in the fifth set as well. Against the Shockers, Jereb had kills on the final three points of a 25-19 set one victory. She would serve a 4-0 run that gave the Jays a 20-16 lead in the third set and help CU to a 2-1 lead in the match.
Special Six
Five of Creighton's wins this year have come against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams in Ball State, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Missouri State and Wichita State.
The Jays get another chance for such a win on Friday when UNI comes to town.
The Jays are now 5-1 against NCAA Tournament teams from 2011. The only Bluejay team in modern history with more wins against NCAA Tournament clubs was the 2008 squad that was 6-8 vs. 2007 NCAA qualifiers.
Year W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994 0-4
1995 0-2
1996 0-2
1997 0-3
1998 0-5
1999 2-4
2000 0-4
2001 1-6
2002 0-5
2003 0-3
2004 2-2
2005 0-6
2006 4-6
2007 4-9
2008 6-8
2009 1-11
2010 4-7
2011 2-6
2012 5-1
TOTAL 31-94
TOTAL Under Booth 28-59
Special Freshman
Freshman Melanie Jereb had double-doubles in wins vs. both Missouri State (15 kills, 10 digs) and Wichita State (14 kills, 12 digs) on Sept. 14-15, making her the league's only outside hitter to start with two double-doubles in league play in 2012.
The last Creighton freshman to open her Valley career with consecutive double-doubles was Allie Oelke in 2007, who remains the only player in CU history to be named MVC Freshman of the Year.
Air McNary
Leah McNary had a career-best 21 kills in the Sept. 15 win over Wichita State, five more than her previous high.
McNary had seven matches of 10 or more kills a year ago, and has now done it 11 times already this season.
The sophomore from Florida currently owns 10 or more kills in seven of CU's last eight contests.
McNary's 21 kills made her the first Bluejay with 20 or more kills since Laurel Sanford had 20 on Nov. 20, 2010 vs. Southern Illinois, and were the most since Alicia Runge had 21 kills at Wichita State on Nov. 5, 2010.
McNary is also the first player since Runge in 2010 with two contests of 20 or more kills in the same season.
Hundred in Hand
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 171 wins at the helm of the Bluejays.
That's 103 more than the previous record held by Howard Wallace, who went 68-94 as head coach from 1997-2002.
Booth surpassed Wallace as the program's winningest coach on Aug. 25, 2007.
Working On The Weekend
Picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll, Creighton turned heads with wins over Missouri State (picked second) and Wichita State (picked third) during the first weekend of league play.
It's just the third time ever that CU has toppled the Bears and Shockers on the same weekend, having also done so in 1997 and in 2010.
Blocking Bluejays
Creighton tied a school-record by recording 21 blocks in its Sept. 8 win over Tulsa. CU's 38 block assists matched the high previous set on Sept. 4, 2009 vs. Lipscomb, while its 21 total blocks matched the team's performance on Sept. 19, 2003 vs. Southern Illinois.
In addition, sophomore MB Kelli Browning set a CU record and tied an MVC record with 15 block assists in a single match. Browning is the fourth player in league history with 15 block assists in a single contest.
Browning Honored By MVC
Sophomore Kelli Browning was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10 after a huge weekend in Colorado. A middle blocker from Waukesha, Wis., Browning earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Northern Colorado Classic after hitting .362 and averaging 2.80 kills, 2.60 blocks and 0.30 aces per set in wins over three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
Browning opened her weekend with a then-career-best eight blocks in a 3-0 win over Ball State, adding four kills an ace, and a dig.
In Saturday (Sept. 8) morning's match vs. Tulsa, Browning had 11 kills on .276 hitting while adding an ace and a dig. She also tied an MVC record with 15 block assists in a match, easily eclipsing her personal best from one day earlier. Nine of her blocks came against All-American Tyler Henderson, the nation's leader in kills in 2010 who was forced into 15 attack errors in the match.
Browning closed her weekend with 13 kills, three blocks and .571 hitting against Northern Colorado in a sweep that clinched the Northern Colorado Classic title.
Double-Double Day
In addition to her MVC record 15 blocks vs. Tulsa on Sept. 8, sophomore Kelli Browning also recorded 11 kills for her first career double-double.
Browning then had her second career double-dip on Sept. 14 vs. Missouri State when she had 16 kills and 11 blocks. Browning had her third double-double at Kansas on Sept. 19, finishing with 15 kills and 11 blocks.
Browning finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 148 kills and 88 blocks after 14 matches in 2012.
Browning owns three matches this season with 10 or more blocks. The only CU player with more than that in one season is Ashley Williams (4 in 2003).
NCAA Stats Are Out
The fourth edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics was released on October 1st, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked fourth in blocks per set (3.08), 29th in winning percentage (.813), 28th in hitting percentage (.257) and 59th in digs per set (16.47). Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning leads the country in blocks per set (1.70) and is 24th in hitting percentage (.397). Kate Elman ranks 99th with 4.63 digs per set.
Titles x 2
Creighton won the USF Invitational and the Northern Colorado Classic in non-conference play this fall. This is the second time in school history the Jays have won multiple tournaments in the same season, having also done so in 2006 in the team's last 10-2 start.
MVC Opener Histories
With its Sept. 14 win vs. Missouri State, Creighton improved to 12-7 all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including seven straight wins and a 9-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (9) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories.
In the 11 previous seasons that Creighton has won its MVC opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and owns a combined .636 (126-72) 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 (41-89) winning percentage during league contests.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play started, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools harbored dreams of a regular-season league title.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
The only teams to win their 2012 MVC opener were Creighton, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.
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 17 of the last 18 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.
Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State and Indiana State have already lost MVC home matches this fall.
Triple-Double, With A Twist
Megan Bober moved into a tie for second-place on the MVC's all-time list when she earned her 10th career triple-double on Sept. 8 vs. Tulsa (34 assists, 15 digs, 11 blocks).
The match saw Bober become the first Jays player in history to have at least 10 assists and 10 blocks in any match, as Bober's previous high had been nine blocks.
Last fall Bober led the nation with nine triple-doubles, including 27 assists, 18 digs and 10 kills in a 3-2 win over Wichita State on Nov. 4th.
Besides her triple-double vs. Tulsa, Bober owns six other matches where she owned a assist-dig double-double and had between seven and nine kills.
Talented Team
Only two freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference are averaging at least 2.25 kills and 2.25 digs per set thus far, Creighton's Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.67 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (3.04 kps., 3.08 dps.).
A year ago at this time, Jereb and Rosch were prep teammates at Cary-Grove (Ill.) High School, part of a team that was state runner-up and also won the 2010 and 2011 AAU Junior National Championships at the club level.
Strong Start
Creighton is off to an 13-3 start, including four wins over the MVC, two each versus the Big East and Conference USA, and one victory each over the Big Ten, Summit League, MAC, WAC and Big Sky.
Included is victories over the defending regular-season and tournament champions from Conference USA (Tulsa) and the Big Sky Conference (Northern Colorado).
Elman Nearing 300 Digs
Freshman libero Kate Elman continues her strong play in the back row, as she reached 100 career digs in just six matches to equal the quickest to that milestone in Bluejay history. Bianca Rivera had 106 digs through six contests during the 2007 campaign.
Elman currently owns 278 digs through 14 matches, good for 4.63 digs per set, and is one of three women in the MVC to have 10 or more digs in every match this season.
Elman is the only freshman in that grouping, which also includes Ashley Mason (Missouri State) and Bailey Yeager (Southern Illinois).
Elman's 16 straight matches with 10 or more digs to open her career is the second-longest such streak in Bluejay history, as Rivera had 27 straight to begin her career in 2007.
Elman went over 200 career digs in her 13th match, which is tied for second-fastest in CU history. Rivera needed just 11 matches, while Nayka Benitez also took 13 contests to get there.
If Elman keeps at her current pace, she'll surpass 300 digs this weekend. Rivera needed 15 matches to set the record, but second-place is in reach, as it required Benitez 18 contests to get there.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 10th straight season that Creighton Volleyball has at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as freshmen Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen have joined the program.
Interestingly, the Jays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch
Freshmen Serve It Up
Four of Creighton's six most common servers are freshmen, so it should come as little surprise that the Jays own 46 of their 76 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class consisting of Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with 15 aces, while Jansen is tied for second with 12 service winners.
Title Town Once Again
Creighton made its first trip to the state of Florida a memorable one, winning the USF Invitational with victories over UCF (3-1), USF (3-0) and Wisconsin (3-1) on Aug. 24-25.
The title was the program's first since winning the Blue Raider Bash in 2006, and school's eighth tournament title all-time.
The Jays made it two titles in three weeks with the Northern Colorado Classic crown on Sept. 7-8.
It marks the second time in CU history that the Jays have won two tournaments in the same fall, having also done so in 2006.
Honors Roll In
Creighton had three players honored for their play in the USF Invitational to open the season.
Kate Elman was named MVC Freshman of the Week after leading all MVC freshmen by averaging 5.09 digs. Elman also served up three aces and had 14 assists.
Sophomore Michelle Sicner averaged 1.91 kills and 1.45 blocks per set while hitting a healthy .386 in the three victories. She had 10 kills on .643 hitting in the Saturday win vs. USF.
Michelle Bober was named USF Invitational MVP after averaging 8.73 assists, 3.09 digs, 2.18 kills and 0.64 blocks per set while hitting .408. Bober was also named MVC Player of the Week, MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week and CVU.com National Player of the Week.
Bober Passes Century Mark
Megan Bober has started all 111 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 65 wins in that span.
Bober is the fourth player in Bluejay history to make 110 or more starts, a group that includes Allie Oelke (120), Korie Lebeda (119) and Jessica Houts (119).
Bober is tied for seventh place in CU history for matches played with Melissa Weisensee and Sarah Schulze.
Bober Starts 3,500-350-350 Club
Megan Bober owns 3,741 assists, 695 kills and 359 blocks in her fine career, making her the Creighton first player with at least 3,500 assists, 350 kills and 350 blocks.
The only other player even close to Bober's totals is Korie Lebeda, who finished her career with 5,281 assists, 411 kills and 278 blocks.
Net Gain
Creighton continues to lead all MVC teams in blocking, averaging 3.08 stuffs per set. The Jays have three players averaging more than 1.00 blocks per frame (Heather Thorson, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning), the MVC's only school that can claim that. Creighton has out-blocked foes 185.0 - 90.0 thus far, and been out-blocked in just one match all season (Kansas State).
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was 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 second and Wichita State third. Creighton is fourth and Illinois State fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Southern Illinois, Bradley, Indiana State, Evansville and Drake.
In addition, Megan Bober was named preseason all-MVC. She joins Wichita State's Emily Adney as the lone players to repeat on last year's preseason All-Valley list.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in eight of the past nine years.
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
2012 4th ??? ???
New Opportunity at Libero
Kate Elman has been the lone libero used by Creighton so far. She's the first freshman in school history to make her debut wearing the libero jersey.
Since the libero became legal in 2002, the Jays have used multiple liberos in a season just three times (2005, 2006, 2010), and only used 11 different players in that role (Janeen Piller, Molly Lahr, Emily Greisch, Brittany Coleman, Mallory Lahm, Katie Mehal, Sarah Schulze, Bianca Rivera, Nayka Benitez, Julianne Mandolfo, Kate Elman).
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 30-17 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last year and a 1-1 mark this year. 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 17-14
2012 1-1 13-3
Total 45-45 264-270
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won five matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 171-1 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
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
Production Returning
Creighton returns 9-of-14 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1287 (92.6%) 103 (7.4%)
Matches Started 142 (76.3%) 44 (23.7%)
Blocks 289 (63.6%) 108 (36.4%)
Kills 987 (66.2%) 505 (33.8%)
Points 1262.0 (65.7%) 659.0 (34.3%)
Aces 86 (65.2%) 46 (34.8%)
Digs 1186 (58.8%) 830 (41.2%)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 153 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 140-13. CU is 147-17 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 24-101 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 17-14 last season, including a 12-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays tied a program record with three First-Team All-MVC picks, as Megan Bober, Julianne Mandolfo and Laurel Sanford were all honored. In addition, Leah McNary and Michelle Sicner were both named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 22 matches (13 home and 9 away) this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) and KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at 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:
2012 Volleyball Broadcast Schedule
Oct. 5 Northern Iowa (KZOT)
Oct. 6 Bradley (KZOT)
Oct. 12 at Illinois State (KOIL)
Oct. 20 at Drake (KOIL)
Oct. 26 Evansville (KOIL)
Oct. 27 Southern Illinois (KOIL)
Nov. 2 at Bradley (KOIL)
Nov. 3 at Northern Iowa (KZOT)
Nov. 9 Indiana State (KZOT)
Nov. 10 Illinois State (KOIL)
Nov. 16 at Wichita State (KOIL)
Nov. 17 at Missouri State (KZOT)
Nov. 22-24 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.
Oct. 5 7:00 pm Northern Iowa at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Oct. 6 5:00 pm Bradley at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball (13-3, 4-1 MVC) is home for the third time in four weekends as it hosts a pair of MVC matches this Friday and Saturday.
The second-place Bluejays will host first place Northern Iowa (13-5, 5-0 MVC) on Friday night at 7 pm.
On Saturday night, Creighton welcomes Bradley (6-10, 0-5 MVC) to town for a 5 pm match.
Both matches will be held at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,500).
Pre-Game Chili Feed Friday Night
Fans are invited to a pre-game chili feed set for Friday, Oct. 5 at Billy Blue's Alumni Grill located on the lower level of the Mike & Josie Harper Center on campus from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., prior to the Bluejays hosting UNI.
Cost of the all-you-can-eat chili feed, an event open to all Creighton fans, is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 11 and under and $3.00 for Creighton students with a valid identification.
Radio Information
Both Creighton matches this weekend will air on the KZOT (1180 AM), with Brad Burwell and Rachel Houseman on the call.
The contests are also streamed free of charge on the internet at www.mighty1290koil.com and clicking on the Listen Live button.
Video Information
Both matches this weekend will be video webcast. To sign up, visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Video tab on the top of the page. A 4-month subscription costs $34.95, while a monthly subscription costs $10.95 per month.
Fans can also purchase a 24-hour pass ($4.99) or a 48-hour pass ($5.99) that begins the moment you sign up.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats graphic at the top of the page for the exact link.
Live stats from all Creighton home events are also available on your mobile phone by clicking on www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton (13-3, 4-1 MVC) has tied its best 16-match start in the program's modern history and is alone in second place in the MVC with a 4-1 record.
Creighton's has beaten five NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago (Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Ball State, Wichita State, Missouri State), and its only losses have come to Kansas State, Kansas and Southern Illinois.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.73 aps., 2.83 dps., 1.68 kps., 1.02 bps., .291%) was named Tournament MVP at the USF Invitational and All-Tournament at Northern Colorado. She was the lone Bluejay to earn Preseason All-MVC accolades this fall, has started all 111 matches in a Creighton uniform, and is the team's active leader in assists, blocks, digs, kills and aces.
Creighton's leading attackers have been sophomores Leah McNary (3.03 kps., .251%) and Kelli Browning (2.95 kps., 1.70 bps., .397%). McNary owns 10 or more kills in seven of CU's last eight matches, while Browning tied an MVC record with 15 block assists vs. Tulsa (Sept. 8th) and leads the nation in blocking.
Creighton's freshman class is also making an impact, as Kate Elman (4.63 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.55 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.67 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.18 saps.) own 46 of the team's 76 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.47 kills, 1.27 aces, 16.47 digs and 3.08 blocks per set while hitting .257.
Scouting Northern Iowa
Three-time defending league champion Northern Iowa is 13-5 on the season, including five straight victories. UNI's 5-0 Valley record is good for first place and stretches their win streak in league play to 59 consecutive victories.
Three-time MVC Player of the Year Bre Payton has graduated, but junior Molly Turk has stepped in to average 11.05 assists per set.
Turk sets a well-balanced offense that includes Megan Lehman (3.27 kps.), Amy Braun (2.97 kps., 3.86 dps.), Shelby Kintzel (2.52 kps., 1.33 bps.) and Krista DeGeest (2.51 kps., 0.98 bps., .276%).
Candice Burke (4.89 dps., 0.25 saps.) leads UNI in digs and aces.
The Panthers average 14.08 kills, 0.94 aces, 17.02 digs and 2.56 blocks per set while hitting .234 overall.
Scouting Bradley
Bradley has lost 10 of 11 matches after a 5-0 start, including an 0-5 mark in MVC play. The Braves are 0-6 at home but a healthy 3-2 in road matches to date.
Alise Tupuritis leads BU with 2.95 kills per set, with Amy Angelos (2.79 kps., .271%) not far behind.
Other top contributors on offense include Madelyn Ervin (1.97 kps.) and Courtney Keefe (1.61 kps., 2.63 dps.).
Madison Kamp (9.32 aps.) sets the offense, while Lauren Zerante (4.16 dps.) is the team's libero.
BU averages 12.44 kills, 0.95 aces, 14.52 digs and 1.85 blocks per set while hitting .189 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 171-118 record in her 10th 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. She was named the 2010 CVU.com 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.
UNI is coached by Bobbi Petersen (Northern Iowa, 1990), who owns a 335-83 record in her 13th year with the Panthers. Petersen was named 2002 AVCA National Coach of the Year and also earned MVC Coach of the Year honors in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Generally regarded as one of the best players in MVC history, Petersen ranks sixth nationally among active coaches in winning percentage. Petersen is assisted by Kalani Mahi and Kim Davis.
Bradley is coached by Jenny Maurer (Washington [Mo.], 1999). Maurer spent four seasons as head coach at Lehigh before moving to Peoria last season. She is 18-26 in her second year at Bradley, and 58-97 in her sixth season overall as a head coach. She is assisted by Jimmy Munoz and Lindsay Allman.
Series History vs. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa owns a 40-3 record all-time against Creighton, including an 18-1 record in Omaha. Creighton's lone win in Omaha came on Nov. 21, 2008 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which is also CU's only sweep of the Panthers in history.
The Panthers have ended Creighton's season at the MVC Tournament six of the last seven years.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-21 vs. Northern Iowa and 3-21 vs. Bobbi Petersen. Petersen is 28-3 overall against Creighton.
Series History vs. Bradley
Creighton owns a 22-15 lead in the series with Bradley, and the Jays lead 12-6 in Omaha. Creighton's 12-match win streak over Bradley was snapped in their most recent meeting, a 3-2 Braves win in Peoria on Nov. 12, 2011.
Creighton has won all but two of the last 18 meetings in the series, but four of those contests went the distance.
The winner of the first set has won each of the past 16 meetings in this series.
CU head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 16-2 vs. Bradley, and 1-1 against Jenny Maurer.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton split a pair of four-set road matches last weekend, losing at Southern Illinois on Friday before topping Evansville on Saturday. Kelli Browning led the Jays with 29 kills and 14 blocks on the weekend, while Kate Elman topped the club with 47 digs.
Just Do It, Again
Creighton hosts Northern Iowa on Friday night, where it will look to beat the Panthers for the first time since Nov. 21, 2008.
That was also the last time that UNI lost a regular-season match in MVC play. Since then, the Panthers have won 59 consecutive regular-season MVC matches, the second-longest streak in Valley history, and 16th longest streak against league opponents in NCAA history.
Northern Iowa has also won 65 straight matches against MVC opponents (including MVC Tournament play), a streak that ranks as the second-longest streak in MVC history and is also tied for the 15th-longest such streak in NCAA history.
1 vs. 2
Northern Iowa and Creighton aren't just first and second in the MVC standings, but also when it comes to hitting percentage and opponent's hitting percentage.
Northern Iowa is hitting .291 in MVC play and holding foes to .096 hitting. Both marks lead the league.
Creighton is second in both categories, hitting .275 on offense and slowing opponents to .147 efficiency.
Triple Up
Megan Bober had a triple-double in both meetings with Bradley last season. She had 35 assists, 10 digs and 13 kills on Oct. 14 in Omaha, then had 31 assists, 12 digs and 12 kills on Nov. 12 in Peoria.
Bober is the only player in program history to have multiple triple-doubles against the same program twice in the same season, having also done it last year vs. Drake as well.
First of Many?
Just a sophomore, MB Kelli Browning has torn up the MVC this year and is quickly approaching several school records for both a single-season and a career.
Browning is currently hitting at a .397 clip this season and a .336 mark for her career. Creighton's single-season record stands at .368 by Kelly Goc in 2007. Goc also owns the career mark of .296. Browning, who currently owns 231 career kills, will qualify for the career hitting percentage mark with 19 more kills.
Browning's 1.70 blocks per set is also on pace to shatter a Creighton mark for a single-season, easily outpacing the current mark of 1.48 blocks per set by Ashley Williams in 2003.
For those wondering, the last MVC player to average 1.70 blocks per set in a season was Missouri State's Sabrina Apker in 2005. The only MVC player to finish a year hitting .397 or better was Wichita State's Elizabeth Meyers, also in 2005.
Jereb Named MVC Freshman of the Week
Melanie Jereb was named MVC Freshman of the Week after averaging 2.67 kills, 2.92 digs and 1.00 bocks per set while hitting .304 in three matches last week. During the week, she had 32 kills and just four attack errors in 92 swings.
She opened her week with 15 digs, four kills and two blocks in a 3-1 win over South Dakota. She then had a double-double in her first career MVC road match, hitting .300 while finishing with 10 kills, 12 digs, four blocks and an ace at Southern Illinois.
Jereb closed out her weekend with 18 kills, eight digs, six blocks and an ace on .349 hitting in a 3-1 win at Evansville. Jereb's 18 kills were a career-high and the most by a Bluejay freshman against an MVC foe since Allie Oelke in 2007.
This is Jereb's second weekly honor of the season, also winning the same award on Sept. 17th.
Talented Prep Team
Two of Bradley's top freshmen, Lea Sack and Allie Falter, hail from Lincoln, Neb. Both Sack and Falter were high school teammates of Creighton MB Lauren Smith at Pius X.
The MVC also boasts two other Pius X products, as Drake's Scarlett Howerter and Cassie Effken also went to school there.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 33-15 (.688) all-time record in D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009. Seven of those 15 losses have come against ranked teams. The Jays are a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches in the building.
The Jays have been at their best in the facility during MVC play, where CU is 25-5 (.833). Northern Iowa owns three of those wins, while Missouri State can claim the other two. Against the other seven MVC rivals, Creighton is a perfect 23-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
Northern Iowa is 5-0 all-time in matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, beating Creighton three times in regular-season matches and winning twice in the 2009 MVC Tournament vs. Creighton and Wichita State.
Unranked Panthers An Unusual Sight
Northern Iowa started the year in the national rankings, but is no longer in the top-25. Friday will mark the first time the Jays have played an unranked UNI squad since Sept. 19, 2009. UNI had been ranked the past seven meetings.
Taking On The Favorites
Northern Iowa was the unanimous favorite to win the MVC this season, a role they've lived up to thus far.
The Jays are 3-20 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when taking on the league's preseason favorite, including a win over UNI in 2007.
New Kid On The Block
Sophomore Leah McNary has been leading Creighton in kills virtually all season long, but she got into the act with her blocking as well during last Tuesday's victory over South Dakota.
McNary entered the evening with 23 blocks in 13 matches, then had a career-best seven blocks vs. USD to lead all players.
McNary led Creighton in blocks in two different matches last season, but tied for the team lead in both instances.
September Surge
Creighton went 9-3 this September, one win shy of the school-record for victories in any month. Creighton's 2006 team went 10-3 in September.
Creighton is 49-31 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in October matches, including a 13-5 mark the past two seasons.
Let's Hear It For The Sophomores
Creighton's sophomore class earned 41 of Creighton's 56 kills in its Sept. 25th win over South Dakota.
Leah McNary had 20 kills, while classmate Kelli Browning chipped in with a career-best 18 kills. In addition, Michelle Sicner had three kills in the victory.
For the season, CU's sophomores (which also includes Katie Neisler and Savannah Smith) has been responsible for 413 of the team's 808 kills (51.1 percent).
Jack Of All Trades
Watch Megan Bober play and it's obvious her importance to Creighton. The senior setter and two-time All-Valley pick leads all active Bluejay players in kills (695), assists (3741), aces (68), digs (922) and blocks (359).
Bober already ranks in the top-10 in CU history in assists and blocks, and has a solid chance to finish in the top-10 in aces and digs as well.
Nov. 9 Start Time Changed
Creighton has changed the start time for its Nov. 9 match vs. Indiana State. The Jays and Sycamores will now begin at 5 pm Central at D.J. Sokol Arena.
The move was made to avoid going head-to-head with Creighton men's basketball's regular-season opener vs. North Texas, which begins at 7 pm at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Sweet Sixteen
Creighton's 13-3 start matches the program's best record after 16 matches, as the 2006 team also opened 13-3.
Creighton's most wins with four losses is 15 (also in 2006), while its most wins with five losses is also 15 (in 2006).
Top 30 RKPI
Monday marked the fourth rankings from the Rich Kern Percentage Index, a ranking system developed by RichKern.com that mimics the official NCAA RPI. Thanks in part to four wins over top-56 foes (Wisconsin, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Wichita State), the Jays are 27th in this week's RKPI. Kansas State and Kansas, the first two teams to beat CU this fall, are seventh and ninth, respectively, while Southern Illinois is No. 72.
CU's schedule is ranked as the No. 40th-toughest nationally.
Northern Iowa is No. 46 in the RKPI rankings, while Bradley comes in at No. 221.
Vote For CU!
Creighton received a pair of top-25 votes in the Aug. 27 AVCA poll. This was the first time in program history the team has received such recognition in the regular-season, as its only previous votes had come following the 2010 NCAA Tournament, when it received three points in the poll.
On Sept. 10th, Creighton reached new heights when it was voted into a tie for 36th place, earning seven votes.
The rise of the Jays continued on Sept. 17th, as Creighton is up to 32nd place with a best-ever total of 34 points in the poll.
On Sept. 24th, the Jays were in 33rd place, earning 14 votes.
Creighton did not receive any votes on October 1st.
Creighton in the AVCA Poll, All-Time
Date Votes Received Rank
12/21/10 3 36th
08/27/12 2 T-38th
09/10/12 7 T-36th
09/17/12 34 32nd
09/24/12 14 33rd
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 171-8 (.955) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 113-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 82-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-171 (.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
Freshman Digging Pipeline
Creighton had two freshmen with 20 or more digs on Sept. 19th, as both Kate Elman (21) and Melanie Jereb (20) reached that plateau at Kansas. Believe it or not, it's the first time since the program's 1994 reinstatement that two Bluejay freshmen have had 20 or more digs in the same match.
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2012 compares to the past two seasons, as well as the aforementioned 2006 club's first 16 matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 16 13-3 9-7 10-6 13-3
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.47 12.79 13.19 16.58
Hitting % .257 .197 .206 .221
Aces/Set 1.27 1.40 1.17 1.80
Digs/Set 16.47 17.49 18.58 17.49
Blocks/Set 3.08 2.55 2.51 2.84
CLASS Act
Creighton's Megan Bober is one of 30 student-athletes who excel both on and off the court and were announced as candidates for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Bober has started all 111 Creighton matches in the past four seasons and joined Northern Iowa's Amy Braun as the only MVC representatives on this year's list.
Bober ranks second in league history with 10 triple-doubles, and is currently averaging 1.68 kills, 9.73 assists, 2.83 digs and 1.02 blocks per set for a Bluejay team that is 13-3. In the classroom Bober maintains a 3.83 GPA while studying exercise science and is a four-time MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week selection.
Jereb A Past MVC Freshman of the Week
Melanie Jereb averaged 3.22 kills, 2.44 digs and 0.89 blocks per set while hitting .338 in wins vs. Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1) to earn her MVC Freshman of the Week award on Sept. 17th. She also handled 46 serve receptions without an error, 24 of which the Jays converted directly into a kill.
Jereb recorded her first two collegiate double-doubles in the wins, finishing with 15 kills and 10 digs vs. MSU and 14 kills and 12 digs vs. WSU. Jereb's 15 kills against Missouri State were a career-high, as were her seven blocks. She served the final three points in CU's opening set victory, and would end up the match-clinching kill in the fifth set as well. Against the Shockers, Jereb had kills on the final three points of a 25-19 set one victory. She would serve a 4-0 run that gave the Jays a 20-16 lead in the third set and help CU to a 2-1 lead in the match.
Special Six
Five of Creighton's wins this year have come against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams in Ball State, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Missouri State and Wichita State.
The Jays get another chance for such a win on Friday when UNI comes to town.
The Jays are now 5-1 against NCAA Tournament teams from 2011. The only Bluejay team in modern history with more wins against NCAA Tournament clubs was the 2008 squad that was 6-8 vs. 2007 NCAA qualifiers.
Year W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994 0-4
1995 0-2
1996 0-2
1997 0-3
1998 0-5
1999 2-4
2000 0-4
2001 1-6
2002 0-5
2003 0-3
2004 2-2
2005 0-6
2006 4-6
2007 4-9
2008 6-8
2009 1-11
2010 4-7
2011 2-6
2012 5-1
TOTAL 31-94
TOTAL Under Booth 28-59
Special Freshman
Freshman Melanie Jereb had double-doubles in wins vs. both Missouri State (15 kills, 10 digs) and Wichita State (14 kills, 12 digs) on Sept. 14-15, making her the league's only outside hitter to start with two double-doubles in league play in 2012.
The last Creighton freshman to open her Valley career with consecutive double-doubles was Allie Oelke in 2007, who remains the only player in CU history to be named MVC Freshman of the Year.
Air McNary
Leah McNary had a career-best 21 kills in the Sept. 15 win over Wichita State, five more than her previous high.
McNary had seven matches of 10 or more kills a year ago, and has now done it 11 times already this season.
The sophomore from Florida currently owns 10 or more kills in seven of CU's last eight contests.
McNary's 21 kills made her the first Bluejay with 20 or more kills since Laurel Sanford had 20 on Nov. 20, 2010 vs. Southern Illinois, and were the most since Alicia Runge had 21 kills at Wichita State on Nov. 5, 2010.
McNary is also the first player since Runge in 2010 with two contests of 20 or more kills in the same season.
Hundred in Hand
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 171 wins at the helm of the Bluejays.
That's 103 more than the previous record held by Howard Wallace, who went 68-94 as head coach from 1997-2002.
Booth surpassed Wallace as the program's winningest coach on Aug. 25, 2007.
Working On The Weekend
Picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll, Creighton turned heads with wins over Missouri State (picked second) and Wichita State (picked third) during the first weekend of league play.
It's just the third time ever that CU has toppled the Bears and Shockers on the same weekend, having also done so in 1997 and in 2010.
Blocking Bluejays
Creighton tied a school-record by recording 21 blocks in its Sept. 8 win over Tulsa. CU's 38 block assists matched the high previous set on Sept. 4, 2009 vs. Lipscomb, while its 21 total blocks matched the team's performance on Sept. 19, 2003 vs. Southern Illinois.
In addition, sophomore MB Kelli Browning set a CU record and tied an MVC record with 15 block assists in a single match. Browning is the fourth player in league history with 15 block assists in a single contest.
Browning Honored By MVC
Sophomore Kelli Browning was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10 after a huge weekend in Colorado. A middle blocker from Waukesha, Wis., Browning earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Northern Colorado Classic after hitting .362 and averaging 2.80 kills, 2.60 blocks and 0.30 aces per set in wins over three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
Browning opened her weekend with a then-career-best eight blocks in a 3-0 win over Ball State, adding four kills an ace, and a dig.
In Saturday (Sept. 8) morning's match vs. Tulsa, Browning had 11 kills on .276 hitting while adding an ace and a dig. She also tied an MVC record with 15 block assists in a match, easily eclipsing her personal best from one day earlier. Nine of her blocks came against All-American Tyler Henderson, the nation's leader in kills in 2010 who was forced into 15 attack errors in the match.
Browning closed her weekend with 13 kills, three blocks and .571 hitting against Northern Colorado in a sweep that clinched the Northern Colorado Classic title.
Double-Double Day
In addition to her MVC record 15 blocks vs. Tulsa on Sept. 8, sophomore Kelli Browning also recorded 11 kills for her first career double-double.
Browning then had her second career double-dip on Sept. 14 vs. Missouri State when she had 16 kills and 11 blocks. Browning had her third double-double at Kansas on Sept. 19, finishing with 15 kills and 11 blocks.
Browning finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 148 kills and 88 blocks after 14 matches in 2012.
Browning owns three matches this season with 10 or more blocks. The only CU player with more than that in one season is Ashley Williams (4 in 2003).
NCAA Stats Are Out
The fourth edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics was released on October 1st, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked fourth in blocks per set (3.08), 29th in winning percentage (.813), 28th in hitting percentage (.257) and 59th in digs per set (16.47). Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning leads the country in blocks per set (1.70) and is 24th in hitting percentage (.397). Kate Elman ranks 99th with 4.63 digs per set.
Titles x 2
Creighton won the USF Invitational and the Northern Colorado Classic in non-conference play this fall. This is the second time in school history the Jays have won multiple tournaments in the same season, having also done so in 2006 in the team's last 10-2 start.
MVC Opener Histories
With its Sept. 14 win vs. Missouri State, Creighton improved to 12-7 all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including seven straight wins and a 9-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (9) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories.
In the 11 previous seasons that Creighton has won its MVC opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and owns a combined .636 (126-72) 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 (41-89) winning percentage during league contests.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play started, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools harbored dreams of a regular-season league title.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
The only teams to win their 2012 MVC opener were Creighton, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.
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 17 of the last 18 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.
Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State and Indiana State have already lost MVC home matches this fall.
Triple-Double, With A Twist
Megan Bober moved into a tie for second-place on the MVC's all-time list when she earned her 10th career triple-double on Sept. 8 vs. Tulsa (34 assists, 15 digs, 11 blocks).
The match saw Bober become the first Jays player in history to have at least 10 assists and 10 blocks in any match, as Bober's previous high had been nine blocks.
Last fall Bober led the nation with nine triple-doubles, including 27 assists, 18 digs and 10 kills in a 3-2 win over Wichita State on Nov. 4th.
Besides her triple-double vs. Tulsa, Bober owns six other matches where she owned a assist-dig double-double and had between seven and nine kills.
Talented Team
Only two freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference are averaging at least 2.25 kills and 2.25 digs per set thus far, Creighton's Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.67 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (3.04 kps., 3.08 dps.).
A year ago at this time, Jereb and Rosch were prep teammates at Cary-Grove (Ill.) High School, part of a team that was state runner-up and also won the 2010 and 2011 AAU Junior National Championships at the club level.
Strong Start
Creighton is off to an 13-3 start, including four wins over the MVC, two each versus the Big East and Conference USA, and one victory each over the Big Ten, Summit League, MAC, WAC and Big Sky.
Included is victories over the defending regular-season and tournament champions from Conference USA (Tulsa) and the Big Sky Conference (Northern Colorado).
Elman Nearing 300 Digs
Freshman libero Kate Elman continues her strong play in the back row, as she reached 100 career digs in just six matches to equal the quickest to that milestone in Bluejay history. Bianca Rivera had 106 digs through six contests during the 2007 campaign.
Elman currently owns 278 digs through 14 matches, good for 4.63 digs per set, and is one of three women in the MVC to have 10 or more digs in every match this season.
Elman is the only freshman in that grouping, which also includes Ashley Mason (Missouri State) and Bailey Yeager (Southern Illinois).
Elman's 16 straight matches with 10 or more digs to open her career is the second-longest such streak in Bluejay history, as Rivera had 27 straight to begin her career in 2007.
Elman went over 200 career digs in her 13th match, which is tied for second-fastest in CU history. Rivera needed just 11 matches, while Nayka Benitez also took 13 contests to get there.
If Elman keeps at her current pace, she'll surpass 300 digs this weekend. Rivera needed 15 matches to set the record, but second-place is in reach, as it required Benitez 18 contests to get there.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 10th straight season that Creighton Volleyball has at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as freshmen Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen have joined the program.
Interestingly, the Jays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch
Freshmen Serve It Up
Four of Creighton's six most common servers are freshmen, so it should come as little surprise that the Jays own 46 of their 76 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class consisting of Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with 15 aces, while Jansen is tied for second with 12 service winners.
Title Town Once Again
Creighton made its first trip to the state of Florida a memorable one, winning the USF Invitational with victories over UCF (3-1), USF (3-0) and Wisconsin (3-1) on Aug. 24-25.
The title was the program's first since winning the Blue Raider Bash in 2006, and school's eighth tournament title all-time.
The Jays made it two titles in three weeks with the Northern Colorado Classic crown on Sept. 7-8.
It marks the second time in CU history that the Jays have won two tournaments in the same fall, having also done so in 2006.
Honors Roll In
Creighton had three players honored for their play in the USF Invitational to open the season.
Kate Elman was named MVC Freshman of the Week after leading all MVC freshmen by averaging 5.09 digs. Elman also served up three aces and had 14 assists.
Sophomore Michelle Sicner averaged 1.91 kills and 1.45 blocks per set while hitting a healthy .386 in the three victories. She had 10 kills on .643 hitting in the Saturday win vs. USF.
Michelle Bober was named USF Invitational MVP after averaging 8.73 assists, 3.09 digs, 2.18 kills and 0.64 blocks per set while hitting .408. Bober was also named MVC Player of the Week, MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week and CVU.com National Player of the Week.
Bober Passes Century Mark
Megan Bober has started all 111 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 65 wins in that span.
Bober is the fourth player in Bluejay history to make 110 or more starts, a group that includes Allie Oelke (120), Korie Lebeda (119) and Jessica Houts (119).
Bober is tied for seventh place in CU history for matches played with Melissa Weisensee and Sarah Schulze.
Bober Starts 3,500-350-350 Club
Megan Bober owns 3,741 assists, 695 kills and 359 blocks in her fine career, making her the Creighton first player with at least 3,500 assists, 350 kills and 350 blocks.
The only other player even close to Bober's totals is Korie Lebeda, who finished her career with 5,281 assists, 411 kills and 278 blocks.
Net Gain
Creighton continues to lead all MVC teams in blocking, averaging 3.08 stuffs per set. The Jays have three players averaging more than 1.00 blocks per frame (Heather Thorson, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning), the MVC's only school that can claim that. Creighton has out-blocked foes 185.0 - 90.0 thus far, and been out-blocked in just one match all season (Kansas State).
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was 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 second and Wichita State third. Creighton is fourth and Illinois State fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Southern Illinois, Bradley, Indiana State, Evansville and Drake.
In addition, Megan Bober was named preseason all-MVC. She joins Wichita State's Emily Adney as the lone players to repeat on last year's preseason All-Valley list.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in eight of the past nine years.
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
2012 4th ??? ???
New Opportunity at Libero
Kate Elman has been the lone libero used by Creighton so far. She's the first freshman in school history to make her debut wearing the libero jersey.
Since the libero became legal in 2002, the Jays have used multiple liberos in a season just three times (2005, 2006, 2010), and only used 11 different players in that role (Janeen Piller, Molly Lahr, Emily Greisch, Brittany Coleman, Mallory Lahm, Katie Mehal, Sarah Schulze, Bianca Rivera, Nayka Benitez, Julianne Mandolfo, Kate Elman).
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 30-17 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last year and a 1-1 mark this year. 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 17-14
2012 1-1 13-3
Total 45-45 264-270
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won five matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 171-1 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
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
Production Returning
Creighton returns 9-of-14 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1287 (92.6%) 103 (7.4%)
Matches Started 142 (76.3%) 44 (23.7%)
Blocks 289 (63.6%) 108 (36.4%)
Kills 987 (66.2%) 505 (33.8%)
Points 1262.0 (65.7%) 659.0 (34.3%)
Aces 86 (65.2%) 46 (34.8%)
Digs 1186 (58.8%) 830 (41.2%)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 153 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 140-13. CU is 147-17 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 24-101 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 17-14 last season, including a 12-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bluejays tied a program record with three First-Team All-MVC picks, as Megan Bober, Julianne Mandolfo and Laurel Sanford were all honored. In addition, Leah McNary and Michelle Sicner were both named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 22 matches (13 home and 9 away) this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) and KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at 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:
2012 Volleyball Broadcast Schedule
Oct. 5 Northern Iowa (KZOT)
Oct. 6 Bradley (KZOT)
Oct. 12 at Illinois State (KOIL)
Oct. 20 at Drake (KOIL)
Oct. 26 Evansville (KOIL)
Oct. 27 Southern Illinois (KOIL)
Nov. 2 at Bradley (KOIL)
Nov. 3 at Northern Iowa (KZOT)
Nov. 9 Indiana State (KZOT)
Nov. 10 Illinois State (KOIL)
Nov. 16 at Wichita State (KOIL)
Nov. 17 at Missouri State (KZOT)
Nov. 22-24 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.
Players Mentioned
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DS
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DS
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OH
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OH
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OH
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RS/OH
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S
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MB
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MB
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OH/DS
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball Pink Out Recap vs. Seton Hall
Wednesday, October 22
Creighton Media Availability Volleyball - 10/21/25
Tuesday, October 21
Creighton Volleyball vs Seton Hall Postgame Press Conference - 10-19-25
Sunday, October 19
Creighton Women's Volleyball Highlights vs. St. John's - 10-17-25
Saturday, October 18
