Volleyball Opens MVC Play With MSU, WSU
9/12/2012 12:38:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend
Sept. 14 6 pm Missouri State at Creighton (1290 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 15 6 pm Wichita State at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball (8-1, 0-0 MVC) returns home to open Missouri Valley Conference play against two of the top three picks in the preseason league poll.
The Bluejays host Missouri State (5-6, 0-0 MVC) on Friday at 6 pm, then host Wichita State (6-3, 0-0 MVC) on Saturday at 6 pm. Both contests will be at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,500).
Radio Information
Both Creighton matches this weekend will air on the radio, with Brad Burwell and Erin Swanson on the call. Friday's match will be streamed free of charge on the internet at www.mighty1290koil.com and clicking on the Listen Live button.
Saturday's match is tentatively scheduled to air on KZOT (1180 AM), which can be heard on-line at www.1180zone2.com. In the event that the Omaha Storm Chasers are playing game four of its playoff series on Saturday, Creighton's match vs. Wichita State would move to KOIL (1290 AM), with that audio link available on www.mighty1290koil.com.
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 left sidebar. 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 (8-1) is off to its best start since 2006, winning two of its first three weekend tournaments. Last weekend the Jays beat three NCAA Tournament teams to win the Northern Colorado Classic, topping Ball State (3-0), Tulsa (3-1) and Northern Colorado (3-0) en route to the title.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.32 aps., 2.68 dps., 1.81 kps., .333%) 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, and has started all 104 matches in a Creighton uniform.
Fellow senior Heather Thorson (2.35 kps., 1.06 bps., .267%) is third on the team in blocks and in kills. She teams with fellow MB Kelli Browning (2.74 kps., 1.71 bps., .446%) in the middle. Both middle blockers earned All-Tournament Team plaudits in Greeley.
Creighton's freshman class is also making an impact, as Kate Elman (4.61 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.61 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.06 kps., 2.39 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.20 saps.) own 32 of the team's 40 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.29 kills, 1.29 aces, 16.32 digs and 3.11 blocks per set while hitting .255.
Creighton returns nine letterwinners and five starters from last year's team that finished 17-14 overall and fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 12-6 league record. The Bluejays were picked fourth (of 10 teams) in the MVC this fall.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State is off to a 5-6 start this season, but has won gone 4-2 in September. The Bears remain a strong team at home, but are winless in four matches away from the Hammons Student Center, including road losses at Kansas State and Oklahoma, and neutral setbacks vs. Tulsa and Western Michigan.
Christine McCartney, the 2010 MVC Freshman of the Year, leads the Bears with 3.28 kills per set and is fourth on the team with 2.62 digs per set. McCartney gets front-line help from Olivia Brand, the 2011 MVC Freshman of the Year, who averages 2.45 kills per set.
Carly Thomas is one of the MVC's top setters, averaging 11.15 assists and 3.17 digs per set, while libero Ashley Mason leads MSU with 4.53 digs per set.
As a team, MSU averages 14.00 kills, 0.80 aces, 17.78 digs and 2.26 blocks per set while hitting .208. The Bears return four starters and their libero from a team that finished 22-9 last year and made the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 6-3 this year and coming off a title at the SMU Doubletree Invitational in Dallas. The Shockers lost in five sets to nationally-ranked BYU and Tennessee at home, and also fell in the season-opener to New Mexico State in a match contested in DeKalb, Ill.
Emily Adney tops WSU with 2.82 kills per set, with Sam Sanders (2.36 kps., .276%) and Ashley Andrade (2.34 kps., 1.00 bps., .335%) not far behind.
Papillion native Chelsey Feekin averages 9.50 assists per set while taking over the setter role and she is second on the team with 0.29 aces per set.
Wichita State brings back four starters from last year's team that finished 21-11, including an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 166-116 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.
Melissa Stokes is in her 17th season at Missouri State, where she owns a 362-170 record. Stokes owns more MVC wins than any coach in league history, and has led MSU to seven NCAA Tournaments in the last nine years. Jeni Jones, Fritz Rosenberg and Katelyn Panzau are assistant coaches.
Four-time MVC Coach of the Year Chris Lamb is in his 13th season with Wichita State. Lamb owns a 267-115 record, all with the Shockers, and led WSU to the second round of the 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009 NCAA Tournaments. He is assisted by Jeff Sanders and RJ Abella.
Series History vs. Missouri State
Missouri State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 30-7 margin, including a 14-4 mark in Omaha.
Creighton has closed the gap in recent seasons, winning four times since 2007, but MSU has won the past three meetings.
The Jays have swept the Bears just once in 37 all-time meetings, that coming on Oct. 4, 1997 in Springfield.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 4-14 all-time vs. MSU and Melissa Stokes, while Stokes is 25-8 in her career vs. the Bluejays.
Series History vs. Wichita State
Wichita State owns a 21-18 lead in 39 all-time match-ups with Creighton, but the Jays have won four of the past seven meetings.
Creighton owns an 11-7 record in Omaha against WSU, including wins in all three meetings held at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton beat the then-No. 25 Shockers in four sets in Omaha on October 2, 2009, the Jays first win against a ranked team in 36 attempts.
Creighton and Wichita State have traded wins and losses in the past eight meetings, with CU winning in five sets last November in the most recent encounter.
The first set winner of the CU-WSU match has won 15 of the past 17 meetings and 19 of the past 22 match-ups. Additionally, Wichita State has won 22 straight third sets against the Bluejays.
Booth is 7-13 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 15-11 vs. Creighton all-time.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton won the Northern Colorado Classic, beating Ball State (3-0), Tulsa (3-1) and Northern Colorado (3-0) en route to the crown. Heather Thorson, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning were named to the All-Tournament Team for Creighton, which averaged a whopping 4.10 blocks per set last week.
Been There, Done That
Creighton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to come back and beat Wichita State in five sets on Nov. 4, 2011, when the teams last met.
Five of Creighton's last seven wins against the Shockers have been five-set victories.
Additionally, both of Creighton's last two wins over Missouri State have required five sets.
Creighton is 4-0 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena in five-set matches.
Wichita State is 2-2 in five-set matches this year, while Missouri State is 1-1 in marathon contests.
Top 10 RPI
Monday marked the debut of 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-55 foes (Wisconsin, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Denver), the Jays are seventh in this week's RKPI. Kansas State, the only team to beat CU this fall, leads the initial RKPI rankings.
Wichita State is No. 25 in this week's RKPI rankings, while Missouri State comes in at 120th.
Blocking Bluejays
Creighton tied a school-record by recording 21 blocks in Saturday's 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 Monday 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 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 last Saturday, sophomore Kelli Browning also recorded 11 kills for her first career double-double.
Browning finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 85 kills and 53 blocks after nine matches in 2012.
NCAA Stats Are Out
The first edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics were released on Monday, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked fourth in blocks per set (3.11), 21st in winning percentage (.889), 50th in hitting percentage (.255) and 55th in digs per set (16.32).
Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning ranks second in blocks per set (1.71) and 14th in hitting percentage (.446), making her the nation's only player in the top-15 of both categories.
Also in the top-100 of a category are freshman Kate Elman, who ranks 93rd with 4.61 digs per set and sophomore Michelle Sicner, who is 90th with 1.18 blocks per set.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 30-15 (.667) all-time record in D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009. Seven of those 15 losses have come against ranked teams.
The Jays have been at their best in the facility during MVC play, where CU is 22-5 (.815). 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 21-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
Titles x 2
Creighton won the USF Invitational and the Northern Colorado Classic prior to this weekend's start of MVC play. 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 8-1 start.
Top Starts Ever
Creighton's 8-1 start matches the program's best mark ever after nine matches, as the 2006 team also opened 8-1. That 2006 team would start 10-1 before losing its second match.
MVC Opener Histories
Creighton owns an 11-7 record all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including six straight wins and an 8-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (8) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories.
In the 11 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.
In MVC home openers, Creighton is 13-5 overall and 7-2 under Booth.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play starts this weekend, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools will harbor dreams of a regular-season league title.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
Home Losses Are Also Devastating
The 2006 Northern Iowa and 2007 Wichita State teams are the only programs in MVC history to lose a home conference match and still win the regular-season title outright in that same season.
It's also worth noting that 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.
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 last Saturday 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.
Talented Team
Only two freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference are averaging at least 2.00 kills and 2.00 digs per set thus far, Creighton's Melanie Jereb (2.06 kps., 2.39 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (2.58 kps., 2.92 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 8-1 start, including two wins over the Big East and Conference USA, and one victory each over the Big Ten, 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).
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 nine matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 9 8-1 3-6 4-5 8-1
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.29 11.55 12.76 16.44
Hitting % .255 .178 .182 .233
Aces/Set 1.29 1.18 0.85 1.59
Digs/Set 16.32 15.64 18.50 16.29
Blocks/Set 3.11 2.48 2.46 3.03
Common Opponents?
Without any common MVC opponents yet, perhaps its best to compare how Creighton did against some of the same non-conference foes that Missouri State played.
Creighton and Missouri State share two common foes, as both squads have played Tulsa on a neutral floor and Kansas State. Creighton beat Tulsa in four sets, while MSU was swept by the Golden Hurricane. Both CU and MSU were swept by nationally-ranked Kansas State.
Creighton and Wichita State share no common opponents at this juncture.
Elman Over 100 Digs Already
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 143 digs through nine matches, good for 4.61 digs per set, and is one of four women in the MVC to have 10 or more digs in every match this season.
Elman is the only freshman in that grouping, which includes Ashley Mason (Missouri State), Bailey Yeager (Southern Illinois) and Jackie Church (Wichita State).
Elman's nine 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.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 10th straight season that Creighton Volleyball will have at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as freshmen Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen join 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 servers are freshmen, so it should come as little surprise that the Jays own 32 of their 40 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class. Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with nine aces, just ahead of Jereb's seven. Jansen and Stivers are tied for third on the team in aces with six each.
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 is 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 last weekend with the Northern Colorado Classic crown.
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 104 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 60 wins in that span.
Bober is the sixth player in Bluejay history to make 100 or more starts, a group that includes Allie Oelke (120), Korie Lebeda (119), Jessica Houts (119), Melissa Walsh (107) and Kelly Goc (103).
Bober is also the sixth player in CU history to play in 100 straight matches to start her career, joining Oelke, Lebeda, Walsh, Leah Ratzlaff and Melissa Weisensee.
Bober Starts 3,000-300-300 Club
Megan Bober owns 3,446 assists, 650 kills and 332 blocks in her fine career, making her the Creighton first player with at least 3,000 assists, 300 kills and 300 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 leads all MVC teams after two weekends in blocking, averaging 3.11 stuffs per set. The Jays have four players averaging more than 1.00 blocks per frame (Heather Thorson, Michelle Sicner, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning), the nation's only school that can claim that. Creighton has out-blocked foes 96.5 - 45.0 thus far.
We've Got Votes
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.
Creighton also had one voter select the Jays 25th in last week's poll, but AVCA policy requires multiple votes in order to be listed in the “others receiving votes” category of its weekly poll.
Television Turns Out
Creighton will have three upcoming matches televised by Cox 2 in the coming weeks.
Creighton's Sept. 19 match at Kansas will air, as will home contests vs. both South Dakota (Sept. 25) and Illinois State (Nov. 10).
Creighton has appeared on television 10 times previously since 2003, including Cox's telecast of a 3-2 win home win vs. Wichita State on Nov. 4, 2011.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 68-70 in the 46 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 6-6 mark last year and an 8-1 mark this season. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 48-37 in 30 regular-season tournaments, including seven titles.
Before winning the USF Invitational crown in August, 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.
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).
The Votes Add Up
Creighton had six matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Creighton will play No. 21 Northern Iowa in both Omaha and Cedar Falls, and also has a home-and-home series with vote-getter Wichita State. Creighton also hosted No. 21 Kansas State on Sept. 1st, and played vote-getter Tulsa on Sept. 8 in Greeley, Colo.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 29-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last 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 0-0 8-1
Total 44-44 259-268
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 167-8 (.954) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 108-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 79-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-170 (.034) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-58 mark in those home matches. Those six comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
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 166-1 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%)
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
Sept. 14 Missouri State (KOIL)
Sept. 15 Wichita State (KZOT or KOIL)
Sept. 19 at Kansas (KZOT)
Sept. 22 Drake (KZOT)
Sept. 25 South Dakota (KZOT)
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)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 148 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 135-13. CU is 142-17 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 24-99 under Booth when it drops the first set.
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.
Sept. 14 6 pm Missouri State at Creighton (1290 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 15 6 pm Wichita State at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball (8-1, 0-0 MVC) returns home to open Missouri Valley Conference play against two of the top three picks in the preseason league poll.
The Bluejays host Missouri State (5-6, 0-0 MVC) on Friday at 6 pm, then host Wichita State (6-3, 0-0 MVC) on Saturday at 6 pm. Both contests will be at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,500).
Radio Information
Both Creighton matches this weekend will air on the radio, with Brad Burwell and Erin Swanson on the call. Friday's match will be streamed free of charge on the internet at www.mighty1290koil.com and clicking on the Listen Live button.
Saturday's match is tentatively scheduled to air on KZOT (1180 AM), which can be heard on-line at www.1180zone2.com. In the event that the Omaha Storm Chasers are playing game four of its playoff series on Saturday, Creighton's match vs. Wichita State would move to KOIL (1290 AM), with that audio link available on www.mighty1290koil.com.
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 left sidebar. 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 (8-1) is off to its best start since 2006, winning two of its first three weekend tournaments. Last weekend the Jays beat three NCAA Tournament teams to win the Northern Colorado Classic, topping Ball State (3-0), Tulsa (3-1) and Northern Colorado (3-0) en route to the title.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.32 aps., 2.68 dps., 1.81 kps., .333%) 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, and has started all 104 matches in a Creighton uniform.
Fellow senior Heather Thorson (2.35 kps., 1.06 bps., .267%) is third on the team in blocks and in kills. She teams with fellow MB Kelli Browning (2.74 kps., 1.71 bps., .446%) in the middle. Both middle blockers earned All-Tournament Team plaudits in Greeley.
Creighton's freshman class is also making an impact, as Kate Elman (4.61 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.61 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.06 kps., 2.39 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.20 saps.) own 32 of the team's 40 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.29 kills, 1.29 aces, 16.32 digs and 3.11 blocks per set while hitting .255.
Creighton returns nine letterwinners and five starters from last year's team that finished 17-14 overall and fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 12-6 league record. The Bluejays were picked fourth (of 10 teams) in the MVC this fall.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State is off to a 5-6 start this season, but has won gone 4-2 in September. The Bears remain a strong team at home, but are winless in four matches away from the Hammons Student Center, including road losses at Kansas State and Oklahoma, and neutral setbacks vs. Tulsa and Western Michigan.
Christine McCartney, the 2010 MVC Freshman of the Year, leads the Bears with 3.28 kills per set and is fourth on the team with 2.62 digs per set. McCartney gets front-line help from Olivia Brand, the 2011 MVC Freshman of the Year, who averages 2.45 kills per set.
Carly Thomas is one of the MVC's top setters, averaging 11.15 assists and 3.17 digs per set, while libero Ashley Mason leads MSU with 4.53 digs per set.
As a team, MSU averages 14.00 kills, 0.80 aces, 17.78 digs and 2.26 blocks per set while hitting .208. The Bears return four starters and their libero from a team that finished 22-9 last year and made the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 6-3 this year and coming off a title at the SMU Doubletree Invitational in Dallas. The Shockers lost in five sets to nationally-ranked BYU and Tennessee at home, and also fell in the season-opener to New Mexico State in a match contested in DeKalb, Ill.
Emily Adney tops WSU with 2.82 kills per set, with Sam Sanders (2.36 kps., .276%) and Ashley Andrade (2.34 kps., 1.00 bps., .335%) not far behind.
Papillion native Chelsey Feekin averages 9.50 assists per set while taking over the setter role and she is second on the team with 0.29 aces per set.
Wichita State brings back four starters from last year's team that finished 21-11, including an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 166-116 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.
Melissa Stokes is in her 17th season at Missouri State, where she owns a 362-170 record. Stokes owns more MVC wins than any coach in league history, and has led MSU to seven NCAA Tournaments in the last nine years. Jeni Jones, Fritz Rosenberg and Katelyn Panzau are assistant coaches.
Four-time MVC Coach of the Year Chris Lamb is in his 13th season with Wichita State. Lamb owns a 267-115 record, all with the Shockers, and led WSU to the second round of the 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009 NCAA Tournaments. He is assisted by Jeff Sanders and RJ Abella.
Series History vs. Missouri State
Missouri State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 30-7 margin, including a 14-4 mark in Omaha.
Creighton has closed the gap in recent seasons, winning four times since 2007, but MSU has won the past three meetings.
The Jays have swept the Bears just once in 37 all-time meetings, that coming on Oct. 4, 1997 in Springfield.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 4-14 all-time vs. MSU and Melissa Stokes, while Stokes is 25-8 in her career vs. the Bluejays.
Series History vs. Wichita State
Wichita State owns a 21-18 lead in 39 all-time match-ups with Creighton, but the Jays have won four of the past seven meetings.
Creighton owns an 11-7 record in Omaha against WSU, including wins in all three meetings held at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton beat the then-No. 25 Shockers in four sets in Omaha on October 2, 2009, the Jays first win against a ranked team in 36 attempts.
Creighton and Wichita State have traded wins and losses in the past eight meetings, with CU winning in five sets last November in the most recent encounter.
The first set winner of the CU-WSU match has won 15 of the past 17 meetings and 19 of the past 22 match-ups. Additionally, Wichita State has won 22 straight third sets against the Bluejays.
Booth is 7-13 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 15-11 vs. Creighton all-time.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton won the Northern Colorado Classic, beating Ball State (3-0), Tulsa (3-1) and Northern Colorado (3-0) en route to the crown. Heather Thorson, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning were named to the All-Tournament Team for Creighton, which averaged a whopping 4.10 blocks per set last week.
Been There, Done That
Creighton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to come back and beat Wichita State in five sets on Nov. 4, 2011, when the teams last met.
Five of Creighton's last seven wins against the Shockers have been five-set victories.
Additionally, both of Creighton's last two wins over Missouri State have required five sets.
Creighton is 4-0 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena in five-set matches.
Wichita State is 2-2 in five-set matches this year, while Missouri State is 1-1 in marathon contests.
Top 10 RPI
Monday marked the debut of 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-55 foes (Wisconsin, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Denver), the Jays are seventh in this week's RKPI. Kansas State, the only team to beat CU this fall, leads the initial RKPI rankings.
Wichita State is No. 25 in this week's RKPI rankings, while Missouri State comes in at 120th.
Blocking Bluejays
Creighton tied a school-record by recording 21 blocks in Saturday's 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 Monday 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 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 last Saturday, sophomore Kelli Browning also recorded 11 kills for her first career double-double.
Browning finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 85 kills and 53 blocks after nine matches in 2012.
NCAA Stats Are Out
The first edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics were released on Monday, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked fourth in blocks per set (3.11), 21st in winning percentage (.889), 50th in hitting percentage (.255) and 55th in digs per set (16.32).
Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning ranks second in blocks per set (1.71) and 14th in hitting percentage (.446), making her the nation's only player in the top-15 of both categories.
Also in the top-100 of a category are freshman Kate Elman, who ranks 93rd with 4.61 digs per set and sophomore Michelle Sicner, who is 90th with 1.18 blocks per set.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 30-15 (.667) all-time record in D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009. Seven of those 15 losses have come against ranked teams.
The Jays have been at their best in the facility during MVC play, where CU is 22-5 (.815). 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 21-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
Titles x 2
Creighton won the USF Invitational and the Northern Colorado Classic prior to this weekend's start of MVC play. 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 8-1 start.
Top Starts Ever
Creighton's 8-1 start matches the program's best mark ever after nine matches, as the 2006 team also opened 8-1. That 2006 team would start 10-1 before losing its second match.
MVC Opener Histories
Creighton owns an 11-7 record all-time in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including six straight wins and an 8-1 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Only Wichita State (8) has a longer active streak of league-opening victories.
In the 11 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.
In MVC home openers, Creighton is 13-5 overall and 7-2 under Booth.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play starts this weekend, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools will harbor dreams of a regular-season league title.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
Home Losses Are Also Devastating
The 2006 Northern Iowa and 2007 Wichita State teams are the only programs in MVC history to lose a home conference match and still win the regular-season title outright in that same season.
It's also worth noting that 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.
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 last Saturday 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.
Talented Team
Only two freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference are averaging at least 2.00 kills and 2.00 digs per set thus far, Creighton's Melanie Jereb (2.06 kps., 2.39 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (2.58 kps., 2.92 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 8-1 start, including two wins over the Big East and Conference USA, and one victory each over the Big Ten, 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).
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 nine matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 9 8-1 3-6 4-5 8-1
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.29 11.55 12.76 16.44
Hitting % .255 .178 .182 .233
Aces/Set 1.29 1.18 0.85 1.59
Digs/Set 16.32 15.64 18.50 16.29
Blocks/Set 3.11 2.48 2.46 3.03
Common Opponents?
Without any common MVC opponents yet, perhaps its best to compare how Creighton did against some of the same non-conference foes that Missouri State played.
Creighton and Missouri State share two common foes, as both squads have played Tulsa on a neutral floor and Kansas State. Creighton beat Tulsa in four sets, while MSU was swept by the Golden Hurricane. Both CU and MSU were swept by nationally-ranked Kansas State.
Creighton and Wichita State share no common opponents at this juncture.
Elman Over 100 Digs Already
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 143 digs through nine matches, good for 4.61 digs per set, and is one of four women in the MVC to have 10 or more digs in every match this season.
Elman is the only freshman in that grouping, which includes Ashley Mason (Missouri State), Bailey Yeager (Southern Illinois) and Jackie Church (Wichita State).
Elman's nine 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.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 10th straight season that Creighton Volleyball will have at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as freshmen Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen join 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 servers are freshmen, so it should come as little surprise that the Jays own 32 of their 40 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class. Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with nine aces, just ahead of Jereb's seven. Jansen and Stivers are tied for third on the team in aces with six each.
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 is 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 last weekend with the Northern Colorado Classic crown.
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 104 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 60 wins in that span.
Bober is the sixth player in Bluejay history to make 100 or more starts, a group that includes Allie Oelke (120), Korie Lebeda (119), Jessica Houts (119), Melissa Walsh (107) and Kelly Goc (103).
Bober is also the sixth player in CU history to play in 100 straight matches to start her career, joining Oelke, Lebeda, Walsh, Leah Ratzlaff and Melissa Weisensee.
Bober Starts 3,000-300-300 Club
Megan Bober owns 3,446 assists, 650 kills and 332 blocks in her fine career, making her the Creighton first player with at least 3,000 assists, 300 kills and 300 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 leads all MVC teams after two weekends in blocking, averaging 3.11 stuffs per set. The Jays have four players averaging more than 1.00 blocks per frame (Heather Thorson, Michelle Sicner, Megan Bober and Kelli Browning), the nation's only school that can claim that. Creighton has out-blocked foes 96.5 - 45.0 thus far.
We've Got Votes
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.
Creighton also had one voter select the Jays 25th in last week's poll, but AVCA policy requires multiple votes in order to be listed in the “others receiving votes” category of its weekly poll.
Television Turns Out
Creighton will have three upcoming matches televised by Cox 2 in the coming weeks.
Creighton's Sept. 19 match at Kansas will air, as will home contests vs. both South Dakota (Sept. 25) and Illinois State (Nov. 10).
Creighton has appeared on television 10 times previously since 2003, including Cox's telecast of a 3-2 win home win vs. Wichita State on Nov. 4, 2011.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 68-70 in the 46 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 6-6 mark last year and an 8-1 mark this season. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 48-37 in 30 regular-season tournaments, including seven titles.
Before winning the USF Invitational crown in August, 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.
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).
The Votes Add Up
Creighton had six matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Creighton will play No. 21 Northern Iowa in both Omaha and Cedar Falls, and also has a home-and-home series with vote-getter Wichita State. Creighton also hosted No. 21 Kansas State on Sept. 1st, and played vote-getter Tulsa on Sept. 8 in Greeley, Colo.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 29-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last 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 0-0 8-1
Total 44-44 259-268
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 167-8 (.954) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 108-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 79-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-170 (.034) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-58 mark in those home matches. Those six comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
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 166-1 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%)
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
Sept. 14 Missouri State (KOIL)
Sept. 15 Wichita State (KZOT or KOIL)
Sept. 19 at Kansas (KZOT)
Sept. 22 Drake (KZOT)
Sept. 25 South Dakota (KZOT)
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)
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 148 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 135-13. CU is 142-17 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one. In that same time span, CU is just 24-99 under Booth when it drops the first set.
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
MB
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DS
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DS
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OH
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RS/OH
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OH/DS
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