Volleyball Seeks Best Start in Televised Match at Kansas
9/18/2012 9:43:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 19
6:30 pm
Creighton at Kansas (1180 AM/Cox 2)
Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Athletic Center)
Up Next
Creighton Volleyball (10-1, 2-0 MVC) steps out of Missouri Valley Conference play to play a road match at Kansas (11-2, 0-0 Big 12).
Wednesday's contest will take place in Lawrence, Kan., and be held inside the Horejsi Family Athletic Center (1,300).
Radio Information
Wednesday's match will air on 1180 AM (KZOT), with Brad Burwell and Rob Anderson on the call. The contest will be streamed on the internet free of charge and can be heard on-line at www.1180zone2.com, then clicking on the “Listen Live” button at the top of the page.
Television Information
Wednesday's match will be televised by MetroSports out of Kansas City and carried in Omaha on Cox 2. Brenda VanLengen and Jill Dorsey-Hall will handle announcing duties.
Coordinates are as follows:
Coordinates: GAL 17K - 18 Lower 18 MHz
Band: KU
Confirmation: 324145 VS
Orbital Position: 91 Degrees West
Bandwith: 18 MHz
Uplink Frequency: 14351.000 (H)
Uplink Polarity: Horizontal
Downlink Frequency: 12051.000 (V)
Downlink Polarity: Vertical
Channel: Lower
Video Information
Wednesday's match will be streamed by Kansas at http://www.kuathletics.com/allaccess/. A monthly subscription costs $9.95 per month.
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 (10-1) has matched its best start in program history, winning two of its first three weekend tournaments before opening league play with victories over MVC powers Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1). Included in Creighton's six-match winning streak is wins over five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.40 aps., 2.72 dps., 1.77 kps., .327%) 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 106 matches in a Creighton uniform.
Creighton's leading attackers have been sophomores Leah McNary (3.00 kps., .254%) and Kelli Browning (2.67 kps., 1.75 bps., .415%). McNary had a career-high 21 kills on Saturday vs. Wichita State, 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 (4.45 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.47 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.40 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.17 saps.) own 35 of the team's 55 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.27 kills, 1.38 aces, 16.12 digs and 3.03 blocks per set while hitting .258.
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 Kansas
Kansas won three straight weekend tournaments and enters Wednesday's match with an 11-2 record. Its nine-match win streak was snapped on Sunday at Notre Dame. KU's most impressive wins include Tulsa, Arizona State and Loyola Marymount, while its first loss came Aug. 25 at Arkansas.
Junior MB Caroline Jarmoc, who was named Tournament MVP in all three of those events, leads the Jayhawks with 3.84 kills and 1.44 blocks per set while hitting .434. Another powerful offensive weapon is sophomore OH Sara McClinton, who averages 3.49 kills per set while hitting .253.
In addition, Catherine Carmichael (2.67 kps.), Taylor Tolefree (2.51 kps., .357%, 1.20 bps.) and Chelsea Albers (2.22 kps., 1.17 bps.) each average multiple kills per set.
Junior setter Erin McNorton runs the offense with 12.36 assists per set, while junior Brianne Riley leads the way with 5.38 digs per set.
As a team, KU averages 14.64 kills, 0.96 aces, 15.98 digs and 2.93 blocks per set while hitting .266 as a team.
The Jayhawks return five starters (and its libero) and 13 letterwinners overall from a team that went 15-14 last season and were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 this fall.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 168-116 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.
Kansas is coached by Ray Bechard, who is 233-204 in his 15th year at the school, and 949-264 in 28 years overall as a head coach. He's assisted by Laura Kuhn, Todd Chamberlain and Wendel Camargo.
Series History vs. Kansas
Kansas has won all four previous matches against Creighton, claiming victories in 2002 (3-0 in Omaha), 2003 (3-0 in Lawrence), 2009 (3-1 in Lawrence) and 2010 (3-1 in Omaha). The Jays also lost matches in Lawrence in 2003 to North Carolina and Arkansas in 2003 as part of the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic.
In the most recent Creighton-Kansas encounter, Allison Mayfield had 14 kills and 20 digs to lead KU to the Bluejay Invitational title. Creighton was paced by 13 kills from Alicia Runge.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-3 against Kansas and Ray Bechard.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton opened MVC play 2-0 with impressive victories over Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1). Leah McNary averaged 3.78 kills per set in the two wins, while Melanie Jereb had a pair of double-doubles and averaged 3.22 kills and 2.44 digs per set.
Top 10 RPI
Monday marked the second 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 sixth in this week's RKPI. Kansas State, the only team to beat CU this fall, leads the initial RKPI rankings.
Kansas is No. 15 in this week's RKPI.
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 this week, as Creighton is up to 32nd place with a best-ever total of 34 points in the poll.
Creighton also had one voter select the Jays 25th in the Sept. 3rd poll, but AVCA policy requires multiple votes in order to be listed in the “others receiving votes” category of its weekly poll.
Jereb Named 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.
Best Start Matched
Creighton's 10-1 start matches that of the 2006 team that began 10-1 for the best in program history.
That 2006 team would lose a non-conference road match on Sept. 19 (at South Dakota State) before hosting Drake on Sept. 22 and finish the season 21-10.
This year's team has a non-conference road match on Sept. 19 (at Kansas) and will host Drake on Sept. 22nd.
Special Six
Creighton takes a six-match win streak into Wednesday's contest at Kansas. Making the streak all the more impressive is that the last five wins have all come against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams in Ball State, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Missouri State and Wichita State.
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
Six Shooters
Creighton's six straight wins is tied for the program's third-longest streak since its 1994 reinstatement. The 2008 team won eight in a row for the record, and CU won seven straight in 2004.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
8 Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2
7 Sept. 4-Sept. 17, 2004 Illinois State, 3-0
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 6, 2007 Wichita State, 3-0
6 Sept. 1, 2012-Pres. ? ? ?
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) last weekend, making her the league's only outside hitter with two double-doubles in league play thus far.
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.
Creighton's last player to open with three straight double-doubles in MVC action was Erin Swanson in 2001.
Creighton's last freshman to open with three straight double-doubles in MVC action was Kailey Reyes in 1998. The only other freshman with three straight double-doubles to open MVC play was Melissa Weisensee in 1994.
Television Turns Out
Creighton will have three upcoming matches televised by Cox 2 in the coming weeks, the most in any season under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Wednesday match at Kansas is the first one, and will be followed by 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.
Wednesday will be the Jays 11th television appearance under Booth. The Jays are 3-7 in 10 previous appearances on the small screen under Booth.
Creighton Volleyball on Television, Since 2003
Date Opponent TV Coverage W-L
09/23/03 at UMKC Mediacom W 3-1
10/11/05 at #1 Nebraska Time Warner L 0-3
11/09/07 at Missouri State Mediacom W 3-1
11/10/07 at #24 Wichita State Cox Wichita L 0-3
10/05/08 at #2 Nebraska NET/CBSCS L 0-3
10/03/09 Missouri State NET-HD L 0-3
10/23/10 at #14 Northern Iowa Mediacom L 0-3
11/27/10 at #11 Northern Iowa FSN Midwest L 1-3
09/08/11 at #11 Nebraska NET-HD L 0-3
11/03/11 Wichita State Cox/Kansas 22 W 3-2
Flying High
Leah McNary had a career-best 21 kills in Saturday's 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 seven more times already this season.
The sophomore from Florida currently owns three straight matches of 10 or more kills for the first time in her career.
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.
Home Away From Home
Creighton is 4-0 on neutral floors this season and 2-0 in true road matches, giving the Jays a flawless 6-0 mark away from D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton has never won its first seven matches away from home to begin a season, as this year's start has matched 2006's 6-0 start.
Hundred in Hand
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 168 wins at the helm of the Bluejays.
That's 100 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) last weekend.
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.
Do I Know You?
Creighton should see some familiar faces when looking across the net on Wednesday vs. Kansas.
The Jayhawks feature four Nebraska natives, a quartet that includes Chelsea Albers (Papillion), Jessie Allen (Phillips), Maggie Anderson (Lincoln) and Sara McClinton (Omaha).
McClinton was a high school classmate of Creighton's Michelle Sicner at Millard North High School.
One other name in the KU line-up that could be familiar to Bluejay fans is junior OH Catherine Carmichael. She is the sister of Illinois State men's basketball standout Jackie Carmichael.
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 finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 107 kills and 70 blocks after 11 matches in 2012.
Browning owns two matches this season with 10 or more blocks. The only players with more than that in one season are Ashley Williams (4 in 2003) and Jessica Houts (3 in 2009).
NCAA Stats Are Out
The second edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics were released on Monday, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked eighth in blocks per set (3.03), 20th in winning percentage (.909), 41st in hitting percentage (.258) and 59th in digs per set (16.13).
Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning leads the country in blocks per set (1.75) and is 19th in hitting percentage (.415), making her one of the nation's four players in the top-20 of both categories. That group also includes Kansas star Caroline Jarmoc.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 32-15 (.681) 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 24-5 (.828). 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 22-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
This Saturday Creighton will host Drake. The Jays have won 18 straight sets at home against the Bulldogs, and 10 straight home matches overall vs. DU.
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 10-1 start.
MVC Opener Histories
With last Friday's 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.
In MVC home openers, Creighton is now 14-5 overall and 8-2 under Booth.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play started last weekend, 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 and Evansville 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.
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., 2.40 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (2.71 kps., 2.93 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 a 10-1 start, including two wins over the MVC, 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 11 matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 11 10-1 5-6 6-5 10-1
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.27 12.21 13.02 16.88
Hitting % .258 .192 .188 .230
Aces/Set 1.38 1.18 0.98 1.59
Digs/Set 16.12 16.15 18.32 17.20
Blocks/Set 3.03 2.45 2.48 2.98
Common Opponents?
Creighton and Kansas share just one common opponent to date, as both teams defeated defending Conference USA champion Tulsa in four sets.
The Bluejays beat Tulsa 25-19, 21-25, 29-27, 25-21 on Sept. 8 in Greeley, while the Jayhawks beat Tulsa 25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 27-25 on Aug. 31 in Lawrence.
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 179 digs through 11 matches, good for 4.45 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 11 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.
Rivera owns the school-record for fewest matches to 200 digs (11), while Nayka Benitez ranks third (13 in 2009).
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 35 of their 55 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class consisting of Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with 12 aces, just ahead of Jereb's nine. Jansen is third with eight.
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 106 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 62 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 3,533 assists, 665 kills and 341 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 continues to lead all MVC teams in blocking, averaging 3.03 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 121.0 - 58.0 thus far.
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).
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 150 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 137-13. CU is 144-17 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.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 30-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last year and a 1-0 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 1-0 10-1
Total 45-44 261-268
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 168-8 (.955) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 109-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 80-4 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 168-1 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. 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)
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.
6:30 pm
Creighton at Kansas (1180 AM/Cox 2)
Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Athletic Center)
Up Next
Creighton Volleyball (10-1, 2-0 MVC) steps out of Missouri Valley Conference play to play a road match at Kansas (11-2, 0-0 Big 12).
Wednesday's contest will take place in Lawrence, Kan., and be held inside the Horejsi Family Athletic Center (1,300).
Radio Information
Wednesday's match will air on 1180 AM (KZOT), with Brad Burwell and Rob Anderson on the call. The contest will be streamed on the internet free of charge and can be heard on-line at www.1180zone2.com, then clicking on the “Listen Live” button at the top of the page.
Television Information
Wednesday's match will be televised by MetroSports out of Kansas City and carried in Omaha on Cox 2. Brenda VanLengen and Jill Dorsey-Hall will handle announcing duties.
Coordinates are as follows:
Coordinates: GAL 17K - 18 Lower 18 MHz
Band: KU
Confirmation: 324145 VS
Orbital Position: 91 Degrees West
Bandwith: 18 MHz
Uplink Frequency: 14351.000 (H)
Uplink Polarity: Horizontal
Downlink Frequency: 12051.000 (V)
Downlink Polarity: Vertical
Channel: Lower
Video Information
Wednesday's match will be streamed by Kansas at http://www.kuathletics.com/allaccess/. A monthly subscription costs $9.95 per month.
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 (10-1) has matched its best start in program history, winning two of its first three weekend tournaments before opening league play with victories over MVC powers Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1). Included in Creighton's six-match winning streak is wins over five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
Two-time First-Team All-MVC pick Megan Bober (9.40 aps., 2.72 dps., 1.77 kps., .327%) 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 106 matches in a Creighton uniform.
Creighton's leading attackers have been sophomores Leah McNary (3.00 kps., .254%) and Kelli Browning (2.67 kps., 1.75 bps., .415%). McNary had a career-high 21 kills on Saturday vs. Wichita State, 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 (4.45 dps.), Ashley Jansen (2.47 dps.), Melanie Jereb (2.33 kps., 2.40 dps.) and Lizzy Stivers (0.17 saps.) own 35 of the team's 55 aces thus far.
As a team, Creighton averages 13.27 kills, 1.38 aces, 16.12 digs and 3.03 blocks per set while hitting .258.
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 Kansas
Kansas won three straight weekend tournaments and enters Wednesday's match with an 11-2 record. Its nine-match win streak was snapped on Sunday at Notre Dame. KU's most impressive wins include Tulsa, Arizona State and Loyola Marymount, while its first loss came Aug. 25 at Arkansas.
Junior MB Caroline Jarmoc, who was named Tournament MVP in all three of those events, leads the Jayhawks with 3.84 kills and 1.44 blocks per set while hitting .434. Another powerful offensive weapon is sophomore OH Sara McClinton, who averages 3.49 kills per set while hitting .253.
In addition, Catherine Carmichael (2.67 kps.), Taylor Tolefree (2.51 kps., .357%, 1.20 bps.) and Chelsea Albers (2.22 kps., 1.17 bps.) each average multiple kills per set.
Junior setter Erin McNorton runs the offense with 12.36 assists per set, while junior Brianne Riley leads the way with 5.38 digs per set.
As a team, KU averages 14.64 kills, 0.96 aces, 15.98 digs and 2.93 blocks per set while hitting .266 as a team.
The Jayhawks return five starters (and its libero) and 13 letterwinners overall from a team that went 15-14 last season and were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 this fall.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 168-116 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.
Kansas is coached by Ray Bechard, who is 233-204 in his 15th year at the school, and 949-264 in 28 years overall as a head coach. He's assisted by Laura Kuhn, Todd Chamberlain and Wendel Camargo.
Series History vs. Kansas
Kansas has won all four previous matches against Creighton, claiming victories in 2002 (3-0 in Omaha), 2003 (3-0 in Lawrence), 2009 (3-1 in Lawrence) and 2010 (3-1 in Omaha). The Jays also lost matches in Lawrence in 2003 to North Carolina and Arkansas in 2003 as part of the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic.
In the most recent Creighton-Kansas encounter, Allison Mayfield had 14 kills and 20 digs to lead KU to the Bluejay Invitational title. Creighton was paced by 13 kills from Alicia Runge.
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-3 against Kansas and Ray Bechard.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton opened MVC play 2-0 with impressive victories over Missouri State (3-2) and Wichita State (3-1). Leah McNary averaged 3.78 kills per set in the two wins, while Melanie Jereb had a pair of double-doubles and averaged 3.22 kills and 2.44 digs per set.
Top 10 RPI
Monday marked the second 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 sixth in this week's RKPI. Kansas State, the only team to beat CU this fall, leads the initial RKPI rankings.
Kansas is No. 15 in this week's RKPI.
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 this week, as Creighton is up to 32nd place with a best-ever total of 34 points in the poll.
Creighton also had one voter select the Jays 25th in the Sept. 3rd poll, but AVCA policy requires multiple votes in order to be listed in the “others receiving votes” category of its weekly poll.
Jereb Named 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.
Best Start Matched
Creighton's 10-1 start matches that of the 2006 team that began 10-1 for the best in program history.
That 2006 team would lose a non-conference road match on Sept. 19 (at South Dakota State) before hosting Drake on Sept. 22 and finish the season 21-10.
This year's team has a non-conference road match on Sept. 19 (at Kansas) and will host Drake on Sept. 22nd.
Special Six
Creighton takes a six-match win streak into Wednesday's contest at Kansas. Making the streak all the more impressive is that the last five wins have all come against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams in Ball State, Tulsa, Northern Colorado, Missouri State and Wichita State.
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
Six Shooters
Creighton's six straight wins is tied for the program's third-longest streak since its 1994 reinstatement. The 2008 team won eight in a row for the record, and CU won seven straight in 2004.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
8 Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2
7 Sept. 4-Sept. 17, 2004 Illinois State, 3-0
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 6, 2007 Wichita State, 3-0
6 Sept. 1, 2012-Pres. ? ? ?
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) last weekend, making her the league's only outside hitter with two double-doubles in league play thus far.
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.
Creighton's last player to open with three straight double-doubles in MVC action was Erin Swanson in 2001.
Creighton's last freshman to open with three straight double-doubles in MVC action was Kailey Reyes in 1998. The only other freshman with three straight double-doubles to open MVC play was Melissa Weisensee in 1994.
Television Turns Out
Creighton will have three upcoming matches televised by Cox 2 in the coming weeks, the most in any season under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Wednesday match at Kansas is the first one, and will be followed by 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.
Wednesday will be the Jays 11th television appearance under Booth. The Jays are 3-7 in 10 previous appearances on the small screen under Booth.
Creighton Volleyball on Television, Since 2003
Date Opponent TV Coverage W-L
09/23/03 at UMKC Mediacom W 3-1
10/11/05 at #1 Nebraska Time Warner L 0-3
11/09/07 at Missouri State Mediacom W 3-1
11/10/07 at #24 Wichita State Cox Wichita L 0-3
10/05/08 at #2 Nebraska NET/CBSCS L 0-3
10/03/09 Missouri State NET-HD L 0-3
10/23/10 at #14 Northern Iowa Mediacom L 0-3
11/27/10 at #11 Northern Iowa FSN Midwest L 1-3
09/08/11 at #11 Nebraska NET-HD L 0-3
11/03/11 Wichita State Cox/Kansas 22 W 3-2
Flying High
Leah McNary had a career-best 21 kills in Saturday's 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 seven more times already this season.
The sophomore from Florida currently owns three straight matches of 10 or more kills for the first time in her career.
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.
Home Away From Home
Creighton is 4-0 on neutral floors this season and 2-0 in true road matches, giving the Jays a flawless 6-0 mark away from D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton has never won its first seven matches away from home to begin a season, as this year's start has matched 2006's 6-0 start.
Hundred in Hand
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 168 wins at the helm of the Bluejays.
That's 100 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) last weekend.
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.
Do I Know You?
Creighton should see some familiar faces when looking across the net on Wednesday vs. Kansas.
The Jayhawks feature four Nebraska natives, a quartet that includes Chelsea Albers (Papillion), Jessie Allen (Phillips), Maggie Anderson (Lincoln) and Sara McClinton (Omaha).
McClinton was a high school classmate of Creighton's Michelle Sicner at Millard North High School.
One other name in the KU line-up that could be familiar to Bluejay fans is junior OH Catherine Carmichael. She is the sister of Illinois State men's basketball standout Jackie Carmichael.
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 finished her freshman season with 54 kills and 33 blocks in 21 matches played, but already owns 107 kills and 70 blocks after 11 matches in 2012.
Browning owns two matches this season with 10 or more blocks. The only players with more than that in one season are Ashley Williams (4 in 2003) and Jessica Houts (3 in 2009).
NCAA Stats Are Out
The second edition of the NCAA Volleyball statistics were released on Monday, and Creighton is all over those figures.
Creighton is ranked eighth in blocks per set (3.03), 20th in winning percentage (.909), 41st in hitting percentage (.258) and 59th in digs per set (16.13).
Individually, sophomore Kelli Browning leads the country in blocks per set (1.75) and is 19th in hitting percentage (.415), making her one of the nation's four players in the top-20 of both categories. That group also includes Kansas star Caroline Jarmoc.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton owns a 32-15 (.681) 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 24-5 (.828). 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 22-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Valley action.
This Saturday Creighton will host Drake. The Jays have won 18 straight sets at home against the Bulldogs, and 10 straight home matches overall vs. DU.
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 10-1 start.
MVC Opener Histories
With last Friday's 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.
In MVC home openers, Creighton is now 14-5 overall and 8-2 under Booth.
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
When conference play started last weekend, 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 and Evansville 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.
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., 2.40 dps.) and Illinois State's Ashley Rosch (2.71 kps., 2.93 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 a 10-1 start, including two wins over the MVC, 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 11 matches.
Stat 2012 2011 2010 2006
W-L Thru 11 10-1 5-6 6-5 10-1
Final W-L ? 17-14 21-12 21-10
Tourney Titles 2 0 0 2
Kills/Set 13.27 12.21 13.02 16.88
Hitting % .258 .192 .188 .230
Aces/Set 1.38 1.18 0.98 1.59
Digs/Set 16.12 16.15 18.32 17.20
Blocks/Set 3.03 2.45 2.48 2.98
Common Opponents?
Creighton and Kansas share just one common opponent to date, as both teams defeated defending Conference USA champion Tulsa in four sets.
The Bluejays beat Tulsa 25-19, 21-25, 29-27, 25-21 on Sept. 8 in Greeley, while the Jayhawks beat Tulsa 25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 27-25 on Aug. 31 in Lawrence.
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 179 digs through 11 matches, good for 4.45 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 11 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.
Rivera owns the school-record for fewest matches to 200 digs (11), while Nayka Benitez ranks third (13 in 2009).
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 35 of their 55 aces so far from their highly-regarded freshman class consisting of Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen, Kate Elman and Lizzy Stivers Elman leads CU with 12 aces, just ahead of Jereb's nine. Jansen is third with eight.
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 106 matches since the beginning of the 2009 season, helping CU to 62 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 3,533 assists, 665 kills and 341 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 continues to lead all MVC teams in blocking, averaging 3.03 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 121.0 - 58.0 thus far.
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).
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 150 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 137-13. CU is 144-17 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.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 30-16 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark last year and a 1-0 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 1-0 10-1
Total 45-44 261-268
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 168-8 (.955) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 109-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 80-4 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 168-1 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. 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)
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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OH/DS
/ VolleyballCreighton vs. Kentucky Volleyball Press Conference - 12/13/25
Sunday, December 14
Creighton Volleyball NCAA Tournament Highlights vs. Kentucky, 12/13/25
Saturday, December 13
Kentucky Volleyball Media Availability - 12/12/25
Friday, December 12
Arizona State Volleyball Press Conference After Creighton Match - 12/11/25
Thursday, December 11
