Saturday, October 11
Villanova, Pa.
6:00 PM
Creighton University
6-113-7, Big East
3
at
1
Villanova
10-12, 3-4Big East
1
2
3
4
F
Creighton
25
20
25
25
3
Villanova
17
25
15
23
1
Volleyball Wraps Up Road Trip With 3-1 Win at Villanova
10/11/2014 8:20:00 PM | Volleyball
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The Creighton Volleyball team won for the seventh time in the last eight matches with a 3-1 victory at Villanova on Saturday night. Scores of the match in favor of CU were 25-17, 20-25, 25-15, 25-23.
Creighton is now 13-7 on the year (6-1 BIG EAST), while Villanova dropped to 10-12, 3-4 (BIG EAST).
Creighton took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-17 victory in the first set. The Bluejays were clicking on all cylinders offensively, crushing 18 kills while hitting .455 in 33 swings. Jess Bird had six kills and Kelli Browning added five more for the visitors, which got 15 assists by Maggie Baumert.
The Wildcats evened the match in the second frame, taking a 25-20 decision. With the score tied at 10-all, the hosts embarked on a 10-4 run and would not trail again.
The Jays dominated the third set, a 25-15 victory. CU forced five attack errors in the first seven points to build a 6-1 lead and never trailed. Leah McNary had four kills and Wilkinson added four blocks in the third set victory as CU held the Wildcats to -.091 hitting in 44 swings.
Creighton had to overcome a 20-16 deficit in the fourth set to preserve the victory. A 5-0 run on Melanie Jereb's serve put the Jays in front 21-20. After the Wildcats answered to go ahead 23-22, CU closed out the match with kills by Lauren Smith, Browning and Wilkinson. Smith had five kills in the last frame while Browning and Wilkinson both had four as part of a Bluejay ofense that had 17 more kills. Kate Elman added nine digs in the frame.
"We were lackluster in games 1 and 2 in terms of energy and we challenged them at halftime to pick up what they were giving emotionally," said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "I was pleased at how we came out to play the 3rd game and we battled back from a significant deficit to win the 4th. I feel like our offense has been really good but wasn't as crisp this weekend as it had been. "
The Bluejays featured a balanced attack on the night, as Browning and Bird each had 12 kills while Wilkinson and Smith both notched 11 kills. Elman paced CU with 23 digs, while Baumert recorded 47 assists, eight digs and five kills while setting the Bluejay offense. Creighton recorded 59 kills, four aces, 74 digs and 9.5 blocks on .242 hitting.
Villanova had 44 kills, six aces, 66 digs and 10.0 blocks while hitting .116. Lauren Carpenter had 13 kills and nine digs for VU, while Michelle Adams finished with 23 digs.
Creighton returns to action on Friday at 6 pm when it hosts St. John's to open a five-match homestand. Bluejay Madness will follow after the match.
NOTES: Lauren Pettit, the daughter of legendary Nebraska coach Terry Pettit, had 19 assists and three digs for VU ... Jess Bird owns 10 or more kills in each of her last four starts since returning from knee surgery ... Creighton remains one game out of first place, trailing Seton Hall in the league standings ... Kate Elman tied Julianne Mandolfo's school-record with her 32nd career match of 20 or more digs.
Creighton is now 13-7 on the year (6-1 BIG EAST), while Villanova dropped to 10-12, 3-4 (BIG EAST).
Creighton took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-17 victory in the first set. The Bluejays were clicking on all cylinders offensively, crushing 18 kills while hitting .455 in 33 swings. Jess Bird had six kills and Kelli Browning added five more for the visitors, which got 15 assists by Maggie Baumert.
The Wildcats evened the match in the second frame, taking a 25-20 decision. With the score tied at 10-all, the hosts embarked on a 10-4 run and would not trail again.
The Jays dominated the third set, a 25-15 victory. CU forced five attack errors in the first seven points to build a 6-1 lead and never trailed. Leah McNary had four kills and Wilkinson added four blocks in the third set victory as CU held the Wildcats to -.091 hitting in 44 swings.
Creighton had to overcome a 20-16 deficit in the fourth set to preserve the victory. A 5-0 run on Melanie Jereb's serve put the Jays in front 21-20. After the Wildcats answered to go ahead 23-22, CU closed out the match with kills by Lauren Smith, Browning and Wilkinson. Smith had five kills in the last frame while Browning and Wilkinson both had four as part of a Bluejay ofense that had 17 more kills. Kate Elman added nine digs in the frame.
"We were lackluster in games 1 and 2 in terms of energy and we challenged them at halftime to pick up what they were giving emotionally," said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "I was pleased at how we came out to play the 3rd game and we battled back from a significant deficit to win the 4th. I feel like our offense has been really good but wasn't as crisp this weekend as it had been. "
The Bluejays featured a balanced attack on the night, as Browning and Bird each had 12 kills while Wilkinson and Smith both notched 11 kills. Elman paced CU with 23 digs, while Baumert recorded 47 assists, eight digs and five kills while setting the Bluejay offense. Creighton recorded 59 kills, four aces, 74 digs and 9.5 blocks on .242 hitting.
Villanova had 44 kills, six aces, 66 digs and 10.0 blocks while hitting .116. Lauren Carpenter had 13 kills and nine digs for VU, while Michelle Adams finished with 23 digs.
Creighton returns to action on Friday at 6 pm when it hosts St. John's to open a five-match homestand. Bluejay Madness will follow after the match.
NOTES: Lauren Pettit, the daughter of legendary Nebraska coach Terry Pettit, had 19 assists and three digs for VU ... Jess Bird owns 10 or more kills in each of her last four starts since returning from knee surgery ... Creighton remains one game out of first place, trailing Seton Hall in the league standings ... Kate Elman tied Julianne Mandolfo's school-record with her 32nd career match of 20 or more digs.
Team Stats
CU
VU
Kills
59
44
Errors
21
26
Attempts
157
155
Hitting %
.242
.116
Points
72.5
60.0
Assists
56
44
Aces
4
6
Blocks
9.5
10.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball Postgame Press Conference vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Kansas, 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Press Conference - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
#18 Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Highlights - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
