Volleyball Heads East; Looking To Continue Unbeaten BIG EAST Start
10/7/2014 1:13:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend
Oct. 10 6 pm CST Creighton at Seton Hall South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium)
Oct. 11 6 pm CST Creighton at Villanova Villanova, Pa. (Jake Nevin Field House)
This Weekend
Creighton (12-6, 5-0 BIG EAST) wraps up a four-match road swing with visits to Seton Hall (15-3, 5-0 BIG EAST) and Villanova (9-11, 2-3 BIG EAST) this weekend.
Friday will feature the teams tied atop the league standings when Creighton ventures to South Orange, N.J., to take on Seton Hall. First serve at Walsh Gymnasium (2,600) is scheduled for 6 pm Central (7 pm EST).
On Saturday, Creighton heads to Villanova, Pa., to take on Villanova. That match will also start at 6 pm Central (7 pm EST) and be held at Jake Nevin Field House (1,500).
Video Webcast Information
Both matches will be available for video webcast this weekend.
Friday's match requires a subscription to Seton Hall's “Pirate Vision” video webcast package. Visit shupirates.com, then click on the “Watch Now” option along the “Multimedia” menu bar item near the top right corner for details. The exact link is http://www.shupirates.com/collegesportslive/?media=459357.
Villanova will offer a subscription video webcast on Saturday night. From Villanova.com, select the “Nova Nation All-Access” option under the Multimedia tab on the menu bar at the top of the page. The exact link is http://www.villanova.com/collegesportslive/?media=462113.
Radio Broadcast Information
Seton Hall will have student radio station WSOU do Friday's match from South Orange.
“Pirate Radio” is available free of charge at http://www.iheart.com/live/WSOU-895-FM-5252/.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab at the top of the page for the exact link to the match.
Scouting Creighton
Ranked 23rd in the preseason poll, Creighton remains in the “others receiving votes” section of the top-25 after a 12-6 start. However, Creighton has been one of the hottest teams in the BIG EAST, winning six straight matches and seeing the return of sophomore Jess Bird recently.
Five of Creighton's six losses have come against top-25 teams (USC, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, Kansas), but the Bluejays have already defeated preseason favorites from the Missouri Valley Conference (Wichita State) and Atlantic Sun (Lipscomb).
A pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees, Kelli Browning (3.54 kps., 1.29 bps., .394%) and Leah McNary (2.82 kps.) have paced the Bluejay offense so far, while Kate Elman (4.57 dps., 0.21 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set and last weekend became the program's career digs leader.
Maggie Baumert (10.18 aps.) has taken over the setting duties for the league's most prolific offense and is coming off her first career triple-double in last Saturday's 3-1 win at Marquette.
Creighton averages 14.35 kills, 16.21 digs, 2.54 blocks and 1.04 aces per set while hitting .239 as a team.
Scouting Seton Hall
Picked sixth in the BIG EAST preseason poll, Seton Hall has won nine straight matches and is 15-3 overall. The Pirates have started 5-0 in league play for the first time since 1994.
Stacey Manthorpe (3.14 kps., 3.62 dps.) leads the team in kills, while sister Shelbey Manthorpe (9.52 aps., 2.98 dps., 1.66 kps.) serves as the team's setter. The duo have combined for astounding 114 career double-doubles (Shelbey 66, Stacey 48) and 25 triple-doubles (all by Shelbey).
Also averaging double-figure kills are Molly Grammer (2.42 kps.), Amanda Hansen (2.27 kps., 1.17 bps., .360%) and Danielle Schroeder (2.36 kps.), while Ashani Rubin paces the Pirates with 1.28 blocks per set and Tessa Fournier owns a team-high 4.90 digs per set.
As a team, Seton Hall averages 13.36 kills, 0.84 aces, 16.94 digs and 2.67 blocks per set while hitting .243.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova is off to a 9-11 start this season, including a 3-5 home mark and a 2-3 BIG EAST mark.
The Wildcats have been paced by Lauren Carpenter's 3.83 kills per set, while Colleen Hickey is second on the club with 2.08 kills per set.
Emma Pettit (6.85 aps.) and Allie Dibernardo (3.97 aps.) have each taken turns setting, while Allison Fitzgerald tops VU with 4.40 digs per set.
As a team, Villanova averages 11.85 kills, 1.00 aces, 16.12 digs and 1.92 blocks per set while hitting .168 overall.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 222-134 record in her 12th season with the Bluejays.
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, and named the CaptainU College Coach of the Year, as well as the MVC Coach of the Year, in 2012 following another run to the second round of the NCAA's and a school-record 29 victories.
The winningest coach in school history, Booth has led Creighton to its only three NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also led the Jays into the top-25 each of the last three years, another program first.
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 associate head coach Tom Mendoza, assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Kyle South.
Josh Steinbach (Penn State, 2002) is 119-108 in his eighth season at Villanova, making him the longest-tenured coach in program history. Before heading to Villanova, he had been an assistant at Wright State, Cincinnati, Penn State and San Diego Mesa CC. He is assisted by Amy Pauly and Ryan Sullivan. Allison Yaeger (Wright State, 2003) owns a 49-28 mark in her third year at Seton Hall. In her first year as head coach she led the Pirates to 18 wins the program's most since 2003. She is assisted by Allie Matters.
Series History vs. Seton Hall
Creighton split a pair of matches against Seton Hall last year, with the home team winning each time.
Creighton won in Omaha 25-28, 25-20, 25-18 on Nov. 3 before the Pirates got revenge in four sets in New Jersey by a 18-25, 27-25, 28-26, 25-17 margin.
In those two meetings, Jess Bird led Creighton with 26 kills, Kate Elman had 44 digs and Kelli Browning had 18 blocks in those seven sets.
Seton Hall was paced by 21 kills from Stacey Manthorpe, while Shelbey Manthorpe had 57 assists, 21 digs, 12 blocks and 11 kills in the matches.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-1 all-time against Seton Hall and coach Allison Yaeger.
Series History vs. Villanova
Creighton is 2-0 all-time vs. Villanova, sweeping the Wildcats twice last year (25-21, 25-21, 25-21 in Villanova and 25-23, 25-14, 25-21 in Omaha)
Creighton got 19 kills each from freshmen Jess Bird and Lauren Smith in the victories, and Smith also led CU by hitting .586 and adding 11 blocks.
Villanova was paced in the two match-ups by 19 kills from Gabby Pethokoukis and 61 assists by Emma Pettit.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 2-0 all-time against Villanova and coach Josh Steinbach.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton won a pair of four-set road matches, defeating DePaul and Marquette to remain atop the league standings. Jess Bird returned to the starting line-up in fine form, tying team-high honors with 28 kills on the weekend with Kelli Browning, who also added 19 blocks. Maggie Baumert had a triple-double in Saturday's win over Marquette and was one kill shy of CU's first quadruple-double.
Top Offense To Meet Top Defense
Creighton leads the BIG EAST with 976 kills and 907 assists and is one of the nation's most offensive potent attacks.
Seton Hall, on the other hand, enters the match leading the BIG EAST in total blocks (182, 6th nationally), opponents hitting percentage (.132, 6th nationally) and digs per set (17.03, 16th nationally).
Creighton has outblocked five of its last six opponents, had a better hitting percentage in six straight matches, and outdug its last eight foes.
In five league matches, Creighton has outdug its opponents 326-246, an average of +18 per match and an average of +4.44 digs per set.
Award-Winning Performances
Kelli Browning and Marysa Wilkinson were honored by the BIG EAST Conference for their play last weekend.
Browning was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Wilkinson was Freshman of the Week.
A senior from Waukesha, Wis., Browning averaged 3.50 kills and an impressive 2.38 blocks per set while hitting .370 as Creighton picked up a pair of four-set road wins.
Browning opened her weekend with 14 kills and a then- season-high nine blocks at DePaul. She hit .385 in the match and added two aces while becoming the second player in school history to reach 500 career blocks.
In Saturday's return to her home state of Wisconsin, Browning had 14 kills, 10 blocks and six digs at Marquette for her first double-double of the season. Browning hit .357 in the victory and six of her 10 stuffs came against BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Autumn Bailey.
Wilkinson averaged 2.25 kills, .75 digs and .62 blocks per set while hitting .385 last weekend.
The Lincoln, Neb., native started her week with eight kills and five blocks while hitting .412 in a 3-1 victory at DePaul. She then had 10 kills and a career-best six digs on .364 hitting in CU's 3-1 win at defending league champion Marquette. Her 10 kills were the most by a BIG EAST freshman in a road win at Marquette since Syracuse's Noemie Lefebvre had 15 on Oct. 18, 2008.
Can You Dig It?
Kate Elman broke a pair of 10-year-old school records held by Janeen Piller last weekend.
Elman passed Piller's mark of 1,392 career digs and enters this weekend with 1,433. Elman also passed Piller's record for career matches with 10+ digs of 74, and Elman now owns 76.
Elman also owns 30 career matches with 20 or more digs, to rank second in school history, two behind the mark held by Julianne Mandolfo.
Piller does still own one mark that Elman can't break this year, consecutive matches with double-figure digs. Piller owns the mark of 42, while Elman's had separate streaks of 32 and 30 during her career thus far.
In Elman's 83 career matches, she's never had fewer than six digs.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 313 1,433 2012-Pr.
2. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
3. Allie Oelke 445 1,382 2007-10
4. Kailey Reyes 368 1,258 1998-01
5. Melissa Walsh 394 1,240 1998-01
6. Julianne Mandolfo 241 1,224 2010-11
7. Melissa Weisensee 411 1,223 1994-97
8. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
9. Megan Bober 480 1,123 2009-12
10. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
32 Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
30 Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
30 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
76 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
Baumert Records Rare Triple-Double
Maggie Baumert had the first triple-double of her career in Saturday's victory at Marquette, finishing with 42 assists, 12 digs and a career-high 10 blocks. She also finished with a career-best nine kills as she finished just one kill shy of the first quadruple-double in Bluejay history.
Baumert's triple-double was the 29th in Creighton history, and she's the sixth Bluejay ever to record one.
Matches With a Triple-Double, Career
T-D Name Years
15 Megan Bober 2009-12
5 Michelle Sicner 2011-Pres.
4 Kailey Reyes 1998-2001
2 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
2 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
1 Maggie Baumert 2014-Pres.
The Word on Bird
Jess Bird produced 28 kills and 20 digs in a pair of road wins last weekend after entering the week with 16 kills and nine digs in four previous matches this season. Bird hit .304 in the two victories, averaging 4.00 kills, 2.86 digs and 1.00 blocks per set.
Bird showed no signs of a knee ailment that forced her to miss 12 of Creighton's first 14 matches this season. After playing sparingly last weekend, Bird was inserted into the starting six on Friday and delivered with 10 kills, eight digs and four blocks. She hit .625 in the match and added two service aces as CU won all three sets she played.
Bird then helped Creighton snap Marquette's 15-match BIG EAST win streak as she posted her first double-double of the fall. Bird had a career-high 18 kills, adding 12 digs.
Big Leagues
Creighton has won each of its last seven conference matches since a Nov. 16, 2013 loss at Seton Hall. That spell is Creighton's sixth-longest streak of conference wins all-time, and a pair of wins this weekend could push that mark into a tie for second place.
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
9 Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007 at Wichita St., 3-0 MVC
9 Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009 Northern Iowa, 3-1 MVC
8 Nov. 13, 2010 - Oct. 1, 2011 at Missouri St., 3-1 MVC
7 Nov. 22, 2013 - Present ? BIG EAST
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2001 #16 Northern Iowa, 3-0 MVC
Blue October
Creighton has enjoyed tremendous success in October in recent seasons. The Jays have won 19 of the last 21 times it has taken the floor in the 10th month of the year, dating to an Oct. 15, 2011 setback at No. 12 Northern Iowa.
Creighton has also won 18 of its last 19 home matches in October since Oct. 22, 2009, though CU doesn't return home again until October 17th.
Road Warriors
Making Creighton's 5-0 BIG EAST start all the more impressive is that three of its victories have come on the road.
Creighton and league co-leader Seton Hall are both 3-0 away from home in conference action, while the other eight teams are 5-12 combined.
After this weekend Creighton will have played five of its first seven league matches away from home, but will then open a five-match homestand.
What's Your 5-0?
Creighton is 5-0 in the BIG EAST and on Friday will taken on fellow 5-0 BIG EAST foe Seton Hall.
This is the fourth time that Creighton has started 5-0 in league play. The 2006 and 2011 teams started 5-0 before losing, while the 2007 club started a best-ever 7-0.
Friday will be the first time in program history that Creighton and its opponent are both 5-0 (or better) in conference action.
Best League Starts
W-L Year Snapped By League
7-0 2007 Wichita State, 3-0 MVC
5-0 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
5-0 2011 at Missouri State, 3-1 MVC
5-0* 2014 ? ? ? BIG EAST
*active
The 600 Club
Last Friday's match at DePaul marked Creighton's 600th since restarting the program. In that time, Creighton is now 315-286. Here's a look at Creighton's record in 100-match intervals:
Match #'s Team W-L Coach(es)
1-100 34-66 Guiliano/Wallace
101-200 44-56 Wallace
201-300 44-56 Wallace/Booth
301-400 60-40 Booth
401-500 58-42 Booth
501-600 74-26 Booth
601-700 1-0 so far Booth
Fighting For Five
Creighton has won six straight matches heading into Friday's contest at Seton Hall. This is CU's fifth straight season of a five-match win streak or longer.
Since CU restarted its volleyball program in 1994, the Jays own 15 win streaks of five or longer, with all but one of those have occurred since Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
17 Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012 at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
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. 1-15, 2012 at Kansas, 3-2
6 Sept. 20, 2014-Pres. ? ? ?
5 Sept. 24-Oct. 2, 1999 at Missouri State, 3-0
5 Nov. 4-19, 2005 at Northern Iowa, 3-0
5 Aug. 25-Sept. 2, 2006 Iowa, 3-2
5 Sept. 9-16, 2006 at South Dakota St., 3-1
5 Oct. 26-Nov. 9, 2007 at #24 Wichita State, 3-1
5 Sept. 25-Oct. 9, 2010 at Drake, 3-1
5 Nov. 13-26, 2010 at #11 Northern Iowa, 3-1
5 Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2011 Missouri State, 3-1
5 Oct. 5-20, 2013 at Marquette, 3-0
At Your Service
Creighton averaged just 0.90 aces in 50 sets played during its grueling non-conference schedule. Since moving to league play, the Jays have upped that average to a BIG EAST best 1.44 aces per set in 18 frames.
Last Friday at DePaul, Creighton had a season-best 12 aces, and a season-low two service errors. It marked just the second time in the program's modern history that CU had at least 10 more aces than errors in a match, and first time since 1995.
Browning Approaches Milestones
Kelli Browning enters this weekend with 942 career kills. She's 58 shy of becoming the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000.
Browning also owns 46 career solo blocks, tying Melissa Walsh for fifth place in school history.
Browning had 19 blocks last weekend and now owns 510 in her career, becoming the second Bluejay ever to reach 500 total blocks, joining Jessica Houts (609). Only three other active players nationally, currently own 500 or more blocks.
Elman Earns BIG EAST Defensive Honor
Junior libero Kate Elman was named the BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30. An Omaha native, Elman averaged 4.80 digs and 0.90 assists to help Creighton start BIG EAST play 3-0.
Elman is the first Bluejay to ever earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors. Elman's previous recognition from a league office came as a freshman, when she was a three-time MVC Freshman of the Week in 2012.
In an ironic twist, Kate Elman's sister Lexi Elman was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week on the same day after leading Pacific to a pair of victories.
Senior Citizens
Creighton hosted Senior Day after its Sept. 26 match, as it honored Kelli Browning, Leah McNary, Katie Neisler and Michelle Sicner, as well as senior manager Katie Thompson.
Since all five women arrived on campus in the fall of 2011, the Bluejays have gone 81-33, won an MVC regular-season title, an MVC Tournament title, won matches in two different NCAA Tournaments, and moved into the national rankings for the first time in program history.
Browning is a two-time All-American Honorable Mention selection from Waukesha, Wis. She ranks first in CU history in hitting percentage and second in blocks, and currently leads the BIG EAST with a .394 hitting percentage. Browning tied for the national lead as a sophomore with a school-record 204 total blocks.
McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 career kills three weeks ago. A First Team All-BIG EAST pick last year, McNary led the team in kills as both a sophomore and junior.
After playing mostly in the back row her first three years, Neisler has moved into a starting outside hitter role as a senior. She owns 81 kills this season, including a career-high 16 vs. Xavier on Sept. 26.
Sicner was an All-American Honorable Mention pick in 2013, when she started at setter in 28 matches and led the team with 17 double-doubles and four triple-doubles. Also named AVCA National Player of the Week last October 15th, Sicner ranks sixth in CU history in assists.
Bunch Of Winners
Creighton's seniors have all experienced great success, both individually and as a team.
Leah McNary has appeared in 79 wins as a Bluejay, tied for second-most in school history. Not far behind her are Kelli Browning (74), Michelle Sicner (72) and Katie Neisler (68).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
81 Megan Bober 2009-12
79 Brooke Boggs 2009-12
79 Leah McNary 2011-Pres.
76 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
74 Allie Oelke 2007-10
74 Kelli Browning 2011-Pres.
73 Abby Baumann 2004-07
73 Kelly Goc 2004-07
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2014 compares to the last three seasons after 18 matches.
Stat 2014 2013 2012 2011
W-L Thru 18 12-6 14-4 15-3 10-8
Final W-L ? ? ? 23-9 29-4 17-14
Postseason ? ? ? NCAA NCAA ---
Tourney Titles 1 1 2 0
Kills/Set 14.35 13.32 13.37 12.75
Hitting % .239 .222 .255 .196
Aces/Set 1.04 1.09 1.32 1.39
Digs/Set 16.21 14.91 16.60 17.55
Blocks/Set 2.54 2.91 3.12 2.62
Ranked vs. Unranked
Five of Creighton's losses this year have come against teams that were ranked in the AVCA Top 25, including setbacks to USC, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky.
Since the start of the 2002 season, 11 of Creighton's 19 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 63-8 against unranked teams.
Each of Creighton's final 13 matches of the regular-season are against teams that are unranked, though Marquette is currently 32nd.
What Can Brown(ing) Do For You?
Kelli Browning continues to produce at the level you'd expect from a two-time All-American, and her senior season has been nothing shy of brilliant.
Browning has averaged 3.54 kills and 1.29 blocks per set while hitting .394 this season. After entering her senior season with a career-high of 18 kills, Browning had 18 or more kills twice in September alone.
In five matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.53 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .381.
Browning was the nation's only player with at least 202 kills who was hitting .372 or better entering the week. She was far above both standards, hitting .394 with 240 kills.
Below is a list of the First, Second and Third-Team All-Americans from 2013 and their stats:
Name, School (AA Team) KPS Hit % BPS
Sallie McLaurin, Oklahoma (2) 3.78 .423 1.37
Tori Dixon, Minnesota (1) 3.66 .399 1.29
Chloe Mann, Florida (1) 3.45 .506 0.85
Chloe Ferrari, San Diego (2) 3.15 .444 0.93
Caroline Jarmoc, Kansas (3) 3.06 .320 1.15
Carly Wopat, Stanford (1) 2.89 .429 1.43
Inky Ajanaku, Stanford* (1) 2.72 .438 1.38
Alexis Olgard, USC (3) 2.21 .442 1.28
Katie Slay, Penn State (3) 2.16 .414 1.63
Chiaka Ogbogu, Texas* (2) 1.74 .389 1.08
*still active in 2014
Browning Named MVP
Kelli Browning was named MVP of the Bluejay Invitational after averaging 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks per set on .413 hitting from Sept. 12-13.
It was the sixth All-Tournament Team accolade of the senior's career, but her first MVP recognition.
Joining Browning on the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team from Creighton were Maggie Baumert (11.84 aps., 2.18 dps., 1.18 kps., .385% that weekend) and Lauren Smith (2.00 kps., 1.18 bps., .356%).
It Goes On, And On, And On, And On, And On
Creighton has played in 769 sets since the move to 25-point rally scoring sets in 2008, but none have been as high scoring as its Sept. 20th fourth set marathon against South Dakota.
Creighton would save six match points before finally converting its fourth set point opportunity of the frame in a 34-32 victory.
The highest-scoring frame previously had been a pair of 30-28 sets.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, CU's Sept. 23rd 25-7 victory in the first set at Georgetown matched the most lopsided set victory in Creighton history in the current scoring format.
Top 10 Scares
Creighton won the first set from both No. 6 USC (25-22 on September 6) and No. 9 Nebraska (25-21 on September 17) this season.
Creighton has played 20 matches against top-10 teams all-time, and this was the fourth time it's taken a 1-0 lead in the match. CU also won the first set against No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 24, 2006 and at No. 7 Northern Iowa on Sept. 21, 2002.
The closest Creighton has ever come to defeating a top-10 team came last season, when the Bluejays dropped a five-set match to No. 7 Hawai'i in Wichita, Kan.
Secret Weapon?
Katie Neisler had five kills all of last year, and entered her senior season with 19 kills in 81 career matches while being used mostly in the back row.
By by those standards she's turned into an offensive juggernaut this fall, unleashing 81 kills in 18 matches this year.
Neisler had (then) career-highs with seven kills and .583 hitting in a Sept. 13 sweep over Bowling Green, adding two aces. Making her achievement all the more impressive was that all seven kills came on back row attacks.
Neisler established new career-highs with 12 kills and 42 attack attempts in a Sept. 19 match vs. No. 16 Illinois.
She out-did those marks on Sept. 26 with 16 kills and 43 swings vs. Butler, adding 17 digs for her first career double-double.
Browning Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joins Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and is the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.
Browning is trying to become the third Creighton student-athlete to win a Senior CLASS Award, joining men's soccer alum Brian Holt in the fall of 2011 and men's basketball standout Doug McDermott last April.
BIG EAST Honors Duo
The Creighton Volleyball team swept the weekly awards handed out by the BIG EAST Conference on Sept. 15. Kelli Browning was named Player of the Week, while Marysa Wilkinson was tabbed Freshman of the Week.
Browning was named MVP of the Bluejay Invitational after leading Creighton to a 3-0 record and its first title in the 10-year history of the event. A two-time All-America Honorable-Mention selection, Browning averaged 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks per set while hitting .413 on the week.
Wilkinson helped Creighton to its first Bluejay Invitational title in 10 tries by averaging 2.36 kills and 0.82 blocks per set in three victories. She hit an impressive .377.
It was the first league honor of the season for both. Browning has previously been named BIG EAST Player of the Week once last year, Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week twice and MVC Freshman of the Week once.
Wilkinson Producing Early & Often
Marysa Wilkinson has quickly emerged as an offensive weapon for Creighton. Since making her debut in CU's second match of the season, she's had four or more kills in all but one match.
With nine kills on September 6 vs. No. 6 USC, Wilkinson became the first true freshman in 10 years to have nine or more kills against a top-10 foe. She joined Carolyn Decker vs. No. 5 Nebraska way back on Oct. 10, 2004, who also had nine kills.
Wilkinson had a career-high 14 kills on Sept. 13 against Wichita State, including six in the fourth set clincher against the preseason favorites from the Missouri Valley Conference.
Wilkinson added 10 kills at Marquette on Oct. 4. That figure was the most by any BIG EAST freshman in a road win at Marquette since 2008.
Wilkinson ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.289), a figure that leads all freshmen.
Starters Sidelined
Making Creighton's non-conference schedule even more daunting was that much of it was done it without a pair of 2013 starters Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner.
Bird had arthroscopic surgery on her knee on September 3 and missed CU's first 11 matches of the month (CU went 6-5) before she returned by playing a few points each on Sept. 26 and 28.
Sicner didn't make the trip to the Commonwealth Classic (Sept. 5-6) so that she could spend more time with her family, as her mother Cheryl would end up passing away on Friday morning (Sept. 5) after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. She played in just five points in the same 11 matches that Bird missed.
To help honor the memory of Cheryl Sicner, the team is wearing uniforms with a “CS” insignia on the right sleeve, and hosted a Colon Cancer Awareness Night, as well as a moment of silence, prior to its Senior Night on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 37-20 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 1-1 mark this year and a 12-6 home record in five-setters. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won five straight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, and wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 6-2 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
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 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 1-1 12-6
Total 52-48 315-286
McNary Surpasses 1,000 Kills
Leah McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career kills when she did it on Sept. 12 on set point in the third frame vs. Pepperdine.
It came in her 96th career match, sixth-fastest in program history.
Prior to McNary, the last Bluejay to reach 1,000 career kills was Allie Oelke in 2010.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
Finally, A Title At Home
The Sept. 12-13 Bluejay Invitational was the 15th home tournament that Creighton has ever hosted, but first such title it has celebrated at home.
Before that, CU had hosted nine Bluejay Invitationals, (2005-13), two Creighton First Serve Festivals (1996-97), one Creighton Classic (2011), one MVC Tournament (2009) and one BIG EAST Tournament (2013) since the program's 1994 restart without a title.
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.35 kills per set through 18 matches, easily the top mark in the BIG EAST and 14th-best nationally. The figure is the best by any Bluejay team since sets have been played to 25 points beginning in 2008.
On the other side of the net, CU is allowing only 12.07 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by a CU defense since 2008.
Baumert Shows Offensive Side, Too
Junior Maggie Baumert had 13 kills in 34 attack attempts at the Commonwealth Classic while directing a 5-1 offense in college for the first time.
In the first 65 matches of her career (62 at Georgia, 3 at Creighton), spanning 241 sets, Baumert owned a total of nine kills in 25 attack attempts.
Baumert also showed herself to be a capable blocker. She had five blocks in the tournament, including her first ever solo stuff, after just three career blocks previously.
Last Year Summary
Last year's Creighton team finished 23-9 and tied for second place in the BIG EAST with a 12-4 league mark.
The Bluejays reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years with a first-round victory over Arkansas.
Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were named first team all-conference, while Browning and Michelle Sicner were tabbed as AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selections.
Second Round
Creighton is one of 19 teams to win a first round match in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years.
That list, alphabetically, includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawai'i, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
Busy Month
Creighton played 13 matches in the month of September, all during a 24-day stretch between Sept. 5-28. CU went 8-5 in that stretch.
The 13 matches were the most in any month for Bluejay Volleyball since 13 matches in September of 2006. CU went 10-3 in that month, its most victories ever for any month.
If you're curious, the only month in history that CU played more than 13 times came in September of 1995, when it went 7-9.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll, including five teams in the top-25.
Creighton plays matches against teams that were preseason ranked No. 5 (USC), No. 7 (Nebraska), No. 11 (Illinois), No. 19 (Kentucky) and No. 22 (Kansas).
Creighton also hosts Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and has a home-and-home league series with No. 29 Marquette.
Besides Creighton, the only other school to play five different non-conference teams that are in the preseason top-25 is Stanford.
When it took on No. 6 USC and No. 16 Kentucky on Sept. 6, it marked the first time ever that Creighton faced two ranked teams on the same day. It was also just the fifth time CU played in a regular-season tournament against two ranked teams, joining the Pacific/Nike Invitational (1998), Santa Clara Invitational (2001), Holiday Inn Downtown Classic (2007) and the Bluejay Invitational (2008).
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 63-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 40 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 70 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 55 consecutive matches when leading 2-1 in a match (dating to Oct. 16, 2009).
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 143-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 96-7 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2014 roster boasts 10 players from the state of Nebraska, including all four newcomers.
The 10 Nebraska natives is most since the program's 1994 restart, one more than the 2004 and 2005 clubs that had nine each.
Once In A Lifetime Trip
Creighton experienced a once-in-a-lifetime trip in mid-May when it ventured to Nicaragua. The trip included several matches against the Nicaraguan Jr. National Team (all Creighton victories), but much of the trip's purpose centered on visits to schools, delivering books and other service-oriented programs.
Team USA Trio
Three members of the Creighton Volleyball team donned Team USA jerseys this summer. Kelli Browning, Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner each suited up for the US Collegiate National Team in June at the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships in Minneapolis.
Creighton and Florida State led all schools with three representatives among the 36 women selected.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 83-78 in the 54 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 23-9 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 63-45 in 38 regular-season tournaments, including nine titles.
Creighton won two regular-season tournaments in 2012, taking the season-opening USF Invitational as well as the Northern Colorado Classic, the Hampton Inn Invitational in 2013, and the Bluejay Invitational (Sept. 12-13).
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Big Time Schedule
Creighton's non-conference slate contained six teams to get votes for the preseason top-25, including five ranked teams.
In addition, seven of the teams are picked either first or second place in their conference.
Name Preseason Rank Preseason Conf. Rank
Lipscomb - 1st in Atlantic Sun
Utah Valley - 3rd in Western Athletic
Kansas 22 2nd in Big 12
Northern Iowa - 2nd in Missouri Valley
USC 5 2nd in Pacific-12
Kentucky 19 2nd in Southeastern
Pepperdine - 4th in WCC
Bowling Green - 3rd in Mid-American East
Wichita State - 1st in Missouri Valley
Nebraska 7 2nd in Big 10
Illinois 11 4th in Big 10
South Dakota - 4th in Summit
Colorado RV 7th in Pacific-12
As A Ranked Team
All-time, Creighton is 19-6 when playing as a ranked team in the AVCA poll, including a 18-2 mark versus unranked teams.
The Bluejays started the year in the preseason Top 25 for the second straight fall. Last year's team was 25th to start the season, while this fall the club is ranked 23rd.
Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 186-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 36-112 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 40 home straight contests when winning the first set.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won six matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. Three of those wins have come against Wichita State.
On the other hand, Creighton is 222-2 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, and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a 17-15 fifth set loss to St. John's.
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
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 200-8 (.962) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 142-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 94-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 8-178 (.043) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-62 mark in those home matches. Those eight 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
11/16/12 at Wichita St. 25-16, 25-20, 16-14 Booth
09/05/14 vs. No. Iowa 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Booth
A Bunch Of Winners
Creighton has experienced a great deal of success in recent seasons, and the current squad has enjoyed victories at historic levels. Consider the following numbers entering the 2014 season:
CU's 52 victories in the previous two seasons are six more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
CU's 69 wins in the previous three seasons are the most in any three-year span in program history, two more than the 2010-12 total of 67.
CU's 90 victories in the previous four seasons are nine more than other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
Blocking Specialists
Creighton has consistently proven to be an elite blocking team in recent seasons, leading their conference each of the previous three years in the category.
The Jays led the nation last year with 3.06 blocks per set, and one year prior were fourth-best nationally while also averaging 3.06 blocks per set.
Leading the blocking brigade during this time span has been Kelli Browning. Browning was fifth nationally in 2012 with 1.65 blocks per set, then finished eighth in 2013 with 1.53 stuffs per set.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 12th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as juniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen are in 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.
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
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
Production Returning
Creighton returns 12-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Points 2100.5 (99.1%) 19.5 (0.9%)
Kills 1618 (99.3%) 12 (0.7%)
Digs 1892 (99.2%) 15 (0.8%)
Aces 120 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Matches Started 157 (98.1%) 3 (1.9%)
Blocks 362.5 (98.0%) 7.5 (2.0%)
Assists 1516 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin (Swanson) Russell will broadcast most home matches this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
Creighton's upcoming matches on Oct. 19, 24 and 26 will air on KZOT, while the Nov. 1 match is scheduled to air on KOZN.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton has been picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
CU received 77 points in the poll and five of a possible 10 first-place votes. Defending champ Marquette was picked second with 71 points and four first-place votes, while Xavier (66 points) was third and claimed the remaining first-place tally. Rounding out the rest of the poll were Butler, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul and Providence.
Creighton also had two women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as both Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were honored for a second straight year.
Marquette's Autumn Bailey was chosen as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in nine of the past 11 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 1st #3
2013 1st T-2nd i1
2014 1st ??? ???
Oct. 10 6 pm CST Creighton at Seton Hall South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium)
Oct. 11 6 pm CST Creighton at Villanova Villanova, Pa. (Jake Nevin Field House)
This Weekend
Creighton (12-6, 5-0 BIG EAST) wraps up a four-match road swing with visits to Seton Hall (15-3, 5-0 BIG EAST) and Villanova (9-11, 2-3 BIG EAST) this weekend.
Friday will feature the teams tied atop the league standings when Creighton ventures to South Orange, N.J., to take on Seton Hall. First serve at Walsh Gymnasium (2,600) is scheduled for 6 pm Central (7 pm EST).
On Saturday, Creighton heads to Villanova, Pa., to take on Villanova. That match will also start at 6 pm Central (7 pm EST) and be held at Jake Nevin Field House (1,500).
Video Webcast Information
Both matches will be available for video webcast this weekend.
Friday's match requires a subscription to Seton Hall's “Pirate Vision” video webcast package. Visit shupirates.com, then click on the “Watch Now” option along the “Multimedia” menu bar item near the top right corner for details. The exact link is http://www.shupirates.com/collegesportslive/?media=459357.
Villanova will offer a subscription video webcast on Saturday night. From Villanova.com, select the “Nova Nation All-Access” option under the Multimedia tab on the menu bar at the top of the page. The exact link is http://www.villanova.com/collegesportslive/?media=462113.
Radio Broadcast Information
Seton Hall will have student radio station WSOU do Friday's match from South Orange.
“Pirate Radio” is available free of charge at http://www.iheart.com/live/WSOU-895-FM-5252/.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab at the top of the page for the exact link to the match.
Scouting Creighton
Ranked 23rd in the preseason poll, Creighton remains in the “others receiving votes” section of the top-25 after a 12-6 start. However, Creighton has been one of the hottest teams in the BIG EAST, winning six straight matches and seeing the return of sophomore Jess Bird recently.
Five of Creighton's six losses have come against top-25 teams (USC, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, Kansas), but the Bluejays have already defeated preseason favorites from the Missouri Valley Conference (Wichita State) and Atlantic Sun (Lipscomb).
A pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees, Kelli Browning (3.54 kps., 1.29 bps., .394%) and Leah McNary (2.82 kps.) have paced the Bluejay offense so far, while Kate Elman (4.57 dps., 0.21 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set and last weekend became the program's career digs leader.
Maggie Baumert (10.18 aps.) has taken over the setting duties for the league's most prolific offense and is coming off her first career triple-double in last Saturday's 3-1 win at Marquette.
Creighton averages 14.35 kills, 16.21 digs, 2.54 blocks and 1.04 aces per set while hitting .239 as a team.
Scouting Seton Hall
Picked sixth in the BIG EAST preseason poll, Seton Hall has won nine straight matches and is 15-3 overall. The Pirates have started 5-0 in league play for the first time since 1994.
Stacey Manthorpe (3.14 kps., 3.62 dps.) leads the team in kills, while sister Shelbey Manthorpe (9.52 aps., 2.98 dps., 1.66 kps.) serves as the team's setter. The duo have combined for astounding 114 career double-doubles (Shelbey 66, Stacey 48) and 25 triple-doubles (all by Shelbey).
Also averaging double-figure kills are Molly Grammer (2.42 kps.), Amanda Hansen (2.27 kps., 1.17 bps., .360%) and Danielle Schroeder (2.36 kps.), while Ashani Rubin paces the Pirates with 1.28 blocks per set and Tessa Fournier owns a team-high 4.90 digs per set.
As a team, Seton Hall averages 13.36 kills, 0.84 aces, 16.94 digs and 2.67 blocks per set while hitting .243.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova is off to a 9-11 start this season, including a 3-5 home mark and a 2-3 BIG EAST mark.
The Wildcats have been paced by Lauren Carpenter's 3.83 kills per set, while Colleen Hickey is second on the club with 2.08 kills per set.
Emma Pettit (6.85 aps.) and Allie Dibernardo (3.97 aps.) have each taken turns setting, while Allison Fitzgerald tops VU with 4.40 digs per set.
As a team, Villanova averages 11.85 kills, 1.00 aces, 16.12 digs and 1.92 blocks per set while hitting .168 overall.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 222-134 record in her 12th season with the Bluejays.
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, and named the CaptainU College Coach of the Year, as well as the MVC Coach of the Year, in 2012 following another run to the second round of the NCAA's and a school-record 29 victories.
The winningest coach in school history, Booth has led Creighton to its only three NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also led the Jays into the top-25 each of the last three years, another program first.
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 associate head coach Tom Mendoza, assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Kyle South.
Josh Steinbach (Penn State, 2002) is 119-108 in his eighth season at Villanova, making him the longest-tenured coach in program history. Before heading to Villanova, he had been an assistant at Wright State, Cincinnati, Penn State and San Diego Mesa CC. He is assisted by Amy Pauly and Ryan Sullivan. Allison Yaeger (Wright State, 2003) owns a 49-28 mark in her third year at Seton Hall. In her first year as head coach she led the Pirates to 18 wins the program's most since 2003. She is assisted by Allie Matters.
Series History vs. Seton Hall
Creighton split a pair of matches against Seton Hall last year, with the home team winning each time.
Creighton won in Omaha 25-28, 25-20, 25-18 on Nov. 3 before the Pirates got revenge in four sets in New Jersey by a 18-25, 27-25, 28-26, 25-17 margin.
In those two meetings, Jess Bird led Creighton with 26 kills, Kate Elman had 44 digs and Kelli Browning had 18 blocks in those seven sets.
Seton Hall was paced by 21 kills from Stacey Manthorpe, while Shelbey Manthorpe had 57 assists, 21 digs, 12 blocks and 11 kills in the matches.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-1 all-time against Seton Hall and coach Allison Yaeger.
Series History vs. Villanova
Creighton is 2-0 all-time vs. Villanova, sweeping the Wildcats twice last year (25-21, 25-21, 25-21 in Villanova and 25-23, 25-14, 25-21 in Omaha)
Creighton got 19 kills each from freshmen Jess Bird and Lauren Smith in the victories, and Smith also led CU by hitting .586 and adding 11 blocks.
Villanova was paced in the two match-ups by 19 kills from Gabby Pethokoukis and 61 assists by Emma Pettit.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 2-0 all-time against Villanova and coach Josh Steinbach.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton won a pair of four-set road matches, defeating DePaul and Marquette to remain atop the league standings. Jess Bird returned to the starting line-up in fine form, tying team-high honors with 28 kills on the weekend with Kelli Browning, who also added 19 blocks. Maggie Baumert had a triple-double in Saturday's win over Marquette and was one kill shy of CU's first quadruple-double.
Top Offense To Meet Top Defense
Creighton leads the BIG EAST with 976 kills and 907 assists and is one of the nation's most offensive potent attacks.
Seton Hall, on the other hand, enters the match leading the BIG EAST in total blocks (182, 6th nationally), opponents hitting percentage (.132, 6th nationally) and digs per set (17.03, 16th nationally).
Creighton has outblocked five of its last six opponents, had a better hitting percentage in six straight matches, and outdug its last eight foes.
In five league matches, Creighton has outdug its opponents 326-246, an average of +18 per match and an average of +4.44 digs per set.
Award-Winning Performances
Kelli Browning and Marysa Wilkinson were honored by the BIG EAST Conference for their play last weekend.
Browning was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Wilkinson was Freshman of the Week.
A senior from Waukesha, Wis., Browning averaged 3.50 kills and an impressive 2.38 blocks per set while hitting .370 as Creighton picked up a pair of four-set road wins.
Browning opened her weekend with 14 kills and a then- season-high nine blocks at DePaul. She hit .385 in the match and added two aces while becoming the second player in school history to reach 500 career blocks.
In Saturday's return to her home state of Wisconsin, Browning had 14 kills, 10 blocks and six digs at Marquette for her first double-double of the season. Browning hit .357 in the victory and six of her 10 stuffs came against BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Autumn Bailey.
Wilkinson averaged 2.25 kills, .75 digs and .62 blocks per set while hitting .385 last weekend.
The Lincoln, Neb., native started her week with eight kills and five blocks while hitting .412 in a 3-1 victory at DePaul. She then had 10 kills and a career-best six digs on .364 hitting in CU's 3-1 win at defending league champion Marquette. Her 10 kills were the most by a BIG EAST freshman in a road win at Marquette since Syracuse's Noemie Lefebvre had 15 on Oct. 18, 2008.
Can You Dig It?
Kate Elman broke a pair of 10-year-old school records held by Janeen Piller last weekend.
Elman passed Piller's mark of 1,392 career digs and enters this weekend with 1,433. Elman also passed Piller's record for career matches with 10+ digs of 74, and Elman now owns 76.
Elman also owns 30 career matches with 20 or more digs, to rank second in school history, two behind the mark held by Julianne Mandolfo.
Piller does still own one mark that Elman can't break this year, consecutive matches with double-figure digs. Piller owns the mark of 42, while Elman's had separate streaks of 32 and 30 during her career thus far.
In Elman's 83 career matches, she's never had fewer than six digs.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 313 1,433 2012-Pr.
2. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
3. Allie Oelke 445 1,382 2007-10
4. Kailey Reyes 368 1,258 1998-01
5. Melissa Walsh 394 1,240 1998-01
6. Julianne Mandolfo 241 1,224 2010-11
7. Melissa Weisensee 411 1,223 1994-97
8. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
9. Megan Bober 480 1,123 2009-12
10. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
32 Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
30 Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
30 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
76 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
Baumert Records Rare Triple-Double
Maggie Baumert had the first triple-double of her career in Saturday's victory at Marquette, finishing with 42 assists, 12 digs and a career-high 10 blocks. She also finished with a career-best nine kills as she finished just one kill shy of the first quadruple-double in Bluejay history.
Baumert's triple-double was the 29th in Creighton history, and she's the sixth Bluejay ever to record one.
Matches With a Triple-Double, Career
T-D Name Years
15 Megan Bober 2009-12
5 Michelle Sicner 2011-Pres.
4 Kailey Reyes 1998-2001
2 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
2 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
1 Maggie Baumert 2014-Pres.
The Word on Bird
Jess Bird produced 28 kills and 20 digs in a pair of road wins last weekend after entering the week with 16 kills and nine digs in four previous matches this season. Bird hit .304 in the two victories, averaging 4.00 kills, 2.86 digs and 1.00 blocks per set.
Bird showed no signs of a knee ailment that forced her to miss 12 of Creighton's first 14 matches this season. After playing sparingly last weekend, Bird was inserted into the starting six on Friday and delivered with 10 kills, eight digs and four blocks. She hit .625 in the match and added two service aces as CU won all three sets she played.
Bird then helped Creighton snap Marquette's 15-match BIG EAST win streak as she posted her first double-double of the fall. Bird had a career-high 18 kills, adding 12 digs.
Big Leagues
Creighton has won each of its last seven conference matches since a Nov. 16, 2013 loss at Seton Hall. That spell is Creighton's sixth-longest streak of conference wins all-time, and a pair of wins this weekend could push that mark into a tie for second place.
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
9 Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007 at Wichita St., 3-0 MVC
9 Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009 Northern Iowa, 3-1 MVC
8 Nov. 13, 2010 - Oct. 1, 2011 at Missouri St., 3-1 MVC
7 Nov. 22, 2013 - Present ? BIG EAST
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2001 #16 Northern Iowa, 3-0 MVC
Blue October
Creighton has enjoyed tremendous success in October in recent seasons. The Jays have won 19 of the last 21 times it has taken the floor in the 10th month of the year, dating to an Oct. 15, 2011 setback at No. 12 Northern Iowa.
Creighton has also won 18 of its last 19 home matches in October since Oct. 22, 2009, though CU doesn't return home again until October 17th.
Road Warriors
Making Creighton's 5-0 BIG EAST start all the more impressive is that three of its victories have come on the road.
Creighton and league co-leader Seton Hall are both 3-0 away from home in conference action, while the other eight teams are 5-12 combined.
After this weekend Creighton will have played five of its first seven league matches away from home, but will then open a five-match homestand.
What's Your 5-0?
Creighton is 5-0 in the BIG EAST and on Friday will taken on fellow 5-0 BIG EAST foe Seton Hall.
This is the fourth time that Creighton has started 5-0 in league play. The 2006 and 2011 teams started 5-0 before losing, while the 2007 club started a best-ever 7-0.
Friday will be the first time in program history that Creighton and its opponent are both 5-0 (or better) in conference action.
Best League Starts
W-L Year Snapped By League
7-0 2007 Wichita State, 3-0 MVC
5-0 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
5-0 2011 at Missouri State, 3-1 MVC
5-0* 2014 ? ? ? BIG EAST
*active
The 600 Club
Last Friday's match at DePaul marked Creighton's 600th since restarting the program. In that time, Creighton is now 315-286. Here's a look at Creighton's record in 100-match intervals:
Match #'s Team W-L Coach(es)
1-100 34-66 Guiliano/Wallace
101-200 44-56 Wallace
201-300 44-56 Wallace/Booth
301-400 60-40 Booth
401-500 58-42 Booth
501-600 74-26 Booth
601-700 1-0 so far Booth
Fighting For Five
Creighton has won six straight matches heading into Friday's contest at Seton Hall. This is CU's fifth straight season of a five-match win streak or longer.
Since CU restarted its volleyball program in 1994, the Jays own 15 win streaks of five or longer, with all but one of those have occurred since Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
17 Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012 at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
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. 1-15, 2012 at Kansas, 3-2
6 Sept. 20, 2014-Pres. ? ? ?
5 Sept. 24-Oct. 2, 1999 at Missouri State, 3-0
5 Nov. 4-19, 2005 at Northern Iowa, 3-0
5 Aug. 25-Sept. 2, 2006 Iowa, 3-2
5 Sept. 9-16, 2006 at South Dakota St., 3-1
5 Oct. 26-Nov. 9, 2007 at #24 Wichita State, 3-1
5 Sept. 25-Oct. 9, 2010 at Drake, 3-1
5 Nov. 13-26, 2010 at #11 Northern Iowa, 3-1
5 Oct. 21-Nov. 4, 2011 Missouri State, 3-1
5 Oct. 5-20, 2013 at Marquette, 3-0
At Your Service
Creighton averaged just 0.90 aces in 50 sets played during its grueling non-conference schedule. Since moving to league play, the Jays have upped that average to a BIG EAST best 1.44 aces per set in 18 frames.
Last Friday at DePaul, Creighton had a season-best 12 aces, and a season-low two service errors. It marked just the second time in the program's modern history that CU had at least 10 more aces than errors in a match, and first time since 1995.
Browning Approaches Milestones
Kelli Browning enters this weekend with 942 career kills. She's 58 shy of becoming the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000.
Browning also owns 46 career solo blocks, tying Melissa Walsh for fifth place in school history.
Browning had 19 blocks last weekend and now owns 510 in her career, becoming the second Bluejay ever to reach 500 total blocks, joining Jessica Houts (609). Only three other active players nationally, currently own 500 or more blocks.
Elman Earns BIG EAST Defensive Honor
Junior libero Kate Elman was named the BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30. An Omaha native, Elman averaged 4.80 digs and 0.90 assists to help Creighton start BIG EAST play 3-0.
Elman is the first Bluejay to ever earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors. Elman's previous recognition from a league office came as a freshman, when she was a three-time MVC Freshman of the Week in 2012.
In an ironic twist, Kate Elman's sister Lexi Elman was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week on the same day after leading Pacific to a pair of victories.
Senior Citizens
Creighton hosted Senior Day after its Sept. 26 match, as it honored Kelli Browning, Leah McNary, Katie Neisler and Michelle Sicner, as well as senior manager Katie Thompson.
Since all five women arrived on campus in the fall of 2011, the Bluejays have gone 81-33, won an MVC regular-season title, an MVC Tournament title, won matches in two different NCAA Tournaments, and moved into the national rankings for the first time in program history.
Browning is a two-time All-American Honorable Mention selection from Waukesha, Wis. She ranks first in CU history in hitting percentage and second in blocks, and currently leads the BIG EAST with a .394 hitting percentage. Browning tied for the national lead as a sophomore with a school-record 204 total blocks.
McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 career kills three weeks ago. A First Team All-BIG EAST pick last year, McNary led the team in kills as both a sophomore and junior.
After playing mostly in the back row her first three years, Neisler has moved into a starting outside hitter role as a senior. She owns 81 kills this season, including a career-high 16 vs. Xavier on Sept. 26.
Sicner was an All-American Honorable Mention pick in 2013, when she started at setter in 28 matches and led the team with 17 double-doubles and four triple-doubles. Also named AVCA National Player of the Week last October 15th, Sicner ranks sixth in CU history in assists.
Bunch Of Winners
Creighton's seniors have all experienced great success, both individually and as a team.
Leah McNary has appeared in 79 wins as a Bluejay, tied for second-most in school history. Not far behind her are Kelli Browning (74), Michelle Sicner (72) and Katie Neisler (68).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
81 Megan Bober 2009-12
79 Brooke Boggs 2009-12
79 Leah McNary 2011-Pres.
76 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
74 Allie Oelke 2007-10
74 Kelli Browning 2011-Pres.
73 Abby Baumann 2004-07
73 Kelly Goc 2004-07
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2014 compares to the last three seasons after 18 matches.
Stat 2014 2013 2012 2011
W-L Thru 18 12-6 14-4 15-3 10-8
Final W-L ? ? ? 23-9 29-4 17-14
Postseason ? ? ? NCAA NCAA ---
Tourney Titles 1 1 2 0
Kills/Set 14.35 13.32 13.37 12.75
Hitting % .239 .222 .255 .196
Aces/Set 1.04 1.09 1.32 1.39
Digs/Set 16.21 14.91 16.60 17.55
Blocks/Set 2.54 2.91 3.12 2.62
Ranked vs. Unranked
Five of Creighton's losses this year have come against teams that were ranked in the AVCA Top 25, including setbacks to USC, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky.
Since the start of the 2002 season, 11 of Creighton's 19 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 63-8 against unranked teams.
Each of Creighton's final 13 matches of the regular-season are against teams that are unranked, though Marquette is currently 32nd.
What Can Brown(ing) Do For You?
Kelli Browning continues to produce at the level you'd expect from a two-time All-American, and her senior season has been nothing shy of brilliant.
Browning has averaged 3.54 kills and 1.29 blocks per set while hitting .394 this season. After entering her senior season with a career-high of 18 kills, Browning had 18 or more kills twice in September alone.
In five matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.53 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .381.
Browning was the nation's only player with at least 202 kills who was hitting .372 or better entering the week. She was far above both standards, hitting .394 with 240 kills.
Below is a list of the First, Second and Third-Team All-Americans from 2013 and their stats:
Name, School (AA Team) KPS Hit % BPS
Sallie McLaurin, Oklahoma (2) 3.78 .423 1.37
Tori Dixon, Minnesota (1) 3.66 .399 1.29
Chloe Mann, Florida (1) 3.45 .506 0.85
Chloe Ferrari, San Diego (2) 3.15 .444 0.93
Caroline Jarmoc, Kansas (3) 3.06 .320 1.15
Carly Wopat, Stanford (1) 2.89 .429 1.43
Inky Ajanaku, Stanford* (1) 2.72 .438 1.38
Alexis Olgard, USC (3) 2.21 .442 1.28
Katie Slay, Penn State (3) 2.16 .414 1.63
Chiaka Ogbogu, Texas* (2) 1.74 .389 1.08
*still active in 2014
Browning Named MVP
Kelli Browning was named MVP of the Bluejay Invitational after averaging 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks per set on .413 hitting from Sept. 12-13.
It was the sixth All-Tournament Team accolade of the senior's career, but her first MVP recognition.
Joining Browning on the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team from Creighton were Maggie Baumert (11.84 aps., 2.18 dps., 1.18 kps., .385% that weekend) and Lauren Smith (2.00 kps., 1.18 bps., .356%).
It Goes On, And On, And On, And On, And On
Creighton has played in 769 sets since the move to 25-point rally scoring sets in 2008, but none have been as high scoring as its Sept. 20th fourth set marathon against South Dakota.
Creighton would save six match points before finally converting its fourth set point opportunity of the frame in a 34-32 victory.
The highest-scoring frame previously had been a pair of 30-28 sets.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, CU's Sept. 23rd 25-7 victory in the first set at Georgetown matched the most lopsided set victory in Creighton history in the current scoring format.
Top 10 Scares
Creighton won the first set from both No. 6 USC (25-22 on September 6) and No. 9 Nebraska (25-21 on September 17) this season.
Creighton has played 20 matches against top-10 teams all-time, and this was the fourth time it's taken a 1-0 lead in the match. CU also won the first set against No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 24, 2006 and at No. 7 Northern Iowa on Sept. 21, 2002.
The closest Creighton has ever come to defeating a top-10 team came last season, when the Bluejays dropped a five-set match to No. 7 Hawai'i in Wichita, Kan.
Secret Weapon?
Katie Neisler had five kills all of last year, and entered her senior season with 19 kills in 81 career matches while being used mostly in the back row.
By by those standards she's turned into an offensive juggernaut this fall, unleashing 81 kills in 18 matches this year.
Neisler had (then) career-highs with seven kills and .583 hitting in a Sept. 13 sweep over Bowling Green, adding two aces. Making her achievement all the more impressive was that all seven kills came on back row attacks.
Neisler established new career-highs with 12 kills and 42 attack attempts in a Sept. 19 match vs. No. 16 Illinois.
She out-did those marks on Sept. 26 with 16 kills and 43 swings vs. Butler, adding 17 digs for her first career double-double.
Browning Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joins Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and is the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.
Browning is trying to become the third Creighton student-athlete to win a Senior CLASS Award, joining men's soccer alum Brian Holt in the fall of 2011 and men's basketball standout Doug McDermott last April.
BIG EAST Honors Duo
The Creighton Volleyball team swept the weekly awards handed out by the BIG EAST Conference on Sept. 15. Kelli Browning was named Player of the Week, while Marysa Wilkinson was tabbed Freshman of the Week.
Browning was named MVP of the Bluejay Invitational after leading Creighton to a 3-0 record and its first title in the 10-year history of the event. A two-time All-America Honorable-Mention selection, Browning averaged 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks per set while hitting .413 on the week.
Wilkinson helped Creighton to its first Bluejay Invitational title in 10 tries by averaging 2.36 kills and 0.82 blocks per set in three victories. She hit an impressive .377.
It was the first league honor of the season for both. Browning has previously been named BIG EAST Player of the Week once last year, Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week twice and MVC Freshman of the Week once.
Wilkinson Producing Early & Often
Marysa Wilkinson has quickly emerged as an offensive weapon for Creighton. Since making her debut in CU's second match of the season, she's had four or more kills in all but one match.
With nine kills on September 6 vs. No. 6 USC, Wilkinson became the first true freshman in 10 years to have nine or more kills against a top-10 foe. She joined Carolyn Decker vs. No. 5 Nebraska way back on Oct. 10, 2004, who also had nine kills.
Wilkinson had a career-high 14 kills on Sept. 13 against Wichita State, including six in the fourth set clincher against the preseason favorites from the Missouri Valley Conference.
Wilkinson added 10 kills at Marquette on Oct. 4. That figure was the most by any BIG EAST freshman in a road win at Marquette since 2008.
Wilkinson ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.289), a figure that leads all freshmen.
Starters Sidelined
Making Creighton's non-conference schedule even more daunting was that much of it was done it without a pair of 2013 starters Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner.
Bird had arthroscopic surgery on her knee on September 3 and missed CU's first 11 matches of the month (CU went 6-5) before she returned by playing a few points each on Sept. 26 and 28.
Sicner didn't make the trip to the Commonwealth Classic (Sept. 5-6) so that she could spend more time with her family, as her mother Cheryl would end up passing away on Friday morning (Sept. 5) after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. She played in just five points in the same 11 matches that Bird missed.
To help honor the memory of Cheryl Sicner, the team is wearing uniforms with a “CS” insignia on the right sleeve, and hosted a Colon Cancer Awareness Night, as well as a moment of silence, prior to its Senior Night on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 37-20 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 1-1 mark this year and a 12-6 home record in five-setters. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won five straight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, and wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 6-2 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
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 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 1-1 12-6
Total 52-48 315-286
McNary Surpasses 1,000 Kills
Leah McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career kills when she did it on Sept. 12 on set point in the third frame vs. Pepperdine.
It came in her 96th career match, sixth-fastest in program history.
Prior to McNary, the last Bluejay to reach 1,000 career kills was Allie Oelke in 2010.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
Finally, A Title At Home
The Sept. 12-13 Bluejay Invitational was the 15th home tournament that Creighton has ever hosted, but first such title it has celebrated at home.
Before that, CU had hosted nine Bluejay Invitationals, (2005-13), two Creighton First Serve Festivals (1996-97), one Creighton Classic (2011), one MVC Tournament (2009) and one BIG EAST Tournament (2013) since the program's 1994 restart without a title.
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.35 kills per set through 18 matches, easily the top mark in the BIG EAST and 14th-best nationally. The figure is the best by any Bluejay team since sets have been played to 25 points beginning in 2008.
On the other side of the net, CU is allowing only 12.07 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by a CU defense since 2008.
Baumert Shows Offensive Side, Too
Junior Maggie Baumert had 13 kills in 34 attack attempts at the Commonwealth Classic while directing a 5-1 offense in college for the first time.
In the first 65 matches of her career (62 at Georgia, 3 at Creighton), spanning 241 sets, Baumert owned a total of nine kills in 25 attack attempts.
Baumert also showed herself to be a capable blocker. She had five blocks in the tournament, including her first ever solo stuff, after just three career blocks previously.
Last Year Summary
Last year's Creighton team finished 23-9 and tied for second place in the BIG EAST with a 12-4 league mark.
The Bluejays reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years with a first-round victory over Arkansas.
Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were named first team all-conference, while Browning and Michelle Sicner were tabbed as AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selections.
Second Round
Creighton is one of 19 teams to win a first round match in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years.
That list, alphabetically, includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawai'i, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
Busy Month
Creighton played 13 matches in the month of September, all during a 24-day stretch between Sept. 5-28. CU went 8-5 in that stretch.
The 13 matches were the most in any month for Bluejay Volleyball since 13 matches in September of 2006. CU went 10-3 in that month, its most victories ever for any month.
If you're curious, the only month in history that CU played more than 13 times came in September of 1995, when it went 7-9.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll, including five teams in the top-25.
Creighton plays matches against teams that were preseason ranked No. 5 (USC), No. 7 (Nebraska), No. 11 (Illinois), No. 19 (Kentucky) and No. 22 (Kansas).
Creighton also hosts Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and has a home-and-home league series with No. 29 Marquette.
Besides Creighton, the only other school to play five different non-conference teams that are in the preseason top-25 is Stanford.
When it took on No. 6 USC and No. 16 Kentucky on Sept. 6, it marked the first time ever that Creighton faced two ranked teams on the same day. It was also just the fifth time CU played in a regular-season tournament against two ranked teams, joining the Pacific/Nike Invitational (1998), Santa Clara Invitational (2001), Holiday Inn Downtown Classic (2007) and the Bluejay Invitational (2008).
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 63-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 40 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 70 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 55 consecutive matches when leading 2-1 in a match (dating to Oct. 16, 2009).
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 143-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 96-7 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2014 roster boasts 10 players from the state of Nebraska, including all four newcomers.
The 10 Nebraska natives is most since the program's 1994 restart, one more than the 2004 and 2005 clubs that had nine each.
Once In A Lifetime Trip
Creighton experienced a once-in-a-lifetime trip in mid-May when it ventured to Nicaragua. The trip included several matches against the Nicaraguan Jr. National Team (all Creighton victories), but much of the trip's purpose centered on visits to schools, delivering books and other service-oriented programs.
Team USA Trio
Three members of the Creighton Volleyball team donned Team USA jerseys this summer. Kelli Browning, Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner each suited up for the US Collegiate National Team in June at the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships in Minneapolis.
Creighton and Florida State led all schools with three representatives among the 36 women selected.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 83-78 in the 54 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 23-9 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 63-45 in 38 regular-season tournaments, including nine titles.
Creighton won two regular-season tournaments in 2012, taking the season-opening USF Invitational as well as the Northern Colorado Classic, the Hampton Inn Invitational in 2013, and the Bluejay Invitational (Sept. 12-13).
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Big Time Schedule
Creighton's non-conference slate contained six teams to get votes for the preseason top-25, including five ranked teams.
In addition, seven of the teams are picked either first or second place in their conference.
Name Preseason Rank Preseason Conf. Rank
Lipscomb - 1st in Atlantic Sun
Utah Valley - 3rd in Western Athletic
Kansas 22 2nd in Big 12
Northern Iowa - 2nd in Missouri Valley
USC 5 2nd in Pacific-12
Kentucky 19 2nd in Southeastern
Pepperdine - 4th in WCC
Bowling Green - 3rd in Mid-American East
Wichita State - 1st in Missouri Valley
Nebraska 7 2nd in Big 10
Illinois 11 4th in Big 10
South Dakota - 4th in Summit
Colorado RV 7th in Pacific-12
As A Ranked Team
All-time, Creighton is 19-6 when playing as a ranked team in the AVCA poll, including a 18-2 mark versus unranked teams.
The Bluejays started the year in the preseason Top 25 for the second straight fall. Last year's team was 25th to start the season, while this fall the club is ranked 23rd.
Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 186-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 36-112 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 40 home straight contests when winning the first set.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won six matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. Three of those wins have come against Wichita State.
On the other hand, Creighton is 222-2 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, and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a 17-15 fifth set loss to St. John's.
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
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 200-8 (.962) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 142-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 94-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 8-178 (.043) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-62 mark in those home matches. Those eight 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
11/16/12 at Wichita St. 25-16, 25-20, 16-14 Booth
09/05/14 vs. No. Iowa 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Booth
A Bunch Of Winners
Creighton has experienced a great deal of success in recent seasons, and the current squad has enjoyed victories at historic levels. Consider the following numbers entering the 2014 season:
CU's 52 victories in the previous two seasons are six more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
CU's 69 wins in the previous three seasons are the most in any three-year span in program history, two more than the 2010-12 total of 67.
CU's 90 victories in the previous four seasons are nine more than other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
Blocking Specialists
Creighton has consistently proven to be an elite blocking team in recent seasons, leading their conference each of the previous three years in the category.
The Jays led the nation last year with 3.06 blocks per set, and one year prior were fourth-best nationally while also averaging 3.06 blocks per set.
Leading the blocking brigade during this time span has been Kelli Browning. Browning was fifth nationally in 2012 with 1.65 blocks per set, then finished eighth in 2013 with 1.53 stuffs per set.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 12th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as juniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen are in 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.
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
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
Production Returning
Creighton returns 12-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Points 2100.5 (99.1%) 19.5 (0.9%)
Kills 1618 (99.3%) 12 (0.7%)
Digs 1892 (99.2%) 15 (0.8%)
Aces 120 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Matches Started 157 (98.1%) 3 (1.9%)
Blocks 362.5 (98.0%) 7.5 (2.0%)
Assists 1516 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin (Swanson) Russell will broadcast most home matches this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
Creighton's upcoming matches on Oct. 19, 24 and 26 will air on KZOT, while the Nov. 1 match is scheduled to air on KOZN.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton has been picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
CU received 77 points in the poll and five of a possible 10 first-place votes. Defending champ Marquette was picked second with 71 points and four first-place votes, while Xavier (66 points) was third and claimed the remaining first-place tally. Rounding out the rest of the poll were Butler, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul and Providence.
Creighton also had two women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as both Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were honored for a second straight year.
Marquette's Autumn Bailey was chosen as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in nine of the past 11 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 1st #3
2013 1st T-2nd i1
2014 1st ??? ???
Players Mentioned
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DS
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RS/OH
/ VolleyballCreighton's Ava Martin Highlights - 9/22/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton 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
