Top-Seeded Volleyball Heads to BIG EAST Tournament
11/25/2014 6:48:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend - BIG EAST Tournament
Nov. 28 3 pm Xavier vs. Creighton (BEDN) Miwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
Nov. 29 4 pm Championship Match (FOX Sports 2) Miwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball looks to follow up its BIG EAST regular-season title with a BIG EAST Tournament title this weekend on the campus of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.
The top-seeded Bluejays (23-8, 16-2 BIG EAST) will open the tournament with Friday's 3 pm semifinal match-up against fourth-seeded Xavier (19-11, 12-6 BIG EAST).
The 5:30 pm semifinal will feature second-seeded Seton Hall (27-6, 15-3 BIG EAST) against the tournament host, third-seeded Marquette (24-7, 14-4 BIG EAST).
Saturday's title match will start at 4 pm, with an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament at stake.
All matches will be played at the Al McGuire Center (3,700).
Video Webcast/Television Information
Live streaming video of Friday's semifinals will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required. The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store.
Saturday's championship match will air on FOX Sports 2, which is also available on-line via FOXSportsGo.
Radio Broadcast Information
No radio coverage is scheduled for this weekend.
Live Stats Information
The BIG EAST Tournament will have free live stats. Visit gocreighton.com and click on the Stats icon near the top right of the page for the exact link to each Creighton match.
Scouting Creighton
Sparked by the return of All-BIG EAST sophomore Jess Bird, Creighton has been one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning 17 of its last 19 matches. Both losses in that span came to BIG EAST runner-up Seton Hall. The Bluejays are now 23-8 on the season and clinched the program's first outright title with a 3-0 victory over Villanova last Friday.
Creighton's eight losses have come against five top-25 teams (USC, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, Kansas), Seton Hall (twice) and South Dakota. The Bluejays are 6-7 against teams in the top-56 of the RPI.
First Team All-BIG EAST picks Kelli Browning (3.23 kps., 1.44 bps., .357%) and Bird (2.85 kps., 2.42 dps.) have emerged as top offensive weapons for the Bluejays, while Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree Lauren Smith (2.14 kps., 1.02 bps., .314%) led the league in conference play in hitting percentage.
The program's all-time digs leader, Kate Elman (4.48 dps., 0.20 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set but has not played since breaking her forearm in an Oct. 24 win over Marquette. In her absence, Melanie Jereb (2.95 dps.) has stepped up as the team's libero and reached double-figures in digs in nine straight contests while twice earning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week acclaim.
Maggie Baumert (9.61 aps., 1.89 dps.) and Michelle Sicner (7.06 aps., 1.04 bps.) have taken turns handling the setting duties for one of the league's most prolific offenses.
Creighton averages 14.09 kills, 16.41 digs, 2.67 blocks and 1.13 aces per set while hitting .236 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 233-136 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.
Mike Johnson (Washington, 2003) is in his fifth year at Xavier, where he owns a 102-54 record and won 20 or more matches each of his first four seasons. His career record stands at 124-63 in five years when you include one year as head coach at Austin Peay. He is assisted by Christy Pfeffenberger, Dave Franklin and Ilyanna Hernandez.
Allison Yaeger (Wright State, 2003) owns a 61-31 mark in her third year at Seton Hall. Seton Hall's 27 wins this season are its most since 1994 and helped her garner BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors. She is assisted by Allie Matters.
Ryan Theis (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2000) is in his first season as head coach at Marquette, having been named to the position on Feb. 14, 2014. He owns an 24-7 mark with the Golden Eagles, moving his career mark to 168-61 in seven seasons when you factor in a six-year run at Ohio. He is assisted by Erich Hinterstocker, Meghan Keck and James Sackley.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton went 1-1 to close the regular-season, sweeping Villanova to clinch the outright BIG EAST title before dropping a 3-0 contest to Seton Hall. Jess Bird led Creighton with 21 kills, while Melanie Jereb had 32 digs on the weekend.
Recapping 2014 Meetings With Xavier
Creighton won both regular-season meetings with Xavier this season, winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-16) in Omaha on Sept. 28 and taking a 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 19-25, 25-23) decision in Cincinnati on Nov. 7.
Kelli Browning hit .471 and averaged 3.71 kills and 1.43 blocks per set to lead CU in the match-ups, while Ashley Jansen had a team-high 4.43 digs per set.
Key to Creighton's success has been limiting All-BIG EAST performer Abbey Bessler to just 10 kills over the seven sets (1.43 kps.) as she hit -.092 with 16 errors in 65 swings.
Conference Tournament History
Creighton is 9-14 all-time in conference tournament matches, including a 1-1 mark in the BIG EAST (the other 21 matches were at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament).
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 8-10 in conference tournament play (1-1 in the BIG EAST) with one title, a 2012 crown at the MVC Tournament in Springfield, Mo.
Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Xavier in conference tournament action, defeating the Musketeers last season in Omaha in four sets (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-17).
Creighton is 2-0 all-time as a top-seeded team, winning both matches in 2012.
With A Win on Friday...
-Creighton would improve to 24-8 on the fall with its 18th win in its last 20 matches.
-Creighton's 24 wins would be its second-most in school history, trailing only the 29 victories by the 2012 club.
-Creighton would improve to 10-14 all-time in conference tournament play, including a 4-5 mark in the semifinal round and a 2-1 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament.
-Creighton would reach the title match of the Conference Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons. Creighton also made it in 2010 and 2012 as a member of the MVC as well as the 2013 BIG EAST tournament title game.
-Creighton would improve to 6-0 all-time against Xavier, going 3-0 against the Musketeers for a second straight campaign.
-Creighton would ensure a 33rd match of the year on Saturday, tying a school record.
-Would extend the senior class' record four-year win total to 93 since the fall of 2011.
Hardware Hopefuls
The Creighton Volleyball team is looking to earn the school's first BIG EAST Tournament title in any sport this weekend.
Now in their second year in the BIG EAST, the past 13 months have seen the Bluejays reach the title game in volleyball, men's basketball and baseball, only to come up empty each time.
During Creighton's final 20 years in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton won 36 league tournament titles.
Pair of Titles
Creighton won its second regular-season title in program history this fall, going 16-2 in BIG EAST play.
Creighton's first league title in program history came in 2012, when the Bluejays went 17-1 to win the Missouri Valley Conference title. That team went on to win the MVC Tournament title, as well.
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to last season, Creighton has also won BIG EAST regular-season titles in baseball (2014) and men's soccer (2014), but this is the first women's title in any BIG EAST sport.
BIG EAST Honors Trio
Creighton had three women honored by the BIG EAST when All-Conference honors were handed out on Tuesday.
Senior Kelli Browning and sophomore Jess Bird were named First Team All-BIG EAST, while sophomore Lauren Smith was awarded Second Team All-BIG EAST honors.
This is the third straight year Browning has been named First Team All-Conference, and the first year-end league honors by both Bird and Smith.
The Case For Creighton
Should Creighton not earn the BIG EAST Tournament title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Bluejays still have numerous reasons to expect an at-large bid.
Consider the following...
• Outright regular-season champs in the BIG EAST, the nation's No. 9 conference.
• Official NCAA RPI of 34 in latest ranking (Nov. 24).
• Own four wins vs. top-31 RPI (#24 Colorado, #26 Marquette twice, #31 Lipscomb), with two of those four wins away from home.
• Scheduled a challenging non-conference schedule featuring five teams ranked in the preseason poll, tied for most nationally with Stanford. That list didn't include current #18 Colorado, preseason league favorites Lipscomb and Wichita State or traditional power Northern Iowa.
• Team played 12 matches without first-team all-conference pick Jess Bird after knee surgery sidelined her. Team is 16-3 with her (7-4 without her), and she missed matches against four ranked teams. Since Bird returned to the starting line-up on October 3rd, leads team in kills and is two digs shy of leading team in that category as well.
• Team has won 11 of last 12 matches and 17 of past 19 contests, with both losses to a 27-win Seton Hall squad that finished second in the BIG EAST.
• Is 8-4 on the road (with 3 losses to top-15 RPI teams) and 3-1 on neutral floors (with a loss to a #23 RPI team), with seven non-conference matches away from home.
• Team is centrally located in the US and close to potential host sites such as Lawrence, Manhattan, Lincoln, Ames, Fort Collins, Madison and Champaign.
• Has won NCAA Tournament matches in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Record Watch For Browning
Kelli Browning is chasing several blocking records still held by Jessica Houts.
Browning owns 535 career block assists, one shy of Houts' mark of 536 set from 2005-09.
Browning also owns 589 career total blocks, trailing only the 609 career blocks by Houts.
One record Browning already owns, but could break again, is CU's mark for hitting percentage in a season. After setting the record by hitting .370 in 2012, Browning is hitting .357 this year.
Jereb Honored For Second Time
Creighton's Melanie Jereb was named the BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
A junior from Cary, Ill., averaged 5.33 digs and 0.33 aces per set as Creighton went 1-1 last week and clinched the outright BIG EAST title.
Jereb had 14 digs and two aces in a 3-0 sweep of Villanova on Friday, then had a match-best 18 digs on Sunday vs. Seton Hall.
It is her second such honor this season, along with a similar accolade she garnered on Oct. 27.
Winning Trend
Creighton had won 11 straight matches entering last weekend. The streak was the second-longest in program history, trailing only a 17-match streak in 2012
Creighton's 11 straight league wins was also the program's longest since joining the BIG EAST.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
17 Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012 at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0
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-Oct. 4, 2014 at Seton Hall, 3-2
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0 BIG EAST
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
9 Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007 at Wichita State, 3-0 MVC
9 Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009 Northern Iowa, 3-1 MVC
8 Nov. 13, 2010 - Oct. 1, 2011 at Missouri State, 3-1 MVC
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2001 #16 Northern Iowa, 3-0 MVC
Home Sweet Home
Creighton's 12 home this year tied the program record for one season. A streak of nine straight home wins -- second longest in program history -- was snapped in the regular-season finale by Seton Hall.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins Dates Snapped By
13 Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013 California, 3-0
9 Sept. 20 - Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0
8 Sept. 25-Nov. 20, 2010 Northern Illinois, 3-0
7 Oct. 17, 2008-Aug. 28, 2009 #10 Illinois, 3-0
6 Oct. 22, 2005-Sept. 2, 2006 Iowa, 3-2
Most Home Wins, Season
Rank Home W-L Year
1. 12-1 2012
12-3 2014
3. 11-3 2013
National View
Creighton continues to generate tremendous respect at the national level.
CU is 30th in the voting for this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, just 66 points shy of the 25th spot. Creighton is trying to return to the Top 25 for the first time since being 23rd in the preseason poll.
The RPI is also an important formula used to rank teams. Creighton is 34th in that methodology. The computer rankings from RichKern.com have the Bluejays even higher, as they check in at the No. 31 spot.
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:
CU's 53 victories in the previous two seasons (2012-13) are seven more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
Creighton owns 75 wins in the last three seasons (2012-Present), the winningest three-year span in program history and six more than the mark set from 2011-13.
CU's 92 victories in the last four seasons (2011-Present) are two more than any other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
23 Wins Climbs The List
Now 23-8, Creighton has earned an unprecedented third consecutive 20-win season. It's actually Creighton's third straight season of 22 wins or more, something it had never done even once between 1994-2011.
Creighton, which had never won more than 16 matches in a modern season prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, owns seasons with 29, 23 (2x), 21 (3x), 18 (2x), 17 and 16 victories during her tenure.
Matches Won
Year MP W L Pct.
1. 2012 33 29 4 .879
2. 2014 31 23 8 .742
2013 32 23 9 .719
4. 2006 31 21 10 .677
2007 31 21 10 .677
2010 33 21 12 .636
BIG EAST Success
Creighton is 28-6 all-time in BIG EAST play, including a 15-2 mark at home, since joining the conference prior to last season.
Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 46-7 in conference home matches.
CU has been rather successful on the road too, going 13-4 away from home in BIG EAST play.
Bunch Of Winners
Creighton's seniors have all experienced great success, both individually and as a team.
Leah McNary has appeared in 90 wins as a Bluejay, most in school history. Not far behind her are Kelli Browning (85), Michelle Sicner (82) and Katie Neisler (79).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
90 Leah McNary 2011-Pres.
85 Kelli Browning 2011-Pres.
82 Michelle Sicner 2011-Pres.
81 Megan Bober 2009-12
79 Brooke Boggs 2009-12
79 Katie Neisler 2011-Pres.
76 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
74 Allie Oelke 2007-10
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 92-35, won an MVC regular-season title, a BIG EAST 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 .357 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 in September. 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 89 kills this season, including a career-high 16 vs. Butler 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.
Serving Up A Winner
After big struggles during non-conference play with its serving, Creighton has made huge strides behind the service line since BIG EAST play has started.
In 50 sets during non-conference play, Creighton had 45 aces against 125 service miscues while putting just 88.9 percent of its serves in play.
By comparison, Creighton owned 86 aces against just 89 service errors in 66 sets during league action. In that time, CU had put 94.2 percent of its serves in play. Jess Bird and Ashley Jansen combined for 37 aces and just 29 service errors in 459 serves during league play.
After going 7-6 in the non-conference, Creighton went 16-2 in BIG EAST action.
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 3.23 kills and 1.44 blocks per set while hitting .357 this season. After entering her senior season with a career-high of 18 kills, Browning has had four different matches of 18 or more kills this fall.
In five matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.53 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .381.
Entering the week, Browning was one of seven players nationally with at least 375 kills who was hitting .355 or better. She was above both standards, hitting .357 with 375 kills.
Browning also entered this week 14th nationally among middle blockers in 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
The Word on Bird
Since returning to the starting line-up on Oct. 3rd, Jess Bird has produced 172 kills and 151 digs in the 15 matches after entering the stretch with 16 kills and nine digs in four previous matches this season.
Bird has shown minimal signs of a knee ailment that forced her to miss 12 of Creighton's first 14 matches this season.
Bird owns six double-doubles since returning, including career-highs with 22 kills and 23 digs in a five-set win at Butler on Nov. 8th. Five of those double-doubles have come on the road, including Marquette, Seton Hall, Butler and St. John's.
Creighton is 16-3 this year with Bird in the line-up, compared to a 7-5 mark without her.
Since returning to the starting line-up, Bird leads the team in kills and is second on the club in both digs and service aces.
This is 20/20
Jess Bird had career-highs with 22 kills and 23 digs in Creighton's 3-2 comeback victory at Butler on Nov. 8th. In the process, she became just the third player in CU history with at least 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match, and first since Leah Ratzlaff in 2004.
Bird, who also hit .405 in the contest, is the first person with a 20/20 while hitting .405 or better since Melissa Walsh did so on Oct. 10, 1998 (28 kills, 30 digs, .453).
20 Kills, 20 Digs In A Match
K D Name Opp. Date
28 30 Melissa Walsh at Drake (5g) 10/10/98
30 22 Melissa Walsh at Indiana St. (5g) 10/16/98
22 24 Melissa Walsh Wichita St. (4g) 11/5/99
20 26 Melissa Walsh at Indiana St. (5g) 10/14/00
23 22 Melissa Walsh vs. Evansville (4g) 11/24/00
23 21 Leah Ratzlaff Evansville (4g) 10/1/04
22 23 Jess Bird at Butler (5s) 11/8/14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 208-8 (.963) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 151-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 99-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 9-180 (.048) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-63 mark in those home matches. Those nine comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below.
Notably, this year's team joins the 2004 club as the only one to win multiple matches in the same season when trailing 0-2 at intermission.
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
11/08/14 at Butler 25-16, 25-20, 15-13 Booth
Defense Rules
Creighton held Providence to -.151 hitting on Oct. 19, as the Friars had 17 kills and 31 errors in 93 swings.
The -.151 hitting percentage was the poorest performance ever by a Bluejay opponent, while the 17 kills were third-fewest.
Of the 31 times that Providence served, Creighton won the ensuing point on 29 of them.
Creighton set another defensive record on Nov. 21, holding Villanova to 14 kills for the match.
Fewest Kills by a Creighton Opponent, Match
14 Villanova 11/21/14
15 Drake 9/22/06
15 Montana State 8/25/07
17 Providence 10/19/14
18 at Jacksonville State 9/05/08
Lowest Opponent Hitting % vs. Creighton, Match
Pct. Team K E TA Date
-.151 Providence 17 31 93 10/19/14
-.112 Jacksonville State 18 27 80 09/05/08
-.108 UMKC 19 27 74 09/15/96
-.086 Drake 15 23 93 09/22/06
-.067 Weber State 19 25 90 09/09/11
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Creighton hit a season-best .471 in its Oct. 19 win over Providence. The mark was not only a D.J. Sokol Arena record, but also the third-best mark by Creighton in any match in its history.
Attack Percentage
.536 vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) 10-27-95
.495 vs. Liberty (57-8-99) 9-2-05
.471 vs. Providence (36-4-68) 10-19-14
.418 vs. Evansville (98-21-184) 11-2-96
.414 vs. UC Riverside (57-11-111) 9-2-05
.414 vs. Drake (49-8-99) 10-3-08
Blocks A Key To Victory
Creighton's block has been one of the nation's best in the last five years, and this year is no different.
And it should come as no surprise, but how well Creighton blocks often correlates into CU's winning percentage.
In the 77 sets that Creighton has won, the Bluejays average 3.03 blocks per set, while in the 39 sets the Jays have lost that number plummets to 2.06 per set.
As can be seen in the chart below, Creighton has won 62-of-83 sets when owning two or more blocks in a set. Up that figure to four blocks in a set and the Jays improve to 26-9.
Blocks Set W-L Blocks Set W-L
0 3-9 No blocks 3-9
1 12-9 1 or more 74-30
2 20-5 2 or more 62-21
3 16-7 3 or more 42-16
4 10-5 4 or more 26-9
5 7-3 5 or more 16-4
5.5 1-1 5.5 or more 9-1
6 7-0 6 or more 7-0
7 1-0 7 or more 1-0
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 39-21 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 3-2 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 seven of its last eight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State, and wins this year at Butler and at St. John's.
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 3-2 23-8
Total 54-49 326-288
Smith Sets League Record
Lauren Smith set a Creighton record and tied a BIG EAST record on Oct. 19 when she hit .857 against Providence. Smith had 12 kills and no errors in 14 swings.
The mark tied the previous BIG EAST mark for a league game, first set by Marquette's Kelsey Mattai vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 5, 2012.
Creighton's previous record for hitting percentage in a match was .750, done by Katy Grady (Aug. 30, 2003 vs. Auburn) and later matched by Abby Baumann (Sept. 3, 2005 at San Diego State).
Smith On A Tear
Sophomore Lauren Smith has played at a high clip in the last nine Bluejay victories. In that time, she's averaged 2.45 kills per set and 0.85 blocks per set. She's also hit .435 in the nine victories, including single-match hitting percentages of .857, .500, .600, .533, .381, .429 and .350 in that time.
Kelli, Kelli, Kelli
Kelli Browning's outstanding season continues to see her chase a couple of school records. Browning had her streak of five or more blocks come to an end Nov. 14 at Providence at 11 straight, the longest streak in program history.
Consecutive Matches, 5 or More Blocks
11 Kelli Browning (Oct. 4-Nov. 8, 2014)
9 Jessica Houts (Oct. 15-Nov. 19, 2005)
7 Laurel Sanford (Oct. 29-Nov. 24, 2011)
6 Melissa Walsh (Sept. 27-Oct. 16, 1998)
6 Jessica Houts (Sept. 1-10, 2006)
6 Kelli Browning (Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2012)
Elman Breaks Forearm, Out 3-6 Weeks
Libero Kate Elman will miss 3-6 weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture of her radius (forearm) during its October 24 win over Marquette. The injury happened late in the second set when the Omaha native crashed into a courtside table while attempting a dig with CU leading 18-17. She did not return, and X-rays immediately following the match confirmed the injury.
Elman leads the Bluejays with 4.48 digs per set and ranks among the team leaders with 17 service aces in 2014. Prior to her injury, the junior from Omaha had played in 330 straight sets at libero since arriving to campus in the fall of 2012, becoming the program's all-time digs leader in an October 3 win at DePaul.
Elman's cast was removed on Nov. 24th as the junior attempts to make a comeback yet this season.
BIG EAST Honors Browning & Jereb
The BIG EAST Conference has honored Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning and Melanie Jereb for their performances on Oct. 24 & 26.
Browning was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Jereb was tabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after helping Creighton to a 2-0 weekend.
Browning averaged 4.43 kills and 1.86 blocks per set while hitting a red-hot .532. Browning opened her weekend by leading Creighton with 18 kills and five blocks on .593 hitting in a 3-1 victory over defending league champ Marquette, helping to push CU into sole possession of first place. Browning, who hails from the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, hit .455 or better in all four sets and had three points as CU bolted to a 4-0 lead in the decisive fourth set and never trailed. Her .593 hitting stands as the best hitting percentage in a match by any BIG EAST player this year with at least 25 swings.
In the 3-0 sweep of DePaul, the two-time All-American once again led Creighton with 13 kills, eight blocks and .450 hitting as CU held the Blue Demons to .009 hitting in 114 swings. Browning's third kill of the match made her just the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000 career kills. She had eight kills and eight blocks by intermission, then added five kills in six swings during the 25-12 clincher.
This was the second time this season Browning has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week (also Sept. 15), and third time in her career.
Playing libero for the first time in her life, Jereb averaged 5.83 digs per set while playing in six sets (all victories). She also successfully handled all 22 serve receptions.
With Marquette leading the match 1-0 and the score tied at 18-all in the second set, Jereb came off the bench after Kate Elman broke her forearm and had to leave the match. Jereb had three digs as CU evened the match after a 7-2 run to win the set. She then had five digs in the third set and eight more to finish the match with a club-high and personal season-high 16 digs.
Jereb then played her first full match at libero in a 3-0 win over DePaul. She had six digs in the first and third sets and seven digs in the second frame to finish with a season-best and match-high 19 digs. CU held DePaul to 24 digs and .009 hitting in the contest.
Jereb had entered the week with just seven total digs in CU's first six matches of October, but now has produced double-figure digs in nine straight matches.
Jays Turn To Jereb As Libero
Since Kate Elman broke her right forearm in the second set of the Oct. 24 win over Marquette, CU has turned to Melanie Jereb as libero.
Jereb, who told reporters later she had never played libero in her life at any level, learned quickly, averaging 5.83 digs per set to earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week accolades in her first weekend at the position.
Since Jereb moved to libero to start set three vs. Marquette on Oct. 24, Creighton has averaged 17.45 digs per set and been aced just 23 times in 31 sets.
Since the libero became legal in 2002, the Jays have used multiple liberos in a season just four times (2005, 2006, 2010, 2014), and only used 12 different players in that role.
Below are the stats for each woman as solely Creighton's libero.
Stats As Creighton's Libero
Name Year(s) SP DIGS DPS
Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11 173 1,020 5.90
Bianca Rivera 2007-08 207 1,118 5.40
Nayka Benitez 2009-10 183 908 4.96
Mallory Lahm 2005 51 240 4.71
Melanie Jereb 2014 31 143 4.61
Brittany Coleman 2005 38 174 4.58
Kate Elman 2012-14 330 1,503 4.55
Janeen Piller 2002-04 313 1,371 4.38
Katie Mehal 2005-06 116 503 4.34
Emily Greisch 2005 12 49 4.08
Molly Lahr 2005 1 2 2.00
Sarah Schulze 2006 3 5 1.67
Dos Liberos
Creighton used two liberos in the Oct. 24 win over Marquette, as Kate Elman played the first two sets before Melanie Jereb replaced Elman after she suffered broken forearm.
It was just the fifth time in the history of Bluejay Volleyball that the team has used two liberos in the same contest, and first such time since 2006.
Incredibly, Creighton has won all five matches.
Two Liberos, Same Match
Date W/L Opponent Liberos (Sets)
9/23/05 W 3-0 Indiana State Emily Greisch/Molly Lahr
10/4/05 W 3-0 S. Dakota St. Emily Greisch/Mallory Lahm
8/26/06 W 3-0 Florida Atlantic Katie Mehal/Sarah Schulze
9/9/06 W 3-2 Saint Louis Sarah Schulze/Katie Mehal
10/24/14 W 3-1 Marquette Kate Elman/Melanie Jereb
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.09 kills per set through 29 matches, second in the BIG EAST and 23rd-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 11.34 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by any CU defense since the program's 1994 reinstatement.
Browning Earns Second Defensive Honor
Creighton senior Kelli Browning was named BIG EAST Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week, the league announced on Oct. 20.
It was the second time in three weeks that Browning has earned the award, having also won it on October 6.
A Waukesha, Wis., native, Browning averaged 2.33 blocks, 2.33 kills and 0.67 digs per set in a pair of 3-0 victories. Creighton held St. John's and Providence to a combined total of 49 kills on .011 hitting in six sets that saw the Jays outscore their league rivals 150-90.
On Friday, Browning had seven blocks, seven kills and two digs in a 3-0 win over St. John's, as CU avenged its only home loss in BIG EAST play in the past two years.
On Sunday, Browning had seven kills and seven blocks on .545 hitting in CU's 3-0 win over Providence. Browning's blocking helped hold PC to -.151 hitting, the poorest mark ever by a Bluejay opponent. In addition, Providence's 17 kills were the third-fewest in history against Creighton.
For the week, Browning outblocked Creighton's opponents, 14-7.
Even Year October Push
Creighton went 7-1 in the month of October tying a school record for wins in that month.
Creighton also won seven matches in the month of October in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Like the first four occasions, 2014 is also an even-numbered year.
Blue October
Creighton has enjoyed tremendous success in October in recent seasons. The Jays have won 24 of the last 27 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 22 of its last 23 home matches in October since Oct. 22, 2009.
Past The Midpoint
Creighton's Oct. 19 win over Providence marked the midway point of BIG EAST Conference play, as the Jays had played all nine league opponents exactly once.
At 8-1, this year's team had a winning record at the midpoint of league play for the fifth straight season, and 11th time in 13 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
This year's team joins the 2012 club as the second club in program history to start 8-1 in league play. That team went on to win the program's first regular-season conference crown.
League Record by Year
Year 1st Half 2nd Half Place
1994 2-8 1-9 T-9th MVC
1995 3-7 3-7 T-7th MVC
1996 2-7 3-6 T-6th MVC
1997 6-3 4-5 T-3rd MVC
1998 2-7 3-6 8th MVC
1999 5-4 4-5 5th MVC
2000 5-4 5-4 T-4th MVC
2001 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2002 1-8 1-8 T-9th MVC
2003 5-4 4-5 T-5th MVC
2004 5-4 5-4 5th MVC
2005 4-5 6-3 5th MVC
2006 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2007 7-2 7-2 T-2nd MVC
2008 7-2 8-1 2nd MVC
2009 4-5 6-3 T-4th MVC
2010 7-2 6-3 3rd MVC
2011 6-3 6-3 4th MVC
2012 8-1 9-0 1st MVC
2013 6-2 6-2 T-2nd BIG EAST
2014 8-1 8-1 1st
Total 107-83 105-85 --
Award-Winning Performances
Kelli Browning and Marysa Wilkinson were honored by the BIG EAST Conference for their play the weekend of Oct. 3-4.
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 the return to her home state of Wisconsin one night later, 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 during the 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 on Oct. 3 vs. DePaul.
Elman passed Piller's mark of 1,392 career digs and enters this weekend with 1,503. Elman also passed Piller's record for career matches with 10+ digs of 74, and now owns 78.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 330 1,503 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
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
78 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
Elman With 20/20/20 Vision
Kate Elman tied Julianne Mandolfo's school record with her 32nd career match of 20 or more digs on Oct. 11 at Villanova.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
32 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
Baumert Records Rare Triple-Double
Maggie Baumert had the first triple-double of her career in the Oct. 4 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 different 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.
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2014 compares to the last three seasons.
Stat 2014 (so far) 2013 2012 2011
W-L 23-8 so far 23-9 29-4 17-14
Postseason ? ? ? NCAA NCAA ---
Tourney Titles 1 1 2 0
Kills/Set 14.09 13.47 13.39 12.75
Hitting % .236 .220 .247 .203
Aces/Set 1.13 0.99 1.24 1.13
Digs/Set 16.41 15.76 17.32 17.23
Blocks/Set 2.67 3.06 3.06 2.54
Browning Reaches 1,000 Kills
With her third kill on Oct. 26 vs. DePaul, Kelli Browning became the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000 kills. She reached the milestone in her 110th career match.
Among those that Browning has joined in that elite group is classmate Leah McNary. McNary got to 1,000 kills on Sept. 12 vs. Pepperdine in her 96th career match.
The only previous time Creighton had two players reach 1,000 career kills in the same season was in 2008, when Jessica Houts and Amanda Cvejdlik each reached the milestone one week apart.
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
Kelli Browning 110 10/26/14 DePaul
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.
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%).
On The Upswing
Creighton's Oct. 3rd match at DePaul marked Creighton's 600th since restarting the program. In that time, Creighton is now 325-287. 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 12-2 so far Booth
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 21 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 74-10 against unranked teams.
It Goes On, And On, And On, And On, And On
Creighton has played in 817 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. CU replicated that 25-7 score in the third set on Oct. 19 vs. Providence.
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 89 kills 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 Considered For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joined Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and was the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska. Neither played advanced to the final 10.
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.
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 emerged as an offensive weapon for Creighton.
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.
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.
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 72-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 45 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 78 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 59 of its last 60 matches when leading 2-1 in a match dating to Oct. 16, 2009.
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 151-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 100-8 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
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.
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 Regular
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 played 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 swept Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and swept 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).
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 Leah McNary 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 195-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 38-114 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 45 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 233-2 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
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.
This year, Browning ranks fourth in the country with 159 blocks, just eight behind the national leader.
In the month of October, Creighton averaged 3.28 blocks per set as a team, with Browning's 1.93 average leading the way.
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 returned 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 broadcasted most home matches this season.
The matches aired on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and were webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show started approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasted about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
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 10 of the 12 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
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 1st - -
Nov. 28 3 pm Xavier vs. Creighton (BEDN) Miwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
Nov. 29 4 pm Championship Match (FOX Sports 2) Miwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
This Weekend
Creighton Volleyball looks to follow up its BIG EAST regular-season title with a BIG EAST Tournament title this weekend on the campus of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.
The top-seeded Bluejays (23-8, 16-2 BIG EAST) will open the tournament with Friday's 3 pm semifinal match-up against fourth-seeded Xavier (19-11, 12-6 BIG EAST).
The 5:30 pm semifinal will feature second-seeded Seton Hall (27-6, 15-3 BIG EAST) against the tournament host, third-seeded Marquette (24-7, 14-4 BIG EAST).
Saturday's title match will start at 4 pm, with an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament at stake.
All matches will be played at the Al McGuire Center (3,700).
Video Webcast/Television Information
Live streaming video of Friday's semifinals will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required. The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store.
Saturday's championship match will air on FOX Sports 2, which is also available on-line via FOXSportsGo.
Radio Broadcast Information
No radio coverage is scheduled for this weekend.
Live Stats Information
The BIG EAST Tournament will have free live stats. Visit gocreighton.com and click on the Stats icon near the top right of the page for the exact link to each Creighton match.
Scouting Creighton
Sparked by the return of All-BIG EAST sophomore Jess Bird, Creighton has been one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning 17 of its last 19 matches. Both losses in that span came to BIG EAST runner-up Seton Hall. The Bluejays are now 23-8 on the season and clinched the program's first outright title with a 3-0 victory over Villanova last Friday.
Creighton's eight losses have come against five top-25 teams (USC, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, Kansas), Seton Hall (twice) and South Dakota. The Bluejays are 6-7 against teams in the top-56 of the RPI.
First Team All-BIG EAST picks Kelli Browning (3.23 kps., 1.44 bps., .357%) and Bird (2.85 kps., 2.42 dps.) have emerged as top offensive weapons for the Bluejays, while Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree Lauren Smith (2.14 kps., 1.02 bps., .314%) led the league in conference play in hitting percentage.
The program's all-time digs leader, Kate Elman (4.48 dps., 0.20 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set but has not played since breaking her forearm in an Oct. 24 win over Marquette. In her absence, Melanie Jereb (2.95 dps.) has stepped up as the team's libero and reached double-figures in digs in nine straight contests while twice earning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week acclaim.
Maggie Baumert (9.61 aps., 1.89 dps.) and Michelle Sicner (7.06 aps., 1.04 bps.) have taken turns handling the setting duties for one of the league's most prolific offenses.
Creighton averages 14.09 kills, 16.41 digs, 2.67 blocks and 1.13 aces per set while hitting .236 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 233-136 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.
Mike Johnson (Washington, 2003) is in his fifth year at Xavier, where he owns a 102-54 record and won 20 or more matches each of his first four seasons. His career record stands at 124-63 in five years when you include one year as head coach at Austin Peay. He is assisted by Christy Pfeffenberger, Dave Franklin and Ilyanna Hernandez.
Allison Yaeger (Wright State, 2003) owns a 61-31 mark in her third year at Seton Hall. Seton Hall's 27 wins this season are its most since 1994 and helped her garner BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors. She is assisted by Allie Matters.
Ryan Theis (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2000) is in his first season as head coach at Marquette, having been named to the position on Feb. 14, 2014. He owns an 24-7 mark with the Golden Eagles, moving his career mark to 168-61 in seven seasons when you factor in a six-year run at Ohio. He is assisted by Erich Hinterstocker, Meghan Keck and James Sackley.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton went 1-1 to close the regular-season, sweeping Villanova to clinch the outright BIG EAST title before dropping a 3-0 contest to Seton Hall. Jess Bird led Creighton with 21 kills, while Melanie Jereb had 32 digs on the weekend.
Recapping 2014 Meetings With Xavier
Creighton won both regular-season meetings with Xavier this season, winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-16) in Omaha on Sept. 28 and taking a 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 19-25, 25-23) decision in Cincinnati on Nov. 7.
Kelli Browning hit .471 and averaged 3.71 kills and 1.43 blocks per set to lead CU in the match-ups, while Ashley Jansen had a team-high 4.43 digs per set.
Key to Creighton's success has been limiting All-BIG EAST performer Abbey Bessler to just 10 kills over the seven sets (1.43 kps.) as she hit -.092 with 16 errors in 65 swings.
Conference Tournament History
Creighton is 9-14 all-time in conference tournament matches, including a 1-1 mark in the BIG EAST (the other 21 matches were at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament).
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 8-10 in conference tournament play (1-1 in the BIG EAST) with one title, a 2012 crown at the MVC Tournament in Springfield, Mo.
Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Xavier in conference tournament action, defeating the Musketeers last season in Omaha in four sets (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-17).
Creighton is 2-0 all-time as a top-seeded team, winning both matches in 2012.
With A Win on Friday...
-Creighton would improve to 24-8 on the fall with its 18th win in its last 20 matches.
-Creighton's 24 wins would be its second-most in school history, trailing only the 29 victories by the 2012 club.
-Creighton would improve to 10-14 all-time in conference tournament play, including a 4-5 mark in the semifinal round and a 2-1 mark in the BIG EAST Tournament.
-Creighton would reach the title match of the Conference Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons. Creighton also made it in 2010 and 2012 as a member of the MVC as well as the 2013 BIG EAST tournament title game.
-Creighton would improve to 6-0 all-time against Xavier, going 3-0 against the Musketeers for a second straight campaign.
-Creighton would ensure a 33rd match of the year on Saturday, tying a school record.
-Would extend the senior class' record four-year win total to 93 since the fall of 2011.
Hardware Hopefuls
The Creighton Volleyball team is looking to earn the school's first BIG EAST Tournament title in any sport this weekend.
Now in their second year in the BIG EAST, the past 13 months have seen the Bluejays reach the title game in volleyball, men's basketball and baseball, only to come up empty each time.
During Creighton's final 20 years in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton won 36 league tournament titles.
Pair of Titles
Creighton won its second regular-season title in program history this fall, going 16-2 in BIG EAST play.
Creighton's first league title in program history came in 2012, when the Bluejays went 17-1 to win the Missouri Valley Conference title. That team went on to win the MVC Tournament title, as well.
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to last season, Creighton has also won BIG EAST regular-season titles in baseball (2014) and men's soccer (2014), but this is the first women's title in any BIG EAST sport.
BIG EAST Honors Trio
Creighton had three women honored by the BIG EAST when All-Conference honors were handed out on Tuesday.
Senior Kelli Browning and sophomore Jess Bird were named First Team All-BIG EAST, while sophomore Lauren Smith was awarded Second Team All-BIG EAST honors.
This is the third straight year Browning has been named First Team All-Conference, and the first year-end league honors by both Bird and Smith.
The Case For Creighton
Should Creighton not earn the BIG EAST Tournament title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Bluejays still have numerous reasons to expect an at-large bid.
Consider the following...
• Outright regular-season champs in the BIG EAST, the nation's No. 9 conference.
• Official NCAA RPI of 34 in latest ranking (Nov. 24).
• Own four wins vs. top-31 RPI (#24 Colorado, #26 Marquette twice, #31 Lipscomb), with two of those four wins away from home.
• Scheduled a challenging non-conference schedule featuring five teams ranked in the preseason poll, tied for most nationally with Stanford. That list didn't include current #18 Colorado, preseason league favorites Lipscomb and Wichita State or traditional power Northern Iowa.
• Team played 12 matches without first-team all-conference pick Jess Bird after knee surgery sidelined her. Team is 16-3 with her (7-4 without her), and she missed matches against four ranked teams. Since Bird returned to the starting line-up on October 3rd, leads team in kills and is two digs shy of leading team in that category as well.
• Team has won 11 of last 12 matches and 17 of past 19 contests, with both losses to a 27-win Seton Hall squad that finished second in the BIG EAST.
• Is 8-4 on the road (with 3 losses to top-15 RPI teams) and 3-1 on neutral floors (with a loss to a #23 RPI team), with seven non-conference matches away from home.
• Team is centrally located in the US and close to potential host sites such as Lawrence, Manhattan, Lincoln, Ames, Fort Collins, Madison and Champaign.
• Has won NCAA Tournament matches in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Record Watch For Browning
Kelli Browning is chasing several blocking records still held by Jessica Houts.
Browning owns 535 career block assists, one shy of Houts' mark of 536 set from 2005-09.
Browning also owns 589 career total blocks, trailing only the 609 career blocks by Houts.
One record Browning already owns, but could break again, is CU's mark for hitting percentage in a season. After setting the record by hitting .370 in 2012, Browning is hitting .357 this year.
Jereb Honored For Second Time
Creighton's Melanie Jereb was named the BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
A junior from Cary, Ill., averaged 5.33 digs and 0.33 aces per set as Creighton went 1-1 last week and clinched the outright BIG EAST title.
Jereb had 14 digs and two aces in a 3-0 sweep of Villanova on Friday, then had a match-best 18 digs on Sunday vs. Seton Hall.
It is her second such honor this season, along with a similar accolade she garnered on Oct. 27.
Winning Trend
Creighton had won 11 straight matches entering last weekend. The streak was the second-longest in program history, trailing only a 17-match streak in 2012
Creighton's 11 straight league wins was also the program's longest since joining the BIG EAST.
Consecutive Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By
17 Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012 at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0
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-Oct. 4, 2014 at Seton Hall, 3-2
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0 BIG EAST
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
9 Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007 at Wichita State, 3-0 MVC
9 Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009 Northern Iowa, 3-1 MVC
8 Nov. 13, 2010 - Oct. 1, 2011 at Missouri State, 3-1 MVC
6 Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2001 #16 Northern Iowa, 3-0 MVC
Home Sweet Home
Creighton's 12 home this year tied the program record for one season. A streak of nine straight home wins -- second longest in program history -- was snapped in the regular-season finale by Seton Hall.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins Dates Snapped By
13 Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013 California, 3-0
9 Sept. 20 - Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0
8 Sept. 25-Nov. 20, 2010 Northern Illinois, 3-0
7 Oct. 17, 2008-Aug. 28, 2009 #10 Illinois, 3-0
6 Oct. 22, 2005-Sept. 2, 2006 Iowa, 3-2
Most Home Wins, Season
Rank Home W-L Year
1. 12-1 2012
12-3 2014
3. 11-3 2013
National View
Creighton continues to generate tremendous respect at the national level.
CU is 30th in the voting for this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, just 66 points shy of the 25th spot. Creighton is trying to return to the Top 25 for the first time since being 23rd in the preseason poll.
The RPI is also an important formula used to rank teams. Creighton is 34th in that methodology. The computer rankings from RichKern.com have the Bluejays even higher, as they check in at the No. 31 spot.
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:
CU's 53 victories in the previous two seasons (2012-13) are seven more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
Creighton owns 75 wins in the last three seasons (2012-Present), the winningest three-year span in program history and six more than the mark set from 2011-13.
CU's 92 victories in the last four seasons (2011-Present) are two more than any other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
23 Wins Climbs The List
Now 23-8, Creighton has earned an unprecedented third consecutive 20-win season. It's actually Creighton's third straight season of 22 wins or more, something it had never done even once between 1994-2011.
Creighton, which had never won more than 16 matches in a modern season prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, owns seasons with 29, 23 (2x), 21 (3x), 18 (2x), 17 and 16 victories during her tenure.
Matches Won
Year MP W L Pct.
1. 2012 33 29 4 .879
2. 2014 31 23 8 .742
2013 32 23 9 .719
4. 2006 31 21 10 .677
2007 31 21 10 .677
2010 33 21 12 .636
BIG EAST Success
Creighton is 28-6 all-time in BIG EAST play, including a 15-2 mark at home, since joining the conference prior to last season.
Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 46-7 in conference home matches.
CU has been rather successful on the road too, going 13-4 away from home in BIG EAST play.
Bunch Of Winners
Creighton's seniors have all experienced great success, both individually and as a team.
Leah McNary has appeared in 90 wins as a Bluejay, most in school history. Not far behind her are Kelli Browning (85), Michelle Sicner (82) and Katie Neisler (79).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
90 Leah McNary 2011-Pres.
85 Kelli Browning 2011-Pres.
82 Michelle Sicner 2011-Pres.
81 Megan Bober 2009-12
79 Brooke Boggs 2009-12
79 Katie Neisler 2011-Pres.
76 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
74 Allie Oelke 2007-10
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 92-35, won an MVC regular-season title, a BIG EAST 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 .357 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 in September. 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 89 kills this season, including a career-high 16 vs. Butler 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.
Serving Up A Winner
After big struggles during non-conference play with its serving, Creighton has made huge strides behind the service line since BIG EAST play has started.
In 50 sets during non-conference play, Creighton had 45 aces against 125 service miscues while putting just 88.9 percent of its serves in play.
By comparison, Creighton owned 86 aces against just 89 service errors in 66 sets during league action. In that time, CU had put 94.2 percent of its serves in play. Jess Bird and Ashley Jansen combined for 37 aces and just 29 service errors in 459 serves during league play.
After going 7-6 in the non-conference, Creighton went 16-2 in BIG EAST action.
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 3.23 kills and 1.44 blocks per set while hitting .357 this season. After entering her senior season with a career-high of 18 kills, Browning has had four different matches of 18 or more kills this fall.
In five matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.53 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .381.
Entering the week, Browning was one of seven players nationally with at least 375 kills who was hitting .355 or better. She was above both standards, hitting .357 with 375 kills.
Browning also entered this week 14th nationally among middle blockers in 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
The Word on Bird
Since returning to the starting line-up on Oct. 3rd, Jess Bird has produced 172 kills and 151 digs in the 15 matches after entering the stretch with 16 kills and nine digs in four previous matches this season.
Bird has shown minimal signs of a knee ailment that forced her to miss 12 of Creighton's first 14 matches this season.
Bird owns six double-doubles since returning, including career-highs with 22 kills and 23 digs in a five-set win at Butler on Nov. 8th. Five of those double-doubles have come on the road, including Marquette, Seton Hall, Butler and St. John's.
Creighton is 16-3 this year with Bird in the line-up, compared to a 7-5 mark without her.
Since returning to the starting line-up, Bird leads the team in kills and is second on the club in both digs and service aces.
This is 20/20
Jess Bird had career-highs with 22 kills and 23 digs in Creighton's 3-2 comeback victory at Butler on Nov. 8th. In the process, she became just the third player in CU history with at least 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match, and first since Leah Ratzlaff in 2004.
Bird, who also hit .405 in the contest, is the first person with a 20/20 while hitting .405 or better since Melissa Walsh did so on Oct. 10, 1998 (28 kills, 30 digs, .453).
20 Kills, 20 Digs In A Match
K D Name Opp. Date
28 30 Melissa Walsh at Drake (5g) 10/10/98
30 22 Melissa Walsh at Indiana St. (5g) 10/16/98
22 24 Melissa Walsh Wichita St. (4g) 11/5/99
20 26 Melissa Walsh at Indiana St. (5g) 10/14/00
23 22 Melissa Walsh vs. Evansville (4g) 11/24/00
23 21 Leah Ratzlaff Evansville (4g) 10/1/04
22 23 Jess Bird at Butler (5s) 11/8/14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 208-8 (.963) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 151-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 99-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 9-180 (.048) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-63 mark in those home matches. Those nine comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below.
Notably, this year's team joins the 2004 club as the only one to win multiple matches in the same season when trailing 0-2 at intermission.
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
11/08/14 at Butler 25-16, 25-20, 15-13 Booth
Defense Rules
Creighton held Providence to -.151 hitting on Oct. 19, as the Friars had 17 kills and 31 errors in 93 swings.
The -.151 hitting percentage was the poorest performance ever by a Bluejay opponent, while the 17 kills were third-fewest.
Of the 31 times that Providence served, Creighton won the ensuing point on 29 of them.
Creighton set another defensive record on Nov. 21, holding Villanova to 14 kills for the match.
Fewest Kills by a Creighton Opponent, Match
14 Villanova 11/21/14
15 Drake 9/22/06
15 Montana State 8/25/07
17 Providence 10/19/14
18 at Jacksonville State 9/05/08
Lowest Opponent Hitting % vs. Creighton, Match
Pct. Team K E TA Date
-.151 Providence 17 31 93 10/19/14
-.112 Jacksonville State 18 27 80 09/05/08
-.108 UMKC 19 27 74 09/15/96
-.086 Drake 15 23 93 09/22/06
-.067 Weber State 19 25 90 09/09/11
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Creighton hit a season-best .471 in its Oct. 19 win over Providence. The mark was not only a D.J. Sokol Arena record, but also the third-best mark by Creighton in any match in its history.
Attack Percentage
.536 vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) 10-27-95
.495 vs. Liberty (57-8-99) 9-2-05
.471 vs. Providence (36-4-68) 10-19-14
.418 vs. Evansville (98-21-184) 11-2-96
.414 vs. UC Riverside (57-11-111) 9-2-05
.414 vs. Drake (49-8-99) 10-3-08
Blocks A Key To Victory
Creighton's block has been one of the nation's best in the last five years, and this year is no different.
And it should come as no surprise, but how well Creighton blocks often correlates into CU's winning percentage.
In the 77 sets that Creighton has won, the Bluejays average 3.03 blocks per set, while in the 39 sets the Jays have lost that number plummets to 2.06 per set.
As can be seen in the chart below, Creighton has won 62-of-83 sets when owning two or more blocks in a set. Up that figure to four blocks in a set and the Jays improve to 26-9.
Blocks Set W-L Blocks Set W-L
0 3-9 No blocks 3-9
1 12-9 1 or more 74-30
2 20-5 2 or more 62-21
3 16-7 3 or more 42-16
4 10-5 4 or more 26-9
5 7-3 5 or more 16-4
5.5 1-1 5.5 or more 9-1
6 7-0 6 or more 7-0
7 1-0 7 or more 1-0
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 39-21 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 3-2 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 seven of its last eight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State, and wins this year at Butler and at St. John's.
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 3-2 23-8
Total 54-49 326-288
Smith Sets League Record
Lauren Smith set a Creighton record and tied a BIG EAST record on Oct. 19 when she hit .857 against Providence. Smith had 12 kills and no errors in 14 swings.
The mark tied the previous BIG EAST mark for a league game, first set by Marquette's Kelsey Mattai vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 5, 2012.
Creighton's previous record for hitting percentage in a match was .750, done by Katy Grady (Aug. 30, 2003 vs. Auburn) and later matched by Abby Baumann (Sept. 3, 2005 at San Diego State).
Smith On A Tear
Sophomore Lauren Smith has played at a high clip in the last nine Bluejay victories. In that time, she's averaged 2.45 kills per set and 0.85 blocks per set. She's also hit .435 in the nine victories, including single-match hitting percentages of .857, .500, .600, .533, .381, .429 and .350 in that time.
Kelli, Kelli, Kelli
Kelli Browning's outstanding season continues to see her chase a couple of school records. Browning had her streak of five or more blocks come to an end Nov. 14 at Providence at 11 straight, the longest streak in program history.
Consecutive Matches, 5 or More Blocks
11 Kelli Browning (Oct. 4-Nov. 8, 2014)
9 Jessica Houts (Oct. 15-Nov. 19, 2005)
7 Laurel Sanford (Oct. 29-Nov. 24, 2011)
6 Melissa Walsh (Sept. 27-Oct. 16, 1998)
6 Jessica Houts (Sept. 1-10, 2006)
6 Kelli Browning (Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2012)
Elman Breaks Forearm, Out 3-6 Weeks
Libero Kate Elman will miss 3-6 weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture of her radius (forearm) during its October 24 win over Marquette. The injury happened late in the second set when the Omaha native crashed into a courtside table while attempting a dig with CU leading 18-17. She did not return, and X-rays immediately following the match confirmed the injury.
Elman leads the Bluejays with 4.48 digs per set and ranks among the team leaders with 17 service aces in 2014. Prior to her injury, the junior from Omaha had played in 330 straight sets at libero since arriving to campus in the fall of 2012, becoming the program's all-time digs leader in an October 3 win at DePaul.
Elman's cast was removed on Nov. 24th as the junior attempts to make a comeback yet this season.
BIG EAST Honors Browning & Jereb
The BIG EAST Conference has honored Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning and Melanie Jereb for their performances on Oct. 24 & 26.
Browning was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Jereb was tabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after helping Creighton to a 2-0 weekend.
Browning averaged 4.43 kills and 1.86 blocks per set while hitting a red-hot .532. Browning opened her weekend by leading Creighton with 18 kills and five blocks on .593 hitting in a 3-1 victory over defending league champ Marquette, helping to push CU into sole possession of first place. Browning, who hails from the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, hit .455 or better in all four sets and had three points as CU bolted to a 4-0 lead in the decisive fourth set and never trailed. Her .593 hitting stands as the best hitting percentage in a match by any BIG EAST player this year with at least 25 swings.
In the 3-0 sweep of DePaul, the two-time All-American once again led Creighton with 13 kills, eight blocks and .450 hitting as CU held the Blue Demons to .009 hitting in 114 swings. Browning's third kill of the match made her just the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000 career kills. She had eight kills and eight blocks by intermission, then added five kills in six swings during the 25-12 clincher.
This was the second time this season Browning has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week (also Sept. 15), and third time in her career.
Playing libero for the first time in her life, Jereb averaged 5.83 digs per set while playing in six sets (all victories). She also successfully handled all 22 serve receptions.
With Marquette leading the match 1-0 and the score tied at 18-all in the second set, Jereb came off the bench after Kate Elman broke her forearm and had to leave the match. Jereb had three digs as CU evened the match after a 7-2 run to win the set. She then had five digs in the third set and eight more to finish the match with a club-high and personal season-high 16 digs.
Jereb then played her first full match at libero in a 3-0 win over DePaul. She had six digs in the first and third sets and seven digs in the second frame to finish with a season-best and match-high 19 digs. CU held DePaul to 24 digs and .009 hitting in the contest.
Jereb had entered the week with just seven total digs in CU's first six matches of October, but now has produced double-figure digs in nine straight matches.
Jays Turn To Jereb As Libero
Since Kate Elman broke her right forearm in the second set of the Oct. 24 win over Marquette, CU has turned to Melanie Jereb as libero.
Jereb, who told reporters later she had never played libero in her life at any level, learned quickly, averaging 5.83 digs per set to earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week accolades in her first weekend at the position.
Since Jereb moved to libero to start set three vs. Marquette on Oct. 24, Creighton has averaged 17.45 digs per set and been aced just 23 times in 31 sets.
Since the libero became legal in 2002, the Jays have used multiple liberos in a season just four times (2005, 2006, 2010, 2014), and only used 12 different players in that role.
Below are the stats for each woman as solely Creighton's libero.
Stats As Creighton's Libero
Name Year(s) SP DIGS DPS
Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11 173 1,020 5.90
Bianca Rivera 2007-08 207 1,118 5.40
Nayka Benitez 2009-10 183 908 4.96
Mallory Lahm 2005 51 240 4.71
Melanie Jereb 2014 31 143 4.61
Brittany Coleman 2005 38 174 4.58
Kate Elman 2012-14 330 1,503 4.55
Janeen Piller 2002-04 313 1,371 4.38
Katie Mehal 2005-06 116 503 4.34
Emily Greisch 2005 12 49 4.08
Molly Lahr 2005 1 2 2.00
Sarah Schulze 2006 3 5 1.67
Dos Liberos
Creighton used two liberos in the Oct. 24 win over Marquette, as Kate Elman played the first two sets before Melanie Jereb replaced Elman after she suffered broken forearm.
It was just the fifth time in the history of Bluejay Volleyball that the team has used two liberos in the same contest, and first such time since 2006.
Incredibly, Creighton has won all five matches.
Two Liberos, Same Match
Date W/L Opponent Liberos (Sets)
9/23/05 W 3-0 Indiana State Emily Greisch/Molly Lahr
10/4/05 W 3-0 S. Dakota St. Emily Greisch/Mallory Lahm
8/26/06 W 3-0 Florida Atlantic Katie Mehal/Sarah Schulze
9/9/06 W 3-2 Saint Louis Sarah Schulze/Katie Mehal
10/24/14 W 3-1 Marquette Kate Elman/Melanie Jereb
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.09 kills per set through 29 matches, second in the BIG EAST and 23rd-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 11.34 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by any CU defense since the program's 1994 reinstatement.
Browning Earns Second Defensive Honor
Creighton senior Kelli Browning was named BIG EAST Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week, the league announced on Oct. 20.
It was the second time in three weeks that Browning has earned the award, having also won it on October 6.
A Waukesha, Wis., native, Browning averaged 2.33 blocks, 2.33 kills and 0.67 digs per set in a pair of 3-0 victories. Creighton held St. John's and Providence to a combined total of 49 kills on .011 hitting in six sets that saw the Jays outscore their league rivals 150-90.
On Friday, Browning had seven blocks, seven kills and two digs in a 3-0 win over St. John's, as CU avenged its only home loss in BIG EAST play in the past two years.
On Sunday, Browning had seven kills and seven blocks on .545 hitting in CU's 3-0 win over Providence. Browning's blocking helped hold PC to -.151 hitting, the poorest mark ever by a Bluejay opponent. In addition, Providence's 17 kills were the third-fewest in history against Creighton.
For the week, Browning outblocked Creighton's opponents, 14-7.
Even Year October Push
Creighton went 7-1 in the month of October tying a school record for wins in that month.
Creighton also won seven matches in the month of October in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
Like the first four occasions, 2014 is also an even-numbered year.
Blue October
Creighton has enjoyed tremendous success in October in recent seasons. The Jays have won 24 of the last 27 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 22 of its last 23 home matches in October since Oct. 22, 2009.
Past The Midpoint
Creighton's Oct. 19 win over Providence marked the midway point of BIG EAST Conference play, as the Jays had played all nine league opponents exactly once.
At 8-1, this year's team had a winning record at the midpoint of league play for the fifth straight season, and 11th time in 13 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
This year's team joins the 2012 club as the second club in program history to start 8-1 in league play. That team went on to win the program's first regular-season conference crown.
League Record by Year
Year 1st Half 2nd Half Place
1994 2-8 1-9 T-9th MVC
1995 3-7 3-7 T-7th MVC
1996 2-7 3-6 T-6th MVC
1997 6-3 4-5 T-3rd MVC
1998 2-7 3-6 8th MVC
1999 5-4 4-5 5th MVC
2000 5-4 5-4 T-4th MVC
2001 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2002 1-8 1-8 T-9th MVC
2003 5-4 4-5 T-5th MVC
2004 5-4 5-4 5th MVC
2005 4-5 6-3 5th MVC
2006 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2007 7-2 7-2 T-2nd MVC
2008 7-2 8-1 2nd MVC
2009 4-5 6-3 T-4th MVC
2010 7-2 6-3 3rd MVC
2011 6-3 6-3 4th MVC
2012 8-1 9-0 1st MVC
2013 6-2 6-2 T-2nd BIG EAST
2014 8-1 8-1 1st
Total 107-83 105-85 --
Award-Winning Performances
Kelli Browning and Marysa Wilkinson were honored by the BIG EAST Conference for their play the weekend of Oct. 3-4.
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 the return to her home state of Wisconsin one night later, 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 during the 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 on Oct. 3 vs. DePaul.
Elman passed Piller's mark of 1,392 career digs and enters this weekend with 1,503. Elman also passed Piller's record for career matches with 10+ digs of 74, and now owns 78.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 330 1,503 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
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
78 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
Elman With 20/20/20 Vision
Kate Elman tied Julianne Mandolfo's school record with her 32nd career match of 20 or more digs on Oct. 11 at Villanova.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
32 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
Baumert Records Rare Triple-Double
Maggie Baumert had the first triple-double of her career in the Oct. 4 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 different 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.
Let's Compare
Let's take a look at how Creighton's start in 2014 compares to the last three seasons.
Stat 2014 (so far) 2013 2012 2011
W-L 23-8 so far 23-9 29-4 17-14
Postseason ? ? ? NCAA NCAA ---
Tourney Titles 1 1 2 0
Kills/Set 14.09 13.47 13.39 12.75
Hitting % .236 .220 .247 .203
Aces/Set 1.13 0.99 1.24 1.13
Digs/Set 16.41 15.76 17.32 17.23
Blocks/Set 2.67 3.06 3.06 2.54
Browning Reaches 1,000 Kills
With her third kill on Oct. 26 vs. DePaul, Kelli Browning became the 10th player in CU history to reach 1,000 kills. She reached the milestone in her 110th career match.
Among those that Browning has joined in that elite group is classmate Leah McNary. McNary got to 1,000 kills on Sept. 12 vs. Pepperdine in her 96th career match.
The only previous time Creighton had two players reach 1,000 career kills in the same season was in 2008, when Jessica Houts and Amanda Cvejdlik each reached the milestone one week apart.
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
Kelli Browning 110 10/26/14 DePaul
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.
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%).
On The Upswing
Creighton's Oct. 3rd match at DePaul marked Creighton's 600th since restarting the program. In that time, Creighton is now 325-287. 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 12-2 so far Booth
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 21 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 74-10 against unranked teams.
It Goes On, And On, And On, And On, And On
Creighton has played in 817 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. CU replicated that 25-7 score in the third set on Oct. 19 vs. Providence.
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 89 kills 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 Considered For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joined Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and was the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska. Neither played advanced to the final 10.
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.
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 emerged as an offensive weapon for Creighton.
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.
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.
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 72-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 45 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 78 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 59 of its last 60 matches when leading 2-1 in a match dating to Oct. 16, 2009.
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 151-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 100-8 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
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.
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 Regular
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 played 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 swept Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and swept 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).
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 Leah McNary 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 195-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 38-114 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 45 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 233-2 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
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.
This year, Browning ranks fourth in the country with 159 blocks, just eight behind the national leader.
In the month of October, Creighton averaged 3.28 blocks per set as a team, with Browning's 1.93 average leading the way.
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 returned 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 broadcasted most home matches this season.
The matches aired on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and were webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show started approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasted about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
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 10 of the 12 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
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 1st - -
Players Mentioned
S
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MB
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DS
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DS
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OH
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OH
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OH
/ Volleyball
S
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MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
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
