Creighton University
24-8, 16-2BIG EAST
Xavier (Semifinals)
19-12, 12-6BIG EAST
Volleyball Reaches BIG EAST Finals With Semifinal Win Over Xavier
11/28/2014 4:47:00 PM | Volleyball
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Creighton Volleyball team will play for a league tournament title for the fourth time in five seasons after posting a 3-1 victory over Xavier on Friday at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
Top-seeded Creighton improved to 24-8 on the season with its third win of the fall over fourth-seeded Xavier, which dropped to 19-12.
Scores of the match were 26-28, 25-18, 25-18, 25-21.
Xavier trailed most of the first set, including 14-8 and 19-13, before overtaking the Bluejays and earning a 28-26 drama-filled frame. Kelli Browning had four kills in six swings for CU, which hit .178. Abbey Bessler had seven kills to lead Xavier to victory, and Alex Blair notched kills on the final two points of the set. Jesse Earl had 10 digs for the Musketeers in the frame.
Creighton answered quickly to even the match, never trailing while taking a 25-18 second set to grab the momentum heading into intermission. Marysa Wilkinson had five kills and Leah McNary added four more for the Jays, which hit .395.
The Bluejays remained in control of the match with a 25-18 win in the third set, once again never trailing. Creighton led 16-9, only to see Xavier draw within 17-14, but learned its lesson from the first set and would pull away. Browning had two kills and a block assist to set the career record for block assists, passing Jessica Houts.
CU never trailed in the fourth set either, bolting to a 10-3 lead behind some strong serving by Ashley Jansen. Xavier made several charges at CU, getting within 13-10, 18-15 and 24-21 late before a kill by Wilkinson closed out the match.
Wilkinson had 13 kills, one shy of her career-high, to pace the Bluejay offense. She also hit .355. Lauren Smith, who led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage during league play, hit .600 with 10 kills in 15 swings. Also in double-figures was Jess Bird, who had 10 kills and 11 digs for her team-high seventh double-double of the fall. Creighton had 55 kills, six aces, 59 digs and nine blocks while hitting .271.
Abbey Bessler led all players with 20 kills in a losing cause for Xavier. Aubree Smith had 43 assists, eight digs and five kills for the Musketeers. XU had 54 kills, six aces, 61 digs and eight blocks on .195 hitting overall.
Creighton will meet Seton Hall in the championship match after the second-seeded Pirates won a 3-2 match against tourney host Marquette. The final will be played on Saturday at 4 pm Central and be televised on Fox Sports 2.
NOTES: Creighton won the MVC Tournament in 2012, lost in the final of the MVC Tournament in 2010 and lost in the 2013 BIG EAST Tournament final ... Creighton's 24 wins are second-most in school history behind the 29 wins that the 2012 team earned ... Creighton has won 18 of the last 20 matches ...Creighton is now 10-14 all-time in conference tournament play, including a 4-5 mark in the semifinals and a 2-1 mark at the BIG EAST Tournament ... Creighton is now 6-0 against Xavier all-time, going 3-0 against the Musketeers in both 2013 and 2014 ... Creighton's seniors have now won 93 matches, most of any four-year span in school history.
