Creighton University
25-8
Seton Hall (Final)
28-7
Volleyball Wins First BIG EAST Tournament Title
11/29/2014 5:45:00 PM | Volleyball
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Creighton Volleyball team won the school's first BIG EAST Tournament title in any sport with a 3-1 triumph over Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, Wis.
Scores of the match were 25-12, 17-25, 26-24, 25-12.
Creighton (25-8) never trailed in the first set, scoring the first four points of the match and rolling to a 25-12 victory. With Maggie Baumert's 16 assists directing the Bluejay offense, CU hit .552 in the opening frame. Lauren Smith and Jess Bird each had five kills, while Marysa Wilkinson added four kills to pace the attack. Seton Hall was held to seven kills and .062 hitting.
Seton Hall (28-7) won the second set, 25-17, to even the match. Molly Grammer had seven kills and Stacey Manthorpe added six more, while Shlebey Manthorpe had nine digs to go with 14 assists.
Creighton turned the momentum of the match around in the third set, overcoming a 22-18 deficit to sneak away with a 26-24 win. Leah McNary had two kills and a block assist to get CU within one. The Jays would save a set point before consecutive kills from Wilkinson iced the set. Smith had six of Creighton's incredible 10 blocks in the set.
Creighton would then control the final set to clinch the title, winning 25-12 on a Seton Hall attack error. The Pirates hit -.031 in the fourth set while Creighton hit at a .424 clip, including seven kills in 12 swings by Bird.
Bird led the Bluejays with 18 kills, while fellow sophomore Smith had 11 kills and 11 blocks. McNary had 11 kills and Wilkinson and Kelli Browning each added nine kills. Baumert had 54 assists and 15 digs for the double-double, while Melanie Jereb added a team-best 17 digs. Creighton had 61 kills, two aces, 68 digs and 18 blocks while hitting .264 overall.
Seton Hall was paced by 18 kills from Stacey Manthorpe, while Grammer added 12 kills. Shelbey Manthorpe had another big night with 38 assists and 21 digs. The Pirates hit .113 overall and had 47 kills, 66 digs, eight blocks and no aces.
Smith was named Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by McNary and Wilkinson. Also on the squad were Xavier's Abbey Bessler, Marquette's Courtney Kintzel and Seton Hall sisters Shelbey and Stacey Manthorpe.
Creighton Volleyball fans are invited to join the players and coaches Sunday night at the Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill (501 N. 13th Street) to watch the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship selection show. The 64-team bracket will be announced live nationally on ESPNU starting at 7:30 p.m., Central time.
