Volleyball Returns Home to Host Creighton Classic
9/18/2014 6:50:00 PM | Volleyball
This Weekend -- Creighton Classic
Sept. 19 4:30 pm South Dakota vs. Colorado Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 19 7:00 pm #16 Illinois at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 10:00 am #16 Illinois vs. Colorado Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 Noon South Dakota at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 5:30 pm #16 Illinois vs. South Dakota Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 7:30 pm Colorado at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Week
Creighton (6-4) has a busy weekend in store as it'll play three matches in two days as part of the Creighton Classic.
The Creighton Classic begins on Friday at 4:30 pm when South Dakota (4-5) meets Colorado (8-1), followed by Creighton's 7 pm contest vs. No. 16 Illinois (5-3).
Four matches are in store for a busy Saturday. Illinois takes on Colorado at 10 am, followed by South Dakota vs. Creighton at Noon.
Saturday evening's session includes Illinois vs. South Dakota at 5:30 pm, and concludes with Colorado at Creighton at 7:30 pm.
All matches of the Creighton Classic will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center on the Creighton campus in Omaha, Neb. (2,500).
Video Webcast Information
All six matches of the Creighton Classic will be video webcast, and most will also be accompanied by commentary to go with the video.
Subscription options are for 24-hour, 48-hour, one month or four months.
Visit GoCreighton.com, then click on the “Live Video” tab at the top of the page for the link to each match prior to first serve.
Radio Broadcast Information
All three Creighton matches during the Creighton Classic will be broadcast on KZOT (1180 AM) in Omaha, and also streamed free of charge via links on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
Brad Burwell and Erin (Swanson) Russell return to the broadcast booth once again. It is Burwell's 12th year on the call, and Russell's 13th season following a standout career with the Bluejays.
Live Stats Information
All matches at the Creighton Classic will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab at the top of the page the exact links to each match.
Getting Blue Block Party on Saturday
“Getting Blue” is a tradition of community and food in an effort to create a “Blue Out” for home games.
A “Getting Blue” Block Party will be held on Saturday from 3:30-6:00 p.m., in conjunction with Homecoming festivities as well as Alumni Weekend events, the men's soccer match against Saint Louis (6:00 p.m., kick-off) and the volleyball match against Colorado (7:30 p.m., first-serve).
Students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and fans are all invited to attend. The event, which will include a live band, will be held on the lawn just southwest of Morrison Stadium's main entrance (rain location is the Brandeis dining hall). Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for kids (ages 12 and under).
Scouting Creighton
Ranked 23rd in the preseason poll, Creighton is 30th for in this week's AVCA poll following a 6-4 start. All four losses are against teams currently among the nation's top-25, including Wednesday's 3-1 loss at No. 9 Nebraska.
Creighton is 3-0 at home this season after beating Pepperdine (3-1), Bowling Green (3-0) and Wichita State (3-1) to win the Bluejay Invitational last weekend.
A pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees, Kelli Browning (3.39 kps., 1.24 bps., .402%) and Leah McNary (2.97 kps.) have paced the Bluejay offense so far, while Kate Elman (4.42 dps., 0.24 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set.
Maggie Baumert (9.37 aps.) has directed the CU offense the last two-plus weeks after sharing that role with Michelle Sicner (5.33 aps.) to start the season.
Creighton returns 12 letterwinners and all six starters (plus its libero) from last year's team that finished 23-9 overall and tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference with a 12-4 league record.
Creighton averages 14.03 kills, 15.61 digs, 2.54 blocks and 0.95 aces per set while hitting .230 as a team.
Scouting #16 Illinois
Illinois is 5-3 on the season, including a pair of five-set losses to Virginia Tech and current No. 1 Stanford. Among Illinois wins thus far are 3-0 sweeps of Long Beach State, Southern Illinois, No. 13 North Carolina, Washington State and Middle Tennessee.
The Illini are being led by Jocelynn Birks (3.68 kps., 2.43 dps.) and Liz McMahon (3.29 kps., .337%) on the offensive end, while Brandi Donnelly (3.96 dps.) paces the back row.
Allison Palmer and Alexis Viliunas both average exactly 5.64 assists per set while sharing the setting role, and Anna Dorn tops the squad with 1.41 blocks per set.
As a team, Illinois averages 14.07 kills, 0.79 aces, 13.64 digs and 2.59 blocks per set while hitting .285 as a team.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota is 4-5 on the season, but did go 2-1 last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., including a win over host Arkansas.
Gretna native Kendall Kritenbrink leads the team with 4.21 kills per set. Kritenbrink was the 2013 Summit League Player of the Year and recently became the school's all-time leader in kills.
Brittany Jessen (10.18 aps.) serves as the team's setter, while Riley Haug (4.21 dps., 0.38 saps.) tops the team with 13 aces and 143 digs.
USD averages 12.94 kills, 1.21 aces, 14.88 digs and 2.32 digs per set while hitting .201 as a team.
Scouting Colorado
Colorado is 8-1 on the young season and would be 9-0 if not for squandering four match point chances in a season-opening loss to Northwestern.
Former Nebraska Cornhusker Taylor Simpson (4.41 kps., 2.00 dps., .303%) has twice as many kills as any teammate, far ahead of Joslyn Hayes (2.50 kps.)
Libero Cierra Simpson (3.38 dps., 0.44 saps.) leads the team in digs and aces, while Anna Pfefferle (0.93 bps.) owns a team-best 25 blocks.
Nicole Edelman (9.06 aps.) and Gabby Simpson (5.21 aps.) have both seen time at the setter position this fall.
As a club, Colorado averages 12.88 kills, 1.76 aces, 11.15 digs and 2.29 blocks per set while hitting .276 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 216-132 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.
Kevin Hambly (Illinois, 2006) is 119-54 in his sixth year at Illinois, which doubles as his career mark. He's taken the Illini to four Sweet 16's in that time, including a trek to the 2011 NCAA title match that helped him earn Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year plaudits. He is assisted by Hillary Haen, Scott Leserman and Chad Gordon.
Leanne Williamson (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2007) owns a 4-5 mark in her first season as a head coach. She was promoted to her current spot in April after spending the last five years as a Coyote assistant. She is assisted by Michelle Cole and Michael Runde.
Liz Kritza (Tulane, 2000) is 59-99 in her sixth season at Colorado, moving her career record in 10 seasons to 135-138 after four successful years at Tulane. She is assisted by JT Wenger and Ryal Jagd.
Series History vs. Illinois
Creighton is 0-2 all-time against Illinois, falling in four sets in Champaign in 2007 and losing in straight sets in 2009 in Omaha as part of the Bluejay Invitational.
The last time these teams met, Jessica Houts led Creighton with seven kills while Nayka Benitez paced the defense with 17 digs and two aces. Illinois got 22 kills from Laura DeBruler in the victory, while Hillary Haen dished 43 assists.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-2 against Illinois and 0-1 against Kevin Hambly. Hambly is 1-0 against Creighton.
Series History vs. South Dakota
Creighton is 3-0 all-time against South Dakota, including a 2-0 mark in Omaha.
Creighton won in four sets in Omaha in both 2011 and 2012, then swept the Coyotes last year at the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan.
In last year's meeting, Michelle Sicner had 30 assists, 16 digs and six kills to pace CU in the sweep.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-0 all-time against South Dakota, but has never faced head coach Leanne Williamson.
Series History vs. Colorado
Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Colorado, falling in four sets in Boulder (20-25, 35-33, 26-30, 30-20) way back in 2005.
Leah Ratzlaff, Kelly Goc and Abby Baumann each contributed 16 kills for CU in that previous meeting, while Jessica Houts added 15 kills and eight blocks. Colorado was paced by 28 kills on .558 hitting from Allie Griffin.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-1 against Colorado, and has never faced Liz Kritza.
Last Match Summary
Creighton won the first set, but lost the next three before 8,060 fans in a four-set loss (21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20) at No. 9 Nebraska on Wednesday. Kelli Browning led Creighton with 17 kills, seven blocks and a .400 hitting percentage, while Nebraska was paced by 16 kills and 10 digs by Kadie Rolfzen.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton went 3-0 last weekend to claim the program's first Bluejay Invitational title. The Bluejays defeated Pepperdine 3-1 on Friday, then topped Bowling Green (3-0) and Wichita State (3-1) on Saturday.
Kelli Browning was named Tournament MVP, and joined on the All-Tourney squad by Maggie Baumert and Lauren Smith.
Homecoming!
This week is Homecoming week at Creighton, and Creighton will honor its returning volleyball alumni during intermission of Saturday night's match vs. Colorado.
An alumni volleyball game is also scheduled for Saturday beginning at approximately 2:45 pm at D.J. Sokol Arena, or shortly after the conclusion of the Creighton-South Dakota match.
In addition, the new Championship Center, adjacent to D.J. Sokol Arena, will have free tours from 2-3 pm on Saturday.
Jereb Faces Home State Team
On a roster with 10 Nebraskans, Melanie Jereb is the lone player on the Creighton roster from the state of Illinois as the Bluejays prepare to face the University of Illinois.
In seven career matches against teams from the Land of Lincoln, Jereb has averaged 2.85 kills and 3.37 digs per set while hitting a healthy .267.
CU is 6-1 in those matches.
Big Problems With The Big 10
Creighton will look to improve upon its record against the Big 10 on Friday when it hosts Illinois.
Creighton is 3-10 all-time against Big 10 schools (at time of match), including a 2-10 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Creighton's last win over a Big 10 team came during the first weekend of the 2012 season, when the Bluejays defeated Wisconsin in four sets en route to the USF Invitational title.
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 last week has been no exception.
After averaging 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks while hitting .413 last weekend, Browning had 17 kills and seven blocks on .400 hitting in Wednesday's match at Nebraska.
In four matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.40 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .350.
Browning's 3.39 kills per set and 1.24 blocks per set are both leading the team, and could make her the second Bluejay in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 12-year tenure to average 3.20 kills and 1.20 blocks per set, joining Jessica Houts (3.33 kps; 1.26 bps. in 2006).
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 last weekend.
It was the sixth All-Tournament Team accolade of the senior's career, but her first MVP recognition.
Joining Browning on the All-Tournament Team from Creighton were Maggie Baumert (11.84 aps., 2.18 dps., 1.18 kps., .385% last weekend) and Lauren Smith (2.00 kps., 1.18 bps., .356%).
Looking To Break Through
With a match this Friday in Omaha against No. 16 Illinois, Creighton has a chance to make history. The Bluejays are 3-56 all-time against top-25 opponents. Creighton is 1-18 all-time in home matches against ranked foes, with the lone win coming on Oct. 2, 2009 when CU won in four sets against No. 25 Wichita State. A win over Illinois would be the highest-ranked team ever beaten in Omaha.
The highest ranked team CU has ever beaten (at any site) was No. 13 BYU in the 2013 season opener in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Top 10 Scares
Creighton won the first set from both No. 6 USC (25-22 on September 6th) 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.
Largest Crowds To See The Jays
Wednesday's sellout crowd of 8,060 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center marked the seventh time in Creighton's history that more than 5,000 fans attended a volleyball match, and fourth-largest ever.
Largest Crowds To See Creighton Play
Att. Site Date CU Result
13,081 #18 Cal Poly 09/02/07 L 0-3
12,112 #1 Nebraska 09/24/06 L 1-3
8,627 at #5 Nebraska 09/29/02 L 0-3
8,060 at #9 Nebraska 09/17/14 L 1-3
8,037 #2 Nebraska 10/05/08 L 0-3
6,297 at #6 Hawaii 09/08/00 L 0-3
5,967 vs. Northwestern (at Hawaii) 09/07/00 W 3-1
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 25 kills in 10 matches this year.
Neisler had career-highs with seven kills and .583 hitting in last Saturday's 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 then saw extensive action in the front row of Saturday night's win over Wichita State in place of Melanie Jereb.
In Wednesday's match at Nebraska, Neisler had four kills while collecting career-highs in attack attempts (24) and blocks (4) and adding a season-best 13 digs.
Back Where It Began
Friday will be the 100th match of Leah McNary's career. The high-flying senior from Tarpon Springs, Fla., made her college debut on Sept. 8, 2011 against Nebraska.
CU was hoping to redshirt McNary in her first season as a Bluejay. She sat out the first seven matches before the decision was made to throw her into the fire.
McNary proved she was up to the challenge, earning a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team. CU went 2-5 without McNary in 2011, but was 15-9 after she started playing and is now 73-26 with her in the line-up. By comparison, Creighton was 55-44 in the 99 matches before McNary began playing at CU.
Browning Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joins Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and is the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.
Browning is trying to become the third Creighton student-athlete to win a Senior CLASS Award, joining men's soccer alum Brian Holt in the fall of 2011 and men's basketball standout Doug McDermott last April.
BIG EAST Honors Duo
The Creighton Volleyball team swept the weekly awards handed out by the BIG EAST Conference on Monday. 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 last weekend. She hit an impressive .377.
It is 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.
Home Sweet Home
After winning the Bluejay Invitational last weekend, Creighton is 3-0 at home this fall.
Incredibly, it's just the second time since the program's restart in 1994 that the team has started 3-0 at home, joining the 2001 club.
CU has never started 4-0 at home, something it'll look to do against No. 16 Illinois on Friday.
Wilkinson Producing Early & Often
Marysa Wilkinson is quickly emerging as an offensive weapon for Creighton. Since making her debut in CU's second match of the season, she's had four or more kills in each of the past nine matches.
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 Saturday night against Wichita State, including six in the fourth set clincher.
Starters Sidelined
Making Creighton's showing the past two weekends all the more impressive was the fact that the Bluejays have done it without a pair of 2013 starters Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner.
Bird had arthroscopic surgery on her knee last Wednesday (Sept. 3), an injury that was expected to sideline her for several weeks.
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. Last weekend Sicner played only the final five points of CU's sweep over Bowling Green as she's had limited practice time in recent weeks.
To help honor the memory of Cheryl Sicner, the team is wearing uniforms with a “CS” insignia on the right sleeve, and will be hosting a Colon Cancer Awareness Night as part of Senior Night on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 37-19 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 1-0 mark this year and a 12-5 home record in five-setters. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won five straight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, and wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 6-1 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-4 14-17
2010 3-3 21-12
2011 5-2 17-14
2012 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 1-0 6-4
Total 52-47 309-284
Title Quest, Part II
Last weekend's Bluejay Invitational was the 15th home tournament that Creighton has ever hosted, but first such title it has celebrated at home.
Before last weekend, 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.
Illini Return To D.J. Sokol Arena
Illinois is returning to D.J. Sokol Arena for the second time, having also played in the second and third matches in facility history when the Illini defeated Texas Tech and Creighton to win the 2009 Bluejay Invitational.
The Illinois win over Creighton was the first loss for the Bluejays in their facility.
Milestone Watch
Leah McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career kills when she did it last Friday on set point in the third frame vs. Pepperdine.
It came in her 96th career match, sixth-fastest in program history.
Prior to McNary, the last Bluejay to reach 1,000 career kills was Allie Oelke in 2010.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
More Milestones
Creighton owns 98 home wins under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and could reach the 100 milestone on Saturday. Booth is 98-47 at home at CU, compared to a 45-53 mark by her predecessors.
Kate Elman has 1,290 career digs, rising from seventh to third place in CU history this month. Elman is now just 102 digs from Creighton's school record in digs, currently held by Janeen Piller.
Leah McNary owns 1,031 career kills, good for seventh in Creighton history after passing Amanda Cvejdlik (2005-08) on Wednesday at Nebraska.
Last weekend Kelli Browning moved from 10th to sixth in CU history with 44 solo blocks. She's two behind Melissa Walsh for fifth in CU history.
Browning also owns 425 career block assists, and on Sept. 6 became the second player in CU history to reach 400 in that category.
Michelle Sicner owns 237 career block assists, 13 shy of 10th place (Sarah Beulke). In addition, Sicner's next dig will be the 600th of her career.
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.03 kills per set through 10 matches, easily the top mark in the BIG EAST. The figure is the best by any Bluejay team since sets have been played to 25 points beginning in 2008.
On the other side of the net, CU is allowing only 12.08 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by a CU defense since 2008.
Baumert Shows Offensive Side, Too
Junior Maggie Baumert had 13 kills in 34 attack attempts at the Commonwealth Classic while directing a 5-1 offense in college for the first time.
In the first 65 matches of her career (62 at Georgia, 3 at Creighton), spanning 241 sets, Baumert owned a total of nine kills in 25 attack attempts.
Baumert also showed herself to be a capable blocker. She had five blocks in the tournament, including her first ever solo stuff, after just three career blocks previously.
Last Year Summary
Last year's Creighton team finished 23-9 and tied for second place in the BIG EAST with a 12-4 league mark.
The Bluejays reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years with a first-round victory over Arkansas.
Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were named first team all-conference, while Browning and Michelle Sicner were tabbed as AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selections.
Second Round
Creighton is one of 19 teams to win a first round match in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years.
That list, alphabetically, includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawai'i, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
Busy Month
Creighton is playing 13 matches in the month of September, all during a 24-day stretch between Sept. 5-28. CU is currently 4-3 in that stretch, with another six matches coming between this Friday and next Saturday.
The 13 matches are the most in any month for Bluejay Volleyball since 13 matches in September of 2006. CU went 10-3 in that month, its most victories ever for any month.
If you're curious, the only month in history that CU played more than 13 times came in September of 1995, when it went 7-9.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll, including five teams in the top-25.
Creighton plays matches against teams that were preseason ranked No. 5 (USC), No. 7 (Nebraska), No. 11 (Illinois), No. 19 (Kentucky) and No. 22 (Kansas).
Creighton also hosts Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and has a home-and-home league series with No. 29 Marquette.
Besides Creighton, the only other school to play five different non-conference teams that are in the preseason top-25 is Stanford.
When it took on No. 6 USC and No. 16 Kentucky on Sept. 6, it marked the first time ever that Creighton faced two ranked teams on the same day. It was also just the fifth time CU played in a regular-season tournament against two ranked teams, joining the Pacific/Nike Invitational (1998), Santa Clara Invitational (2001), Holiday Inn Downtown Classic (2007) and the Bluejay Invitational (2008).
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 57-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 37 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 64 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 52 consecutive matches when leading 2-1 in a match (dating to Oct. 16, 2009).
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 137-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 93-7 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
Keep On Digging
Libero Kate Elman keeps on digging her way up the record books. The junior from Omaha had a streak of 30 straight matches with 10 or more digs snapped when she was held to just eight vs. Bowling Green last Saturday.
That streak was the third-longest in program history.
Elman also owns 27 career matches with 20 or more digs, and 70 matches with 10 or more digs to rank in the top-three in school history in both of those categories, as well.
In Elman's 75 career matches, she's never had fewer than eight digs.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
32 Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
30 Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
27 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
20 Janeen Piller 2001-04
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
70 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2014 roster boasts 10 players from the state of Nebraska, including all four newcomers.
The 10 Nebraska natives is most since the program's 1994 restart, one more than the 2004 and 2005 clubs that had nine each.
Once In A Lifetime Trip
Creighton experienced a once-in-a-lifetime trip in mid-May when it ventured to Nicaragua. The trip included several matches against the Nicaraguan Jr. National Team (all Creighton victories), but much of the trip's purpose centered on visits to schools, delivering books and other service-oriented programs.
Team USA Trio
Three members of the Creighton Volleyball team donned Team USA jerseys this summer. Kelli Browning, Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner each suited up for the US Collegiate National Team in June at the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships in Minneapolis.
Creighton and Florida State led all schools with three representatives among the 36 women selected.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 82-76 in the 53 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 22-7 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 62-43 in 37 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 last week's Bluejay Invitational.
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Big Time Schedule
Creighton's non-conference slate contains 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 180-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 36-110 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 37 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 216-2 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa in an eventual 20-18 fifth set loss, and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a 17-15 fifth set loss to St. John's.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 194-8 (.960) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 136-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 91-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 8-176 (.043) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-60 mark in those home matches. Those eight comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
11/16/12 at Wichita St. 25-16, 25-20, 16-14 Booth
09/05/14 vs. No. Iowa 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Booth
A Bunch Of Winners
Creighton has experienced a great deal of success in recent seasons, and the current squad has enjoyed victories at historic levels. Consider the following numbers entering the 2014 season:
CU's 52 victories in the previous two seasons are six more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
CU's 69 wins in the previous three seasons are the most in any three-year span in program history, two more than the 2010-12 total of 67.
CU's 90 victories in the previous four seasons are nine more than other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
Blocking Specialists
Creighton has consistently proven to be an elite blocking team in recent seasons, leading their conference each of the previous three years in the category.
The Jays led the nation last year with 3.06 blocks per set, and one year prior were fourth-best nationally while also averaging 3.06 blocks per set.
Leading the blocking brigade during this time span has been Kelli Browning. Browning was fifth nationally in 2012 with 1.65 blocks per set, then finished eighth in 2013 with 1.53 stuffs per set.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 12th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as juniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen are in the program.
Interestingly, the Jays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch
Production Returning
Creighton returns 12-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Points 2100.5 (99.1%) 19.5 (0.9%)
Kills 1618 (99.3%) 12 (0.7%)
Digs 1892 (99.2%) 15 (0.8%)
Aces 120 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Matches Started 157 (98.1%) 3 (1.9%)
Blocks 362.5 (98.0%) 7.5 (2.0%)
Assists 1516 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton has been picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
CU received 77 points in the poll and five of a possible 10 first-place votes. Defending champ Marquette was picked second with 71 points and four first-place votes, while Xavier (66 points) was third and claimed the remaining first-place tally. Rounding out the rest of the poll were Butler, St.John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul and Providence.
Creighton also had two women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as both Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were honored for a second straight year.
Marquette's Autumn Bailey was chosen as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in nine of the past 11 years.
Year Preseason Pick Finish Move
1994 11th 9th #2
1995 9th 7th #2
1996 9th 6th #3
1997 8th 3rd #5
1998 6th 8th i2
1999 T-7th 5th #2
2000 4th T-4th - -
2001 2nd 4th i2
2002 7th 9th i2
2003 9th T-5th #4
2004 5th 5th - -
2005 5th 5th - -
2006 4th 4th - -
2007 3rd T-2nd #1
2008 3rd 2nd #1
2009 4th T-4th - -
2010 4th 3rd #1
2011 3rd 4th i1
2012 4th 1st #3
2013 1st T-2nd i1
2014 1st ??? ???
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin (Swanson) Russell will broadcast most home matches this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
Sept. 19 4:30 pm South Dakota vs. Colorado Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 19 7:00 pm #16 Illinois at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 10:00 am #16 Illinois vs. Colorado Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 Noon South Dakota at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 5:30 pm #16 Illinois vs. South Dakota Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
Sept. 20 7:30 pm Colorado at Creighton (1180 AM) Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena)
This Week
Creighton (6-4) has a busy weekend in store as it'll play three matches in two days as part of the Creighton Classic.
The Creighton Classic begins on Friday at 4:30 pm when South Dakota (4-5) meets Colorado (8-1), followed by Creighton's 7 pm contest vs. No. 16 Illinois (5-3).
Four matches are in store for a busy Saturday. Illinois takes on Colorado at 10 am, followed by South Dakota vs. Creighton at Noon.
Saturday evening's session includes Illinois vs. South Dakota at 5:30 pm, and concludes with Colorado at Creighton at 7:30 pm.
All matches of the Creighton Classic will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center on the Creighton campus in Omaha, Neb. (2,500).
Video Webcast Information
All six matches of the Creighton Classic will be video webcast, and most will also be accompanied by commentary to go with the video.
Subscription options are for 24-hour, 48-hour, one month or four months.
Visit GoCreighton.com, then click on the “Live Video” tab at the top of the page for the link to each match prior to first serve.
Radio Broadcast Information
All three Creighton matches during the Creighton Classic will be broadcast on KZOT (1180 AM) in Omaha, and also streamed free of charge via links on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
Brad Burwell and Erin (Swanson) Russell return to the broadcast booth once again. It is Burwell's 12th year on the call, and Russell's 13th season following a standout career with the Bluejays.
Live Stats Information
All matches at the Creighton Classic will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab at the top of the page the exact links to each match.
Getting Blue Block Party on Saturday
“Getting Blue” is a tradition of community and food in an effort to create a “Blue Out” for home games.
A “Getting Blue” Block Party will be held on Saturday from 3:30-6:00 p.m., in conjunction with Homecoming festivities as well as Alumni Weekend events, the men's soccer match against Saint Louis (6:00 p.m., kick-off) and the volleyball match against Colorado (7:30 p.m., first-serve).
Students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and fans are all invited to attend. The event, which will include a live band, will be held on the lawn just southwest of Morrison Stadium's main entrance (rain location is the Brandeis dining hall). Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for kids (ages 12 and under).
Scouting Creighton
Ranked 23rd in the preseason poll, Creighton is 30th for in this week's AVCA poll following a 6-4 start. All four losses are against teams currently among the nation's top-25, including Wednesday's 3-1 loss at No. 9 Nebraska.
Creighton is 3-0 at home this season after beating Pepperdine (3-1), Bowling Green (3-0) and Wichita State (3-1) to win the Bluejay Invitational last weekend.
A pair of Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees, Kelli Browning (3.39 kps., 1.24 bps., .402%) and Leah McNary (2.97 kps.) have paced the Bluejay offense so far, while Kate Elman (4.42 dps., 0.24 saps.) leads the team in both digs and aces per set.
Maggie Baumert (9.37 aps.) has directed the CU offense the last two-plus weeks after sharing that role with Michelle Sicner (5.33 aps.) to start the season.
Creighton returns 12 letterwinners and all six starters (plus its libero) from last year's team that finished 23-9 overall and tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference with a 12-4 league record.
Creighton averages 14.03 kills, 15.61 digs, 2.54 blocks and 0.95 aces per set while hitting .230 as a team.
Scouting #16 Illinois
Illinois is 5-3 on the season, including a pair of five-set losses to Virginia Tech and current No. 1 Stanford. Among Illinois wins thus far are 3-0 sweeps of Long Beach State, Southern Illinois, No. 13 North Carolina, Washington State and Middle Tennessee.
The Illini are being led by Jocelynn Birks (3.68 kps., 2.43 dps.) and Liz McMahon (3.29 kps., .337%) on the offensive end, while Brandi Donnelly (3.96 dps.) paces the back row.
Allison Palmer and Alexis Viliunas both average exactly 5.64 assists per set while sharing the setting role, and Anna Dorn tops the squad with 1.41 blocks per set.
As a team, Illinois averages 14.07 kills, 0.79 aces, 13.64 digs and 2.59 blocks per set while hitting .285 as a team.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota is 4-5 on the season, but did go 2-1 last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., including a win over host Arkansas.
Gretna native Kendall Kritenbrink leads the team with 4.21 kills per set. Kritenbrink was the 2013 Summit League Player of the Year and recently became the school's all-time leader in kills.
Brittany Jessen (10.18 aps.) serves as the team's setter, while Riley Haug (4.21 dps., 0.38 saps.) tops the team with 13 aces and 143 digs.
USD averages 12.94 kills, 1.21 aces, 14.88 digs and 2.32 digs per set while hitting .201 as a team.
Scouting Colorado
Colorado is 8-1 on the young season and would be 9-0 if not for squandering four match point chances in a season-opening loss to Northwestern.
Former Nebraska Cornhusker Taylor Simpson (4.41 kps., 2.00 dps., .303%) has twice as many kills as any teammate, far ahead of Joslyn Hayes (2.50 kps.)
Libero Cierra Simpson (3.38 dps., 0.44 saps.) leads the team in digs and aces, while Anna Pfefferle (0.93 bps.) owns a team-best 25 blocks.
Nicole Edelman (9.06 aps.) and Gabby Simpson (5.21 aps.) have both seen time at the setter position this fall.
As a club, Colorado averages 12.88 kills, 1.76 aces, 11.15 digs and 2.29 blocks per set while hitting .276 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 216-132 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.
Kevin Hambly (Illinois, 2006) is 119-54 in his sixth year at Illinois, which doubles as his career mark. He's taken the Illini to four Sweet 16's in that time, including a trek to the 2011 NCAA title match that helped him earn Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year plaudits. He is assisted by Hillary Haen, Scott Leserman and Chad Gordon.
Leanne Williamson (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2007) owns a 4-5 mark in her first season as a head coach. She was promoted to her current spot in April after spending the last five years as a Coyote assistant. She is assisted by Michelle Cole and Michael Runde.
Liz Kritza (Tulane, 2000) is 59-99 in her sixth season at Colorado, moving her career record in 10 seasons to 135-138 after four successful years at Tulane. She is assisted by JT Wenger and Ryal Jagd.
Series History vs. Illinois
Creighton is 0-2 all-time against Illinois, falling in four sets in Champaign in 2007 and losing in straight sets in 2009 in Omaha as part of the Bluejay Invitational.
The last time these teams met, Jessica Houts led Creighton with seven kills while Nayka Benitez paced the defense with 17 digs and two aces. Illinois got 22 kills from Laura DeBruler in the victory, while Hillary Haen dished 43 assists.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-2 against Illinois and 0-1 against Kevin Hambly. Hambly is 1-0 against Creighton.
Series History vs. South Dakota
Creighton is 3-0 all-time against South Dakota, including a 2-0 mark in Omaha.
Creighton won in four sets in Omaha in both 2011 and 2012, then swept the Coyotes last year at the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan.
In last year's meeting, Michelle Sicner had 30 assists, 16 digs and six kills to pace CU in the sweep.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-0 all-time against South Dakota, but has never faced head coach Leanne Williamson.
Series History vs. Colorado
Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Colorado, falling in four sets in Boulder (20-25, 35-33, 26-30, 30-20) way back in 2005.
Leah Ratzlaff, Kelly Goc and Abby Baumann each contributed 16 kills for CU in that previous meeting, while Jessica Houts added 15 kills and eight blocks. Colorado was paced by 28 kills on .558 hitting from Allie Griffin.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-1 against Colorado, and has never faced Liz Kritza.
Last Match Summary
Creighton won the first set, but lost the next three before 8,060 fans in a four-set loss (21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20) at No. 9 Nebraska on Wednesday. Kelli Browning led Creighton with 17 kills, seven blocks and a .400 hitting percentage, while Nebraska was paced by 16 kills and 10 digs by Kadie Rolfzen.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton went 3-0 last weekend to claim the program's first Bluejay Invitational title. The Bluejays defeated Pepperdine 3-1 on Friday, then topped Bowling Green (3-0) and Wichita State (3-1) on Saturday.
Kelli Browning was named Tournament MVP, and joined on the All-Tourney squad by Maggie Baumert and Lauren Smith.
Homecoming!
This week is Homecoming week at Creighton, and Creighton will honor its returning volleyball alumni during intermission of Saturday night's match vs. Colorado.
An alumni volleyball game is also scheduled for Saturday beginning at approximately 2:45 pm at D.J. Sokol Arena, or shortly after the conclusion of the Creighton-South Dakota match.
In addition, the new Championship Center, adjacent to D.J. Sokol Arena, will have free tours from 2-3 pm on Saturday.
Jereb Faces Home State Team
On a roster with 10 Nebraskans, Melanie Jereb is the lone player on the Creighton roster from the state of Illinois as the Bluejays prepare to face the University of Illinois.
In seven career matches against teams from the Land of Lincoln, Jereb has averaged 2.85 kills and 3.37 digs per set while hitting a healthy .267.
CU is 6-1 in those matches.
Big Problems With The Big 10
Creighton will look to improve upon its record against the Big 10 on Friday when it hosts Illinois.
Creighton is 3-10 all-time against Big 10 schools (at time of match), including a 2-10 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Creighton's last win over a Big 10 team came during the first weekend of the 2012 season, when the Bluejays defeated Wisconsin in four sets en route to the USF Invitational title.
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 last week has been no exception.
After averaging 3.64 kills and 1.36 blocks while hitting .413 last weekend, Browning had 17 kills and seven blocks on .400 hitting in Wednesday's match at Nebraska.
In four matches against ranked teams this season, Browning is averaging 3.40 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .350.
Browning's 3.39 kills per set and 1.24 blocks per set are both leading the team, and could make her the second Bluejay in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 12-year tenure to average 3.20 kills and 1.20 blocks per set, joining Jessica Houts (3.33 kps; 1.26 bps. in 2006).
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 last weekend.
It was the sixth All-Tournament Team accolade of the senior's career, but her first MVP recognition.
Joining Browning on the All-Tournament Team from Creighton were Maggie Baumert (11.84 aps., 2.18 dps., 1.18 kps., .385% last weekend) and Lauren Smith (2.00 kps., 1.18 bps., .356%).
Looking To Break Through
With a match this Friday in Omaha against No. 16 Illinois, Creighton has a chance to make history. The Bluejays are 3-56 all-time against top-25 opponents. Creighton is 1-18 all-time in home matches against ranked foes, with the lone win coming on Oct. 2, 2009 when CU won in four sets against No. 25 Wichita State. A win over Illinois would be the highest-ranked team ever beaten in Omaha.
The highest ranked team CU has ever beaten (at any site) was No. 13 BYU in the 2013 season opener in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Top 10 Scares
Creighton won the first set from both No. 6 USC (25-22 on September 6th) 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.
Largest Crowds To See The Jays
Wednesday's sellout crowd of 8,060 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center marked the seventh time in Creighton's history that more than 5,000 fans attended a volleyball match, and fourth-largest ever.
Largest Crowds To See Creighton Play
Att. Site Date CU Result
13,081 #18 Cal Poly 09/02/07 L 0-3
12,112 #1 Nebraska 09/24/06 L 1-3
8,627 at #5 Nebraska 09/29/02 L 0-3
8,060 at #9 Nebraska 09/17/14 L 1-3
8,037 #2 Nebraska 10/05/08 L 0-3
6,297 at #6 Hawaii 09/08/00 L 0-3
5,967 vs. Northwestern (at Hawaii) 09/07/00 W 3-1
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 25 kills in 10 matches this year.
Neisler had career-highs with seven kills and .583 hitting in last Saturday's 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 then saw extensive action in the front row of Saturday night's win over Wichita State in place of Melanie Jereb.
In Wednesday's match at Nebraska, Neisler had four kills while collecting career-highs in attack attempts (24) and blocks (4) and adding a season-best 13 digs.
Back Where It Began
Friday will be the 100th match of Leah McNary's career. The high-flying senior from Tarpon Springs, Fla., made her college debut on Sept. 8, 2011 against Nebraska.
CU was hoping to redshirt McNary in her first season as a Bluejay. She sat out the first seven matches before the decision was made to throw her into the fire.
McNary proved she was up to the challenge, earning a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team. CU went 2-5 without McNary in 2011, but was 15-9 after she started playing and is now 73-26 with her in the line-up. By comparison, Creighton was 55-44 in the 99 matches before McNary began playing at CU.
Browning Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Kelli Browning is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Browning is a two-time All-American middle blocker hailing from Waukesha, Wis.
Browning joins Butler's Belle Obert as one of two BIG EAST representatives on the list, and is the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, community, character and competition.
Browning is trying to become the third Creighton student-athlete to win a Senior CLASS Award, joining men's soccer alum Brian Holt in the fall of 2011 and men's basketball standout Doug McDermott last April.
BIG EAST Honors Duo
The Creighton Volleyball team swept the weekly awards handed out by the BIG EAST Conference on Monday. 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 last weekend. She hit an impressive .377.
It is 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.
Home Sweet Home
After winning the Bluejay Invitational last weekend, Creighton is 3-0 at home this fall.
Incredibly, it's just the second time since the program's restart in 1994 that the team has started 3-0 at home, joining the 2001 club.
CU has never started 4-0 at home, something it'll look to do against No. 16 Illinois on Friday.
Wilkinson Producing Early & Often
Marysa Wilkinson is quickly emerging as an offensive weapon for Creighton. Since making her debut in CU's second match of the season, she's had four or more kills in each of the past nine matches.
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 Saturday night against Wichita State, including six in the fourth set clincher.
Starters Sidelined
Making Creighton's showing the past two weekends all the more impressive was the fact that the Bluejays have done it without a pair of 2013 starters Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner.
Bird had arthroscopic surgery on her knee last Wednesday (Sept. 3), an injury that was expected to sideline her for several weeks.
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. Last weekend Sicner played only the final five points of CU's sweep over Bowling Green as she's had limited practice time in recent weeks.
To help honor the memory of Cheryl Sicner, the team is wearing uniforms with a “CS” insignia on the right sleeve, and will be hosting a Colon Cancer Awareness Night as part of Senior Night on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 37-19 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 1-0 mark this year and a 12-5 home record in five-setters. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won five straight true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, and wins last year at Denver and at Wichita State.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 6-1 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-4 14-17
2010 3-3 21-12
2011 5-2 17-14
2012 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 1-0 6-4
Total 52-47 309-284
Title Quest, Part II
Last weekend's Bluejay Invitational was the 15th home tournament that Creighton has ever hosted, but first such title it has celebrated at home.
Before last weekend, 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.
Illini Return To D.J. Sokol Arena
Illinois is returning to D.J. Sokol Arena for the second time, having also played in the second and third matches in facility history when the Illini defeated Texas Tech and Creighton to win the 2009 Bluejay Invitational.
The Illinois win over Creighton was the first loss for the Bluejays in their facility.
Milestone Watch
Leah McNary became the ninth player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career kills when she did it last Friday on set point in the third frame vs. Pepperdine.
It came in her 96th career match, sixth-fastest in program history.
Prior to McNary, the last Bluejay to reach 1,000 career kills was Allie Oelke in 2010.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
More Milestones
Creighton owns 98 home wins under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and could reach the 100 milestone on Saturday. Booth is 98-47 at home at CU, compared to a 45-53 mark by her predecessors.
Kate Elman has 1,290 career digs, rising from seventh to third place in CU history this month. Elman is now just 102 digs from Creighton's school record in digs, currently held by Janeen Piller.
Leah McNary owns 1,031 career kills, good for seventh in Creighton history after passing Amanda Cvejdlik (2005-08) on Wednesday at Nebraska.
Last weekend Kelli Browning moved from 10th to sixth in CU history with 44 solo blocks. She's two behind Melissa Walsh for fifth in CU history.
Browning also owns 425 career block assists, and on Sept. 6 became the second player in CU history to reach 400 in that category.
Michelle Sicner owns 237 career block assists, 13 shy of 10th place (Sarah Beulke). In addition, Sicner's next dig will be the 600th of her career.
Offensive Production Up
Creighton is averaging 14.03 kills per set through 10 matches, easily the top mark in the BIG EAST. The figure is the best by any Bluejay team since sets have been played to 25 points beginning in 2008.
On the other side of the net, CU is allowing only 12.08 kills per set. That figure would be the best mark by a CU defense since 2008.
Baumert Shows Offensive Side, Too
Junior Maggie Baumert had 13 kills in 34 attack attempts at the Commonwealth Classic while directing a 5-1 offense in college for the first time.
In the first 65 matches of her career (62 at Georgia, 3 at Creighton), spanning 241 sets, Baumert owned a total of nine kills in 25 attack attempts.
Baumert also showed herself to be a capable blocker. She had five blocks in the tournament, including her first ever solo stuff, after just three career blocks previously.
Last Year Summary
Last year's Creighton team finished 23-9 and tied for second place in the BIG EAST with a 12-4 league mark.
The Bluejays reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years with a first-round victory over Arkansas.
Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were named first team all-conference, while Browning and Michelle Sicner were tabbed as AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selections.
Second Round
Creighton is one of 19 teams to win a first round match in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two years.
That list, alphabetically, includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawai'i, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
Busy Month
Creighton is playing 13 matches in the month of September, all during a 24-day stretch between Sept. 5-28. CU is currently 4-3 in that stretch, with another six matches coming between this Friday and next Saturday.
The 13 matches are the most in any month for Bluejay Volleyball since 13 matches in September of 2006. CU went 10-3 in that month, its most victories ever for any month.
If you're curious, the only month in history that CU played more than 13 times came in September of 1995, when it went 7-9.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll, including five teams in the top-25.
Creighton plays matches against teams that were preseason ranked No. 5 (USC), No. 7 (Nebraska), No. 11 (Illinois), No. 19 (Kentucky) and No. 22 (Kansas).
Creighton also hosts Colorado, which received enough points to finish 33rd in the voting, and has a home-and-home league series with No. 29 Marquette.
Besides Creighton, the only other school to play five different non-conference teams that are in the preseason top-25 is Stanford.
When it took on No. 6 USC and No. 16 Kentucky on Sept. 6, it marked the first time ever that Creighton faced two ranked teams on the same day. It was also just the fifth time CU played in a regular-season tournament against two ranked teams, joining the Pacific/Nike Invitational (1998), Santa Clara Invitational (2001), Holiday Inn Downtown Classic (2007) and the Bluejay Invitational (2008).
Tough With A Lead
Creighton is 57-5 since September 1, 2011 when winning set one, with three of those losses coming against top-11 teams.
Creighton has won 37 straight home matches when winning set one dating to an Aug. 28, 2010 loss to Lipscomb.
Creighton has won 64 straight matches when leading 2-0 (dating to Sept. 12, 2009) and has also won 52 consecutive matches when leading 2-1 in a match (dating to Oct. 16, 2009).
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 137-2 when leading a match 2-0 and is also 93-7 when leading a match 2-1 after three sets.
Keep On Digging
Libero Kate Elman keeps on digging her way up the record books. The junior from Omaha had a streak of 30 straight matches with 10 or more digs snapped when she was held to just eight vs. Bowling Green last Saturday.
That streak was the third-longest in program history.
Elman also owns 27 career matches with 20 or more digs, and 70 matches with 10 or more digs to rank in the top-three in school history in both of those categories, as well.
In Elman's 75 career matches, she's never had fewer than eight digs.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
32 Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
30 Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
27 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
20 Janeen Piller 2001-04
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+D Name Years
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
70 Kate Elman 2012-Pres.
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2014 roster boasts 10 players from the state of Nebraska, including all four newcomers.
The 10 Nebraska natives is most since the program's 1994 restart, one more than the 2004 and 2005 clubs that had nine each.
Once In A Lifetime Trip
Creighton experienced a once-in-a-lifetime trip in mid-May when it ventured to Nicaragua. The trip included several matches against the Nicaraguan Jr. National Team (all Creighton victories), but much of the trip's purpose centered on visits to schools, delivering books and other service-oriented programs.
Team USA Trio
Three members of the Creighton Volleyball team donned Team USA jerseys this summer. Kelli Browning, Jess Bird and Michelle Sicner each suited up for the US Collegiate National Team in June at the 2014 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships in Minneapolis.
Creighton and Florida State led all schools with three representatives among the 36 women selected.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 82-76 in the 53 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 22-7 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 62-43 in 37 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 last week's Bluejay Invitational.
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Big Time Schedule
Creighton's non-conference slate contains 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 180-22 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 36-110 under Booth when it drops the first set.
Creighton has also won 37 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 216-2 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa in an eventual 20-18 fifth set loss, and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a 17-15 fifth set loss to St. John's.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 194-8 (.960) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 136-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 91-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 8-176 (.043) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-60 mark in those home matches. Those eight comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below:
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
11/16/12 at Wichita St. 25-16, 25-20, 16-14 Booth
09/05/14 vs. No. Iowa 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Booth
A Bunch Of Winners
Creighton has experienced a great deal of success in recent seasons, and the current squad has enjoyed victories at historic levels. Consider the following numbers entering the 2014 season:
CU's 52 victories in the previous two seasons are six more than other two-year span in program history, previously done from 2011-12.
CU's 69 wins in the previous three seasons are the most in any three-year span in program history, two more than the 2010-12 total of 67.
CU's 90 victories in the previous four seasons are nine more than other four-year span in program history, which was done from 2009-12.
Blocking Specialists
Creighton has consistently proven to be an elite blocking team in recent seasons, leading their conference each of the previous three years in the category.
The Jays led the nation last year with 3.06 blocks per set, and one year prior were fourth-best nationally while also averaging 3.06 blocks per set.
Leading the blocking brigade during this time span has been Kelli Browning. Browning was fifth nationally in 2012 with 1.65 blocks per set, then finished eighth in 2013 with 1.53 stuffs per set.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 12th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as juniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen are in the program.
Interestingly, the Jays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch
Production Returning
Creighton returns 12-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Points 2100.5 (99.1%) 19.5 (0.9%)
Kills 1618 (99.3%) 12 (0.7%)
Digs 1892 (99.2%) 15 (0.8%)
Aces 120 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Matches Started 157 (98.1%) 3 (1.9%)
Blocks 362.5 (98.0%) 7.5 (2.0%)
Assists 1516 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton has been picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
CU received 77 points in the poll and five of a possible 10 first-place votes. Defending champ Marquette was picked second with 71 points and four first-place votes, while Xavier (66 points) was third and claimed the remaining first-place tally. Rounding out the rest of the poll were Butler, St.John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, DePaul and Providence.
Creighton also had two women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as both Kelli Browning and Leah McNary were honored for a second straight year.
Marquette's Autumn Bailey was chosen as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in nine of the past 11 years.
Year Preseason Pick Finish Move
1994 11th 9th #2
1995 9th 7th #2
1996 9th 6th #3
1997 8th 3rd #5
1998 6th 8th i2
1999 T-7th 5th #2
2000 4th T-4th - -
2001 2nd 4th i2
2002 7th 9th i2
2003 9th T-5th #4
2004 5th 5th - -
2005 5th 5th - -
2006 4th 4th - -
2007 3rd T-2nd #1
2008 3rd 2nd #1
2009 4th T-4th - -
2010 4th 3rd #1
2011 3rd 4th i1
2012 4th 1st #3
2013 1st T-2nd i1
2014 1st ??? ???
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin (Swanson) Russell will broadcast most home matches this season.
The matches will air on KZOT (1180 AM) or KOIL (1290 AM) and be webcast online at www.gocreighton.com as well. The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
Players Mentioned
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/ 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
