Volleyball Heads to San Diego to Meet No. 1 Seed USC in Regional Semifinals

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Creighton Volleyball Notes
NCAA Tournament - Regionals
Dec. 11   7:30 pm   Loyola Marymount vs. No. 9 Kansas   San Diego, Calif. (Jenny Craig Pavilion)
Dec. 11   10 pm   Creighton vs. No. 2 USC (ESPNU)   San Diego, Calif. (Jenny Craig Pavilion)
Dec. 12   10 pm   Regional Final (ESPNU)   San Diego, Calif. (Jenny Craig Pavilion)
All times Central

This Weekend
The 2015 BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champion Creighton Volleyball team makes its first appearance in the Sweet 16 when it heads to San Diego, Calif., for Regional round action of the 2015 NCAA Volleyball Championship.
   Creighton (27-8, 17-1 BIG EAST) is the No. 16 overall seed in the field and plays a Regional semifinal against No. 1 seed and second-ranked USC (32-2, 18-2 Pacific 12) in a match scheduled to start at 10:00 pm Central (8:00 pm Pacific).
   The first match on Friday pits Loyola Marymount (24-8, 13-5 West Coast Conference) taking on No. 9 seed and ninth-ranked Kansas (28-2, 14-2 Big 12), at 7:30 pm Central (5:30 pm Pacific).
   Saturday's Regional Final match-up features the two winners from Friday meeting at 10 pm Central (8 pm Pacific).
   Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) in San Diego, Calif., will host the action.
   The team that emerges from San Diego will head to Omaha, Neb., for next week's 2015 NCAA Volleyball Championships.

TV/Radio Broadcast Information
All matches Creighton would play in this weekend will be televised nationally on ESPNU, with Paul Sunderland and Dain Blanton on the call.
   The match(es) will also be streamed at no charge on ESPN3.com, though a cable authorization may be required.
   None of Creighton's matches this weekend will be on radio.

Live Stats Information
All matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and navigate to the volleyball schedule page for the exact links to each match.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton has won 22 of its last 23 matches and owns a 27-8 record on the fall, which includes a 17-1 BIG EAST mark, a second consecutive sweep of the league's regular-season and tournament titles, and the program's first appearance into the Sweet 16.
   Creighton earned its spot in San Diego this weekend after wins in Chapel Hill against Coastal Carolina (3-1) and No. 23 North Carolina (3-1).
   The Bluejays enjoyed the success after a rigorous non-conference schedule that featured a nation-leading five top-11 foes. Despite the challenging slate, the Bluejays finished the fall placing second in three straight tournaments. Creighton entered the NCAA Tournament with an RPI of 15 and earned the No. 16 overall seed in the tournament.
   The Bluejays own wins over 11 NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, including a sweep of then-No. 10 Kentucky on Sept. 5 and a 3-1 win at No. 23 North Carolina last Saturday. Five of Creighton's losses have come against teams that are current ranked in the top-25, including current No. 2 USC, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 18 Louisville and No. 21 Illinois.
   Jaali Winters (4.11 kps.) and Jess Bird (2.82 kps., 2.78 dps.) lead the Creighton offense on the outside. Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-Conference pick, while Bird was tabbed Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and named the MVP of the 2015 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship.
   Middle blocker Lauren Smith (2.49 kps., 1.28 bps., .344%) excels in the middle and earned All-Tournament Team honors during all four non-conference weekend tournaments. Smith was also named a First Team All-BIG EAST performer and leads the BIG EAST in both hitting percentage and blocks per set.
   Both Smith and Winters were named to the AVCA's All-East Region First Team on Tuesday.
   Creighton's final All-BIG EAST honoree was senior Maggie Baumert (11.05 aps.), one of four starters at setter the Bluejays have used this year. Libero Kate Elman (4.18 dps.) continues to add to her Creighton-record dig total and last weekend surpassed the 2,000 career dig milestone.
   Creighton averages 14.12 kills, 1.18 aces, 16.65 digs and 2.40 blocks per set while hitting .252 as a team.

Scouting No. 8 USC
The top seed in the NCAA Tournament, USC is 32-2 on the season and entered the postseason ranked second in the AVCA Top 25 poll.
   Senior OH Samantha Bricio (5.12 kps., 2.69 dps., 0.71 saps., .304%) has been named a Second Team All-American each of the last two years and stands as a heavy favorite to be named National Player of the Year next week. She leads the nation in aces per set and points per set while ranking second in kills.
   Alicia Ogoms (1.99 kps., 1.44 bps., .416%) and Elise Ruddings (1.55 kps., .410%) both hit over .400 for the Women of Troy, while Alyse Ford (2.62 kps.) and Brittany Abercrombie (2.43 kps., .286%) round out one of the nation's top offenses.
   Freshman Baylee Johnson (7.10 aps., 2.62 dps.) and junior Alice Pizzasegola (5.26 aps.) have split setting duties, while Taylor Whittingham (4.71 dps.) is the team's libero.
   As a group, USC averages 14.67 kills, 1.53 aces, 16.28 digs and 2.55 blocks per set while hitting .294. USC ranks in the top-10 nationally in kills per set, hitting percentage, assists per set, and opponents hitting percentage.

The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 262-145 record in her 13th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to back-to-back BIG EAST titles, and three league crowns in the past four years. This year, she's also led the Bluejays to their first Sweet 16 in program history after winning the Chapel Hill sub-Regional.
   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. She's also been named 2015 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and 2015 AVCA East Region Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to the league's regular-season and tournament titles.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has led Creighton to its only five NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also led the Jays into the top-25 each of the previous 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 was helped by associate head coach Tom Mendoza, assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Kyle South.
   Mick Haley (Ball State, 1965) is in his 15th year at USC, where he owns a 391-94 record and has led the Trojans to six Final Four appearances and national titles in 2002 and 2003. He owns a 1,164-282 mark overall in 39 years as a college women's coach. Haley is assisted by Tim Nollan, Jason Kennedy and Kyle Weindel.

Series History vs. USC
USC is 2-0 all-time against Creighton, with neutral site wins in each of the past two seasons.
   The Women of Troy won the first meeting with Creighton in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-18) last season in Lexington, Ky.
   Kelli Browning led CU with 13 kills, while Maggie Baumert (34 assists, 11 digs) had a double-double. USC was led by 14 kills from Ebony Nwanebu's 14 kills and .481 hitting, while Samantha Bricio had 13 kills, 15 digs and a pair of aces.
   The teams also met on September 5 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In that contest, Bricio had 12 kills, Brittany Abercrombie had 10 kills and hit .476 and Taylor Whittingham picked up 24 digs. USC hit .402 in that match, committing just five attack errors in 97 swings. Jaali Winters had nine kills to lead CU in the meeting, while Kate Elman had 12 digs.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-2 all-time against USC and coach Mick Haley.

Last Weekend Summary
Creighton earned its first Sweet 16 bid in program history with a pair of wins last weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C.
   The Bluejays won four-set matches against both Coastal Carolina and No. 23 North Carolina to advance to the Regional.
   Creighton hit .297 in the two wins, as Maggie Baumert dished 13.75 assists per set. Jaali Winters averaged 5.12 kills per set last week, while Lauren Smith averaged 3.25 kills and 1.12 blocks per set on .490 hitting.

NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past six years after earning a fourth straight bid to the Big Dance. The 2015 campaign marks the program's first Sweet 16 appearance.
   The Bluejays are 5-4 in its five appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015) and North Carolina (2015) in those trips.
   Creighton is 4-1 in first round play, and 1-3 in the second round. The Bluejays are also 4-1 at neutral-site matches and 1-3 in true road games. Friday will mark the team's initial foray into the Regional rounds.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 5-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
   This year's No. 16 seed marks Creighton's first national seed in program history.

Against Ranked Foes
When Creighton takes the court against USC on Friday, it will be facing the nation's No. 2-ranked team. Creighton is 5-61 all-time against ranked teams.
   Creighton is 3-9 all-time in neutral site matches against ranked teams, but 1-0 in the postseason vs. ranked teams on neutral floors.
   Creighton is 5-45 at all sites against ranked teams under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Creighton is 1-23 all-time against top-10 teams, with the lone win coming on Sept. 5 vs. No. 10 Kentucky (3-0) one day after the team fell to USC.
   The highest-ranked team Creighton has ever won a set against came on Sept. 24, 2006, when Creighton took a 1-0 lead on then-No. 1 Nebraska.
   Creighton is 2-4 this season against ranked teams, with the victories coming on Sept. 5 vs. No. 10 Kentucky in Cedar Falls, Iowa and last Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., at No. 23 North Carolina. It marks Creighton's first season ever with multiple wins over ranked opposition.
   Creighton is 2-3 against ranked teams in postseason play, topping No. 16 Iowa State in 2010 before last Saturday's win at No. 23 North Carolina.

Winters Sets Single-Season Kill Record
Jaali Winters had 41 kills last weekend to set Creighton's single-season record for kills. Winters now owns 534 kills this fall, besting the old mark of 516 set by Leah Ratzlaff in 2003.
   Winters, who averages 4.11 kills per set, also overtook Ratzlaff (4.05 kps.) last weekend as CU's career kills per set leader among players with 350 kills or more.
   Winters also broke Ratzlaff's single-season record for points scored last weekend. Winters has 582.5 points, while Ratzlaff owned 574.0 points in 2003.
   Winters ranks 10th nationally in total kills with 534, and her total is third-most among players that are still alive in the NCAA Tournament. USC's Samantha Bricio heads that list with 620 putaways.
Most Kills, Players Still Active in Sweet 16
   Rk.   Player, School   Kills
   1.   Samantha Bricio, USC   620
   2.   Alexa Gray, BYU   564
   3.   Jaali Winters, Creighton   534
   4.   Daly Santana, Minnesota   520
   5.   Jordan Anderson, UCLA   500

More Records Fall
Creighton will play its school-record 36th match of the season on Friday, two more than the old mark of 34 that was set last fall in a 25-9 campaign.
   Creighton has also set a single-season record for sets played. The Bluejays enter Friday's match with 130 sets played this fall, two more than the mark of 128 set last fall.

New Faces Since Last Time
The line-up that Creighton used when it faced USC on Sept. 5 is radically different than the line-up it figures to use on on Friday against the Women of Troy.
   Two players who Creighton started in that match vs. USC, Kelsey O'Connell and Kenzie Crawford, have played a combined seven points in CU's last four matches, a span that consists of the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournaments.
   Taryn Kloth (foot) did not play in the match vs. USC, while Maggie Baumert (knee) played just the final three points in the entire match in her first action of the season. Kloth and Baumert have combined for 39 kills, 195 assists, 59 digs and 25 blocks in the last four matches.
   The Sept. 4 loss dropped Creighton to 1-3 on the season. The Bluejays are 26-5 since then.

Trio Earns All-Region Honors From AVCA
Three women with the Creighton Volleyball program have been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association with All-Region recognition.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth has been named the East Region Coach of the Year, Jaali Winters has been named East Region Freshman of the Year and both Winters and Lauren Smith were named First Team All-East Region.
   The East Region features 39 teams, including members of eight different leagues (Atlantic Coast, America East, Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Colonial, Ivy, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Patriot).
   Booth earns Regional Coach of the Year honors for the first time after guiding the Bluejays to a 27-8 record so far this season. Creighton qualified for its first Sweet 16 appearance last weekend with wins over Coastal Carolina and No. 23 North Carolina. The Bluejays won the BIG EAST Conference regular-season and tournament titles for the second consecutive season, and have won 22-of-23 matches since September 20. Booth is Creighton's first volleyball coach to ever be named Regional Coach of the Year.
   Winters becomes Creighton's first volleyball player to earn Regional Freshman of the Year accolades after a standout season that also saw her be named unanimous BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Winters has set a Creighton single-season record for kills in a season (534), and she leads the team with 16 double-doubles. Winters' 534 kills rank 10th-most nationally and are third among freshmen. Winters was a six-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and became the program's second freshman to ever earn First Team All-Conference honors last month.
   Smith ascends to All-East Region First Team honors after being named an honorable-mention All-East Region selection in 2013. Smith leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.344) and blocks per set (1.28) and she's third on the team with 324 kills. Smith's 166 total blocks ranks 10th nationally, She is the third player in CU history to earn multiple All-Region recognitions, joining Kelli Browning (3) and Megan Bober (2).
   By virtue of their All-Region selections, Winters and Smith advance to All-America consideration, while Booth enters the running for National Coach of the Year honors. The AVCA announces its All-America selections next Wednesday (Dec. 16) leading up to the Final Four, to be held in Omaha.

Season Highlights
The 2015 season has been one full of highlights for Creighton. Consider the following...
-Creighton has won a pair of NCAA Tournament matches for the first time in any year, advancing to its first Sweet 16.
-Creighton defeated No. 23 North Carolina to win the Chapel Hill sub-Regional, its first true road victory over a ranked team in 32 tries.
-Creighton owns an NCAA RPI of 15 in this week's official rankings, and was 26th in the final regular-season AVCA Top 25 poll.
-Creighton won the BIG EAST Conference, the nation's seventh-best league, by three full games in the standings.
-Creighton won the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship for the second straight year, beating a pair of eventual NCAA Tournament teams in the process.
-Creighton has won 22 of its last 23 matches, and is 26-4 since starting the season 1-4.
-Creighton ranks nationally tied for 15th in victories and 20th in road victories this season.
-Creighton was the nation's only team to play five top-11 teams in non-conference play. No one else played more than three. Creighton's non-conference schedule was ranked as the nation's third-toughest.
-Creighton swept the nation's No. 10 team, Kentucky, on Sept. 5 on a neutral floor.
-Creighton owns eight top-50 wins this season, which is tied for ninth in the nation.
-Creighton owns 11 wins this fall against teams that made the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
-Creighton was honored with the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, while Jaali Winters was a unanimous pick as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
-Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named East Region Coach of the Year, while Jaali Winters was named East Region Freshman of the Year.

Chasing History
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is two wins away from becoming the third female head coach to make the Volleyball Final Four, and four wins away from becoming the first female head coach to win a national title.
   Only three female head coaches remain in this year's tournament, Booth (Creighton), Heather Olmstead (BYU) and Mary Wise (Florida).

Seniors Lead The Way
Seniors Melanie Jereb, Ashley Jansen and Kate Elman became the first Bluejays to play in three or more NCAA Volleyball Tournament victories and in four different NCAA Tournaments, with two wins last weekend.
   When the trio arrived on campus in the fall of 2012, Creighton had never appeared in, or won a match in, the NCAA Tournament.

100!
Junior MB Lauren Smith made her 100th career start, and 88th in a row, on Saturday at No. 23 North Carolina. She has started all but one match in her standout career.
   Smith had 15 kills and five blocks on .452 hitting vs. the Tar Heels.

Chance To Come Home
With a pair of wins this weekend, Creighton Volleyball will advance to the NCAA Volleyball Championships that will be contested in Omaha, Neb., at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   CenturyLink Center Omaha is located less than a mile from the Creighton campus and is the home to Creighton men's basketball.
   Creighton has already played at CenturyLink Center Omaha once this season, hosting Nebraska there on Sept. 15th. That meeting attracted 10,131 fans, the nation's largest crowd this fall.
   The opportunity isn't too much unlike the school's legendary 1991 baseball team that went to a Regional at USC as a decided underdog and won four games (including USC in the third game) to reach the College World Series, held just a few miles from the CU campus at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.

Elite Company
Creighton was one of just three schools that had a nationally-seeded team in both men's soccer and volleyball this fall, joining Stanford and Ohio State.
   Stanford was seeded eighth in both; Ohio State was seeded ninth in soccer and 12th in volleyball; while Creighton was 12th in soccer and 16th in volleyball.
   Creighton's soccer team reached the Elite Eight with a win at North Carolina before falling at fourth-seeded Akron last Saturday.
   Creighton and Ohio State are the nation's only teams to reach the Sweet 16 in both men's soccer and volleyball this fall.

History of No. 16 Seeds
The 2015 NCAA Tournament marks the 15th year of the NCAA Tournament in the rally scoring era.
   In that time, the No. 16 seeds are 14-1 in the opening round. The only upset came last year in Topeka, when Arkansas-Little Rock upset Kansas. Ironically, Creighton was at that site but lost earlier in the afternoon to Oregon State.
   Since 2001, the No. 16 seed has advanced to the Sweet 16 (or further) nine times, with the 2010 Purdue team the only club to advance to the Elite Eight. That Purdue team swept top-seeded Florida in Austin, Texas, before falling in the Regional final to ninth-seeded Texas.
   Additionally, it's worth noting that no fewer than 10-of-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the last 15 seasons.
Year   No. 16 Seed   W-L   Seeds to Sweet 16?
2015   Creighton   2-0 so far   13/16
2014   Kansas   0-1   13/16
2013   Duke   1-1   11/16
2012   Kentucky   2-1   12/16
2011   Texas A&M   1-1   11/16
2010   Purdue   3-1   11/16
2009   Florida   2-1   12/16
2008   Tulane   1-1   13/16
2007   Cal Poly   2-1   10/16
2006   San Diego   2-1   15/16
2005   UCLA   2-1   13/16
2004   Missouri   1-1   14/16
2003   Texas A&M   2-1   16/16
2002   Notre Dame   1-1   13/16
2001   Northern Iowa   2-1   16/16

Not One, Not Two, Not Three...
Creighton Volleyball is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
   Though it's happened in both men's soccer and men's basketball, the Volleyball program is the first women's team in school history to reach the 'Big Dance' in four consecutive campaigns.

The Road Less Travelled
There were 22 teams that won a conference tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, including Creighton.
   Of those 22 teams, Creighton and Wichita State are the only schools that defeated multiple NCAA Tournament teams in a conference tournament.
   Creighton downed Marquette and Villanova, while Wichita State topped both Northern Iowa and Missouri State.
   Creighton is the only team remaining that earned an automatic bid after winning its conference tournament.

Battle Tested
Creighton has played 17 of its 35 matches this season against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament, going 10-7 in those contests. Of the eight wins, five came via a sweep. The Jays are 8-1 in their last nine matches against such foes.
   Creighton defeated Lipscomb, Kentucky, Kansas State, Marquette (3x), Villanova (2x), Coastal Carolina and North Carolina, and lost once each to USC, Wisconsin, Louisville, Illinois, Nebraska, UNI and Villanova.
   Creighton was led by Jaali Winters' 4.25 kills per set in those matches, while Kate Elman averaged 4.21 digs per set and Lauren Smith has hit .337 on 2.48 kills per set. Both Maggie Baumert (11.17) and Kenzie Crawford (10.06) averaged more than 10 assists per set in those matches.

Common Opponents?
In addition to their head-to-head meeting won by USC on Sept. 4 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Creighton and USC share three other common opponents this season.
   Both teams defeated North Carolina in four sets.
   Both teams swept Kentucky in Cedar Falls on September 5th.
   USC swept Northern Iowa, while Creighton fell in four sets to UNI.

Television Turns Out
Creighton will make its second television appearance of the season on Friday night against USC. In its only other appearance, CU swept Villanova on Nov. 28 to win the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship on FS2.
   The Jays are 9-9 in 18 previous appearances on the small screen under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, but have not appeared on the ESPN family of networks in that time.
Creighton Volleyball on Television, Since 2003
Date   Opponent   TV Coverage   W-L
09/23/03   at UMKC   Mediacom   W 3-1
10/11/05   at #1 Nebraska   Time Warner   L 0-3
11/09/07   at Missouri State   Mediacom   W 3-1
11/10/07   at #24 Wichita State   Cox Wichita   L 0-3
10/05/08   at #2 Nebraska   NET/CBSCS   L 0-3
10/03/09   Missouri State   NET-HD   L 0-3
10/23/10   at #14 Northern Iowa   Mediacom   L 0-3
11/27/10   at #11 Northern Iowa   FSN Midwest   L 1-3
09/08/11   at #11 Nebraska   NET-HD   L 0-3
11/03/11   Wichita State   Cox/Kansas 22   W 3-2
09/19/12   at Kansas   MetroSports/Cox   L 2-3
09/25/12   South Dakota   Cox 2   W 3-1
11/10/12   Illinois State   Cox 2   W 3-1
11/24/12   Wichita State   FSN Midwest   W 3-0
09/13/14   Wichita State   Cox/Kansas 22   W 3-1
09/17/14   at #9 Nebraska   NET   L 1-3
11/29/14   vs. Seton Hall   FS2   W 3-1
11/28/15   Villanova   FS2   W 3-0

High Five
Kirsten Bernthal Booth joined some select company when she directed her troops to a fifth NCAA Tournament. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   Booth is one of eight head coaches in Creighton history to lead five different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   5
Bret Simon   Men's Soccer   5
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   5
Bruce Erickson   Women's Soccer   5
Mary Higgins   Softball   5

Automatic Bid x 2
Creighton is one of 11 schools nationally to earn an automatic bid into each of the last NCAA Tournaments. That grouping includes New Hampshire, Dayton, Texas, Creighton, Coastal Carolina, Western Kentucky, Colorado State, American, Denver and BYU.
   Of those teams, the only six schools to win a conference tournament in consecutive campaigns have been American, Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Dayton, Denver and New Hampshire.

Back-To-Back Tournament Champs
Creighton won its second straight BIG EAST Championship title, becoming the league's first back-to-back tourney champ since Louisville won three straight titles from 2008-10.
   Creighton joined Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville as the only four schools to ever win back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in volleyball.

Offensive Production
Creighton ranks among the nation's most potent offensive teams. The Bluejays rank fourth in the nation in kills this season.
   Of the nation's other Sweet 16 qualiifers, only USC (11th) ranks in the top-20 of that category. Here's a look at the top-five, plus the other teams in the San Diego Region.
Most Kills, Nationally
Rank   Team   Kills
1.   Wichita State   1,889
2.   Towson   1,841
3.   Missouri State   1,839
4.   Creighton   1,835
5.   Southern Miss   1,808
11.   USC   1,775
T21.   Loyola Marymount   1,720
T107.   Kansas   1,537

   Creighton also ranks third nationally in assists in 2015. USC ranks seventh in that category.
Most Assists, Nationally
Rank   Team   Assists
1.   Wichita State   1,771
2.   Missouri State   1,744
3.   Creighton   1,734
4.   Towson   1,730
5.   Southern Miss   1,704
6.   Western Kentucky   1,690
7.   USC   1,671
23.   Loyola Marymount   1,621
104.   Kansas   1,442

All-Tournament Honors
Creighton had three women earn All-Tournament honors after the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship.
   Jess Bird was named the MVP after averaging 3.50 kills and 1.50 digs per set on .263 hitting.
   Maggie Baumert earned her spot after averaging 10.50 assists, 3.12 digs, 0.88 blocks and 0.50 kills per set.
   Kate Elman earned her spot by averaging 4.38 digs and 0.25 aces per set as CU's libero.

BIG EAST In The Sweet 16
Creighton is the BIG EAST's first team to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Championship since St. John's made it in 2007.
   Ironically, the Red Storm played against USC that year, falling in five sets.
   Creighton's victory on Saturday at UNC snapped the BIG EAST's nine-match losing streak in the Round of 32.
   The BIG EAST has never had a team reach the Regional Final in volleyball.

Bluejays Collect The Hardware
Creighton had quite a haul of honors when the BIG EAST named its All-Conference Team on Nov. 23rd.
   Jaali Winters was a unanimous pick as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, while Kirsten Bernthal Booth leads a staff named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
   In addition, Winters, Lauren Smith and Maggie Baumert were named First Team All-BIG EAST, while Jess Bird was a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree.
   This is the first First Team All-Conference award for Winters, Smith and Baumert. Smith was a Second Team All-BIG EAST pick in 2014, while Bird was a First Team All-BIG EAST choice last fall. Booth was named 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, but had not previously won the honor from her BIG EAST peers.

#Winning
Creighton ranks among the national leaders in four key categories as it relates to winning.
   Creighton ranks tied for 10th with 15 home wins.
   Creighton ranks tied for 15th with 27 wins.
   Creighton ranks tied for 20th with nine road victories.
   Creighton is 32nd nationally in winning percentage at .771.

The .700 Club
Creighton pulled out a five-set victory over Georgetown in the regular-season finale thanks to a .722 hitting percentage in the fifth set. Creighton had 13 kills and no errors in 18 swings against the Hoyas, establishing a school-record for one set in the process.
Best Team Hitting Percentage in a Set
   %   K-E-TA   Opponent (Set #)   Date
   .722   13-0-18   at Georgetown (5)   11/20/15
.714   10-0-14   vs. Northern Iowa (5)   9/5/14
   .684   13-0-19   Eastern Illinois (2)   10/15/00
   .682   15-0-22   Tulsa (3)   10/27/95
   .654   18-1-26   Bradley (3)   9/25/10

Select Company
Creighton is one of just 11 schools nationally who have won 23 games or more in each of the last four seasons. That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Idaho State, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.
   Creighton is also one of 23 teams to have appeared in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. That group features Arizona State, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
   Throw in four straight NCAA Tournament bids to that group of teams with four straight 23-win seasons and the group narrows to nine teams: That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Washington.
   Below is how each of those 11 teams with four straight seasons of 23+ wins are doing this year (through Dec. 10):
Team   W-L   NCAA Qualifier?
Western Kentucky   32-4   Yes
Washington   30-2   Yes
BYU   28-3   Yes
Nebraska   28-4   Yes
Penn State   28-5   Yes
Creighton   27-8   Yes
Texas   27-2   Yes
Florida State   25-8   Yes
Florida   24-6   Yes
Idaho State   23-10   No
Stanford   23-7   Yes

Senior Day Celebrates Quintet
Creighton's five seniors were honored following its Nov. 14 match against Butler, which marked the program's final regular-season home match of 2015.
   The senior class has gone 104-30 over the last four seasons, and are the winningest group in program history. They've posted four straight seasons of 23 or more wins and reached an unprecedented four straight NCAA Tournaments. The group has also been part of the program's first three regular-season conference titles (2012, 2014, 2015), the program's first three postseason conference tournament titles (2012, 2014, 2015), and the program's first Sweet 16 appearance.
   Ashley Jansen ranks ninth in Creighton history with 85 aces and owns 845 digs. Primarily a defensive specialist throughout her career, Jansen has made nine career starts at setter and owns 347 career assists, which ranks 10th in CU history.
   Melanie Jereb has appeared in more wins (102) than any player in program history. She arrived on the scene as a first-team all-MVC performer in 2012 and has been a regular in the line-up ever since. Jereb ranks eighth in CU history with 1,210 career digs and also owns 590 kills, 169 blocks and 67 aces.
   Maggie Baumert is finishing up her second season in the program after transferring to Creighton in the spring of 2014. Baumert owns 1,938 assists as a Bluejay and led the BIG EAST with 11.51 assists per league set this fall.
   Kate Elman is Creighton's all-time leader with 2,039 digs, ranks fourth with 105 aces and 11th with 344 career assists. She also owns school records for matches with 10 or more digs and 20 or more digs.
   Lizzy Stivers is a fifth-year senior who owns 39 aces, 72 digs, six kills and one block in her career. She's been used primarily as a serving specialist since enrolling at Creighton.

Win, Win Scenario
With 104 wins to date, Creighton's senior class has surpassed last year's senior class (94) for the most wins in any four-year span in program history.
   The 104 wins are just one less victory in that time of CU's neighbor to the southwest at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
   Individually, Melanie Jereb (102) and Ashley Jansen (101) have played in the most wins of any players in program history. Prior to this year, that mark had been held by Leah McNary (92).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   Wins   Player   Years
   102   Melanie Jereb   2012-Pres.
   101   Ashley Jansen   2012-Pres.
   95   Kate Elman   2012-Pres.
   92   Leah McNary   2011-14
   87   Kelli Browning   2011-14
   86   Lizzy Stivers   2012-Pres.
   82   Michelle Sicner   2011-14

Title History
Creighton won its third regular-season title in program history this fall.
   Creighton's first league titles 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.
   Last season, Creighton went 16-2 in league play and swept the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament crowns.
   Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 school year, Creighton has won BIG EAST regular-season titles in baseball (2014), men's soccer (2014) and volleyball (2014 & 2015), and a BIG EAST Tournament title in volleyball (2014).

Jereb Digs It
Melanie Jereb earned the nod at libero for just the second time in 2015 on Nov. 13 at Georgetown (and first time since Aug. 29 vs. Louisville), and she responded in a big way.
   Jereb had 30 digs in the victory, eclipsing her previous season-best of 16 and her previous career-high of 24 in the process.
   Jereb is the eighth player in Creighton history with a match of 30 or more digs.

Bravo, Bohnet!
Samantha Bohnet entered the Nov. 13 match at Georgetown with minimal experience, having played in just six sets all season long and contributing seven assists in that time.
   Bohnet made her first career start a memorable one, as she finished with 41 assists, 13 digs and an ace to far surpass to season totals entering the day.

10 Assists x 3
Creighton made program history on Nov. 7 at DePaul when Ashley Jansen (12), Maggie Baumert (27) and Kenzie Crawford (12) all had 10 or more assists in a match.
   It marked the first time Creighton has ever seen three players finish with 10 or more assists in the same match.
   In fact, prior to 2015, the only other seasons that Creighton has had three players with matches of 10+ assists in the same fall had come in 2011 (Michelle Sicner, Megan Bober, Julianne Mandolfo) and in 2002 (Jadee Tanabe, Jaden Custer, Liz Hagerman).
   Creighton has had four players record 10 or more assists in a match during this season, as Jansen, Baumert, Crawford and Samantha Bohnet have all done so.

Winning Time
As the season winds down, November often proves to be a key time of year where teams can make or break a season.
   Creighton went 7-0 in November this fall, continuing an extended run of success in the 11th month of the year.
   Creighton went 8-1 in November last season, clinching BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles in the process.
   In 2013, Creighton was 7-3 in the month of November.
   In 2012, Creighton was a perfect 9-0 in November.
   Combined, Creighton went 31-4 in the month of November since this year's senior class enrolled in 2012.
   One key factor in Creighton's November success the past three years is junior OH Jess Bird. Bird owns a double-double in 14-of-26 career November matches she's played in, compared to 15-of-63 matches that haven't been held in November.

Home Wins Record Falls
Creighton went 15-3 at home this season, breaking a school record for home wins in a season. The previous record was 12, done in both 2012 and 2014. Both those teams won regular-season and conference tournament titles, and played in the NCAA's, as well.
   Creighton's 15 home wins this season rank tied for 10th nationally.

Attendance Record Falls
Creighton attracted 29,905 fans in 18 home matches this season, another record. That's a single-season record at home, breaking the mark of 24,183 set in 2007.
   Creighton's 29,905 fans are 19th nationally and more than triple the figure of the second-highest drawing team in the BIG EAST, Xavier (9,232).
   It's also impressive considering that it often plays at the same time as perennial power Creighton Men's Soccer, which ranked third nationally in average home attendance (3,298) and also set a school record for total home attendance in a fall with 46,171 fans. That figure finished second in the nation.
Most Home Fans, Season
Year   Home Fans   Matches   Average
2015   29,905   18   1,661
2007   24,183   13   1,860
2006   20,940   13   1,611
2008   19,645   14   1,403
2014   19,239   15   1,283

Freshman Sensation
Jaali Winters continues to lead Creighton on offense, and she has smashed Allie Oelke's school record for kills in a season by a freshman.
   Oelke would go on to be named 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year in her debut campaign.
   Winters was also named Freshman of the Year in her league (BIG EAST) is also on pace to break Melissa Walsh's school record for kills per set by a freshman.
Most Kills, Creighton Freshmen
   Kills   Name   Year
   534   Jaali Winters   2015
   352   Allie Oelke   2007
   341   Melissa Walsh   1998
   306   Melanie Jereb   2012
   297   Jess Bird   2013

Most Kills Per Set, Creighton Freshman
(min. 100 kills)
   KPS   Name   Year
   4.11   Jaali Winters   2015
   3.75   Melissa Walsh   1998
   3.39   JoDe Cieloha   1994
   3.29   Allie Oelke   2007
   2.85   Amanda Cvejdlik   2005

Set Four Is Ours
Creighton is an impressive 15-3 in game four this season, and has won 12 of its last 13 set four.
   Due in large part to that fourth-set success, Creighton is 12-1 in its last 13 matches to go four or more sets.

Getting Better & Better
November 7th was Creighton's 400th match with Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and it continues to thrive under her direction.
    Below is a look at Creighton's record under Booth in 50-match segments.
Match #   W-L   Opponent   Date   Result
50   25-25   Missouri State   10/22/04   L 0-3
100   56-44   So. Illinois   09/16/06   W 3-1
150   88-62   vs. So. Illinois   11/23/07   W 3-1
200   115-85   at Missouri St.   10/30/09   L 0-3
250   143-107   at #11 Nebraska   09/08/11   L 0-3
300   182-118   Illinois State   11/10/12   W 3-1
350   215-135   South Dakota   09/20/14   L 2-3
400   255-145   at DePaul   11/07/14   W 3-1

Responding After A Loss
After its 12-match win streak was snapped on Oct. 30th at Villanova, Creighton answered with a 3-0 sweep at Seton Hall just 24 hours later.
   Creighton has lost just nine times against conference competition in the last four years, and responded with a victory each time.
Date   Loss   Next League Foe/Score
9/28/12   @SIU, L 3-1   @Evansville, W 3-1
10/4/13   @Butler, L 3-1   @Xavier, W 3-1
10/25/13   @Marquette, L 3-0   @DePaul, W 3-1
11/1/13   St. John's, L 3-2   Seton Hall, W 3-0
11/16/13   @Seton Hall, L 3-1   Georgetown, W 3-0
11/30/13   Marquette, L 3-1   @Georgetown, W 3-0
10/10/14   @Seton Hall, 3-2   @Villanova, W 3-1
11/23/14   Seton Hall, L 3-0   vs. Xavier, W 3-1
10/30/15   @Villanova, L 3-2   @Seton Hall, W 3-0

Best Month Ever?
Creighton won 10 matches in October, tied for the most successful month in program history. It's also the best winning percentage for any month in program history with at least 10 matches.
Most Wins, Month
   W-L   Month, Year
   10-1   October, 2015
   10-3   September 2006
   9-0   November, 2012
   9-3   September, 2012
   9-4   September, 2004
   8-1   November, 2014
   8-3   September, 2007
   8-4   September, 2011
   8-5   September, 2014

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Creighton has already beaten 11 teams that appeared in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, with a chance for that number to grow this weekend when it takes on USC and potentially Kansas or Loyola Marymount.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 52-76 since, including a 11-4 mark this fall.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994   0-4
1995   0-2
1996   0-2
1997   0-3
1998   0-5
1999   2-4
2000   0-4
2001   1-6
2002   0-5
2003   0-3
2004   2-2
2005   0-6
2006   4-6
2007   4-9
2008   6-8
2009   1-11
2010   4-7
2011   2-6
2012   8-3
2013   6-6
2014   4-5
2015   11-4
TOTAL   55-111
TOTAL Under Booth   52-76

20+ Wins (Again)
Creighton owns 27 wins this fall, a total that ranks second-most in program history for one season. Only six previous clubs had won more than 20 matches in one year.
   In fact, after no seasons with more than 16 wins from 1994-2002 before her arrival, Kirsten Bernthal Booth has led Creighton to 10 different seasons of 16 or more victories.
Matches Won
       Year   MP   W   L   Pct.
   1.   2012   33   29   4   .879
   2.   2015   35   27   8   .771
   3.   2014   34   25   9   .735
   4.   2013   32   23   9   .719
   5.   2006   31   21   10   .677
       2007   31   21   10   .677
       2010   33   21   12   .636
   8.   2008   27   18   9   .667
       2004   29   18   11   .621
   10.   2011   31   17   14   .548

Winters' Double-Digit Streak
Jaali Winters has 10 or more kills in 21 of her last 22 matches, including the last 18. That establishes a program record for a freshman, breaking the mark of 11 set by Amanda Cvejdlik in 2005.
   Winters has had 10 or more kills in all but five matches this fall. One of the teams to hold her to single-digits was USC, which limited her to nine kills and 10 attack errors on Sept. 5.
Consec. Matches, 10 or More Kills, CU Freshmen
   18   Jaali Winters, Oct. 6, 2015-Present
   11   Amanda Cvejdlik, Oct. 14-Nov. 19, 2005
   9   Allie Oelke, Sept. 8-29, 2007
   8   Melissa Walsh, Oct. 3-30, 1998
   8   JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 2-23, 1994
   8   Melanie Jereb, Nov. 2-24, 2012

Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Kills
   58   Leah Ratzlaff, Sept. 13, 2003-Sept. 9, 2005
   19   JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 26-Nov. 21, 1997
   18   Jaali Winters, Oct. 6, 2015-Present
   14   Kelly Goc, Sept. 8-Oct. 19, 2007
   13   JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 7-Oct. 18, 1996

Winters Stays Busy
Jaali Winters had 77 attack attempts on Nov. 27 vs. Marquette, breaking the previous school-record of 72 done in 2000 by Melanie Keolanui.
   The previous D.J. Sokol Arena record for attacks by a Bluejay had been 59, done by Winters earlier this year vs. Kansas State on Sept. 20.

Booth Reaches 250 Wins At Creighton
Creighton's Oct. 17th win at Xavier was the 250th at Creighton for head volleyball coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Booth is one of nine coaches in school history to reach the milestone, and needed fewer games to attain the 250th win than all but Mary Higgins (Softball) and Dana Altman (Men's Basketball).
Record at Creighton When Reaching 250 Wins
W-L-T   Coach   Sport
250-109   Mary Higgins   Softball
250-136   Dana Altman   Men's Basketball
250-144   Kirsten Bernthal Booth*   Volleyball
250-145   Ed Servais*   Baseball
250-161   Jim Flanery*   Women's Basketball
250-162-2   Jim Hendry   Baseball
250-217   Brent Vigness*   Softball
250-227-2   Jack Dahm   Baseball
250-331   Tom Lilly*   Men's & Women's Tennis
*still active head coach at Creighton

Charting Booth's Wins
Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 250th win came in her 394th match on the Creighton sideline, coming on Oct. 17 at Xavier. Below is a look at her record per each 50 wins she's earned:
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, By 50 Win Milestones
W-L   Date   Opponent
50-43   9/1/06   Jacksonville State
100-71   10/31/08   at Drake
150-108   9/30/11   Illinois State
200-123   10/18/13   Xavier
250-144   10/17/15   at Xavier

The Nifty .250
Creighton is hitting a lofty .252 this season, a number that jumped to .271 against BIG EAST competition in league play.
   Creighton is 147-5 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better, and 69-0 under Booth when hitting .300 or better.

Marysa In The Middle
After a 1-4 start to the season, Creighton moved sophomore Marysa Wilkinson to the middle blocker position, and it paid immediate dividends in a 3-0 win over No. 10 Kentucky.
   Wilkinson finished with six kills and tied her career-high with seven blocks in the win while hitting .214. Creighton's 11.5 blocks as a team were a season-high, and UK's .117 hitting percentage was the lowest by a Bluejay opponent all fall.
   Since moving Wilkinson to the middle Creighton has gone 26-4 and averaged 2.56 blocks per set while holding teams to .178 hitting. Prior to that CU had been 1-4 with 1.50 blocks per set while teams hit .253 against it.
   Wilkinson has also excelled since the move, averaging 2.10 kills per set and 1.05 blocks per set while hitting .328, compared to her 2.45 kills per set and 0.35 blocks and .219 hitting on the right side.

12 In A Row At Home
Creighton has won 12 straight home matches. While modest, the figure ranks second-longest since the program's 1994 reinstatement.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   13   Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013   California, 3-0
   12   Sept. 20, 2015-Present   ???
   9   Sept. 20, 2014-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

Winters Makes It Four
Creighton Volleyball's Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week six times this season (Sept. 14, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Nov. 10, Nov. 16).
   Winters became the third player in program history to earn four Freshman of the Week honors, joining Allie Oelke (2007) and Megan Bober (2009). She is the only one to win six such awards.
   Oelke would go on to be named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2007, while Bober would become a three-time First Team All-MVC selection and a two-time AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American.

Can You Dig It?
Kate Elman owns a school-record 2,039 career digs. Elman also owns Creighton career marks for matches with 10+ digs and matches with 20+ digs.
   Elman had her 100th career match of 10 or more digs on Oct. 30 at Villanova, when she posted a season-high 29 digs.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kate Elman   460   2,039   2012-Pr.
   2.   Janeen Piller   336   1,392   2001-04

Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
   10+D   Name   Years
   109   Kate Elman   2012-Pres.
   74   Janeen Piller   2001-04

Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-Pres.
   32   Julianne Mandolfo      2010-11

Going For The Kill
Jaali Winters had 23 kills in a Oct. 11 victory over Marquette, with 20 of those coming during sets two (9) and three (11).
   The 23 kills are the most in the BIG EAST this season for a three-set match, well ahead of the 20 that now stands in second place.
   The 23 kills by Winters ranks as tied for second-most in Creighton history for a three-set match, two behind the mark set by Leah Ratzlaff on Oct. 30, 2004.
Most Kills, Three Set Matches
   25   Leah Ratzlaff at Evansville   10-30-04
   23   Melissa Walsh vs. Southern Illinois   11-2-01
   23   Leah Ratzlaff vs. UC-Riverside   9-2-05
   23   Allie Oelke at Bradley   9-22-07
   23   Jaali Winters vs. Marquette   10-11-15
   21   JoDe Cieloha vs. Indiana State   11-20-97
   21   Melissa Walsh at Indiana State   10-22-99
   21   Melissa Walsh vs. Drake   9-22-00
   21   Leah Ratzlaff vs. Liberty   9-2-05

Among The Best
In Creighton's Oct. 9 win over DePaul, Lauren Smith hit .722 in 18 swings and Marysa Wilkinson hit .667 in 18 swings.
   Those two hitting percentages rank as the top two marks for a five-set match in Creighton history, topping the old mark of .560 by Kelli Browning set on Sept. 5, 2014 vs. Northern Iowa.
   Smith's performance ranks sixth-best in Creighton history, while Wilkinson's is tied for ninth-best all-time.
Best Attack Percentage (Min. 12 kills), All Matches
   .857   Lauren Smith (12-0-14) vs. Providence   10-19-14
   .750   Katy Grady (12-0-16) vs. Auburn   8-30-03
   .750   Abby Baumann (12-0-16) at San Diego St.   9-3-05
   .737   Lauren Bloemke (14-0-19) vs. Evansville   11-4-07
   .733   Lauren Smith (12-1-15) vs. Villanova   11-24-13
   .722   Lauren Smith (14-1-18) vs. DePaul   10-9-15
   .714   Amanda Cvejdlik (15-0-21) vs. Drake   10-3-08
   .684   Kelli Browning (14-1-19) vs. So. Illinois   10-27-12
   .667   Katy Grady (12-0-18) at Drake   9-27-03
   .667   Kelly Goc (14-0-21) vs. Stephen F. Austin   8-25-07
   .667   Marysa Wilkinson (13-1-18) vs. DePaul   10-9-15
   .650   Marysa Wilkinson (14-1-20) at Providence   10-3-15
   .636   Heather Thorson (14-0-22) vs. Evansville   10-22-11

Best Attack Percentage (Min. 12 kills), Five Set Matches
   .722   Lauren Smith (14-1-18) vs. DePaul   10-9-15
   .667   Marysa Wilkinson (13-1-18) vs. DePaul   10-9-15
   .560   Kelli Browning (15-1-25) vs. Northern Iowa   9-5-14
   .550   Melissa Weisensee (12-1-20) at Evansville   11-9-97
   .545   Shelly Roder (12-0-22) at Evansville   10-4-96

Winters Is Heating Up
Jaali Winters averaged 3.42 kills per set during Creighton's pre-conference schedule, but took her game to another level in league action while averaging 4.38 kills per set.
   In the BIG EAST and NCAA Tournaments, Winters has averaged 5.00 kills and 3.38 digs per set.
   Winters averaged at least 3.67 kills per set every weekend of league play while hitting .237 or better all but three weekends. Her dig numbers are also on the rise, as seen below:
WEEK (Opponents)   KPS   PCT.   DPS
1 (Miami/Louisville/Illinois)   3.15   .193   2.46
2 (USC/UNI/Kentucky)   2.80   .094   1.60
3 (Lipscomb/CSUB/Pacific)   3.73   .297   1.36
4 (Nebraska/Ark/Wis/K-State)   3.86   .274   2.07
5 (Seton Hall/Villanova)   4.50   .321   2.75
6 (St. John's/Providence)   5.00   .237   1.00
7 (G'town/DePaul/Marquette)   4.27   .347   3.09
8 (Butler/Xavier)   4.75   .267   2.75
9 (Providence/St. John's)   4.17   .190   2.83
10 (Villanova/Seton Hall)   3.75   .194   2.25
11 (Marquette/DePaul)   4.57   .266   3.00
12 (Xavier/Butler)   3.67   .213   4.00
13 (Georgetown)   5.00   .266   2.80
14 (Marquette/Villanova)   4.88   .175   2.88
15 (C. Carolina/N. Carolina)   5.12   .265   3.88
Bold indicates BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Baumert To The Rescue
Senior setter Maggie Baumert has played in 24 of Creighton's 35 matches this season, including 18 starts.
   While the Bluejays are 15-3 in those starts, it's what she's done as a reserve that has our attention.
   Each of the last four times that Baumert has come off the bench, she's helped turn around a match that led to a Creighton victory.
   She helped engineer comebacks from 0-2 deficits against both Kansas State (Sept. 20) and DePaul (Oct. 9), and also played the final two sets in CU's 3-1 wins over Seton Hall (Sept. 25) and DePaul (Nov. 7).
   In league play this season, Baumert averaged a BIG EAST-best 11.51 assists per set, well ahead of second-place Emma Pettit (11.07) from Villanova.
   Baumert's 48 assists in the Oct. 11 3-0 win over Marquette were the most by a Bluejay in a three-set match since Korie Lebeda had 52 helpers on Nov. 4, 2007 vs. Evansville

Elman Aces This Test
Kate Elman leads Creighton with 32 aces this season, which gives her 105 career aces.
   Elman's 105 aces rank fourth in Creighton history, and are more than any other Bluejay in the rally-scoring era.
   Elman's high school and college teammate, Ashley Jansen, enters this weekend with 85 aces, ninth-most all-time.
Service Aces, Career
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Molly Moran   341   145   1998-01
   2.   Melissa Weisensee   411   125   1994-97
   3.   JoDe Cieloha   398   113   1994-97
   4.   Kate Elman   460   105   2012-Pr.
   5.   Shelly Kapler   388   104   1996-99
   6.   Carolyn Decker   300   89   2004-08
   7.   Allie Oelke   445   86   2007-10
       Megan Bober   480   86   2009-12
   9.   Ashley Jansen   423   85   2012-Pr.
   10.   Nayka Benitez   233   82   2009-10

Winters Having A Great Fall
Freshman Jaali Winters continues to lead Creighton in kills, and heads into Friday with 534 after just 35 career matches.
   Winters was the second-fastest player in program history (by matches played) to 100 career kills, and the fastest ever to 200, 300, 400 and 500 kills.
   Winters is a virtual lock to join JoDe Cieloha (1994) and Melissa Walsh (1998) as the only players to lead Creighton in kills during their first campaign with the Bluejays.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
JoDe Cieloha   8   09/23/94   at Drake
Jaali Winters   9   09/12/15   Pacific
Melissa Walsh   10   09/26/98   at Bradley
Carolyn Decker   10   09/18/04   Illinois State

Creighton's Quickest Players To 200 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   15   09/27/15   Villanova
Melissa Walsh   16   10/16/98   at Indiana State

Creighton's Quickest Players To 300 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   21   10/16/15   at Butler
Melissa Walsh   23   11/08/98   at UMKC

Creighton's Quickest Players To 400 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   28   11/07/15   at DePaul
Melissa Walsh   30   09/10/99   Southern Illinois

Creighton's Quickest Players To 500 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   34   12/04/15   vs. Coastal Carolina
Melissa Walsh   37   09/25/99   Indiana State
JoDe Cieloha   43   10/15/95   at Indiana State

Blue October
Creighton played 11 matches in the month of October, more than any other October in program history.
   The Bluejays went 10-1 in the month, which improves their record to 30-4 in October since the start of the 2012 season.

Let's Get It Started
Creighton started 11-0 in league play for the first time ever. The program's best previous start had come in 2007 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, when the Bluejays opened 7-0.
   Below is a list of Creighton's best starts in conference play all-time:
Start   League   Year   Final W-L   Final Place
11-0   BIG EAST   2015   17-1   1st
7-0   MVC   2007   14-4   T-2nd
5-0   MVC   2006   12-6   4th
5-0   MVC   2011   12-6   4th
5-0   BIG EAST   2014   16-2   1st

12 Straight Sounds Good, "Dozen" It?
Creighton had its 12-match win streak snapped at Villanova on Oct. 30th.
   In those 12 wins, the Bluejays were 'just' 16-8 in the first two sets of matches, but 20-1 in sets three, four and five. In the setback against Villanova, the Wildcats won sets three and five.
   It was the program's second win streak of 10 or longer since the program's 1994 reinstatement, as seen below. Last year's team had a 11-match win streak snapped by Seton Hall.
   Creighton's current 10-match win streak is the program's fourth-longest ever.
   Consecutive Wins
       Wins   Dates   Snapped By
       17   Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
       12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2
       11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0
       10   Oct. 31, 2015 - Present   ? ? ?
       8   Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008   vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2

Home Sweet Home
Creighton is 24-2 all-time (.923) in regular-season BIG EAST play at D.J. Sokol Arena, falling once each to St. John's (2013) and Seton Hall (2014).
   Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 55-7 (.887) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility.

Jaali Carries The Jays Against Johnnies
Jaali Winters had a career-high 28 kills on Oct. 2 in a four-set win at St. John's. The 28 kills were tied for the third-most in Creighton history for a single-match, and the most by any Bluejay since Leah Ratzlaff had 28 in a 2003 contest at Southern Illinois.
   Winters is one of eight freshmen in Creighton history with 20 or more kills in a match, and the only one with five or more such contests:
Most Kills, Match
   Kills   Name, Opponent   Date
   32   Michelle Prorock vs. Evansville (4s)   11-2-96
   30   Melissa Walsh at Indiana State (5s)   10-16-98
   28   Melissa Walsh vs. Drake (5s)   10-10-98
   28   Melissa Walsh at Drake (5s)   10-1-99
   28   Melissa Walsh vs. Northern Iowa (4s)   10-27-00
   28   Leah Ratzlaff at Southern Illinois (4s)   11-22-03
   28   Jaali Winters at St. John's (4s)   10-2-15

Creighton Freshmen With 20+ Kills in a Match
   Times   Name (High)   Year
   9   Jaali Winters (28)   2015
   4   Melissa Walsh (30)   1998
   3   JoDe Cieloha (23)   1994
   1   Michelle Prorock (23)   1994
   1   Shelly Kapler (22)   1996
   1   Jodi Bjoin (21)   1999
   1   Kelly Goc (20)   2004
   1   Carolyn Decker (22)   2004
   1   Allie Oelke (23)   2007

   Winters is the second player (of any class) to have 20 or more kills in nine different matches during the same season, joining Leah Ratzlaff had two such seasons with 20 or more kills at least nine times.

Winters is Coming
Jaali Winters had 20+ kills in both matches last weekend, giving her nine such contests this season. That ranks tied for second-most in CU history for a single campaign.
   With 20 or more kills on Friday, Winters can become CU's first player with 20 or more kills in three straight matches since Leah Ratzlaff did it three times, most recently Oct. 29-Nov. 6, 2004.
Matches With 20+ Kills, Season
   20+K   Name   Year
   11   Leah Ratzlaff   2003
   9   Leah Ratzlaff   2004
   9   Jaali Winters   2015
   8   Melissa Walsh   2000
   7   Melissa Walsh   1999

Winters' 20/20 Vision
Jaali Winters had 21 kills and 21 digs in Saturday's win at No. 23 North Carolina. She's just the fourth player in Bluejay history with at least 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match, joining Melissa Walsh (5x), Leah Ratzlaff and Jess Bird.
20 Kills, 20 Digs In A Match
K   D   Name   Opp.   Date
28   30   Melissa Walsh   at Drake (5s)   10/10/98
30   22   Melissa Walsh   at Indiana St. (5s)   10/16/98
22   24   Melissa Walsh   Wichita St. (4s)   11/5/99
20   26   Melissa Walsh   at Indiana St. (5s)   10/14/00
23   22   Melissa Walsh   vs. Evansville (4s)   11/24/00
23   21   Leah Ratzlaff   Evansville (4s)   10/1/04
22   23   Jess Bird   at Butler (5s)   11/08/14
21   21   Jaali Winters   at N. Carolina (4s)   12/5/15

First Set Is Key
Creighton is 21-1 when it wins the first set this fall, compared to a 6-7 mark when it drops the opener. Creighton is 58-1 in its last 59 home matches when winning the first set, losing only to Pacific (on Sept. 12) in that span.
   Friday's foe, USC, is 29-0 when it wins the first set and 3-2 when it falls behind 0-1.

Marysa's Monster Night
Marysa Wilkinson had the best offensive night of her young college career at Providence on Oct. 3rd, finishing with 14 kills on .650 hitting.
   Her 14 kills tied her career-high, while her .650 hitting percentage was her best mark ever. Wilkinson exceeded that mark on Oct. 9 when she hit .667 vs. DePaul.
   Wilkinson's .650 hitting percentage ranked as the 10th-best single-match performance (at the time) in Creighton history, and fifth among those players with 14 or more kills in a contest.
   Creighton is 14-2 all-time when Wilkinson has 10 or more kills, and 19-0 all-time when she hits .400 or better.
   In her career against the Friars, Wilkinson owns 31 kills and two attack errors in 44 swings for a healthy .659 hitting percentage.

AVCA Poll Update
Creighton earned 81 points in the final regular-season AVCA poll, good enough to move to 26th place in the poll, CU's season-best mark.
   Creighton has been ranked inside the top-25 of the poll 11 times, all in the last four years. CU's highest rank ever was No. 19 on Sept. 7, 2013 and it last was in the top-25 in the AVCA's 2014 Preseason Poll that was announced on Aug. 11, 2014.

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the third straight season, Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   CU was a unanimous choice and received 81 points in the poll and all nine possible first-place votes. Marquette was picked second while Xavier, St. John's and Butler rounded out the top half of the poll.
   Creighton also had three women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Jess Bird, Lauren Smith and Kate Elman were all honored, with Bird selected as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 11 of the past 13 years, including six years where it's finished exactly where it was predicted.
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   - -
2015   1st   1st   - -

Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won eight matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including a Sept. 20 win over Kansas State that saw the Wildcats squander a 24-23 lead in the fourth set, and a Nov. 20 win at Georgetown where Creighton overcame 24-23 and 27-26 deficits in the fourth set. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 262-2 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
09/20/15   Kansas State   23-24 (4th set)   15-13
11/20/15   at Georgetown   23-24, 26-27 (4th set)   15-7

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 224-8 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 167-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own an 110-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
   Conversely, the Jays are 12-186 (.061) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including a 2-65 mark in those home matches. The only such home comebacks came on Sept. 20 vs. Kansas State and again on Oct. 9 vs. DePaul. Those 12 comebacks from down 0-2 are listed below.
   Notably, this year's team has joined the 2004 and 2014 clubs as the only one to win multiple matches in the same season when trailing 0-2 at intermission, and is the first with three such comebacks.
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
09/20/15   Kansas State   25-23, 26-24, 15-13   Booth
10/09/15   DePaul   25-21, 25-12, 15-11   Booth
11/20/15   at Georgetown   30-28, 26-24, 15-7   Booth

Winters Arrives At End Of Summer
Jaali Winters came through in a big way on Sept. 20 in CU's comeback win over Kansas State.
   Winters had seven kills in both the fourth set and the fifth set, including CU's final five terminations of the 15-13 win. As if that weren't enough, Winters added three digs and two blocks in the fifth set.
   Winters 25 kills were the most by any Creighton player since Alicia Runge had 26 vs. Iowa on Sept. 4, 2010, and second-most in the rally scoring era to 25 points that started in 2008.
   Winters 25 kills and 59 attacks were the most by any Creighton player at D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009. The previous high for kills was 21 (by Leah McNary and Kelli Browning), while the previous high for attack attempts was 53 (by Allie Oelke).
   Winters 25 kills were third-most by a Creighton freshman in history, and the most since Melissa Walsh in 1998. Walsh had matches of 30 (at Indiana State on Oct. 16, 1998) and 28 (on Oct. 10, 1998) during her standout freshman campaign.

Creighton's Gauntlet
Creighton faced five different top-11 teams (at time of the match) during its 13-match non-conference schedule.
   Creighton faced then-No. 8 Illinois, No. 8 USC and No. 10 Kentucky in the first three weeks of the 2015 season, then added No. 4 Nebraska and No. 11 Wisconsin in mid-September.
   Creighton, with five, was the nation's only team that played four or more top-11 teams through the first four weeks of the season, as seen below:
Most Matches vs. Top 11 Teams (Thru 9/20)
#   Team   Opponents
5   Creighton   Illinois, USC, Kentucky, Nebraska, Wisconsin
3   USC   BYU, North Carolina, Kentucky
3   Oklahoma   Florida State, USC, Washington
3   Colorado   Illinois, Penn State, Florida State

Nation's Largest Crowd on Sept. 15th
Creighton's crowd of 10,131 on September 15th vs. No. 4 Nebraska was the nation's largest crowd this season, 26th-largest in NCAA regular-season history and 57th-largest all-time.
   Creighton is one of four schools to have hosted more than 7,000 for any match this season along with Hawaii, Nebraska and Boise State.
   Below is a list of the nation's crowds over 8,500 this fall:
   Rk.   Crowd   Match   Date
   1.   10,131   Nebraska at Creighton   9/15
   2.   8,667   UCLA at Hawaii   9/6
   3.   8,515   Minnesota at Nebraska   10/23

One More On Winters
Jaali Winters had 15 kills and hit .414 in the Sept. 15 match vs. Nebraska.
   Per White and Blue Review writer Matt DeMarinis, Winters is just the second freshman since 2000 to have 15 or more kills and hit .400 or better against Nebraska.
   The only other player to do so was Penn State's Ali Frantti, who did it twice last season en route to being named National Freshman of the Year and a Second Team All-American.

Largest Crowds To See The Jays
A crowd of 10,131 fans was on hand for the Sept. 15th tilt at CenturyLink Center Omaha. It marked the fourth time in Creighton's history that more than 5,000 fans attended a home volleyball match.
   In four volleyball matches at CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton has now played before an average of 10,840 fans.
   Below is a list of the largest crowds (and home crowds) in Creighton Volleyball history:
Largest Home Crowds
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CenturyLink
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   2,514   #7 Nebraska   08/31/10   L 0-3   Sokol

Largest Crowds (All Sites)
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CenturyLink
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   8,627   at #5 Nebraska   09/29/02   L 0-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,060   at #9 Nebraska   09/17/14   L 1-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CenturyLink
   6,297   at #6 Hawaii   09/08/00   L 0-3   Sheriff Ctr.
   5,967   vs. Northwestern   09/07/00   W 3-1   Sheriff Ctr.

Jereb Ex-Candidate For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton Volleyball's Melanie Jereb was one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, though she did not survive the cut down to the 10 finalists.
   Jereb hails from Cary, Ill., and is the second among the team's active leaders in starts (94) and digs (1,210).
   Jereb was the only student-athlete that plays in Nebraska on the list, and also the only BIG EAST representative.
   Jereb owns a 3.98 GPA while majoring in Environmental Science and Biology. She's been on the Dean's List every semester, including a 4.00 GPA last spring, and has twice been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
   Jereb has also served more than 175 hours of community service during her first three years as a Bluejay, most on the team in that span.
   On the floor, Jereb remains the only player in program history to be named first-team all-conference as a freshman, has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams, was a three-time MVC Freshman of the Week in 2012, and has twice been named to an all-tournament team in her career.
   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.
   Jereb was 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 in 2014.

Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2015 roster boasts nine players from the state of Nebraska, the second-most in program history.
   CU's 2014 team had 10 Nebraskans on the roster, while the 2004, 2005 and now 2015 teams have each had nine homestate natives.

Kentucky Win Ranks As Program's Best
Creighton's 3-0 sweep over No. 10 Kentucky on September 5 was notable for multiple reasons.
   The 10th-ranked Wildcats were the highest-ranked foe that CU has ever beaten. The previous high had been No. 13 BYU on Aug. 30, 2013. The match was the 23rd in program history against a top-10 team.
   The sweep over Kentucky also marked Creighton's first sweep ever over a top-25 foe in 63 all-time meetings (at the time) vs. ranked teams.
   At the time, Creighton improved to 4-59 all-time against top-25 opposition with the win over Kentucky. All four victories have come under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

Jereb Reaches 1,000 Digs
Senior Melanie Jereb enters Friday's match with 1,210 career digs after she became the 13th Bluejay to reach 1,000 digs on September 12 vs. CSU Bakersfield. Her classmate Kate Elman reached the mark late in the 2013 season.
   Below is a list of how long it has taken each Bluejay to reach that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Bianca Rivera   53   11/08/08   Illinois State
Julianne Mandolfo   56   10/22/11   Evansville
Kate Elman   59   11/16/13   at Seton Hall
Nayka Benitez   60   11/27/10   at Northern Iowa
Kailey Reyes   77   09/01/01   vs. UTSA
Janeen Piller   80   09/25/04   at Missouri State
Melissa Walsh   85   09/08/01   at #24 Santa Clara
Allie Oelke   95   09/04/10   vs. Iowa
Melissa Weisensee   97   10/04/97   at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze   101   11/13/09   Southern Illinois
Melanie Jereb   105   09/12/15   CSU Bakersfield
Korie Lebeda   108   10/17/08   Evansville
Megan Bober   118   10/27/12   Southern Illinois

Winters Wows 'Em
Freshman OH Jaali Winters couldn't have done much better at the Illini Classic, opening her career with a team-best 41 kills.
   Her 17 kills vs. Miami (Ohio) were the most in Bluejay history for a debut, three more than the previous mark set by Jess Bird in 2013.
   In addition, Winters' four blocks were tied for second-most in a debut (something Kelsey O'Connell also did) and her 14 digs were tied for fourth-most in a debut (Kate Elman set that record with 22 in 2012).
   Winters also became the fifth player to debut with a double-double, and joined Bird as just the second outside hitter to accomplish the feat.
   Last but not least, Winters became just CU's second player with 10 or more kills in each of the team's first three matches of a season, joining JoDe Cieloha (1994) who did it in the first eight contests of CU's first year back.

Crawford Goes 3D
Kenzie Crawford made a bit of history on Aug. 29 when she turned in a triple-double (51 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills) against Louisville.
   Crawford is the seventh player in Creighton history to record a triple-double, and her performance was the 30th overall in Bluejay annals.
   Some more notes about Crawford's special night...
   - Crawford was making just her third career start. She's the first Bluejay to ever record a triple-double within her first three career starts.
   - Crawford earned her triple-double while also hitting .600. The .600 hitting was the best in Creighton history for any five-set match.
   - Crawford's .600 was the second-best mark by a Bluejay in a match with a triple-double, trailing only Megan Bober's .636 hitting vs. Bradley on Oct. 6, 2012.
   - Crawford had just the fifth performance in CU history of a "50-10-10" match. Kailey Reyes did it twice, while Bober and Melissa Weisensee had each done it once.

Coaching Them Up
When Kenzie Crawford earned the starting nod on Aug. 28, she became Creighton's fourth different starting setter on Opening Day in as many years.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous three seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and two of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Megan Bober was CU's Opening Day setter in 2012 vs. UCF before Michelle Sicner took over in the 2013 lid-lifter vs. BYU. Last season, Maggie Baumert started the opener at setter against Lipscomb.

High Five
Creighton rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Miami (Ohio) in the Aug. 28 season-opener.
   The victory improved the Bluejays to 3-0 all-time in five-set matches to open the season, joining victories in 2011 (UTSA) and 2004 (New Mexico). CU trailed 2-1 after three sets in all three victories.
   Creighton then made history when it also played a five-set match in the second match of the season, the first time it had ever played two straight five-setters to open a season.

Magnificent Marysa
Marysa Wilkinson had four matches during her entire freshman season with 10 or more kills, and never had two in a row.
   Now a sophomore, Wilkinson opened her second season with three straight matches of double-figure putaways as she had 11 vs. Miami (Ohio), 13 vs. Louisville and 10 kills on .391 hitting in three sets at No. 8 Illinois.
   Wilkinson has 12 matches this fall with 10 or more kills, including 14 at Providence on Oct. 3.

Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 217-23 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 45-122 under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 58-1 in its last 59 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12 to Pacific.
   Last year Creighton was 20-2 when winning the first set and 5-7 when dropping the opener. This year's team is 21-1 when winning the first set but 6-7 when it falls behind after the first set.

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 44-23 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 5-2 mark this year and a 15-6 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 eight of its last 10 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins last year at Butler and at St. John's, and a win at Georgetown in 2015.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 9-2 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   25-9
2015   5-2   27-8
Total   59-51   355-297

Some Fab Freshmen
Creighton has started seven different true freshmen in a season opener in the previous six years, and 13 such players since 2000.
   Since 2000, the only true freshmen to start CU's season-opener have been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005), Allie Oelke (2007), Brooke Boggs (2009), Heather Thorson (2009), Julianne Mandolfo (2010), Katie Neisler (2011), Michelle Sicner (2011), Melanie Jereb (2012), Ashley Jansen (2012), Jess Bird (2013) and Jaali Winters (2015). In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as and transfer Maggie Baumert (2014) in season-openers.
   Seven of those women (Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team, an award that Bird likely would've received strong consideration for if the BIG EAST had such a team. Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015.

Highly-Touted Recruiting Class
Creighton Volleyball's recruiting class was named the nation's 11th-best by PrepVolleyball.com in May.
   The website annually ranks the nation's top recruiting classes, and this is the first time in the 13-year history of the rankings that Creighton has cracked the top-30. The site had previously named Taryn Kloth the nation's 18th-best prospect on its Senior Aces list, while Jaali Winters was tabbed the 41st-best.
   Creighton previously had earned "highest honorable-mention" four times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2014), "high honorable-mention" twice (2010, 2012), "honorable-mention" once (2005) and "best of the rest" once (2004) in the PrepVolleyball.com recruiting rankings.

The Votes Add Up
Creighton had five non-conference matches scheduled against teams that are in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll, tied for the most in the nation.
   Creighton played matches against teams that were preseason ranked No. 5 (Wisconsin), No. 5 (Nebraska), No. 8 (Illinois), No. 15 (Kentucky) and No. 22 (USC).
   Besides Creighton, the only other school to play five different non-conference teams that are in the preseason top-25 is North Carolina. Of the nine teams that play four non-conference matches against preseason top-25 teams, Creighton will meet three of them (Illinois, UNI, Louisville).
   Creighton is 5-61 all-time against top-25 foes, including an 1-31 mark in true road matches.
   CU's Sept. 12 win over No. 10 Kentucky was the highest-ranked team that Creighton has ever beaten.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 15 of Creighton's 30 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 101-15 against unranked teams.

Marian Pipeline
This is the 13th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as seniors Kate Elman and Ashley Jansen remain in the program and joined by freshman Kelsey O'Connell.
   The Bluejays also signed libero Brittany Witt to a letter-of-intent in early November. Witt is the state's all-time digs leader and helped the Crusaders to three straight state titles.
   Interestingly, the Bluejays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2015: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen, Kelsey O'Connell
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 11-of-16 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Digs   1625 (76.4%)   502 (23.6%)
Assists   1682 (74.7%)   426 (25.3%)
Aces   105 (71.9%)   41 (28.1%)
Matches Started   105 (61.8%)   65 (38.2%)
Blocks   175.5 (51.5%)   165.0 (48.5%)
Points   1192.5 (51.9%)   1105.0 (48.1%)
Kills   911 (50.3%)   900 (49.7%)

Last Year Summary
Last year's Creighton team finished 25-9 and won the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles.
   Jess Bird and Kelli Browning were named First Team All-BIG EAST, with Browning also being named a Third-Team All-American by the AVCA. Lauren Smith was a second-team all-league choice and was named MVP of the BIG EAST Championship.
   Defensively, Kate Elman led Creighton in digs and became the school's all-time leader in the category.

Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin (Swanson) Russell broadcasted 12 home matches this season.
   The matches aired on KZOT (1180 AM), KOIL (1290 AM) and KOZN (1620 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.

Volleyball Heads to San Diego to Meet No. 1 Seed USC in Regional Semifinals

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Players Mentioned

Maggie Baumert

Jess Bird

Samantha Bohnet

Kelli Browning

Kenzie Crawford

Kate Elman

Ashley Jansen

Melanie Jereb

Taryn Kloth

Brittany Lawrence

Leah McNary

Katie Neisler

Kelsey O'Connell

Michelle Sicner

Lauren Smith

Lizzy Stivers

Marysa Wilkinson

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