Friday, September 18
D.J. Sokol Arena
6:00 PM
Creighton University
5-6
3
vs
0
Arkansas
8-2
1
2
3
F
Arkansas
19
19
18
0
Creighton
25
25
25
3
Volleyball Hits .397 In Sweep Of Arkansas
9/18/2015 9:34:00 PM | Volleyball
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton Volleyball team hit a season-best .397 on Friday night to roll to a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-19, 25-18) over Arkansas at the Creighton Classic on Friday night in Omaha, Neb.
The Bluejays improved to 5-6 against one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules, while Arkansas had a six-match win streak snapped to fall to 8-2.
No. 11 Wisconsin defeated Kansas State in four sets (25-20, 25-14, 25-27, 25-23) to open the Creighton Classic.
Kenzie Crawford returned to the starting line-up and distributed 32 assists to five different hitters to pace CU's efficient attack against a team that ranked 10th nationally in opponents hitting percentage entering the week. Jess Bird had 10 kills on .389 hitting, while Marysa Wilkinson had nine kills on .571 hitting. Crawford also paced CU with seven digs, while Lauren Smith had nine kills, six blocks and also hit .571. Creighton finished with 41 kills, five aces, 19 digs and eight blocks.
Arkansas was paced by Pilar Victoria, who had a match-high 18 kills, but the rest of her team accounted for just 18 additional kills. Adrien Wohlschlaeger had 27 assists for the Razorbacks, while libero Okiana Valle brought up eight digs. The Razorbacks hit .192 with one ace, 22 digs and five blocks.
The teams traded 10 straight sideouts to start the match before Creighton slowly pulled away on a 6-1 run to lead 10-6, and the Bluejays would not trail again in the frame. Smith and Crawford teamed for a block on set point to cap an opening frame in which Smith also added five kills on seven swings.
The second set was also tied 5-5 before CU's serving led it to the forefront. Amanda Foje dealt aces that clipped the net on consecutive serves as Creighton took a 9-5 lead and force a timeout from the Razorbacks. Though Arkansas would rally to reclaim a 13-11 lead, it was freshman Taryn Kloth's first ace that moved CU in front 15-14, and the Jays wouldn't trail again. Wilkinson and Bird each had four kills in the second set for CU, helping to offset seven kills by Victoria and .400 hitting from Arkansas.
A kill from Bird and block by Smith and Kloth helped CU to a 2-0 lead in the final frame as it never looked back. Elman would serve a 7-0 run as CU's lead stretched to 17-8. Bird would earn kills on the final two points of the match to finish off the SEC foe for the second time in three years.
Creighton returns to action on Saturday with an 11 am match vs. No. 11 Wisconsin. The day starts at 11 am when Kansas State meets Arkansas, and concludes at 8 pm when Arkansas faces Wisconsin. The event concludes at 2 pm on Sunday when Creighton hosts Kansas State.
NOTES: Creighton now leads the all-time series vs. Arkansas 2-1, with this being the first contest not held in Lawrence, Kan. ... Arkansas' six-match win streak entering the contest had been the program's longest since a similar streak in 2012 ... Arkansas entered the match 10th nationally in hitting percentage (.297), but was held to .192 hitting overall ... Creighton's .397 hitting was third-best ever in its seven-year history spanning 88 matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, and easily the best against Arkansas this fall.
The Bluejays improved to 5-6 against one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules, while Arkansas had a six-match win streak snapped to fall to 8-2.
No. 11 Wisconsin defeated Kansas State in four sets (25-20, 25-14, 25-27, 25-23) to open the Creighton Classic.
Kenzie Crawford returned to the starting line-up and distributed 32 assists to five different hitters to pace CU's efficient attack against a team that ranked 10th nationally in opponents hitting percentage entering the week. Jess Bird had 10 kills on .389 hitting, while Marysa Wilkinson had nine kills on .571 hitting. Crawford also paced CU with seven digs, while Lauren Smith had nine kills, six blocks and also hit .571. Creighton finished with 41 kills, five aces, 19 digs and eight blocks.
Arkansas was paced by Pilar Victoria, who had a match-high 18 kills, but the rest of her team accounted for just 18 additional kills. Adrien Wohlschlaeger had 27 assists for the Razorbacks, while libero Okiana Valle brought up eight digs. The Razorbacks hit .192 with one ace, 22 digs and five blocks.
The teams traded 10 straight sideouts to start the match before Creighton slowly pulled away on a 6-1 run to lead 10-6, and the Bluejays would not trail again in the frame. Smith and Crawford teamed for a block on set point to cap an opening frame in which Smith also added five kills on seven swings.
The second set was also tied 5-5 before CU's serving led it to the forefront. Amanda Foje dealt aces that clipped the net on consecutive serves as Creighton took a 9-5 lead and force a timeout from the Razorbacks. Though Arkansas would rally to reclaim a 13-11 lead, it was freshman Taryn Kloth's first ace that moved CU in front 15-14, and the Jays wouldn't trail again. Wilkinson and Bird each had four kills in the second set for CU, helping to offset seven kills by Victoria and .400 hitting from Arkansas.
A kill from Bird and block by Smith and Kloth helped CU to a 2-0 lead in the final frame as it never looked back. Elman would serve a 7-0 run as CU's lead stretched to 17-8. Bird would earn kills on the final two points of the match to finish off the SEC foe for the second time in three years.
Creighton returns to action on Saturday with an 11 am match vs. No. 11 Wisconsin. The day starts at 11 am when Kansas State meets Arkansas, and concludes at 8 pm when Arkansas faces Wisconsin. The event concludes at 2 pm on Sunday when Creighton hosts Kansas State.
NOTES: Creighton now leads the all-time series vs. Arkansas 2-1, with this being the first contest not held in Lawrence, Kan. ... Arkansas' six-match win streak entering the contest had been the program's longest since a similar streak in 2012 ... Arkansas entered the match 10th nationally in hitting percentage (.297), but was held to .192 hitting overall ... Creighton's .397 hitting was third-best ever in its seven-year history spanning 88 matches at D.J. Sokol Arena, and easily the best against Arkansas this fall.
Team Stats
AR
CU
Kills
36
41
Errors
21
10
Attempts
78
78
Hitting %
.192
.397
Points
42.0
54.0
Assists
33
38
Aces
1
5
Blocks
5.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballRS/OH
/ VolleyballRS/OH
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball Media Availability - 9/17/25
Wednesday, September 17
#18 Creighton Volleyball vs. #1 Nebraska Highlights - 9/16/25
Wednesday, September 17
Creighton Volleyball vs. Nebraska Press Conference - 9/16/25
Monday, September 15
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. UNI - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
