Creighton University
Xavier (Final)
#21 Volleyball To Meet Xavier Saturday In Search Of Third Straight BIG EAST Championship Crown
11/25/2016 6:27:00 PM | Volleyball
Creighton is 10-0 all-time against the Musketeers
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Nov. 26   1:30 pm    #21 Creighton vs. Xavier (FS2)   Indianapolis, Ind. (Hinkle Fieldhouse)
• Creighton is appearing in its sixth conference tournament title game in program history, all in the last seven years, and fourth straight. Creighton is 3-2 in the previous five title game appearances, including a 2-1 mark since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
• Creighton is seeking its third straight BIG EAST Championship title, having beaten Seton Hall (3-1) in the 2014 final and Villanova (3-0) last year. A win would make the Bluejays the first team to win three straight BIG EAST Championship titles since Louisville from 2008-10.
• With a win on Saturday, Creighton can complete an unbeaten season against BIG EAST teams. No team has gone unbeaten in the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament since Notre Dame in 2001.
• Creighton swept Seton Hall (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) to open the 2016 BIG EAST Championship on Friday afternoon. The win was Creighton's 20th sweep of the season, and 15th in 19 matches against BIG EAST competition.
   Jaali Winters led Creighton with 12 kills, while Taryn Kloth added 10 putaways. Both sophomore outside hitters were named First Team All-BIG EAST on Wednesday.
• Creighton has won a school-record 19 straight matches, dropping just five sets in the last 10 weeks. The last Bluejay loss came Sept. 17 at No. 1 Nebraska, a match that Creighton won the first set and squandered three set point opportunities in the third set.
   Creighton's 19-match win streak is tied for the nation's third-longest active streak, trailing only Fairfield (22) and Western Kentucky (21).
• Creighton swept both matches against Xavier this fall, winning 25-18, 25-23, 25-15 in Cincinnati on Sept. 30th before claiming a 25-16, 25-23, 25-21 win in Omaha on Nov. 6th.
   Jaali Winters (28) and Taryn Kloth (25) combined for 53 kills in those wins, while Lydia Dimke led the team in both assists (67) and digs (16). CU limited Abbey Bessler to 17 kills and .208 hitting in the two victories.
• Creighton is 10-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Of the 10 victories, four were sweeps, five came in four sets, and one was a five-set match. Creighton has more wins against the Musketeers than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
   Creighton is 2-0 in league tourney action against the Musketeers, winning semifinal match-ups in both 2013 and 2014 (both in four sets).
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 4-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
• Before Lauren Smith arrived on campus in the fall of 2012, Creighton had never won a regular-season or conference tournament title. In her five years as a Bluejay (she redshirted in 2012), Smith has been on teams to win four regular-season titles (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) and three conference tournament titles (2012, 2014, 2015).
• Creighton is 6-1 all-time in BIG EAST Championship action, including five straight wins. The .857 win percentage is the best in event history. Creighton's two titles (2014, 2015) are second-most among the league's active membership, trailing only the three won by Providence (1983, 1985, 1987).
• Creighton improved to 20-0 this season when outblocking an opponent with Friday's win. The Bluejays are also 20-0 this year when hitting .250 or better.
• Creighton has won the third set in all 19 matches against BIG EAST foes this year.
• Creighton has won the first set in each of its last nine matches, with eight of those foes scoring 18 points or less, while outscoring the enemy 225-146. In the first set of those nine matches, there's only been six lead changes total.
   Each of the last nine teams to win the first set of the BIG EAST Championship title match have gone on to win the match, and are 29-5 all-time.
   Only two teams in event history have dropped the first two sets and won the title match (Pittsburgh in 1993, Louisville in 2006).
   Creighton is 22-4 this year when winning the first set, and 3-2 when it doesn't.
• Creighton has won 16 straight matches played in November, last losing in the calendar's 11th month on Nov. 23, 2014 vs. Seton Hall. Creighton is 22-1 in the month of November during the last three seasons.
• Of the seven team categories tracked by the BIG EAST, Creighton leads in six of them. The Bluejays top the charts in kills, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, digs, assists and aces per set. CU is fourth in blocks per set.
• Lauren Smith tied Melanie Jereb's (2012-15) school record with her 133rd match played yesterday. She can break that mark on Saturday. Smith also appeared in her 100th career victory on Friday, two shy of Jereb's school record. Smith already owns career records for matches started (132) and sets played (490).
• Creighton seniors Lauren Smith (in 2014) and Jess Bird (in 2015) both have been named MVP of the BIG EAST Championship in past seasons. No player has won multiple MVP honors since Notre Dame's Jaimie Lee in 1996 and 1997.
   Smith is one of four women in program history to earn two All-Tournament Team honors at a league championship, joining Leah McNary, Bianca Rivera and Melissa Walsh. No player has ever earned three such honors. Besides Smith and Bird, Marysa Wilkinson also has an All-BIG EAST Tournament Team selection in her career.
• Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 6-1 in BIG EAST Championship action with two titles. The rest of the league's active coaches are a combined 8-17 with one title.
• Kirsten Bernthal Booth owns 399 career wins, and can reach 400 career wins with a victory on Saturday. Booth won 112 times in three seasons at Kirkwood Community College, and is 287-152 in her 14th campaign at Creighton.
• Creighton is 5-5 in five previous NCAA Tournament appearances, with all of those trips coming since 2010. The Bluejays went 1-1 in 2010, 2012 and 2013, went 0-1 in 2014, and went 2-1 last season to reach the program's first Sweet 16. Creighton is one of 23 teams that have appeared in each of the previous four NCAA Tournaments.
• Regardless of Saturday's result, Creighton Volleyball fans are invited to join the players and coaches at the Old Mattress Factory Grill & Bar (501 N. 13th Street) Sunday night to watch the 2016 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship selection show which will be televised live nationally on ESPNU starting at 8:00 p.m., Central time.
