Volleyball Announces 2016 Schedule

2016 Schedule (PDF)

OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton Volleyball has developed a reputation for daunting non-conference schedules over the years, but head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth might have outdone herself this year. The Bluejays will open its 2016 season with seven straight NCAA qualifiers from a year ago, all of whom finished in the top-55 of the final RPI, as part of a schedule released today that includes 13 matches against NCAA Tournament teams from last fall.

Coming off a 27-9 season that saw Creighton earn the No.16 national seed, be ranked 19th in the final AVCA poll, and win BIG EAST regular-season and Tournament titles, the Bluejays will once again test their mettle against a non-conference gauntlet that includes three teams that reached the national quarterfinals, including a pair of Final Four squads. Creighton will face the No. 1 overall seed from last year's tournament (USC), as well as the defending national champion (Nebraska), both on the road. CU also hosts Final Four upstart Kansas. All told, 11 of CU's 12 non-conference opponents had top-90 RPI's, with nine of those teams earning NCAA Tournament bids.

"Philosophically we believe, and our players are attracted to when we recruit them, that they want to play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country," said Booth. "I think we've set that up again with a really aggressive schedule against high-quality teams. We're excited about what we have returning and what we have coming in, and we're looking forward to getting back on the court."

Following the program's annual Blue-White Scrimmage on August 19th, the team opens the season in Ames, Iowa, on August 27-28 with matches against Wichita State and Iowa State. Creighton has won six straight meetings against the Shockers, who went 27-9 last year and won Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles last fall. The Bluejays and Cyclones have played each other on a regular basis each spring, but will meet in the fall for the first time since Creighton's 3-2 victory over ISU in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

The following weekend Creighton plays three more NCAA qualifiers -- Northern Iowa, Kentucky and USC -- in Los Angeles, Calif. It's the third year of a four-year tournament between the four schools. CU has gone 1-1 vs. Kentucky and UNI during the past two seasons. The match vs. USC will be the third meeting between the programs in 12 months, and a rematch of the Women of Troy's 3-1 win over Creighton in the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Creighton's home opener comes on September 8th to start the Bluejay Invitational, as Kansas comes to D.J. Sokol Arena. The Jayhawks return the majority of last year's team that reached the Final Four, including First Team All-Americans Ainise Havili and Kelsie Payne. Defending Southern Conference champion Chattanooga joins TCU in the field for the Bluejay Invitational, though TCU and Kansas will not meet since they already play twice in Big 12 Conference action.

Creighton plays a fourth Big 12 team on Tuesday, Sept. 13th, when it visits Kansas State in Manhattan. It was a 3-2 comeback win over the Wildcats last September that started a stretch of 22 wins in 23 matches for CU last season.

The final non-conference tournament of the season is the Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln, Neb., where CU meets Gonzaga, Montana State and defending national champion Nebraska. The Cornhuskers led the nation in home attendance last season, and the weekend will serve as a homecoming for Bluejay standouts Lauren Smith and Marysa Wilkinson.

BIG EAST play begins on September 23rd when Creighton hosts Marquette in a rematch of a five-set thriller in last year's BIG EAST Championships semifinal. Both teams have reached each of the last four NCAA Tournaments, and figure to be picked among the league favorites once again.

Creighton will face all nine BIG EAST competitors both home and away as part of a double round-robin schedule, with the exception of Providence. In a scheduling twist, Creighton will host the Friars on consecutive nights in November to save on travel costs. Next season, Creighton will trek to Rhode Island to face the Friars twice.

The regular-season winds down on Nov. 20 with a home match vs. Villanova that will also serve as Senior Day. The contest is a rematch of the final of the 2015 BIG EAST Championships, won by CU in three sets.

The 2016 BIG EAST Championships will once again be four teams, and be contested in Indianapolis, Ind., for the first time. Butler University will serve as host.

Creighton is two-time defending BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champion and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time last December before finishing 27-9. The Bluejays are expected to return four starters from last year's team, including All-Americans Jaali Winters and Lauren Smith.

For ticket information for all Creighton sports, contact the Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Players Mentioned

Lauren Smith

Marysa Wilkinson

Jaali Winters

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