Volleyball Heads to BIG EAST Championships Seeking Fourth Straight Tourney Title

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BIG EAST Championship, presented by Jeep
Nov. 24   12:30 pm   #4 Villanova vs. #1 Creighton (BEDN)   Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
Nov. 24   2:30 pm   #3 Butler at #2 Marquette (BEDN)   Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
Nov. 25   1:30 pm   Semifinal Winners (FS2)   Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)

Up Next
Top-seeded and 17th-ranked Creighton Volleyball (23-6, 16-2 BIG EAST) enters the postseason with a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., for the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship, presented by Jeep.
   Creighton opens play on Friday at 12:30 p.m. when it takes on fourth-seeded Villanova (18-11, 11-7 BIG EAST)
   With a win, the Bluejays would meet either second-seeded Marquette (21-8, 15-3 BIG EAST) or third-seeded Butler (23-7, 13-5 BIG EAST) in Saturday's 1:30 pm Central final.
   Al McGuire Center will host the action.

Radio/Video Broadcast Information
Creighton's match(es) will not be on radio, but will still be available.
   Friday's semifinal airs on BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi, which can be accessed at FOXSportsGo.com or on the FOX Sports Go app. Bob Brainerd and Michelle Griffin-Wenzel will announce, with Andrew Goldstein serving as sideline reporter.
   Saturday's final will be televised by FS2, and streamed on FOXSportsGo.com and the FOX Sports Go app, with the same announce team.

Live Stats Information
Both of Creighton's matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page for the exact links.

Scouting #17 Creighton
Creighton is 23-6 this fall and won a fourth consecutive outright BIG EAST regular-season title with a 16-2 league mark. The 17th-ranked Bluejays have won 44 of their last 46 matches against teams from the BIG EAST, and won the 2014, 2015 and 2016 BIG EAST Championships.
   Creighton reached as high as seventh in the AVCA Top 25 poll during a strong non-conference season that featured three wins over ranked teams (then-No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 Kentucky). Seven of the 11 teams on Creighton's non-conference schedule are ranked this week.
   The Bluejays had four women named First Team All-BIG EAST when the awards were handed out on Wednesday, Lydia Dimke (10.76 aps., 2.61 dps., .373%), Jaali Winters (3.45 kps., 2.72 dps.), Marysa Wilkinson (2.88 kps., 0.95 bps., .369%) and BIG EAST Libero of the Year Brittany Witt (4.25 dps.).
   Taryn Kloth (3.02 kps.) was named Second Team All-BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays average 14.31 kills, 16.09 digs, 2.13 blocks and 1.34 aces per set while hitting .279.

Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 18-11 this season, and clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championships on the last day of the regular-season with a 3-0 win over Providence.
   The Wildcats have five women averaging 2.11 kills per set or more. Amanda Pedersen-Henry owns 280 kills to lead that group, while Allie Loitz's 3.35 kills per set is the top average. Loitz also led the BIG EAST with 0.38 aces per set.
   Emma Decker averages 10.53 assists per set, and Regan Lough averages 3.40 digs per set.
   As a team, Villanova averages 13.39 kills, 1.41 aces, 15.36 digs and 1.42 blocks per set while hitting .236.

The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 314-159 record in her 15th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to back-back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST titles, and five league crowns in the last six years. She has led the Bluejays to their first two Sweet 16's (2015, 2016) and first Elite Eight (2016) in program history. In 2016 she was recognized as VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Coach of the Year and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only six NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached the Jays into the top-25 each of the last six years, another program first.
   Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
   Booth is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Ryan Meek and Drew Davis.
   Josh Steinbach (Penn State, 2002) is 184-150 in his 11th season at Villanova, making him the winningest coach in program history. He led VU to 25 wins and an at-large berth to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Before heading to Villanova, he had been an assistant at Wright State, Cincinnati, Penn State and San Diego Mesa CC. He is assisted by Amy Pauly and Jill Loairs.
Series History vs. Villanova
Creighton is 9-2 all-time vs. Villanova, including a 3-0 win over the Wildcats in the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament title match in Omaha.
   Villanova is one of two BIG EAST teams to beat the Bluejays in the last three years, handing CU its only league loss in 2015 in Pennsylvania, winning 19-17 in the fifth set. 'Nova also topped CU in three sets last Friday.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 9-2 all-time against Villanova and coach Josh Steinbach.

Last Weekend Recap
Creighton became the first team in 15 seasons to win four straight outright BIG EAST Volleyball titles with a 3-2 win at Georgetown on Saturday. The victory came less than 24 hours after a 3-0 loss at Villanova.
   Jaali Winters led Creighton with 30 kills on the week, Megan Ballenger topped CU with 10 blocks, and Brittany Witt had 34 digs in the two matches.

As The Top Seed
Creighton will be the No. 1 seed at a conference tournament for the fifth time in program history. Each of the previous four times it has been the No. 1 seed, the Bluejays went on to win the title with two straight wins.
   In 2012, Creighton was the top seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Springfield, Mo., and beat Illinois State and Wichita State.
   In 2014, Creighton was the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and beat Xavier and Seton Hall in Milwaukee, Wis.
   In 2015 Creighton hosted the tournament and defeated Marquette and Villanova en route to hoisting the trophy.
   Last season, Creighton went to Indianapolis, Ind., and swept both Seton Hall and Xavier to win the crown.

Filling The Trophy Case
Creighton has played in 12 BIG EAST Tournament championship games across all sports, but only the volleyball program has won a title.
   The baseball team is 0-3, the men's soccer team is 0-2, the men's basketball team 0-2, the women's basketball team is 0-1, while the volleyball team is 3-1 to date.
   Creighton joined the BIG EAST Conference on July 1, 2013.

Back-To-Back-To-Back-To-Back?
Creighton is seeking a fourth straight BIG EAST Championship title. If they can accomplish that feat, it'll be the first to do so since Notre Dame won four in a row from 1995-98.
   Last season Creighton became the first team to win three straight league tournament titles since Louisville won three in a row from 2008-10.
   Creighton, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville are the only four schools to ever win back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in volleyball.

Returning All-Tourney Picks
Four players in the 2017 BIG EAST Championship have previously earned All-Tournament Team honors, including three Bluejays.
   Creighton's Marysa Wilkinson earned a spot on the 2014 team, Villanova's Amanda Pedersen-Henry was on the 2015 team and last year Bluejay standouts Lydia Dimke and Jaali Winters were both recognized. Winters also took home Tournament MVP honors last season.
   No player has been named MVP of consecutive BIG EAST Championships since Notre Dame's Jaimie Lee (1996 & 1997). The only other player to do it was Pittsburgh's Ann Marie Lucanie (1990-93).

Bluejays Collect The Hardware
Creighton had quite a haul of honors as the BIG EAST named its All-Conference Team on Wednesday.
   Lydia Dimke, Jaali Winters, Marysa Wilkinson and Brittany Witt were named First Team All-BIG EAST, while Taryn Kloth was named Second Team All-BIG EAST.
   This is the third First Team All-Conference award for Winters, the second for Dimke and the first for both Witt and Wilkinson.
   Kloth, a First Team All-BIG EAST pick last fall, is a Second Team selection for the initial time.
   Witt was also honored as BIG EAST Libero of the Year, joining Julianne Mandolfo (2011, MVC) as the program's second player ever to be named league Libero of the Year.

NCAA's Looming?
With an RPI of 16 heading into the week, Creighton is seen as a virtual lock to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
   If it happens, not only would it be an unprecedented sixth straight NCAA trip for the volleyball team, but they'd be the first Creighton women's team in any sport to make sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday at 8 pm Central on ESPNU. Creighton will host a viewing party at The Session Room (1502 Mike Fahey Street) in downtown Omaha that is open to both fans and media.

The Case For An At-Large Bid
Should Creighton not win the BIG EAST Championship this weekend, its case is still very strong for an at-large bid. Consider the following ...
- Creighton owns an NCAA RPI of 16 in this week's official rankings.
- The winning percentage of Creighton's opponents is eighth-best nationally.
- Creighton won the BIG EAST Conference, the nation's seventh-best league.
- Creighton ranks nationally tied for 29th in victories and tied for 10th in road victories this season.
- Creighton owns three victories over top-25 teams this season, a home sweep over No. 13 Kentucky and true road wins at both No. 3 Washington and No. 7 Kansas. Kentucky is currently first nationally in the RPI.
- Creighton won three different non-conference titles, winning events hosted by Washington, Kansas and Creighton.
- Creighton played the nation's most difficult non-conference schedule, with 7-of-11 non-conference teams currently ranked, in addition to ACC leader Pitt and MVC runner-up Northern Iowa. CU also met OVC favorite Belmont in the non-conference.
- Creighton has played well in past NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2016 and the Sweet 16 in 2015.

Title History
Creighton won its fifth regular-season title in program history in 2017.
   Creighton's first league title 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.
   In 2014, Creighton went 16-2 in league play and swept the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament crowns.
   In 2015, Creighton went 17-1 to win the BIG EAST, then won a pair of BIG EAST Championship contests to take home a second straight title.
   Last year, Creighton became the first BIG EAST team to ever go 18-0, then swept a pair of BIG EAST Championship contests to win a third straight title.
   This year's team won a fourth straight outright regular-season title.
   Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 school year, Creighton has won BIG EAST regular-season titles in baseball (2014, 2017), men's soccer (2014) and volleyball (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), and BIG EAST Championship titles in volleyball (2014, 2015, 2016).

The Champs Are Here
The Bluejays are back-to-back-back BIG EAST Tournament champions, the first champs to "three-peat" since Louisville from 2008-2010.
   Creighton is 7-1 all-time in four previous appearances at the BIG EAST Championships, reaching the final all four times.
   Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, this will be Creighton's 15th straight appearance in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.

4 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last four BIG EAST regular-season titles, including 2017.
   No team had won four straight regular-season titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
   Notre Dame is the last team to win four or more straight outright BIG EAST regular-season titles, having claimed four in a row from 1999-2002.
   The only other team in Creighton history to win four (or more) straight regular-season titles was the men's soccer program, which claimed five straight MVC crowns from 1992-96. All five of those soccer titles were also outright titles.

Late Season Drama
Creighton closed the regular-season with a win last Saturday at Georgetown, but it wasn't easy. The Bluejays trailed 2-1 in the match before winning the fourth set, and fell behind 7-2 and 13-12 in the fifth set before reeling off the final three points.
   Strangely, it's the fourth time in Creighton's five seasons with a conference title that the Jays played a five-set match to win the regular-season. All three previous times Creighton won that match, then went on to win the league tournament a week later.
   Creighton ended the regular-season in 2016 with a five-set win over Villanova, just as it did in 2015 in five sets over Georgetown (saving two match points).
   In 2012, Creighton finished the year with consecutive five-set victories over Wichita State and Missouri State.
   Creighton's 2011 team (that didn't win a title) also ended the regular-season with a five-set win at Drake.

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 51-27 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. 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 11 of its last 14 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 in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016 and 2017 victories at Butler and Georgetown.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 11-3 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   27-9
2016   4-3   29-7
2017   3-1   23-6
Total   66-55   407-311

Fifth Set Force
Creighton closed the regular-season with a 3-2 win on Saturday night at Georgetown, overcoming deficits of 7-2 and 13-12 before earning the 15-13 victory.
   Coming up clutch in the fifth set is nothing new for the Bluejay program. In fact, starting with its first NCAA Tournament match in program history (Dec. 3, 2010), Creighton is 16-2 in the months of November and December in five-set matches.
   Of those 16 five-set wins, 10 have been on the road (with three others at a neutral site) while four have been in NCAA or BIG EAST Tournament action.
5-Set Matches Since 12/1/10 in Nov. or Dec.
Year   Opponent   Site   Result
2010   vs. Iowa State#   Neutral   W
2011   at Wichita State   Home   W
2011   at Bradley   Road   L
2011   at Drake   Road   W
2012   at Northern Iowa   Road   W
2012   at Wichita State   Road   W
2012   at Missouri State   Road   W
2013   St. John's   Home   L
2014   at Butler   Road   W
2014   at St. John's   Road   W
2015   at Georgetown   Road   W
2015   Marquette$   Home   W
2016   Villanova   Home   W
2016   vs. Northern Iowa#   Neutral   W
2016   at #4 Kansas#   Road   W
2016   vs. 17 Michigan#   Neutral   W
2017   at Butler   Road   W
2017   at Georgetown   Road   W
# NCAA Tournament
$ BIG EAST Tournament

With a Win...
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
- Improve to 24-6, its fifth-most wins in a season in program history.
- Improve to 4-2 on neutral floors this season, and 6-2 at Al McGuire Center since joining the BIG EAST.
- Improve to 8-1 all-time in BIG EAST Championship play with its seventh straight win in the league tournament.
- Advance to its sixth straight league tournament title game, and fifth straight as a BIG EAST member.
- Improve to 9-0 all-time in league tournament play as a No. 1 seed.
- Improve to 10-2 all-time against Villanova, and 2-0 in BIG EAST Tournament play.
- Give Creighton 105 wins in the last four seasons, the most by a senior class in program history.

Creighton vs. Villanova in 2017
Creighton is 1-1 against Villanova this season, playing the Wildcats on the first and last weekend of the conference season.
   Creighton won the Sept. 24 meeting in Omaha in four sets (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16). Brittany Witt (12 assists, 12 digs) and Lydia Dimke (43 assists, 18 digs) each had double-doubles, and Jaali Winters had 18 kills for CU. Villanova played without Allie Loitz and Emma Decker and was led by 10 kills from Darcy Wolf. The win was Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 300th victory at Creighton.
   Villanova won the rematch last Friday at Jake Nevin Field House in three sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-20). Jaali Winters led CU with 14 kills and 11 digs. Allie Loitz led VU with 12 kills and 10 digs, and Allison Fitzgerald contributed 21 digs.

Winters & Witt Near 1,000 Digs
A pair of Bluejays are within reach of 1,000 career digs, and could accomplish the feat this weekend in Milwaukee.
   Junior Jaali Winters owns 970 career digs in 101 career matches, and sophomore Brittany Witt owns 958 career digs after 65 career contests..
   Should Witt get there, she'd join Julianne Mandolfo and Kate Elman as the only Bluejays to reach the milestone as a sophomore. Like Mandolfo and Elman, Witt attended Omaha Marian High School.
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 Looks To Join 1,000 & 1,000 Club
Just a junior, Jaali Winters enters this weekend with 1,346 career kills and 970 career digs. She's just 30 digs shy of becoming the third player in CU history with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
   Only Melissa Walsh (1,596 kills; 1,240 digs) and Allie Oelke (1,126 kills; 1,382 digs) have previously accomplished the feat.

Learning From Losses
Creighton rallied to beat Georgetown last Saturday, avoiding a second straight league loss in the process.
   Including BIG EAST Championship play, Creighton is 86-10 against league foes since joining the conference in 2013. After all 10 losses, Creighton responded with a win in its next match.
Date   Loss   Next Match   Result
10/04/13   at Butler   at Xaiver   W 3-1
10/25/13   at Marquette   at DePaul   W 3-1
11/01/13   St. John's   Seton Hall   W 3-0
11/16/13   at Seton Hall   Georgetown   W 3-0
11/30/13   #24 Marquette   vs. Arkansas   W 3-1
10/10/14   at Seton Hall   at Villanova   W 3-1
11/23/14   Seton Hall   vs. Xavier   W 3-1
10/30/15   at Villanova   at Seton Hall   W 3-0
10/05/17   at Marquette   DePaul   W 3-0
11/17/17   at Villanova   at Georgetown   W 3-2

21, 22, 23,
Creighton owns 23 wins this season, tied for fifth-most in program history for one season.
   It's the sixth straight season of 23+ wins after never having done it from 1994-2012.
   The school-record for victories in a season is 29, done in both 2012 and 2016.
Matches Won, Season
       Year   MP   W   L   Pct.
   1.   2012   33   29   4   .879
       2016   36   29   7   .806
   3.   2015   36   27   9   .750
   4.   2014   34   25   9   .735
   5.   2013   32   23   9   .719
       2017   29   23   6   .793

BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
Friday's match vs. Villanova will be Creighton's fifth and final appearance this fall on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
   Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is 18-1 on BEDN, with the lone loss coming last Friday at Villanova.

Witt Won Fourth Weekly Defensive Honor
Sophomore libero Brittany Witt was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 7th, her fourth honor this fall.
   Witt averaged 5.17 digs, 2.50 assists and 0.83 aces per set as Creighton swept home matches over Marquette and DePaul. Both Marquette (.099) and DePaul (.093) hit under .100.
   Witt had 14 digs, five assists, one kill and one ace in a 3-0 win over second place Marquette. Witt spearheaded a Bluejay defense that contained BIG EAST kills leader Allie Barber to just 10 kills. Witt then procured her second career double-double with 17 digs and 10 assists, while also adding three consecutive aces in the first set as CU rolled to a 15-3 lead.
   Witt (5x), along with teammates Marysa Wilkinson (3x) and Jaali Winters (once) have combined to win 9-of-14 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall.

All She Does Is Win
Since her arrival on campus in 2014, Creighton is 103-31 in matches that Marysa Wilkinson has appeared in.
   The 103 victories are tied for second-most in program history for one player, and give her a chance to tie Lauren Smith's school-record of 104 victories on Friday vs. Villanova.
   Creighton owns 104 wins since 2013, tying a program record for any four year span done by last year's senior class..
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   104   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   103   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-Pr.
   102   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   101   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   95   Kate Elman   2012-15

It Went Up To Eleven
Creighton had won 11 straight matches until it was snapped last Friday by Villanova.
   Keying the win streak had been tremendous defense, something that often gets overlooked thanks to the multitude of offensive weapons.
   Creighton averaged 17.54 digs per set and allowed just 10.28 kills per set in those 11 matches, as opponents hit just .128 in that time.
   By comparison, Creighton averaged 15.18 digs and allowed 12.85 kills per set as opponents hit .206 in CU's 11-5 start to the season.
   Brittany Witt has averaged 4.97 digs per set during the win streak, compared to 3.75 digs per set in the first 16 matches this fall.
   Most Consecutive Wins, Creighton History
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   23   Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
   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
   11   Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017   at Villanova, 3-0
   10   Oct. 31-Dec. 5, 2015   vs. #2 USC, 3-1
   8   Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008   vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 263-9 (.967) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 206-3 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 39 straight when up 2-0, and is 133-1 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
   Conversely, the Jays are 13-192 (.063) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including a pair of victories over Butler in the last four seasons.
   Those 13 comebacks in program history from down 0-2 are listed below.
Date   Opponent   Sets 3-5 scores   Coach
09/19/97   at Bradley   15-11, 15-13, 15-8   Wallace
10/01/99   at Drake   15-6, 17-15, 15-11   Wallace
09/03/04   vs. Montana   30-20, 30-21, 15-11   Booth
10/15/04   at Bradley   30-22, 30-23, 15-11   Booth
10/15/05   at So. Illinois   30-25, 30-24, 15-8   Booth
09/21/07   at No. Iowa   31-29, 30-26, 15-12   Booth
11/16/12   at Wichita St.   25-16, 25-20, 16-14   Booth
09/05/14   vs. No. Iowa   25-16, 25-22, 15-5   Booth
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
10/13/17   Butler   25-21, 25-23, 15-9   Booth

Speaking of Sweeps
Marquette's 3-0 win over Creighton on Oct. 5th was the first time the Bluejays had been swept by a BIG EAST foe since Seton Hall blanked the Bluejays on Nov. 23, 2014.
   CU returned the favor six days later in a rematch against the Pirates, topping SHU 3-1 in the 2014 BIG EAST Championship final.
   In similar fashion, after MU swept Creighton on Oct. 5th this year, the Bluejays answered with a sweep of the Golden Eagles on Nov. 4th.
   No team has swept Creighton twice in the same season since Missouri State in 2009.
   No team has beaten Creighton twice in the same season (sweeps or otherwise) since Seton Hall in 2014.

BIG EAST RPI Ranks Seventh
The BIG EAST ranks seventh as a league according to rankings at RealTimeRPI.com as it searches for multiple NCAA Tournament teams for the 16th straight season.
   Below is that top-10, through matches of November 19th.
   Rank   Conference   Average RPI
   1.   Pacific 12   .6088
   2.   Big Ten   .6084
   3.   Big 12   .5908
   4.   Southeastern   .5857
   5.   Atlantic Coast   .5462
   6.   West Coast   .5403
   7.   BIG EAST   .5397
   8.   Big West   .5165
   9.   Colonial Athletic   .5161
   10.   Mountain West   .5109

Seniors Lead The Way
Creighton honored manager Annie Cieslicki, as well as Brittany Lawrence (a junior who will graduate), Lydia Dimke, Kenzie Crawford and Marysa Wilkinson following its Nov. 5 match vs. DePaul as part of the program's annual Senior Day festivities.
   The Bluejays are 104-31 in the past four seasons, including a 67-5 mark in conference play. All four teams have been nationally ranked at some point, and next month this group will become part of the first women's program in Creighton history to appear in six straight NCAA Tournaments.
   The 2015 team was the program's first to reach the Sweet 16, while the 2016 club went a round further to reach the Elite Eight.
   CU has also won the regular-season and BIG EAST Tournament title in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and also won the BIG EAST Tournament in 2014, 2015 and 2016 (with 2017 to play).
   Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and an All-American in 2016. Wilkinson ranks in the top-10 in CU history in kills, blocks and hitting percentage. Lawrence has played in 64 sets and started in last year's Elite Eight. Crawford has split time between defensive specialist and setter in her career and is one of seven players in CU history to record a triple-double.
   All told, the quartet has combined for 1,500 kills, 53 aces, 1,286 digs, 2,950 assists and 571 blocks in a CU uniform.

CU's League Leaders
In league matches only, Creighton led the BIG EAST in assists per set (13.83), kills per set (14.81), digs per set (16.62), hitting percentage (.302), opponent hitting percentage (.164), opponent kills per set (11.16) and opponent assists per set (10.38).
   Individually in league play only, Brittany Witt (4.53) was tops in digs per set,

Six Straight 20 Win Seasons
Creighton is 23-5 this year, picking up 20 victories for the ninth time in the program's modern history, and sixth straight season.
   It's especially impressive when you consider that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton's modern day school record for wins in a season was 16.
   Creighton is one of 19 schools with five straight seasons of 20+ wins (entering 2017). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UTSA, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
   Among those to extend the streak to six (or more) have been American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Hawai'i, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
   The following schools are still trying to extend their streak of 20-win seasons in 2017, through matches of November 21st.
Team   2017 W-L   Next Match
North Carolina   14-12   11/22
Florida State   16-10   11/22
UTSA   12-16   Season Over

Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 21 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the previous five NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.
   Creighton is one of 10 teams in the country that has been to the Sweet 16 each of the last two seasons, a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is also one of just 10 schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the previous five seasons (2012-16). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.
23 Wins, Each Season From 2012-16
Team   2017 W-L   Next Match
Western Kentucky   30-3   TBA
Penn State   27-1   11/24
BYU   27-2   11/21
Stanford   24-3   11/22
Nebraska   24-4   11/22
Florida   23-1   11/22
Creighton   23-6   11/24
Texas   22-2   11/22
Washington   22-7   11/22
Florida State   16-10   11/22

All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 104-31 record in the last four seasons, and is 156-44 in the past six years.
   On a national basis through November 20th, those 104 wins are 11th-most, while the 156 victories are 11th-most.
Most Wins, Since 2014
   Rank   School   Wins   Next Match
   1.   Western Kentucky   122   TBA
   2.   Penn State   115   11/24
   3.   BYU   114   11/21
   4.   Washington   113   11/22
   5.   Dayton   110   TBA
       Nebraska   110   11/22
   7.   Stanford   107   11/22
       American   107   TBA
   9.   Texas   106   11/22
   10.   Colorado State   105   11/25
   11.   Creighton   104   11/24
       Wisconsin   104   11/24
   13.   Minnesota   103   11/24
       Florida   103   11/22
   15.   Towson   102   TBA

Most Wins, Since 2012
   Rank   School   Wins   Next Match
   1.   Penn State   182   11/24
       Western Kentucky   182   TBA
   3.   Washington   168   11/22
   4.   BYU   166   11/21
   5.   Stanford   164   11/22
   6.   Texas   162   11/22
       Nebraska   162   11/22
   8.   American   162   TBA
   9.   Minnesota   159   11/24
   10.   Florida   158   11/22
   11.   Creighton   156   11/24
   12.   Colorado State   154   11/25
   13.   Dayton   153   TBA
   14.   Kansas   152   11/25

Champions Clash
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton and Marquette are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and has already won the 2017 crown.
   The 2017 season has seen more of the same, as the teams hold down the top two spots in the standings.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through Nov. 23) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (thru 11/23)
             BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)   W   L   W   L
Creighton (4)   79   9   127   40
Marquette (4)   69   19   116   43
Xavier   59   29   91   67
Butler   53   35   99   58
Seton Hall (1)   50   38   90   70
Villanova (1)   44   44   86   70
St. John's   35   53   84   78
Georgetown   17   71   45   107
DePaul   16   72   56   95
Providence*   10   62   46   85
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.

Success In The BIG EAST
Creighton is 44-2 in its last 46 matches and 57-3 in its last 60 matches against teams from the BIG EAST, including league championship play.
   The Bluejays have an active winning streak of four or longer against each school in the BIG EAST Conference except Marquette and Villanova, as seen below.
Team   Series History   Current CU Streak
Butler   CU 9-1   Won Last 9
DePaul   CU 10-1   Won Last 10
Georgetown   CU 10-0   Won Last 10
Marquette   CU 12-4   Won Last 1
Providence   CU 8-0   Won Last 8
Seton Hall   CU 9-3   Won Last 8
St. John's   CU 9-1   Won Last 9
Villanova   CU 9-2   Lost Last 1
Xavier   CU 13-0   Won Last 13

Higher And Higher
Creighton set five D.J. Sokol Arena records in its Oct. 13th 3-2 comeback win over Butler.
   Creighton's 84 kills were a facility record, the third-most of any team in the nation this fall, and the most by any BIG EAST team in a league match since Seton Hall had 84 kills at Marquette on Nov. 9, 2007 when sets were played to 30 points. The 84 kills were the most by a CU team since the Bluejays posted 86 at Evansville on Nov. 4, 2000.
   Creighton's 79 assists were a facility record, the third-most of any team in the nation this fall, and the most by any BIG EAST team in a league match since Seton Hall had 79 assists at Marquette on Nov. 9, 2007 when sets were played to 30 points. It was also the most by a CU team since the Jays had 79 assists at Wichita State on Oct. 13, 2006.
   Creighton also established facility records for attack attempts (216), digs (106) and points (96.0).
   Jaali Winters' 28 kills were tied for third-most in Creighton history for one match, equalled her previous high, and were also the most ever by a Bluejay inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Lydia Dimke's 65 assists were a career-high, the most by any BIG EAST player in a match this season, and the most by a Bluejay since Korie Lebeda had 71 on Nov. 18, 2006 at Evansville.

Winters' Weekly BIG EAST Defensive Honor
Creighton Volleyball junior Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on October 31st.
   It's the eighth career weekly honor from the BIG EAST for Winters, but the first time she's been honored solely for her defensive work. Winters is also the first player leaguewide to be honored as both the Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 17) and the Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 31) this season.
   Winters averaged 4.57 digs per set to pace the Creighton defense in a pair of wins.
   The Ankeny, Iowa native opened her week with team-highs of 19 digs and 12 kills in a 3-1 win at Providence. It was her team-high sixth double-double of the fall. She then had a team-best 13 digs to go with seven kills in a sweep of the Friars one night later.
   In the two wins over Providence, Creighton limited the Friars to .049 hitting in 245 swings as PC averaged just 8.57 kills per set.

Middles Are All Right
The numbers would suggest that Creighton dominated the middle in its Oct. 6 win at DePaul. CU's four middle blockers and right-side hitters that saw action combined for 27 kills without an attack error in 40 swings. That's good for a .675 hitting percentage.
   Marysa Wilkinson had 10 kills on 12 swings, Megan Ballenger had nine kills on 12 swings, Naomi Hickman had six kills on 11 swings and Kelsey O'Connell added two kills on five swings.

Best...Set...Ever...
Creighton responded from its first league loss since 2015 with authority, hitting a school-record .818 in the first set of an Oct. 6 win at DePaul.
   CU had 18 kills without an attack error in 22 swings to hit that .818, which surpassed the previous best mark of .722 in the fifth set of a win at Georgetown on Nov. 20, 2015.
   Creighton's previous best mark in a non-deciding set had been .684 (13-0-19) in the second set vs. Eastern Illinois on Oct. 15, 2000, and Creighton's previous best mark in a set to 25 had been .654 (18-1-26) in the third set vs. Bradley on Sept. 25, 2010.
Best Team Hitting Percentage in a Set
   %   K-E-TA   Opponent (Set #)   Date
   .818   18-0-22   at DePaul (1)   10/06/17
   .722   13-0-18   at Georgetown (5)   11/20/15
   .714   10-0-14   vs. Northern Iowa (5)   09/05/14
   .684   13-0-19   Eastern Illinois (2)   10/15/00
   .682   15-0-22   Tulsa (3)   10/27/95

Among The Best Matches Ever, Too
Creighton didn't let up after hitting .818 in the first set, as the team hit .476 for the entire match against DePaul on Oct. 6.
   The .476 output ranks as the third-best mark in program history for a match, and is the third occasion this fall the team has hit .440 or better. Prior to 2017, Creighton had done that just three times total from 1994-2016.
   Below is the top hitting percentages in a match in Bluejay history. Of note, Creighton has hit.413 or better five times in 2017 after doing it a total of seven times from 1994-2016.
Best Attack Percentage, Match
   .536   vs. Tulsa (41-4-69)   10-27-95
   .495   vs. Liberty (57-8-99)   9-2-05
   .476   at DePaul (46-6-84)   10-6-17
   .471   vs. Providence (36-4-68)   10-19-14
   .4463   vs. Georgetown (62-8-121)   9-22-17
   .4459   vs. Belmont (38-5-74)   9-8-17
   .419   vs. Seton Hall (51-7-105)   10-22-17
   .418   vs. Evansville (98-21-184)   11-2-96
   .415   vs. Butler (47-8-94)   11-4-16
   .4144   vs. UC Riverside (57-11-111)   9-2-05
   .4141   vs. Drake (49-8-99)   10-3-08
   .4138   vs. DePaul (43-7-87)   11-5-17

100 Wins At Sokol
Creighton owns a 100-25 all-time record at D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009, reaching the century mark on Nov. 5 with a sweep of DePaul.
   Creighton's first win at D.J. Sokol Arena came on Aug. 28, 2009 when the Bluejays swept Texas Tech.
   Only five visiting schools have beaten Creighton more than once at D.J. Sokol Arena, a list that includes Northern Iowa (4x), Illinois (2), Kansas (2), Marquette (2) and Missouri State (2).

Sweep You Very Much
Creighton owns 202 sweeps in program history since its 1994 reinstatement, nearly half of its 407 all-time wins.
   Creighton is 163-65 all-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in three-set matches, compared to a 39-83 mark before her arrival.

Winters Makes Arena History
Jaali Winters owns 547 career kills inside the friendly confines of D.J. Sokol Arena, and on Nov. 5th vs. DePaul she broke Leah McNary's facility record of 537.
   Winters owns 10 or more kills in each of her last nine home matches.
Most Career Kills, D.J. Sokol Arena History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Jaali Winters   141   547   2015-Pr.
   2.   Leah McNary   191   537   2011-14
   3.   Lauren Smith   208   490   2013-16
   4.   Kelli Browning   168   480   2011-14
   5.   Marysa Wilkinson   191   427   2014-Pr.

Passing The Halfway Point
Creighton went 16-2 in BIG EAST play and reached the midpoint of the league slate with an 8-1 mark.
   Creighton has now started 8-1 or better in league play for the fourth straight season, and fifth time in six seasons.
   Each of the previous four times CU has been 8-1 or better halfway through the league schedule, the Bluejays have won both the regular-season and league tournament titles, and this year's team won a regular-season title.
League Record by Year
Year   1st Half   2nd Half   Place
1994   2-8   1-9   T-9th MVC
1995   3-7   3-7   T-7th MVC
1996   2-7   3-6   T-6th MVC
1997   6-3   4-5   T-3rd MVC
1998   2-7   3-6   8th MVC
1999   5-4   4-5   5th MVC
2000   5-4   5-4   T-4th MVC
2001   7-2   5-4   4th MVC
2002   1-8   1-8   T-9th MVC
2003   5-4   4-5   T-5th MVC
2004   5-4   5-4   5th MVC
2005   4-5   6-3   5th MVC
2006   7-2   5-4   4th MVC
2007   7-2   7-2   T-2nd MVC
2008   7-2   8-1   2nd MVC
2009   4-5   6-3   T-4th MVC
2010   7-2   6-3   3rd MVC
2011   6-3   6-3   4th MVC
2012   8-1   9-0   1st MVC
2013   6-2   6-2   T-2nd BIG EAST
2014   8-1   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2015   9-0   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2016   9-0   9-0   1st BIG EAST
2017   8-1   8-1   1st BIG EAST
Total   133-84   130-87   --

Wilkinson Wins Third Defensive Honor
Marysa Wilkinson was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24th. It was the senior's third Defensive Player of the Week honor this fall, joining the recognition she received on Aug. 29 and Oct. 3.
   A middle blocker from Lincoln, Neb., Wilkinson helped Creighton to a 2-0 week by averaging 1.57 blocks per set, in addition to 2.43 kills per set on .341 hitting.
    She started the week with six blocks, including three solo stuffs, in a 3-1 win over St. John's. Wilkinson also contributed 12 kills and two digs on .357 hitting.
    The senior then added five kills and five blocks on .308 hitting in a sweep of third-place Seton Hall two days later.

100, 200, 300, 400
Creighton owns a 407-311 record since its 1994 reinstatement, earning its 400th win on Oct. 22 vs. Seton Hall.
   Here's a look at Creighton's record at the time of some of its milestone victories:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-0   vs. Chattanooga   09/02/94
25-57   Wichita State   11/15/96
50-91   Southern Illinois   09/10/99
75-112   at Evansville   11/04/00
100-160   at Bradley   10/04/03
125-182   vs. UC Riverside   09/02/05
150-197   Drake   09/22/06
175-213   at Indiana State   10/26/07
200-224   Texas Tech   08/28/09
225-239   Bradley   09/25/10
250-263   Wichita State   11/04/11
275-270   Illinois State   11/10/12
300-278   Georgetown   11/22/13
325-287   at St. John's   11/15/14
350-297   Butler   11/15/15
375-304   Xavier   11/06/16
400-310   Seton Hall   10/22/17

Home Sweet Home
Creighton went 8-0 at home this season in BIG EAST play, the fourth time (joining 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017) in the previous six years it has been unbeaten at home in league play.
   Creighton is 42-2 all-time (.955) 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 73-7 (.913) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 27 straight victories.
   Creighton has won all nine meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all eight encounters versus Seton Hall since dropping the home match in 2014.
   The Bluejays have had a winning record in conference home matches each of the last 12 seasons. That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down last winter and no longer exists.

First Set Is Key
The winner in all but three of Creighton's last 29 matches has been the team that won the first set of the match. The only exceptions? Two wins over Butler and one over Georgetown, all in five sets.
   Creighton has won 39 in a row when going up 1-0 in a match.
   This fall, Creighton is 20-0 when winning the first set and 3-6 when losing the first set. Villanova is 18-2 when winning the first set and 0-9 when dropping the opener.
   Creighton is 19-2 when winning the second set and 4-4 when dropping the second set. Villanova is 17-3 when winning the second set and 1-8 when losing the second set.
   Creighton is 20-1 when winning the third set and 3-5 when losing the third set. Villanova is 11-2 when winning the third set and 7-9 when dropping the third set.
   Creighton is 7-2 when winning the fourth set and 0-2 when losing the fourth set. Villanova is 5-1 when winning the fourth set and 2-5 when losing the fourth set.
   Creighton is 3-1 in five-set matches. Villanova is 3-2 in five-set matches.

Dimke Passes 2,000
Lydia Dimke owns 2,455 assists in 63 career matches played at Creighton, after passing 2,000 assists in her 52nd career match on Oct. 13 vs. Butler.
   Dimke is the seventh player to reach 2,000 assists at Creighton, and fourth-quickest to get there.
   Creighton's Quickest Players To 2,000 Assists (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   43   09/22/06   Drake
Brittany Coleman   45   10/02/04   Southern Illinois
Kailey Reyes   49   09/01/00   at Iowa State
Lydia Dimke   52   10/13/17   Butler
Megan Bober   55   11/05/10   at Wichita State
Melissa Weisensee   66   09/15/96   at UMKC
Michelle Sicner   109   11/23/14   Seton Hall

Dimke Hitting With Accuracy, Too
Lydia Dimke split time between outside hitter and setter while at Purdue, and since transferring to Creighton she's made an impact in both areas.
   Dimke is one of seven players in program history to reach 2,000 career assists at CU.
   As an attacker, Dimke is hitting .373 in all matches and .362 in league play.
   Dimke has become the career hitting percentage at Creighton, which requires 250 career kills. Dimke is hitting .332, which puts her just behind Kelli Browning's mark of .335.
   Below is a list of the top hitting percentages in CU history among those with 250 or more career kills:
Career Attack Percentage (Min. 250 kills)
       Name   K   E   Att.   Pct.   Year
   1.   Kelli Browning   1,104   325   2,327   .335   2011-14
   2.   Lydia Dimke   274   72   608   .332   2015-Pr.
   3.   Lauren Smith   1,160   365   2,460   .323   2013-16
   4.   Marysa Wilkinson   1,137   297   2,675   .314   2014-Pr.
   5.   Kelly Goc   1,414   414   3,374   .296   2004-07
   6.   Megan Ballenger   406   139   914   .292   2015-Pr.
   7.   Ashley Williams   941   279   2,336   .283   2001-04
   8.   Melissa Weisensee   389   122   970   .2753   1994-97
   9.   Kailey Reyes   398   100   1,083   .2752   1998-01
   10.   Laurel Sanford   761   245   1,907   .271   2008-11

Blue October
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton has been a solid 47-25 in September, only to take it up a notch in October. CU is 46-5 in October in that same span, and an even better 44-5 in the month of November.
   Creighton has won 25 straight home matches in the month of October dating to a Oct. 15, 2011 loss to No. 12 Northern Iowa, and 21 of its last 22 November matches at all sites dating to a Nov. 23, 2014 loss.
   Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 61-5 in the months of October and November.

Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning record against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays enter this weekend with 86 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 15 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   Seton Hall is the only league foe to top the Bluejays three times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   9-1   -   9-1
DePaul   10-0   -   10-0
Georgetown   10-0   -   10-0
Marquette   8-2   1-1   9-3
Providence   8-0   -   8-0
Seton Hall   7-3   2-0   9-3
St. John's   9-1   -   9-1
Villanova   8-2   1-0   9-2
Xavier   10-0   3-0   13-0
Total   79-9   7-1   86-10

Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up.
   Booth won her 300th match at CU on Sept. 24 vs. Villanova, and now owns 314 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank sixth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball   729*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Ed Servais, Baseball   483*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   402*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   314*
*still active coaching at Creighton

Better And Better and Better...
Senior Marysa Wilkinson owns 294 kills this season, becoming the sixth player in CU history with 200 or more kills in each of her first four seasons on campus.
   Junior Jaali Winters is one of eight players to accomplish the feat in each of her first three seasons with the Bluejays, and joins Melissa Walsh as one of two women with 300 or more kills in each of her first three years.
200 or More Kills, First 3 Seasons
Name (Years)   Fr.   So.   Jr.   Sr.   Total
Melissa Walsh, 1998-01   341   428   435   392   1,596
Kelly Goc, 2004-07   218   345   437   414   1,414
JoDe Cieloha, 1994-97   271   303   380   421   1,375
Lauren Smith, 2013-16   271   278   331   280   1,160
Marysa Wilkinson, 2014-17   236   286   321   294   1,137
Shelly Kapler, 1996-99   237   283   265   215   1,000
Jess Bird, 2013-16   297   231   350   87       965
Jaali Winters, 2015-Pr.   546   448   352   -   1,346

Spike Town
Jaali Winters enters this weekend with 1,346 kills, recently passing Leah McNary (1,257) to move into sixth place on Creighton's all-time career kills list.
   Here's a look at Creighton's top-10 in career kills, which includes teammate Marysa Wilkinson's 1,137 kills that rank ninth. Wilkinson is 23 away from former teammate Lauren Smith for eighth place.
Most Career Kills, Creighton History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   2.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   3.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   4.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   5.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   6.   Jaali Winters   360   1,346   2015-Pr.
   7.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   8.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   9.   Marysa Wilkinson   483   1,137   2014-Pr.
   10.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10

Wilkinson Reaches 1,000 Kills
Marysa Wilkinson reached 1,000 career kills in her 120th career match after reaching the milestone in the third set of a 3-0 win at St. John's on Oct. 30th.
   Earlier this season teammate Jaali Winters needed just 72 career matches to reach 1,000 career kills, becoming the second-fastest player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill milestone. Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Melissa Walsh reached 1,000 career kills in 70 matches in 2000.
   Wilkinson and Winters join Jessica Houts and Amanda Cvejdlik (in 2008) as the only Bluejay teammates to reach 1,000 career kills in the same season in history.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Jaali Winters   72   08/25/17   vs. Saint Mary's
Leah Ratzlaff   76   10/22/04   Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha   83   09/13/97   at Drake
Kelly Goc   87   11/24/06   vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts   90   11/08/08   Illinois State
Leah McNary   96   09/12/14   Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik   99   11/15/08   at Evansville
Shelly Kapler   103   11/18/99   vs. Missouri State
Allie Oelke   107   10/09/10   Wichita State
Kelli Browning   110   10/26/14   DePaul
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson   120   09/30/17   at St. John's

Streak Snapped at 28 Straight
Until an Oct. 5 loss at Marquette, Creighton had won each of its last 28 regular-season matches in BIG EAST play. That ranked as the third-longest volleyball streak in league history.
   Former league member Notre Dame owns each of the two longest marks.
Most Consecutive Regular-Season BIG EAST League Wins
   Wins   School   Dates   Snapped By
   45   Notre Dame   Oct. 1, 1999-Nov. 9, 2002   at Miami (Fla.), 3-2
   35   Notre Dame   Sept. 30, 1995-Oct. 4, 1998   at UConn, 3-2
   28   Creighton   Oct. 31, 2015-Present   at Marquette, 3-0
   24   Louisville   Oct. 1, 2006-Nov. 9, 2007   at Notre Dame, 3-1

RPI Stands At 16th
Creighton ranks 16th in the Nov. 20 official NCAA RPI rankings. The mark is the best in the BIG EAST (Marquette is second-best at 32).
   Creighton was eighth in the inaugural NCAA rankings that came out on October 2nd, just shy of the program's best RPI ever of fifth on Oct. 21, 2013.
   Contrary to popular opinion, Creighton's RPI has typically improved in recent years during BIG EAST play.
   In 2016, Creighton was 29th during the initial RPI release on Oct. 3 and improved to 17th by Selection Sunday on Nov. 28th after an 18-0 league record.
   In 2015, Creighton was 20th during the initial RPI release on Oct. 5 and improved to 15th by Selection Sunday on Nov. 30th after a 17-1 league record.
   In 2014, Creighton was 41st during the initial RPI release on Oct. 6 and improved to 24th by Selection Sunday on Dec. 1 after a 16-2 league record.
   In 2013, Creighton was 10th during the initial RPI release on Oct. 7 and dropped to 16th by Selection Sunday on Dec. 2 after a 12-4 league finish.

Dimke Was Up For Senior CLASS Award
Lydia Dimke was among 30 student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that were selected today as candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball, though she did not make the cut to the final 10. Dimke was the BIG EAST's only representative to make the initial cut.
   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: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
   A setter from Ham Lake, Minn., Dimke averages 10.69 assists, 2.67 digs, 1.45 kills and 0.2 blocks per set while hitting .386. She was named 2017 Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year this fall after ending last year with BIG EAST Player of the Year accolades. She was also named a Third Team All-American by the AVCA last season after helping the Bluejays to the Elite Eight.
   A two-time team captain, Dimke has performed more than 25 hours of community service since arriving at Creighton. She's been active with Welcome Week, performed a clinic for children, visits local schools to read, spoke and helped at the Mustang March at Mary Our Queen, and has helped feed the homeless. In the classroom, she earned a spot on Creighton's Dean's List in the Fall of 2016, when she was also leading Creighton to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. She also landed a spot on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team in 2016-17 and was named Academic All-Big Ten in 2015-16 as a student-athlete at Purdue. Dimke is a communication studies major.
   Dimke is the latest in a long line of Creighton Volleyball student-athletes to make the Senior CLASS cut in recent seasons, as Jess Bird and Lauren Smith were candidates in 2016, with Smith ending the fall as a Senior CLASS All-American. Other past volleyball candidates include Melanie Jereb in 2015, Kelli Browning in 2014 and Megan Bober in 2012.
   Former Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt won the 2011 Senior CLASS Award on the pitch, while ex-Creighton men's basketball standout Doug McDermott won the 2014 Senior CLASS Award on the hardwood.

Home At Home
Creighton has won 29 straight home matches against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) at D.J. Sokol Arena, and is 34-2 in its last 36 matches against all teams at home.
   CU's overall home win streak stands at nine, tied for fourth-longest in program history. Below is a look at the program's largest home win streaks in history against all opponents.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   13   Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013   California, 3-0
   13   Sept. 9, 2016 - Sept. 1, 2017   #18 USC, 3-0
   12   Sept. 20 - Nov. 28, 2015   #4 Kansas, 3-2
   9   Sept. 20, 2014-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0
   9   Sept. 2, 2017 - Present   ? ? ?
   8   Sept. 25-Nov. 20, 2010   Northern Illinois, 3-0

Any Venue Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton has a .500 record or better at every BIG EAST venue in which it has played.
Site   Creighton W-L
D.J. Sokol Arena (CU)   60-11
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU)   6-1
Carnesecca Arena (SJU)   5-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU)   5-0
Cintas Center (XU)   5-0
McDonough Arena (GU)   5-0
Al McGuire Center (MU)   5-2
Alumni Hall (PC)   4-0
Jake Nevin Field House (VU)   3-2
Walsh Gym (SHU)   3-2

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the fifth straight season, Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   CU was a unanimous choice for the fourth straight season, receiving 81 points after earning all nine possible first-place votes. Butler was picked second, while Marquette was third and earned the remaining first-place vote.
   Creighton also had four women named to the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Lydia Dimke, Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt were all honored. Dimke was selected as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
   Including this year, Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 13 of the past 15 years, including eight years where it's finished exactly where it was picked.
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   - -
2016   1st   1st   - -
2017   1st   1st   - -

Sweep City
Creighton swept 14-of-18 BIG EAST matches last fall, with three matches to end 3-1 and one contest that went 3-2. This year's team has won 48-of-64 league sets played this season.
   Creighton has swept 17 of its last 23 regular-season BIG EAST home matches, and won 72 of its last 80 home sets during conference play.
   Creighton is 79-9 in 88 regular-season BIG EAST matches in its five-year history in the league, with 46 sweeps, including 33 of its last 52 matches.
   Since October 31, 2015, Creighton has won 132-of-158 sets against league foes (including conference tournament action).

Crowded House
Creighton's crowd of 2,578 on Sept. 1st vs. No. 13 Kentucky was the second sellout in program history. It was also largest attendance at D.J. Sokol Arena, and the fifth-largest at any home venue.
   In fact, nine home crowds this season have ranked among the top-25 in school history, as seen by the chart below.
   Creighton has averaged 1,765 fans per home match this season, which ranks 22nd nationally. No one else in the BIG EAST averages more than 1,000 fans per home match.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton History
   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
   2,578   #13 Kentucky   09/01/17   W 3-0   Sokol
   2,514   #7 Nebraska   08/31/10   L 0-3   Sokol
   2,325   Northern Iowa   10/05/12   W 3-1   Sokol
   2,285   Texas Tech   08/28/09   W 3-0   Sokol
   2,222   Marquette   11/04/17   W 3-0   Sokol
   2,135   Bradley   10/14/11   W 3-1   Sokol
   2,109   Marquette   10/13/13   W 3-0   Sokol
   2,084   #18 USC   09/02/17   L 0-3   Sokol
   2,067   Villanova   11/21/14   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,918   St. John's   10/17/14   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,913   Xavier   11/13/15   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,832   Xavier   10/18/13   W 3-2   Sokol
   1,725   Northern Iowa   09/02/17   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,695   Xavier   10/15/17   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,671   Seton Hall   10/16/16   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,667   Marquette   09/23/16   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,667   Villanova   09/24/17   W 3-1   Sokol
   1,647   DePaul   11/05/17   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,644   Villanova   11/20/16   W 3-2   Sokol
   1,637   Georgetown   09/22/17   W 3-1   Sokol
   1,605   Butler   10/13/17   W 3-2   Sokol
   1,583   Villanova   11/28/15   W 3-0   Sokol
   1,557   Northern Iowa   11/21/08   W 3-0   Civic
   1,544   Wichita State   09/15/12   W 3-1   Sokol
   1,493   Wichita State   11/04/11   W 3-2   Sokol

Rank & File
Creighton owns three victories over ranked teams this fall, having toppled No. 3 Washington, No. 13 Kentucky and No. 7 Kansas.
   It marks the first time that Creighton has beaten three ranked teams in the same season.
   Through matches of November 20th, the only other teams with more wins over ranked teams are Baylor, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Florida, Stanford, Texas, Utah, UNI, USC and Washington.
   Creighton, Florida, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, USC, Nebraska and Minnesota are the only teams with three or more top-13 wins this fall.
   Wins   Team   Top 25 Victims
   9   Nebraska   #2, 3, 7, 10, 11, 11, 14, 16, 22
   8   Stanford   #12, 14, 14, 16, 16, 18, 19, 25
   7   Minnesota   #5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 20, 22
   7   USC   #6, 7, 11, 12, 15, 16, 25
   8   Washington   #13, 13, 15, 15, 19, 20, 25
   6   Penn State   #1, 4, 9, 9, 10, 17
   6   Texas   #9, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24
   5   Florida   #1, 5, 6, 16, 19
   5   Utah   #9, 13, 15, 15, 25
   4   Baylor   #10, 11, 20, 24
   4   Colorado   #11, 12, 15, 22
   4   Kansas   #13, 17, 18, 24
   4   Northern Iowa   #10, 18, 19, 19
   4   Oregon   #5, 12, 15, 23
   4   UCLA   #11, 20, 22, 25
   3   Creighton   #3, 7, 13
   3   BYU   #16, 17, 21
   3   Kentucky   #1, 18, 23
   3   Michigan State   #1, 5, 7
   3   Notre Dame   #21, 23, 24
   3   Oregon State   #10, 12, 14
   3   Purdue   #5, 9, 10
   3   Washington St.   #13, 20, 25
   3   Wisconsin   #4, 11, 20

Top 25 Jays
Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 20th straight week, a streak that started on Oct. 31, 2016.
   Nationally, that's the 16th-longest active streak, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 25
   Streak   Team   Current Rank
   524   Stanford   4
   524   Nebraska   5
   441   Penn State   1
   414   Florida   3
   238   Washington   12
   218   Texas   2
   73   Wisconsin   11
   72   BYU   7
   60   UCLA   19
   44   Kansas   14
   43   Minnesota   8
   29   San Diego   9
   27   Oregon   24
   24   Kentucky   6
   23   Utah   15
   20   Creighton   17

Challenging Schedule
The NCAA website tracks the nation's toughest schedules played.
   Entering this week, Creighton's opponents this year have gone 340-194 when not facing CU. That .637 winning percentage is the eighth-toughest schedule of any school in the country.
   Last year Creighton's opponents were 432-253, and that .631 winning percentage made it the 11th-toughest nationally.
   In 2015 Creighton faced the nation's eighth-toughest schedule per the NCAA, with foes going 466-260 (.642) overall.
   Just how tough was Creighton's non-conference schedule? When it concluded, eight of CU's 11 foes were nationally ranked. Two of the exceptions were Pitt (2nd round NCAA in 2016) and Belmont (OVC favorite in 2017).
   This is the fifth straight season that Creighton has played at least four non-conference matches against teams ranked in the preseason top-25 poll.
   Nine of Creighton's final 10 non-conference matches this season were against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the Aug. 28 top-25 poll. The lone exception to that group, Belmont, is a club that was picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference.

3 Weeks, 3 Titles, 3 Different MVP's
Creighton won a tournament title in each of the first three weekends of the season, with a different MVP each time.
   Marysa Wilkinson was honored as MVP when Creighton won the Husky Invitational on Aug. 25-26.
   Lydia Dimke was honored as MVP when Creighton won the Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 1-2.
   Jaali Winters was honored as MVP when Creighton won the Kansas Invitational on Sept. 8-9.
   In addition to Wilkinson, Dimke and Winters, Taryn Kloth, Megan Ballenger and Brittany Witt have also earned All-Tournament Team honors this fall.

Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton finished non-conference play with a 7-4 record, its most wins since 2013 when it opened 9-3.
   Creighton Volleyball went 3-3 against ranked non-conference teams this season. Before this fall, CU had been 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year   Non-Con W-L   vs. Ranked Non-Con   Final W-L
2003   3-8   0-0   12-18
2004   8-2   0-1   18-11
2005   6-5   0-3   16-14
2006   8-3   0-1   21-10
2007   6-5   0-3   21-10
2008   3-5   0-3   18-9
2009   3-8   0-3   14-17
2010   5-5   0-1   21-12
2011   5-7   0-1   17-14
2012   9-2   0-1   29-4
2013   9-3   1-2   23-9
2014   7-6   0-5   25-9
2015   6-7   1-4   27-9
2016   6-6   0-4   29-7
2017   7-4   3-3   TBD

Reception Near-Perfection
Creighton has allowed just 70 aces in 102 sets played for a scant 0.69 aces per set average by its opponents.
   The Bluejays have allowed 1.15 aces per set or less in each of the last 13 years, but this year is on pace to be the second-best mark, as seen below:
Fewest Aces Per Set Allowed
   SAPS Against   Year   Team W-L
   0.65   2008   18-9
   0.69   2017   23-6 so far
   0.88   2010   21-12
   0.91   2012   29-4
   0.92   2009   14-17

League Opener Histories
A 3-1 win on Sept. 21 win over Georgetown improved Creighton to a 16-8 record all-time in conference openers, including a 13-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 4-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and four straight wins.
   Each of the five times (including 2017) that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), the Bluejays went on to win both the regular-season and conference tournament titles, going a combined 84-6 in regular-season league action (and 8-0 in league tournament action) during those years.
   In the 16 seasons (including 2017) that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and it owns a combined .729 (210-78) winning percentage in league matches.
    In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Jays have had a losing record five times and it owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
   In conference home openers, (including 2017) Creighton is 19-5 overall and 13-2 under Booth, with seven straight wins.
   In league road openers (including 2017), Creighton is now 15-9 overall and 12-3 under Booth, with four straight wins.

No Mercy On The Schedule
Nine of Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents were getting top-25 votes at the time of the match, with six of them ranked.
   In addition, all but Belmont (5-4) and Wichita State (7-2) had either 0 or 1 loss at the time of their match against Creighton, and all but an 0-1 Pitt team had a winning record.
   Here's a look at the records at the time of each non-conference match against Creighton this season.
Team   W-L
Saint Mary's   0-0
(RV) Pitt   0-1
#3 Washington   2-0
#13 Kentucky   3-0
#18 USC   3-1
(RV) Northern Iowa   4-1
#17 Purdue   6-0
Belmont   5-4
#7 Kansas   9-0
(RV) Wichita State   7-2
#19 Iowa State   7-1

No. 7 Ranking Was Best; Now 17th
Creighton opened the 2017 season ranked ninth in the preseason poll, then moved up to a program-best mark of seventh in the Aug. 28 poll.
   Creighton dropped back to ninth after a 2-1 finish at the Bluejay Invitational, and is currently No. 17.
   Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the last nine seasons, only 161-of-225 teams (71.6 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   In that same time frame, all but 22 teams named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.2 percent).

Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won eight matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 314-2 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a 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

Home Win Streak vs. Unranked Teams
Creighton has won 34 straight home matches against unranked teams dating to a Sept. 12, 2015 loss to Pacific.

Booth Earns 300th Win at Creighton
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 314-159 record on the Creighton sideline, having reached the 300 win milestone against Villanova on Sept. 24.
   Booth has beaten 83 different schools while at Creighton.
   Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-1   vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)   08/30/03
50-43   Jacksonville State   09/01/06
100-71   at Drake   10/31/08
150-108   Illinois State   09/30/11
200-123   Xavier   10/18/13
250-144   at Xavier   10/17/15
300-157   Villanova   09/24/17

4 x 5 For #1
Lydia Dimke did a little bit of everything in Creighton's 3-0 sweep of Northern Iowa on Sept. 2nd.
   The senior setter had 29 assists, 10 digs, four blocks, four kills and four aces against the Panthers.
   She's just the second player in CU history with four or more assists, digs, blocks, kills and aces in the same match, joining Melissa Weisensee (80 assists, 14 digs, 5 blocks, 5 kills, 4 aces) vs. Evansville on Nov. 2, 1996.

Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 102-93 in the 66 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 45-24 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 82-60 in 51 regular-season tournaments, including 12 titles.
   Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
   This year marked the first time since 2004 that Creighton has won back-to-back regular-season tournament titles in the same season, and is also the first time Creighton has won three titles in the same regular-season.

Top 25 History
Creighton is 10-70 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 5-4 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton's season-opening win at No. 3 Washington is the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays has ever beaten, surpassing a win over No. 4 Kansas last December.
   Creighton is 4-27 all-time against top-10 foes (4-20 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 4-34 after wins in the last three seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017) and No. 7 Kansas (2017).
   Creighton is 55-16 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 6-9 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That marks improves to 2-0 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
   Creighton's August 26th win over No. 3 Washington was the first match in program history that then-No. 9 Creighton and its opponent were both in the top-10 at the time of the match.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 24 of Creighton's 44 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 148-20 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 34 straight home matches over unranked teams.

Wilkinson Earns MVP; Honored By BIG EAST
Marysa Wilkinson was named MVP of the Husky Invitational on the opening weekend after averaging 2.90 kills and 1.50 blocks per set while hitting .397.
   Wilkinson had 13 kills and five blocks on .571 hitting in the season-opening win vs. Saint Mary's, and closed the weekend with 11 kills, four blocks and .429 hitting in the win at No. 3 Washington.
   Wilkinson was also honored as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts.

(Now) Streakless In Seattle
Creighton's win at No. 3 Washington on August 26th was historic for a number of reasons.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play since Sept. 13, 2008, snapping a streak of 81 straight victories.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play at home since Sept. 1, 2001, snapping a streak of 45 straight victories.
   It was also Washington's first regular-season non-conference loss in fewer than five sets since Sept. 7, 2002, a stretch that covered 143 matches.
   Washington had never lost a home match in the month of August (going 16-0), and had not lost in the month of August since August 31, 2006.
   Creighton had been 0-8 in history against teams ranked in the top-3 nationally, meaning the third-ranked Huskies were the Bluejays highest-ranked victim in program history.

Sweep, Chalk, Jayhawk
Creighton handed Kansas a rare home loss on Sept. 9th, topping the Jayhawks 25-20, 25-16, 29-27.
   It was the first time that Kansas was swept at home since Sept. 28, 2011, a span of 89 home matches.
   Kansas had won 16 straight regular-season non-conference matches before that evening.
   Since October 10, 2014, Kansas is 0-2 at home against Creighton and 42-3 at home against everyone else as of Nov. 24, 2017.

All-Region Picks Return
Creighton had five All-Region picks, tied for third-most nationally, in 2016.
   Creighton's four first-team choices trailed only Nebraska (6) and Florida (5) and were equal to Kansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin for third-most nationally.
   Creighton is the only team with five All-Region returners for 2017.
School   2016 All-Region   2017 returners
Nebraska   6   3
Minnesota   6   3
Creighton   5   5
Florida   5   4
Kansas   5   4
UCLA   5   2
Wisconsin   5   2
Kentucky   4   4

Some Fab Freshmen
Including Naomi Hickman on August 25th, Creighton has started eight different true freshmen in a season opener in the last eight years, and 14 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), Jaali Winters (2015) and Naomi Hickman (2017). In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as transfers Maggie Baumert (2014) and Lydia Dimke (2016) 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 (the BIG EAST has no such team). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, while Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016.

Coaching Them Up
Lydia Dimke became Creighton's first setter in six seasons to start the opening match of the season in consecutive seasons.
   Megan Bober was CU's Opening Day setter in 2012 vs. UCF before Michelle Sicner took over in the 2013 lid-lifter vs. BYU. In 2014 Maggie Baumert started the opener at setter against Lipscomb, while Kenzie Crawford got the call versus Miami (Ohio) in 2015. Last year Dimke started against Wichita State in the opener, then repeated at that spot vs. Saint Mary's this fall.
   Bober had owned the distinction of being Creighton's last setter to start consecutive season-openers, having done so all four years from 2009-12.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of those previous five seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and four of them saw Creighton win conference titles.

Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 261-28 (.903) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 53-131 (.288) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 79-1 in its last 80 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific.
   Last year's team was 24-4 when winning the first set and 5-3 when losing the first set.
   This year's team is 20-0 when winning the first set and 3-6 when dropping the first set.
   Dating back to Sept. 22, 2016, Creighton has won 39 straight matches at all sites when winning the first set.

Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-15 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters and libero Brittany Witt.
   From last year's team, only Jess Bird, Mac Conlon, Amanda Foje and Lauren Smith are not back.
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1697 (98.5%)   25 (1.5%)
Digs   1943 (95.0%)   103 (5.0%)
Aces   151 (86.8%)   23 (13.2%)
Kills   1501 (80.4%)   367 (19.6%)
Matches Started   173 (80.1%)   43 (19.9%)
Points   1848.0 (79.9%)   466.0 (20.1%)
Blocks   139 (51.1%)   133 (48.9%)

More Schedule Notes
Creighton played five non-conference matches against teams that were in the top-26 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the most of any team in the nation.
   The Bluejays meet up with No. 3 Washington, No. 8 Kansas, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 25 Purdue and the top receiving vote-getter, USC.
   Other teams that had five non-conference matches against the preseason top-26 are Loyola Marymount, Northern Iowa, Florida, Marquette, San Diego and Utah.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Creighton's 2016 club beat 10 teams that appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
   The schedule figures to be just as daunting in 2017, as CU plays 11 matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. CU is 6-5 so far this season against such teams.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 68-89 since.
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   11-5
2016   10-7
2017   6-5
TOTAL   71-124
TOTAL Under Booth   68-89

Marian Pipeline
This is the 15th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as junior Kelsey O'Connell and sophomore Brittany Witt return.
   Each of the last six years, Creighton's year-end leader in digs has been a player that attended Marian.
   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.
2017: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2016: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
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

Five Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons. They are the first Creighton women's team in any sport to make five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

At Home On The Road
Creighton owns five wins away from home in the last two NCAA Tournaments. Nationally, that's the most in the nation, one more than Hawai'i, Nebraska and Stanford, and two more than Florida State.
   Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Texas, Washington and Purdue are the only six schools with at least one road/neutral win in both the 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Four members of the Creighton Volleyball program gained valuable experience this summer while travelling the world.
   Libero Brittany Witt went to Thailand in May, playing with USA Volleyball's top collegiate team.
   In June, Taryn Kloth was one of 36 women to train with USA Volleyball's at a premier club event in Minneapolis, Minn. Kloth was the only player in the event with 10 or more kills in each match.
   A pair of Bluejays also met up in an unlikely setting in July...Pula, Croatia. Jaali Winters represented USA Volleyball while Jaclyn Taylor played for BP Midwest at the European Global Challenge. Winters' team won the event, while the only two losses by Taylor's team both came to Winters team.
   Creighton will meet the following players in 2017 that at least one Bluejay played with this summer:
Name   Team   CU Teammate
Alyssa Schultejans   Kansas State   Kloth
Stephanie Williams   Pitt   Kloth
Kylee Levers   Pitt   Taylor
Courtney Schwan   Washington   Winters
Kaz Brown   Kentucky   Witt
Olivia Dailey   Kentucky   Kloth
Ashley Evans   Purdue   Kloth
Brooke Peters   Purdue   Kloth
Sherridan Atkinson   Purdue   Kloth
Madison Rigdon   Kansas   Witt
Kelsie Payne   Kansas   Winters
Monique Harris   Iowa State   Kloth
Jenna Rosenthal   Marquette   Winters
Brittany Maxwell   DePaul   Taylor

Automatic Bid x 3
Creighton is one of nine schools nationally to earn an automatic bid into the 2014, 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments. That grouping includes New Hampshire, Dayton, Creighton, Coastal Carolina, Western Kentucky, American, Denver and BYU.
   Of those teams, the only six schools to win a conference tournament in three consecutive campaigns have been American, Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Dayton, Denver and New Hampshire.

Last Year Summary
Creighton went 29-7 last year, tying a program-record for wins, while advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time. The Bluejays started the fall 6-6 before uncorking a school-record 23-match win streak.
   CU became the first volleyball team in BIG EAST Conference history to finish 18-0, then became the first squad in NCAA Tournament history to open the postseason with three consecutive five-set victories.
   Lydia Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and Third Team All-American, while Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth were named All-BIG EAST and Honorable Mention All-Americans. Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth picked up BIG EAST Coach of the Year, AVCA East Region Coach of the Year and VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year accolades.

Volleyball Heads to BIG EAST Championships Seeking Fourth Straight Tourney Title

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Kenzie Crawford

Lydia Dimke

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Brittany Lawrence

Kelsey O'Connell

Jaclyn Taylor

Marysa Wilkinson

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt