Saturday, November 11
Cincinnati, Ohio
11:30 AM
Creighton University
at
Xavier
Jaali Winters
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
#14 Volleyball Seeks BIG EAST Title in Road Trip To Xavier; Butler
11/7/2017 2:53:00 PM | Volleyball
Jays can clinch a share of fourth straight BIG EAST title with two wins
Download Notes as a PDF
Nov. 11 11:30 am CT #14 Creighton at Xavier (BEDN) Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)
Nov. 12 12:00 pm CT #14 Creighton at Butler Indianapolis, Ind. (Hinkle Fieldhouse)
This Weekend
No. 14 Creighton looks to clinch a fourth straight BIG EAST Conference title this weekend when it starts a four-match road trip to finish the regular-season.
The trip starts for the Bluejays (20-5, 13-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Nov. 11th, with a match at Xavier (10-18, 5-9 BIG EAST). First serve is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Central at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Creighton closes the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 12th, at 12:00 p.m. Central with a match at Butler (20-6, 10-4 BIG EAST). That contest will be held at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Radio Information
Neither match will be broadcast on radio this weekend.
Video Information
Both matches this weekend will be video webcast and available at no charge.
Saturday's contest at Xavier will air on BIG EAST Digital Network. BEDN can be found at foxsportsgo.com, or via the FOX Sports Go app. Mike Schmaltz will announce the match.
Sunday's match at Butler will air on Facebook Live. A link to the match can be found via the volleyball schedule page at ButlerSports.com.
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 #14 Creighton
Creighton is 20-5 this fall and own a 1.5 game lead in the BIG EAST standings with a 13-1 league mark. The Bluejays have won 41 of their last 42 matches against teams from the BIG EAST and swept Marquette last Saturday to take a huge step towards claiming a fourth straight league title.
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.
Four Bluejays were named Preseason All-BIG EAST, a group that features libero Brittany Witt (4.20 dps.), Jaali Winters (3.42 kps., 2.72 dps.), Taryn Kloth (3.01 kps.) and 2016 BIG EAST Player of the Year Lydia Dimke (10.58 aps., 2.52 dps., .386%).
Marysa Wilkinson (2.91 kps., 0.98 bps., .380%) was snubbed in the preseason voting by league coaches, but you can be sure she'll attract postseason acclaim. The senior is hitting a robust .433 in league play with just 19 attack errors in 14 conference contests.
The Bluejays average 14.33 kills, 16.08 digs, 2.12 blocks and 1.35 aces per set while hitting .279.
Scouting Xavier
Xavier enters Saturday 10-18 this season, including a 5-9 BIG EAST start. The Musketeers have won three of their last four matches, including a 3-1 win over Villanova on Oct. 28.
Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Kristen Massa (3.36 kps., 2.95 dps.) was leading the offense but has not played since September 23rd. With her out, Laura Grossman (2.60 kps.) and Maya Krause (2.01 kps.) have averaged multiple kills per set.
Alexis Newsome (1.09 bps.), Lauren Frilling (0.94 bps.) and Moriah Hopkins (0.69 bps.) make the Musketeers one of the league's top blocking teams.
Xavier averages 12.44 kills, 0.92 aces, 16.10 digs and 2.35 blocks per set while hitting .188 as a team.
Scouting Butler
Butler is 20-6 this season, including a 10-4 BIG EAST mark. The Bulldogs have won six straight matches since squandering a 2-0 lead at Creighton on October 13th and are 1.5 games behind Marquette for second place.
Juniors Whitney Beck (3.20 kps., 3.16 dps.) and Anna Logan (3.15 kps., 3.48 dps.) give Butler two of the most potent outside hitters in the league.
Makayla Ferguson (10.54 aps.) directs the offense, while libero Taylor Takeda (4.22 dps., 0.36 saps.) is second in the BIG EAST in digs per set and service aces per set.
The Bulldogs average 13.66 kills, 1.13 aces, 15.91 digs and a league-best 2.75 blocks per set while hitting .248 as a team.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 311-158 record in her 15th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST titles, and four league crowns in the last five 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.
Christy Pfeffenberger (Dayton 2004) is in her third year as Xavier head coach and owns a 48-43 record, which doubles as her career mark. She was named head coach on January 29, 2015, replacing Mike Johnson after he took an assistant's job at Notre Dame. Pfeffenberger was previously an assistant at Xavier, Notre Dame, Dayton and Youngstown State after being an All-American player at Dayton. She is assisted by Ed Tolentino, Amber Hildebrandt and Andy Riesenberg.
Sharon Clark (Sacramento State, 1989) is 306-238 in her 18th year at Butler, which moves her career mark to 408-346 in 25 seasons overall when you factor in one year at Humboldt State (1993) and six seasons at UC Davis (1994-99). The winningest volleyball coach in program history, she is assisted by Eddie Pennington, Sean Keeve and Sofia Sanchez.
Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 12-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Each of the last five meetings have been 3-0 Bluejay sweeps.
Thanks in part to a 3-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has more wins against Xavier than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
Creighton's victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 6-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
Series History vs. Butler
Creighton is 8-1 all-time against Butler, with a 3-1 record in Indianapolis. CU is 5-1 all-time at Hinkle Fieldhouse, capturing the 2016 BIG EAST Championship last November there with wins over Seton Hall and Xavier.
Butler ruined Creighton's BIG EAST opener on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all eight meetings since then.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 8-1 vs. Butler and head coach Sharon Clark.
Last Weekend Recap
Creighton swept matches against both Marquette and DePaul to close the regular-season home schedule and reach 20 wins for a sixth straight campaign. Brittany Witt led CU with 31 digs and four aces, while Jaali Winters led CU with 25 kills in the victories.
Clinching Scenarios
Creighton has already clinched a bid to the BIG EAST Championship (Nov. 24 & 25 in Milwaukee), and now turns its sights on winning a fourth straight BIG EAST regular-season title.
Creighton owns a 1.5 game lead in the standings over Marquette and 3 games over Butler with four matches left (MU has 3 & BU 4 to play).
CU can clinch at least a share of the title with two victories this weekend. CU can also clinch with a Marquette loss combined with a Creighton win. A third clinching scenario exists if Marquette loses twice this weekend and Butler loses to Providence on Saturday, even if CU loses twice.
3 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last three BIG EAST regular-season titles, and chases a fourth this weekend.
St. John's had been the last BIG EAST team to win a share of three straight titles, having done so from 2006-08, while Notre Dame had been the last team to win three or more straight outright BIG EAST regular-season titles, having claimed four in a row from 1999-2002.
No team has won four straight regular-season titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
The only 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.
Speaking Of Titles
Creighton is seeking its fifth regular-season conference title in program history.
The Bluejays went 17-1 in 2012 to win the Missouri Valley Conference title, and have also won the BIG EAST title in 2014 (going 16-2), 2015 (17-1) and 2016 (18-0).
Each of the previous four times that Creighton won the regular-season title, it also won the conference tournament title.
BIG EAST Championship Rematch
Saturday's match at Xavier is a rematch of the 2016 BIG EAST Championship title match that took place in Indianapolis, Ind., a 25-19, 25-15, 27-25 Creighton triumph.
Creighton hit .410 in that contest, finishing with 54 kills and just 11 attack errors in 105 total attacks.
Jaali Winters had 16 kills and 11 digs en route to earning MVP honors, while Lauren Smith had 12 kills on .588 hitting.
Abbey Bessler finished her Musketeer career with 13 kills and Xavier's lone ace.
Creighton has won the only match against Xavier since the 2016 BIG EAST Championship contest, a 3-0 sweep in Omaha on October 15th.
Since Creighton's 2015 BIG EAST Championship match victory over Villanova, the Bluejays are 3-0 against the Wildcats.
Since Creighton's 2014 BIG EAST Championship match victory over Seton Hall, the Bluejays are 7-0 and have just dropped one set against the Pirates.
BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
Creighton has two remaining scheduled appearances this fall on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is a perfect 17-0 on BEDN. Five of those victories came in five sets.
Creighton next returns to BEDN on Saturday at Xavier.
Go East, Young Woman
Creighton's final four matches of the regular-season will take place in the Eastern time zone, but history suggests the travel hasn't been an issue.
Creighton has won 16 straight matches in the Eastern time zone dating to an Oct. 30, 2015 loss at Villanova.
Witt Earns 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 last weekend. Both Marquette (.099) and DePaul (.093) hit under .100.
Witt had 14 digs, five assists, one kill and one ace on Saturday 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.
On Sunday, Witt 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 now owns 10 or more digs in each match in CU's league-high nine-match win streak.
Witt (4x), along with teammates Marysa Wilkinson (3x) and Jaali Winters (once) have combined to win 8-of-11 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall.
Nine In A Row
Creighton has won nine matches in a row, losing just four sets (two to Butler) in that span.
Keying the win streak has been tremendous defense, something that often gets overlooked thanks to the multitude of offensive weapons.
Creighton has averaged 17.68 digs per set and allowed just 9.81 kills per set in the last nine matches, as opponents have hit just .120 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 5.00 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
10 Oct. 31-Dec. 5, 2015 vs. #2 USC, 3-1
9 Oct. 6, 2017 - Present ? ? ?
8 Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2
At Your Service
Creighton's serving has been a huge point of emphasis in recent weeks, and it's paid off.
Since starting the season with 69 aces (1.25 saps.) and 101 service errors in the first 16 matches (55 sets), CU has averaged had 47 aces (1.52 saps.) and just 53 service errors in the last nine contests (31 sets). Lydia Dimke has 10 aces and three errors in the last nine matches.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 262-9 (.967) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 205-3 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 38 straight when up 2-0, and is 132-1 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
Conversely, the Jays are 13-191 (.064) 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
BIG EAST RPI Ranks Sixth
The BIG EAST ranks sixth 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 6th.
Rank Conference Average RPI
1. Big Ten .6193
2. Pacific 12 .6169
3. Big 12 .5983
4. Southeastern .5919
5. Atlantic Coast .5517
6. BIG EAST .5424
7. West Coast .5423
8. Big West .5178
9. Colonial Athletic .5169
10. Mountain West .5124
Six Straight 20 Win Seasons
Creighton is 20-5 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, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, 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 7th.
Team 2017 W-L Next Match
Washington 19-6 11/8
Texas 19-2 11/8
Hawaii 18-7 11/16
Marquette 18-8 11/10
North Carolina 12-10 11/9
Florida State 12-10 11/10
UTSA 11-13 11/9
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 27-2 11/9
Penn State 23-1 11/8
BYU 23-2 11/9
Stanford 21-2 11/8
Florida 20-1 11/10
Nebraska 20-4 11/8
Creighton 20-5 11/11
Washington 19-6 11/8
Texas 19-2 11/8
Florida State 12-10 11/10
All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 101-30 record in the last four seasons, and is 153-43 in the past six years.
On a national basis through November 7th, those 101 wins are tied for 11th-most, while the 153 victories are also 11th-most.
Most Wins, Since 2014
Rank School Wins Next Match
1. Western Kentucky 119 11/9
2. Penn State 111 11/8
3. BYU 110 11/9
Washington 110 11/8
5. Dayton 107 11/10
6. Nebraska 106 11/8
7. Stanford 104 11/8
8. Texas 103 11/8
American 103 11/10
10. Colorado State 102 11/9
11. Creighton 101 11/11
Wisconsin 101 11/10
Minnesota 101 11/10
Towson 101 11/12
15. Florida 100 11/10
Most Wins, Since 2012
Rank School Wins Next Match
1. Western Kentucky 179 11/9
2. Penn State 178 11/8
3. Washington 165 11/8
4. BYU 162 11/9
5. Stanford 161 11/8
6. Texas 159 11/8
7. American 158 11/10
Nebraska 158 11/8
9. Minnesota 157 11/10
10. Florida 155 11/10
11. Creighton 153 11/11
12. Colorado State 151 11/9
13. Kansas 150 11/8
14. Dayton 150 11/10
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.
Senior Day Last Sunday
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 101-30 in the past four seasons, including a 64-4 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 both the regular-season and BIG EAST Tournament title in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
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 blocks and hitting percentage. Lawrence has played in 62 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 1,443 kills, 52 aces, 1,230 digs, 2,762 assists and 550 blocks.
CU's League Leaders
In league matches only, Creighton leads the BIG EAST in assists per set (14.00), kills per set (15.00), digs per set (16.79), hitting percentage (.310), opponent hitting percentage (.146), opponent kills per set (10.50), opponent assists per set (9.75) and opponent aces per set (0.67).
Individually in league play only, Marysa Wilkinson (.433) is tops in hitting percentage,
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.
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. 9) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (thru 11/9)
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (4) 76 8 124 39
Marquette (4) 66 19 113 43
Xavier 56 28 88 66
Butler 50 34 96 57
Seton Hall (1) 49 36 89 68
Villanova (1) 41 43 83 69
St. John's 35 50 84 75
Georgetown 16 68 44 104
DePaul 16 69 56 92
Providence* 9 59 45 82
*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 41-1 in its last 42 matches and 54-2 in its last 56 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, as seen below.
Team Series History Current CU Streak
Butler CU 8-1 Won Last 8
DePaul CU 10-1 Won Last 10
Georgetown CU 9-0 Won Last 9
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 9-1 Won Last 4
Xavier CU 12-0 Won Last 12
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 201 sweeps in program history since its 1994 reinstatement, nearly half of its 404 all-time wins.
Creighton is 162-64 all-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in three-set matches, compared to a 39-83 mark before her arrival.
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.
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 is 13-1 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.
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 5-0 so far TBD
Total 133-84 127-86 --
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.
Wilkinson Wows 'Em
Marysa Wilkinson is hitting .433 in league matches, committing just 19 attack errors in 277 swings over 14 conference matches thus far.
Wilkinson owns 88 kills and just 12 errors in Creighton's nine-match win streak, which spans 170 swings (.447).
The BIG EAST record for hitting percentage in conference play is .481 by Notre Dame's Ashley Tartutis in 2007.
No player has finished hitting .435 or better in BIG EAST action since Cincinnati's Jessie Nevitt hit .461 in 2008.
All She Does Is Win
Since her arrival on campus in 2014, Creighton is 100-30 in matches that Marysa Wilkinson has appeared in.
The 100 victories are fourth-most in program history for one player, and give her a chance to surpass Lauren Smith's school-record of 104 victories by season's end.
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
104 Lauren Smith 2013-16
102 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
100 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-Pr.
95 Kate Elman 2012-15
100, 200, 300, 400
Creighton owns a 404-310 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 25 of Creighton's last 26 matches has been the team that won the first set of the match, and the Bluejays have won 38 in a row when going up 1-0 in a match.
This fall, Creighton is 19-0 when winning the first set and 1-5 when losing the first set. Xavier is 6-4 when winning the first set and 4-14 when dropping the opener. Butler is 14-2 when winning the first set and 6-4 when losing the first set.
Creighton is 16-2 when winning the second set and 4-3 when dropping the second set. Xavier is 9-3 when winning the second set and 1-15 when losing the second set. Butler is 19-2 when winning the second set and 1-4 when losing the second set.
Creighton is 18-1 when winning the third set and 2-4 when losing the third set. Xavier is 8-3 when winning the third set and 2-15 when dropping the third set. Butler is 15-0 when winning the third set and 5-6 when losing the third set.
Creighton is 6-1 when winning the fourth set and 0-2 when losing the fourth set. Xavier is 5-1 when winning the fourth set and 1-8 when losing the fourth set. Butler is 6-1 when winning the fourth set and 3-2 when losing the fourth set.
Creighton is 1-1 in five-set matches. Xavier is 2-2 and Butler is 6-2 in five-set matches.
Dimke Passes 2,000
Lydia Dimke owns 2,269 assists in 59 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 .386 in all matches and .381 in league play.
Dimke has become the career hitting percentage at Creighton, which requires 250 career kills. Dimke is hitting .335, which puts her fractions ahead of 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. Lydia Dimke 261 69 573 .3351 2015-Pr.
2. Kelli Browning 1,104 325 2,327 .3348 2011-14
3. Lauren Smith 1,160 365 2,460 .323 2013-16
4. Marysa Wilkinson 1,093 284 2,575 .314 2014-Pr.
5. Megan Ballenger 365 122 818 .297 2015-Pr.
6. Kelly Goc 1,414 414 3,374 .296 2004-07
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 41-4 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 19 straight November matches at all sites dating to a Nov. 23, 2014 loss.
Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 58-4 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 83 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 8-1 - 8-1
DePaul 10-0 - 10-0
Georgetown 9-0 - 9-0
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 8-1 1-0 9-1
Xavier 9-0 3-0 12-0
Total 76-8 7-1 83-9
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 311 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 311*
*still active coaching at Creighton
Better And Better and Better...
Senior Marysa Wilkinson owns 250 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.
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, 2014-17 236 286 321 250 1,093
Shelly Kapler, 1996-99 237 283 265 215 1,000
Jess Bird, 2013-16 297 231 350 87 965
Jaali Winters, 2015-Pr. 546 448 294 - 1,288
Spike Town
Jaali Winters enters this weekend with 1,288 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-12 in career kills, which includes teammate Marysa Wilkinson's 1,093 kills that rank 11th. Wilkinson is 11 shy of moving into the top-10.
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 344 1,288 2015-Pr.
7. Leah McNary 458 1,257 2011-14
8. Lauren Smith 511 1,160 2013-16
9. Allie Oelke 445 1,126 2007-10
10. Kelli Browning 424 1,104 2011-14
11. Marysa Wilkinson 467 1,093 2014-Pr.
12. Amanda Cvejdlik 343 1,029 2005-08
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 14th
Creighton ranks 14th in the Nov. 6 official NCAA RPI rankings. The mark is the best in the BIG EAST (Marquette is second-best at 33).
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.
Wilkinson Named Defensive Player of Week
Marysa Wilkinson was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3. It was her second such honor this fall, joining the recognition she received on August 29.
In addition to 3.17 kills per set on .444 hitting, Wilkinson averaged 1.67 blocks per set as Creighton swept matches at both Seton Hall and St. John's. Wilkinson's 10 blocks were twice as many as Creighton's opponents, combined, on the weekend.
She began her weekend with 13 kills in 20 swings, hitting .600, as Creighton swept Seton Hall. She added two blocks and a pair of digs.
At St. John's, Wilkinson tied her career-high with eight blocks while also providing six kills on .250 hitting. Her sixth kill gave Creighton a 23-17 lead in the third set and made her the 13th Bluejay in school history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Dimke Up For Senior CLASS Award
Lydia Dimke is 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. 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 10.58 assists, 2.52 digs, 1.49 kills and 0.76 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.
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
Carnesecca Arena (SJU) 5-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU) 5-0
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU) 5-1
Al McGuire Center (MU) 5-2
Cintas Center (XU) 4-0
McDonough Arena (GU) 4-0
Alumni Hall (PC) 4-0
Jake Nevin Field House (VU) 3-1
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.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 12 of the past 14 years, including seven 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 ??? ???
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 heading into this weekend, 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
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 39-of-48 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 76-8 in 84 regular-season BIG EAST matches in its five-year history in the league, with 45 sweeps, including 32 of its last 48 matches.
Since October 31, 2015, Creighton has won 123-of-142 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 23rd 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
Challenging Schedule
The NCAA website tracks the nation's toughest schedules played.
Entering this week, Creighton's opponents this year have gone 314-179 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.
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 6th, the only other teams with more wins over ranked teams are Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Florida, Stanford, Texas, Utah, UNI, USC and Washington.
Creighton, Florida, Michigan State, Penn State, 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
7 Minnesota #5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 20, 22
6 Penn State #1, 4, 9, 9, 10, 17
6 Stanford #12, 14, 16, 16, 19, 25
6 Washington #13, 13, 15, 15, 19, 25
5 Florida #1, 5, 6, 16, 19
5 USC #6, 7, 11, 12, 16
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 Texas #9, 17, 18, 23
4 Utah #9, 13, 15, 25
3 Creighton #3, 7, 13
3 Baylor #10, 20, 24
3 BYU #16, 17, 21
3 Michigan State #1, 5, 7
3 Notre Dame #21, 23, 24
3 UCLA #11, 20, 22
3 Kentucky #1, 18, 23
3 Wisconsin #4, 11, 20
Top 25 Jays
Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 18th 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
522 Stanford 2
522 Nebraska 6
439 Penn State 1
412 Florida 4
236 Washington 13
216 Texas 3
71 Wisconsin 10
70 BYU 9
58 UCLA 18
42 Kansas 11
41 Minnesota 5
27 San Diego 12
25 Oregon 16
22 Kentucky 7
21 Utah 15
18 Creighton 14
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 52 aces in 86 sets played for a scant 0.60 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 best mark by far, as seen below:
Fewest Aces Per Set Allowed
SAPS Against Year Team W-L
0.60 2017 20-5 so far
0.65 2008 18-9
0.88 2010 21-12
0.91 2012 29-4
0.92 2009 14-17
0.94 2013 23-9
0.95 2005 16-14
0.98 2015 27-9
0.99 2014 25-9
1.01 2016 29-7
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 last four times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016), the Bluejays went on to win both the regular-season and conference tournament titles, going a combined 68-4 in regular-season league action (and 8-0 in league tournament action) during those years.
In the 15 previous seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than 9-9 in league play and it owns a combined .719 (194-76) 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
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 311-2 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 311-158 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.
No. 7 Ranking Was Best; Now 14th
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. 14.
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).
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 52-15 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 43 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 145-19 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 41-2 at home against everyone else as of Nov. 7, 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.
Statistically Speaking
Creighton finished last season ranked first in the nation with 1,868 kills, third nationally with 1,722 assists and fourth with 14.59 kills per set.
Individually, Lydia Dimke ranked second nationally with 1,454 assists, just 11 behind the 1,465 by Minnesota's Samantha Seliger-Swenson.
Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 260-28 (.903) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 51-130 (.282) 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 19-0 when winning the first set and 1-5 when dropping the first set.
Dating back to Sept. 22, 2016, Creighton has won 38 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.
All-Around Excellence
Last winter Creighton reached the Sweet 16 not only in women's volleyball, but in men's soccer too.
Creighton joined Stanford, Washington and North Carolina as the only four schools with a Sweet 16 in both sports in 2016.
In 2015, Creighton and Ohio State were the only teams to reach the Sweet 16 in the same two sports.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 49-27 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 nine of its last 12 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, and an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016.
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 1-1 20-5
Total 64-55 404-310
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.
3 Straight BIG EAST Tourney Titles
Creighton won a third straight BIG EAST Championship title last year, becoming the first to do so since Louisville won three straight titles from 2008-10.
It was Creighton's fifth straight league tournament title game appearance dating to the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference title.
No team has won four straight BIG EAST Volleyball Championships since Notre Dame from 1995-98.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballWednesday, May 27
Tuesday, May 26
Saturday, April 18
Saturday, April 18
