Naomi Hickman
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Volleyball Closes Non-Conference Gauntlet at Shocker Volleyball Classic
9/13/2017 11:10:00 AM | Volleyball
Bluejays renew rivalries vs. Wichita State and Iowa State this weekend
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This Weekend -- Shocker Volleyball Classic
Sept. 15   7:00 pm   #8 Creighton at Wichita State. (1180 AM; Cox YurView)   Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
Sept. 16   4:30 pm   #8 Creighton vs. #19 Iowa State (1180 AM)   Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
This Weekend
Creighton closes out non-conference play with two matches this weekend at the Shocker Volleyball Classic in Wichita, Kan.
   The No. 8 Bluejays (7-2) open the weekend with a road match at former MVC rival Wichita State (7-2) on Friday at 7 p.m.
   On Saturday, Creighton takes on No. 19 Iowa State (7-1) at 4:30 p.m.
   Matches will be held at Charles Koch Arena (10,506).
Radio Information
Both of Creighton's matches this weekend will air on Omaha radio on KZOT (1180 AM), with Brad Burwell and Rob Anderson on the call.
   The matches will also be streamed on-line at http://player.listenlive.co/52381.
TV / Video Information
Friday's match will be televised live in Wichita on Cox YurView Kansas, with Shane Dennis and Denning Gerig on the call. A tape-delayed replay of the broadcast will air in Omaha on YurView Channel 1013 on Cox Cable on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 4:30 p.m.
   Neither match will be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
Both of Creighton's matches at the Shocker Volleyball Classic will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page for the exact links.
Scouting #8 Creighton
Creighton is off to a 7-2 start that includes a nation-leading three wins over ranked teams (No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 Kentucky), as well as seven wins over RPI top-100 foes.
   Creighton is currently ranked eighth in the AVCA Top 25 poll, its fifth straight poll in the top-10 dating to last season's year-end poll.
   The Bluejays have won a tournament on each of the last three weekends, with a different MVP each time.
   Senior MB Marysa Wilkinson (3.10 kps., 1.07 bps., .370%) was named MVP of the Husky Invitational, senior S Lydia Dimke (10.52 aps., 2.31 dps., 0.41 saps., .373%) was MVP of the Bluejay Invitational and most recently, junior OH Jaali Winters (3.48 kps., 2.45 dps.) named the MVP of the Kansas Invitational.
   The three-time defending BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champion, Creighton was a unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST in 2017 after returning five starters, plus sophomore libero Brittany Witt (3.62 dps., 0.41 saps.), from last season's team went 29-7 while advancing to its first Elite Eight.
   The Bluejays average 13.90 kills, 14.97 digs, 2.40 blocks and 1.62 aces per set while hitting .274.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State started 7-0 before losses to No. 14 Oregon and Cal Poly to close out a trip to Eugene last weekend. The Shockers best wins to date are over Lipscomb, Marquette and Miami (Ohio).
   Tabitha Brown averages 4.12 kills and 2.44 digs per set while hitting .333. Abbie Lehman (2.91 kps., 1.09 bps., .323%) and Mikaela Raudsepp (2.16 kps.) are also strong offensive threats.
   Emily Hiebert (9.97 aps.) sets the Shocker offense, while Giorgia Civita (5.00 dps.) handles the libero role.
   WSU averages 13.34 kills, 0.97 aces, 15.94 digs and 2.62 blocks per set while hitting .258.
Scouting #19 Iowa State
No. 19 Iowa State is 7-1 after Tuesday's home loss to UNI, but does own victories over Dayton, Pitt, Nebraska-Omaha and Iowa this fall.
   Samara West (2.65 kps., .352%), Jess Schaben (2.45 kps., 2.66 dps.) and Grace Lazard (2.41 kps., .324%, 1.21 bps.) are top offensive weapons, while Alexis Conaway (1.54 bps.) is one of the nation's top blockers.
   Monique Harris (7.00 aps.) and Piper Mauck (4.39 aps.) run the Cyclones' 6-2 offense, and Hali Hillegas (5.31 dps.) is the libero.
   ISU averages 13.41 kills, 0.93 aces, 17.03 digs and 3.03 blocks per set on .236 hitting.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 298-155 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.
   Now in his 18th season at Wichita State, Chris Lamb (Sonoma State, 1998) owns a 391-158 record, all with the Shockers, and has led WSU to the second round of the 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments, in addition to a 2012 Sweet 16 run. He is assisted by Sean Carter, Austin Hosto and Julie Allen.
   Christy Johnson-Lynch (Nebraska, 1996) is in her 13th year as head coach at Iowa State with a 253-124 record. She's led ISU to 11 straight NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Regional finals, An Omaha native who attended Millard North High School and starred at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she is assisted by her husband, Joe Lynch, as well as Dawn Sullivan and Jen Malcom.
Series History vs. Wichita State
Creighton owns a 23-22 lead in the all-time series with Wichita State. The Bluejays have are 6-1 in their last seven meetings with WSU.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-14 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 16-16 vs. Creighton all-time. Of Booth's 12 wins over WSU, three of them have come after surviving a match point for the Shockers.
   Six of the last 11 meetings have gone five sets, and the teams have played 12 five-set matches all-time. Creighton has won seven of the last nine meetings to go the distance, and owns an overall 8-4 edge in those contests.
Series History vs. Iowa State
Iowa State and Creighton have split eight all-time match-ups, though the Bluejays have won the past two meetings.
   The teams have met just once before on a neutral floor, with that coming on Dec. 3, 2010, when Creighton made its NCAA Tournament debut with a 3-2 upset of the No. 16 Cyclones in Minneapolis.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-3 all-time against ISU and Cyclones head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.
Last Weekend Recap
Creighton went 2-1 and won the Kansas Invitational last weekend in Lawrence, Kan. The Bluejays lost to No. 17 Purdue (3-1) before responding with sweeps over both Belmont and No. 7 Kansas to win the tourney tiebreaker of set win percentage.
   Jaali Winters was named MVP of the event and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Taryn Kloth and Brittany Witt.
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3 Weeks, 3 Titles, 3 Different MVP's
Creighton has 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.
Rank & File
Creighton owns three victories over ranked teams this fall, having already toppled No. 3 Washington, No. 13 Kentucky and No. 7 Kansas.
   It already marks the first time in any season that Creighton has beaten three ranked teams.
   After Tuesday, the only other teams with three wins over ranked teams were Florida and UNI.
Team   Top 25 Wins
Creighton   3
Northern Iowa   3
Florida   3
Colorado State   2
Kansas   2
Kentucky   2
Minnesota   2
Nebraska   2
Oregon   2
Penn State   2
Texas   2
UCLAÂ Â Â 2
USCÂ Â Â 2
Top 10 Jays
Creighton is in the top 10 of the AVCA poll for the fifth straight week, a streak that started with the year-end poll in 2016.
   Nationally, that's tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the nation, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 10
   Streak   Team
   106   Texas
   28   Minnesota
   24   Wisconsin
   8   Washington
   6   Stanford
   5   Creighton
   5   Penn State
   4   Kansas
   3   Florida
   1   Nebraska
Strong Starts After Nine
Creighton is off to a 7-2 start for the first time since the 2013 club also started 7-2. It's a marked improvement over the past two Bluejay seasons that both started 4-5, but ended up in the Sweet 16 (2015) and Elite Eight (2016).
   With two wins this weekend, Creighton can post its best start after 11 contests since the 2012 team opened 10-1.
Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton has seven wins heading into its final weekend of non-conference play for the first time since 2014.
   Creighton hasn't had eight non-conference regular-season wins since 2013, when it opened 9-3, and last started 9-2 (as it could with two wins this week) in 2012. That 2012 team, CU's last in the MVC, finished 29-4 and beat Wichita State three times
   Creighton Volleyball is 3-2 against ranked 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
2003Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 8-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 5-5Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-7Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 9-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 7-6Â Â Â 0-5Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 6-7Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 0-4Â Â Â 29-7
2017   7-2 so far   3-2 so far   TBD
Wilkinson Moving Up Blocks List
Marysa Wilkinson currently ranks 11th in school history in both block assists and total blocks, and stands a strong chance to move into the top-10 this weekend in each category.
Career Total Blocks
      Name   Sets   BS   BA   Tot.   Years
   1.   Jessica Houts   451   73   536   609   2005-09
   2.   Kelli Browning   424   55   547   602   2011-14
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   61   499   560   2013-16
   4.   Ashley Williams   359   100   347   447   2001-04
   5.   JoDe Cieloha   398   106   331   437   1994-97
   6.   Megan Bober   480   42   380   422   2009-12
   7.   Laurel Sanford   369   43   376   419   2008-11
   8.   Melissa Walsh   394   46   320   366   1998-01
   9.   Kelly Goc   394   44   310   354   2004-07
   10.   Heather Thorson   402   31   313   344   2009-12
   11.   Marysa Wilkinson   410   37   304   341   2014-Pr.
   12.   Michelle Sicner   384   32   277   309   2011-14
Career Block Assists
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kelli Browning   424   547   2011-14
   2.   Jessica Houts   451   536   2005-09
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   499   2013-16
   4.   Megan Bober   480   380   2009-12
   5.   Laurel Sanford   369   376   2008-11
   6.   Ashley Williams   359   347   2001-04
   7.   JoDe Cieloha   398   331   1994-97
   8.   Melissa Walsh   394   320   1998-01
   9.   Heather Thorson   402   313   2009-12
   10.   Kelly Goc   394   310   2004-07
   11.   Marysa Wilkinson   410   304   2014-Pr.
   12.   Michelle Sicner   384   277   2011-14
Booth Chases 300th Win
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 298-155 record on the Creighton sideline, and can reach the 300-win mark with victories over both Wichita State and Iowa State.
   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
Jays To Play in 700th Match
Saturday's match vs. Iowa State will be Creighton's 700th contest since reinstating the program in 1994. The team currently owns a record of 391-307.
   Creighton is 79-21 in its last 100 matches.
   Here's a look at Creighton's record after each 100 matches:
W-L   Opponent   Date   Result
34-66   Northern Iowa   10/17/97   L 3-2
78-122   at Missouri State   09/16/01   L 0-3
122-178   Northern Iowa   11/12/04   L 1-3
182-218   Iowa State   09/02/08   L 1-3
240-260Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 09/17/11Â Â Â L 1-3
314-286   DePaul   10/03/14   W 3-1
Sweep, Chalk, Jayhawk
Creighton handed Kansas a rare home loss last Saturday night, 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 Saturday.
   Since October 10, 2014, Kansas is 0-2 at home against Creighton and 37-1 at home against everyone else.
Blame The Ruby Red Slippers
Creighton heads to the state of Kansas for the third time in the last five weeks when it ventures to Wichita for the Shocker Volleyball Classic.
   Creighton played an exhibition match in Manhattan against Kansas State on August 18th, then spent last weekend in Lawrence at the Kansas Invitational.
   Creighton is hoping that this isn't the team's final trip to the state of Kansas this year, as Kansas City hosts the Volleyball Final Four in December.
The Revenge Tour Continues
Creighton meets up with Wichita State on Friday, seeking revenge against a Shocker program that handed CU one of its seven losses last year.
   Creighton has already faced four of the teams that it lost to last year, and avenged the defeat with a win in three of those.
   Creighton swept Kansas and Kentucky, and won in five sets in a preseason exhibition at Kansas State. The only team to beat CU each of the last two years has been USC.
   Creighton is not scheduled to play either Nebraska nor Texas this fall.
Better To Receive?
Creighton's defense has done its job in the last four matches, allowing just two aces in 265 serves received in that span.
   For the season, Creighton has faced 611 serves and allowed just 17 service aces. By comparison, Creighton owns 47 aces in 682 serving attempts.
   Below is a breakdown of those serves in the last four matches:
#Â Â Â Statistic
265Â Â Â Opponent Serves
165Â Â Â Creighton sideouts (62.3%)
94Â Â Â Creighton kill on first rally (35.5%)
2Â Â Â Opponent aces (0.8%)
Witt Honored By BIG EAST
Sophomore libero Brittany Witt was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after helping Creighton Volleyball to the Kansas Invitational title last weekend.
   Witt averaged 3.80 digs and 0.50 aces per set, earning All-Tournament Team honors, as Creighton went 2-1 against a field that featured two ranked opponents as well as preseason OVC favorite Belmont.
   Witt had 14 digs and tied her career high with three aces against No. 17 Purdue to open the weekend. Later that day the Omaha native added eight digs and an ace as CU made quick work of Belmont.
   Witt's best match of the weekend came in a win at #7 Kansas, where she owned 16 digs and an ace while handling the Jayhawks their first home sweep since 2011. Witt had nine scoops and served a pivotal 5-0 run that gave Creighton the lead for good in the first set. It was KU's first loss of the season in 10 contests.
   Overall, Witt led a defensive unit that was aced just once in 10 sets (178 serve receptions) over the weekend.
Dimke Earns League Honor
Senior setter Lydia Dimke was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 after averaging 9.67 assists, 2.44 digs, 0.78 aces, 1.00 blocks and 1.56 digs per set at the Bluejay Invitational.
   Dimke was named Tournament MVP after helping Creighton to the crown.
   It's the first time Dimke has been named Offensive Player of the Week by the BIG EAST, though she was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 7, 2016.
Schedule Doesn't Let Up Anytime Soon
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 match against Creighton this season, or their record so far for this weekend's foes.
Team   W-L
Saint Mary's   0-0
(RV) Pitt   0-1
#3 Washington   2-0
#13 Kentucky   3-0
#18 USCÂ Â Â 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
Road Tested
Friday night's match vs. Wichita State will be the first time in Creighton's last five true road contests that it isn't facing a top-10 team.
   Each of the previous four true road matches came against a top-10 foe, with Creighton winning three of those contests.
Date   Opponent   Result
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   CU 3-2
12/10/16   at #5 Texas   UT 3-0
08//26/17   at #3 Washington   CU 3-1
09/02/17   at #7 Kansas   CU 3-0
Streaks vs. Unranked Teams
Creighton has won 29 straight matches against unranked teams, which dates back to a Sept. 3, 2016 loss at Southern Cal.
   In fact, each of Creighton's last 10 losses have come against teams that were ranked or receiving votes in that week's AVCA poll dating to an Oct. 30, 2015 loss at Villanova.
   At home, Creighton has won 26 straight matches against unranked teams dating to a Sept. 12, 2015 loss to Pacific.
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 298-2 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
08/26/11Â Â Â vs. UTSAÂ Â Â 12-14, 13-14Â Â Â 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
Service With A Smile
Creighton served up nine aces against Northern Iowa on Sept. 2 and countered that with a season-low two serving errors.
   The +7 ace/error differential against the Panthers ranks tied for seventh-greatest since the program's 1994 restart. Here's the only matches that are better:
Diff.   Aces   Errors   Opponent   Date
+11   15   4   vs. NE Illinois   9/23/95
+10   12   2   at DePaul   10/3/14
+9   12   3   at Evansville   10/7/94
+9Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 6Â Â Â UMKCÂ Â Â 11/12/95
+8   13   5   at New Mexico   9/4/04
+8   12   4   DePaul   9/25/16
All About That Ace
For the season, Creighton has 47 aces and 53 service errors in 29 sets played. That is CU's most aces through nine matches since 2007, and the second-fewest service errors through nine matches since the program's reinstatement in 1994.
Serving Stats Through 9 Matches, Under Booth
Year   Aces   Errors   SAPS   Team W-L
2017Â Â Â 47Â Â Â 53Â Â Â 1.62Â Â Â 7-2
2016Â Â Â 33Â Â Â 89Â Â Â 0.94Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 60Â Â Â 1.26Â Â Â 4-5
2014Â Â Â 34Â Â Â 88Â Â Â 1.00Â Â Â 6-3
2013Â Â Â 37Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 1.16Â Â Â 7-2
2012Â Â Â 40Â Â Â 60Â Â Â 1.29Â Â Â 8-1
2011Â Â Â 39Â Â Â 61Â Â Â 1.18Â Â Â 3-6
2010Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 76Â Â Â 0.85Â Â Â 4-5
2009Â Â Â 36Â Â Â 94Â Â Â 1.09Â Â Â 2-7
2008Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 93Â Â Â 0.94Â Â Â 4-5
2007Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 99Â Â Â 1.58Â Â Â 5-4
2006Â Â Â 54Â Â Â 95Â Â Â 1.59Â Â Â 8-1
2005Â Â Â 34Â Â Â 63Â Â Â 1.13Â Â Â 5-4
2004Â Â Â 75Â Â Â 93Â Â Â 2.42Â Â Â 8-1
2003Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 86Â Â Â 1.34Â Â Â 2-7
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.
Fridays Are For The Jays
Creighton's was 16-0 on Friday's last season, winning 48-of-53 sets played.
   Of those 16 wins, five were against teams that went on to reach the NCAA Tournament (Northern Iowa, TCU, Marquette and Kansas, Michigan).
   This year's team is 3-1 in matches on Friday's, and 10-3 in sets, including a victory over a Kentucky team that reached last year's NCAA's.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 102-91 in the 65 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 45-22 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 82-58 in 49 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 A Program Best; Now 8th
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. 8 after going 2-1 last weekend in Lawrence.
   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 10-69 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 5-3 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 39-12 all-time as a ranked team, and also 6-8 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, 23 of Creighton's 40 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 132-17 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 26 straight home matches over unranked teams.
   Creighton is 0-1 all-time against teams ranked exactly 19th, as Iowa State is.
Home At Home
Creighton has won 21 straight matches against BIG EAST competition at D.J. Sokol Arena, and is 26-1 in its last 27 matches against all teams at home.
   Below is a look at the program's largest home win streaks in history.
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
   12   Sept. 20 - Nov. 28, 2015   #4 Kansas, 3-2
   9   Sept. 20, 2014-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0
   8   Sept. 25-Nov. 20, 2010   Northern Illinois, 3-0
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 are the Bluejays highest-ranked victim in program history.
Operation Spikeville
Jaali Winters enters Friday with 1,095 career kills, good for 10th-most in Creighton history. She is likely to pass Kelli Browning (1,104) this weekend, and could even surpass Allie Oelke (1,126) with a strong showing in Wichita.
   Here's a look at Creighton's top-17 in career kills, which includes teammate Marysa Wilkinson's 933 kills that rank 16th. It's not out of the question that Wilkinson could pass Ashley Williams (941) and Erin Swanson (955) this weekend.
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.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   7.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   8.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   9.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   10.   Jaali Winters   287   1,095   2015-Pr.
   11.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   12.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
   13.   Jess Bird   377   965   2013-16
   14.   Erin Swanson   319   955   1998-01
   15.   Ashley Williams   359   941   2001-04
   16.   Marysa Wilkinson   410   933   2014-Pr.
   17.   Megan Bober   480   833   2009-12
Winters Reaches 1,000 Kills
Jaali Winters owns 1,095 career kills. That's second-most nationally among juniors, trailing only Iowa's Taylor Louis (1,263).
   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.
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 St.
Allie Oelke   107   10/09/10   Wichita State
Kelli Browning   110   10/26/14   DePaul
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
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
UCLAÂ Â Â 5Â Â Â 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.
Some 2016 Highlights
The 2016 season was one full of highlights for Creighton. Consider the following...
-Creighton was ranked ninth in the final AVCA poll, best in program history.
-Creighton owned a year-end NCAA RPI of 12 best in program history.
-Creighton reached its first Elite Eight in program history.
-Creighton won its third straight BIG EAST regular-season title, and third straight BIG EAST Championship title, going a combined 20-0 against league foes in 2016.
-Creighton won the BIG EAST Conference, the nation's ninth-best league, by five full games in the standings.
-Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST history to advance to a Regional Final. League teams had previously been 0-7 in the Regional Semifinal round.
-Creighton ranked tied for fourth nationally with 29 victories, tied for 16th in road victories and 20th in winning percentage (.806).
-Lydia Dimke was named an AVCA Third Team All-American and became the program's first BIG EAST Player of the Year.
-Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters were both named Honorable Mention All-Americans by the AVCA. Winters was also named Second Team All-American by PrepVolleyball.com and Third Team All-American by VolleyballMag.com. In addition, Lauren Smith was named a First Team Senior CLASS Award All-American.
-Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year, AVCA East Region Coach of the Year and VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year.
Select Company
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.
   Creighton is also one of 21 teams 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.
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.
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 and received 81 points in the poll and 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 12 member on 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 predicted.
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   ???   ???
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 253-9 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 196-3 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 29 straight when up 2-0, and is 123-1 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
   Conversely, the Jays are 12-190 (.059) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, but did have three comeback victories in 2015.
   Those 12 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
Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 248-28 (.899) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 50-127 (.282) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 72-1 in its last 73 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 7-0 when winning the first set and 0-2 when dropping 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%)
Challenging Schedule
The NCAA website tracks the nation's toughest schedules played.
   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.
   Among the 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers on Creighton's 2017 schedule are Pitt, Washington, Kentucky, USC, Northern Iowa, Purdue, Kansas, Wichita State, Iowa State and Marquette. Nine of the 11 non-conference teams that Creighton will face received votes in the preseason top-25 poll.
   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 are against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the Aug. 28 top-25 poll. The lone exception to that group, Belmont, a club that was picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference.
More Schedule Notes
Creighton plays 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.
So Good, So Young
Want a scary thought? Of the 10 Creighton women to see time in last December's Regional Semifinal win over 12th-seeded Michigan, the Bluejays used just one senior (Lauren Smith).
   The remainder of Creighton's line-up that was used included three juniors (Lydia Dimke, Marysa Wilkinson and Kenzie Crawford), four sophomores (Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Brittany Lawrence and Jaali Winters) and two freshmen (Brittany Witt and Megan Ballenger).
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 48-26 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 10-3 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
1994Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 5-20
1995Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 11-19
1996Â Â Â 2-6Â Â Â 9-19
1997Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 15-13
1998Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 7-18
1999Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 13-15
2000Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 16-12
2001Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 14-13
2002Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 3-23
2003Â Â Â 5-1Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 4-3Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 7-2
Total   63-54   391-307
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 5-2 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 67-86 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994Â Â Â 0-4
1995Â Â Â 0-2
1996Â Â Â 0-2
1997Â Â Â 0-3
1998Â Â Â 0-5
1999Â Â Â 2-4
2000Â Â Â 0-4
2001Â Â Â 1-6
2002Â Â Â 0-5
2003Â Â Â 0-3
2004Â Â Â 2-2
2005Â Â Â 0-6
2006Â Â Â 4-6
2007Â Â Â 4-9
2008Â Â Â 6-8
2009Â Â Â 1-11
2010Â Â Â 4-7
2011Â Â Â 2-6
2012Â Â Â 8-3
2013Â Â Â 6-6
2014Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 11-5
2016Â Â Â 10-7
2017Â Â Â 5-2
TOTALÂ Â Â 70-121
TOTAL Under Booth   67-86
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.
3 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last three BIG EAST regular-season titles.
   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.
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.
20 x 5
Last year's 29-7 mark was the fifth straight year the Bluejays have reached 20 wins, and eighth time overall.
   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, Wichita State.
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
On A Roll
Creighton won its last six regular-season BIG EAST matches in 2015 and extended that streak to 24 straight with 18 consecutive BIG EAST wins last fall.
   That is the longest league win streak of regular-season matches in program history.
Creighton - Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
   24   Oct. 31, 2015-Present   (not yet)   BIG EAST
   14   Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012   Never (left MVC)   MVC
   12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2   BIG EAST
   11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0   BIG EAST
   9   Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006   Northern Iowa, 3-2   MVC
   9   Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007   at Wichita State, 3-0   MVC
   9   Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009   Northern Iowa, 3-1   MVC
Bluejays On The Radio
Creighton has eight upcoming broadcasts on local radio in 2017 that will air on KZOT 1180 AM. Below is a list of the upcoming broadcast schedule:
Sept. 15Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â at Wichita State
Sept. 16Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â vs. Iowa State
Sept. 22Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â Georgetown
Sept. 24Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â Villanova
Oct. 15Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â Xavier
Oct. 22Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â Seton Hall
Nov. 4Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â Marquette
Nov. 5Â Â Â 1180 AM KZOTÂ Â Â DePaul
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
Creighton Volleyball Postgame Press Conference vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Kansas, 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Press Conference - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
#18 Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Highlights - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20