#14 Volleyball Makes First BIG EAST Road Trip This Weekend

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This Weekend
Sept. 29   6 pm CT   #14 Creighton at Seton Hall (BEDN)   South Orange, N.J.. (Walsh Gymnasium)
Sept. 30   4 pm CT   #14 Creighton at St. John's (ESPN3)   Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

This Weekend
No. 14 Creighton (9-4, 2-0 BIG EAST) will play 10 of its final 16 BIG EAST matches on the road, a stretch that starts this week.
   On Friday, CU visits Seton Hall (7-8, 1-1 BIG EAST) for a 6 p.m. Central match at Walsh Gymnasium.
   On Saturday at 4 p.m. Central, the Bluejays meet up with St. John's (8-9, 0-2 BIG EAST) at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y.

Radio Information
Neither match this weekend will be available on the radio in Omaha.

Video Information
Both matches this weekend will have free video.
   Friday's match at Seton Hall will air on BEDN, with John Fanta on the call. The game can be found at http://a.fsgo.com/uaDf/jeZaBkgyJG, or via FOXSportsGo.com or the FOX Sports Go app.
   Saturday's contest at St. John's will air on ESPN3, with the exact link for the contest at http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3147684/creighton-vs-st-johns-w-volleyball. Nkwa Asonye and Patrick Dietz will announce.

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 off to a 9-4 start that includes three wins over ranked teams (No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Kansas, No. 13 Kentucky). Eight of the 11 teams on Creighton's non-conference schedule are ranked this week.
   Creighton is currently ranked 14th in the AVCA Top 25 poll, the 12th straight week it has been ranked dating back to midway through last fall.
   The Bluejays won a tournament each of the first three weekends this fall, with a different MVP each time.
   Senior MB Marysa Wilkinson (3.00 kps., 0.98 bps., .347%) was named MVP of the Husky Invitational, senior S Lydia Dimke (10.49 aps., 2.70 dps., 0.35 saps., .404%) was MVP of the Bluejay Invitational and junior OH Jaali Winters (3.33 kps., 2.48 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 (3.83 dps., 0.33 saps.), from last season's team went 29-7 while advancing to its first Elite Eight.
   The Bluejays average 13.89 kills, 15.37 digs, 2.18 blocks and 1.33 aces per set while hitting .260.

Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall is 7-8 on the season and 1-1 in BIG EAST play. The Pirates snapped a six-match losing streak with last Saturday's sweep over DePaul. Six of SHU's first 13 matches went five sets.
   Abby Thelen leads Seton Hall with 3.80 kills per set while receiving nearly 31 percent of the Pirate swings.
   Haylee Gasser and Amanda Rachwal both average 1.00 blocks per set, and Sarah Kenneweg tops The Hall with 3.73 digs and 0.19 service aces per set.
   As a team, Seton Hall averages 12.17 kills, 0.80 aces, 14.63 digs and 2.11 blocks per set on .190 hitting.

Scouting St. John's
St. John's has lost six of its last seven matches to fall to 8-9 on the season, including BIG EAST losses to DePaul and Marquette. Three of the losses in the recent skid have come in five sets.
   Julia Cast tops the offense with 4.08 kills per set, while Hanna Wagner averages 1.90 kills per set but hits a robust .392.
   Wagner's 1.05 blocks per set, paired with Danisha Moss' 1.38 blocks per set, help make the Johnnies one of the league's top blocking teams.
   Running the Red Storm offense is preseason All-BIG EAST selection Erica Di Maulo, who averages 10.23 assists per set and is one of three women with a team-leading 11 assists.
   St. John's averages 12.40 kills, 0.93 aces, 14.73 digs and 2.63 blocks per set on .219 hitting.

The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 300-157 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.
   Allison Yaeger (Wright State, 2003) owns a 99-73 mark in her sixth year at Seton Hall. In 2014 she led the Pirates to their best season since 1994 as SHU went 28-8 and reached the NCAA's, earning her BIG EAST Coach of the Year laurels in the process. She is assisted by Allie Matters.
   The longest-tenured female coach in school history, Joanne Persico (Syracuse, 1987) owns a 448-309 record in her 24th year at St. John's. She has led the Red Storm to eight 20-win seasons, three BIG EAST regular-season titles, two NCAA Tournaments and a Sweet 16 berth in 2007. She is assisted by Mario Treibit and Bryan Weber.

Series History vs. Seton Hall
Creighton is 7-3 all-time against Seton Hall, but just 2-2 in matches played in South Orange.
   The Pirates are the only BIG EAST team to beat Creighton multiple times since the start of the 2014 season, with CU going 6-2 against the Pirates and 51-1 against everyone else.
   Creighton swept all three meetings a year ago against Seton Hall, outscoring the Pirates 225-146.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 7-3 all-time against Seton Hall and coach Allison Yaeger.

Series History vs. St. John's
Creighton leads the all-time series with St. John's by a 7-1 margin, including a 4-0 mark in Queens.
   St. John's lone win in the series came in 2013 in Omaha, as the Red Storm handed Creighton its first five-set home loss inside D.J. Sokol Arena. Since then, Creighton has won the last seven meetings in the series, winning 21-of-25 sets.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 7-1 vs. St. John's and coach Joanne Persico.

Last Weekend Recap
Creighton opened defense of its back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST titles with 3-1 home wins over both Georgetown and Villanova.
   Friday's win over the Hoyas saw the Jays hit .446, as Samantha Bohnet and Megan Ballenger split setting duties, and Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters recorded double-doubles.
   Sunday's contest featured double-doubles by Brittany Witt and Lydia Dimke, and Winters pounded a season-best 18 kills, to help Kirsten Bernthal Booth win her 300th match at Creighton.

BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
Friday will mark Creighton's first of four scheduled appearances this fall on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
   Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is a perfect 15-0 on BEDN. Four of those victories came in five sets.

(Red) Storm Warning
Creighton and St. John's have locked up in some memorable matches since 2013. In both 2013 and 2014, the teams played a five-set match, with the road team winning both times.
   St. John's has also won the first set in 3-of-8 meetings, but the team to win the second set has won all eight contests.

Hall Pass
Creighton won all nine sets played against Seton Hall last season, outscoring The Hall 225-146. The Pirates scored more than 19 points in just one of those nine sets.
   Creighton hit a collective .333 in those matches, with five different women (Taryn Kloth, Marysa Wilkinson, Lauren Smith, Jaali Winters, Jess Bird) averaging at least two kills per set. The Hall hit .081.
   Creighton outblocked SHU 31-9 in those six sets, and out-aced the Pirates 14-2.

Chasing A BIG EAST Record
Creighton has won each of its last 26 regular-season matches in BIG EAST play. That ranks 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
   26   Creighton   Oct. 31, 2015-Present   TBD
   24   Louisville   Oct. 1, 2006-Nov. 9, 2007   at Notre Dame, 3-1

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.
   Seton Hall's Walsh Gym is the only road venue that has seen Creighton lose twice.
Site   Creighton W-L
D.J. Sokol Arena (CU)   54-11
Al McGuire Center (MU)   5-1
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU)   5-1
Cintas Center (XU)   4-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU)   4-0
McDonough Arena (GU)   4-0
Carnesecca Arena (SJU)   4-0
Alumni Hall (PC)   3-0
Jake Nevin Field House (VU)   3-1
Walsh Gym (SHU)   2-2

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 72 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 13 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   7-1   -   7-1
DePaul   8-0   -   8-0
Georgetown   9-0   -   9-0
Marquette   7-1   1-1   8-2
Providence   6-0   -   6-0
Seton Hall   5-3   2-0   7-3
St. John's   7-1   -   7-1
Villanova   8-1   1-0   9-1
Xavier   8-0   3-0   11-0
Total   65-7   7-1   72-8

Operation Spikeville
Jaali Winters enters Friday with 1,147 career kills, good for eighth-most in Creighton history. She could surpass former teammate Lauren Smith (1,160) this weekend to move into seventh place.
   Here's a look at Creighton's top-14 in career kills, which includes teammate Marysa Wilkinson's 981 kills that rank 13th.
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.   Jaali Winters   304   1,147   2015-Pr.
   9.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   10.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   11.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   12.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
   13.   Marysa Wilkinson   427   981   2014-Pr.
   14.   Jess Bird   377   965   2013-16

Wilkinson Closes In On 1,000 Kills
Marysa Wilkinson owns 981 career kills in her first 118 career matches, putting her in position to possibly reach 1,000 career kills this week.
   The senior from Lincoln, Neb., is in the midst of a career-long streak of 10+ kills in each of her last five contests.
   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.
   Should she reach 1,000 kills, Wilkinson and Winters would join Jessica Houts and Amanda Cvejdlik 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

Booth Earns 300th Win at Creighton
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 300-157 record on the Creighton sideline, having reached the 300 win milestone last 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

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   ???   ???

On A Roll
Creighton won its last six regular-season BIG EAST matches in 2015, went 18-0 in 2016, and is currently 2-0 in 2017.
   That is the longest win streak of regular-season league matches in program history.
Creighton - Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
   26   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

Home Sweet Home
Creighton went 10-0 at home last season in BIG EAST play, the third time (joining 2012 and 2015) in the previous five years it was unbeaten at home in league play.
   Creighton is 36-2 all-time (.947) 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 67-7 (.905) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 21 straight victories.
   Creighton has won all seven meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all six 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 previous 11 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.

Home At Home
Creighton has won 23 straight matches against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) at D.J. Sokol Arena, and is 28-1 in its last 29 matches against all teams at home.
   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
   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

League Opener Histories
Last Friday's 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 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, Creighton is 14-9 overall and 11-3 under Booth, with three straight wins.

Dominant Since A Loss To Nova
Since the start of 2015, Creighton is 41-1 against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play), with the lone loss coming in 2015 at Villanova.
   In that contest, Creighton saved six match points before ultimately losing a 19-17 decision in the fifth set. The match featured 37 ties and 15 lead changes.
   Creighton won the rematch four weeks later with a 25-18, 25-18, 25-17 dismantling of the Wildcats in the BIG EAST Championship finals. VU never led by more than one point in the rematch.
   Creighton is one of eight teams nationally with one or fewer losses against league teams since the start of 2015, as seen below, through matches of September 25th:
Team   League W-L   Next
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi   40-0   9/26
Dayton   33-0   9/29
Creighton   41-1   9/29
Western Kentucky   37-1   9/29
American   36-1   9/26
Coastal Carolina   34-1   9/29
Hawaii   33-1   9/29
Howard   31-1   9/29

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.

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 both BIG EAST matches by a 3-1 count.
   Creighton has swept 13 of its last 17 regular-season BIG EAST home matches, and won 54 of its last 59 home sets during conference play.
   Creighton is 65-7 in 72 regular-season BIG EAST matches in its five-year history in the league, with 37 sweeps, including 24 of its last 37 matches.

Control In Conference
Creighton went 18-0 in BIG EAST play last season, winning 54-of-59 sets played.
   Creighton was one of eight teams in the country that was unbeaten in league play last year, a list that consists of Alabama State, Creighton, Dayton, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Howard, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Western Kentucky.

Once A Setter, Always A Setter
Creighton has utilized no less than FIVE different setters in their last three matches, but still hit a collective .261 in that span.
   Lydia Dimke had started her first 45 matches as a Bluejay, but an injury suffered in the match vs. Wichita State left the senior setter on crutches as she missed two matches before returning on Sunday vs. Villanova.
   With Dimke out of the line-up, redshirt freshman Jaclyn Taylor made her first career start vs. Iowa State and finished with 10 assists, three kills, two blocks and a dig.
   Taylor and Samantha Bohnet split time at the setter spot during most of the first three sets before Kenzie Crawford and Bohnet shared the role of setter for the final two frames.
   Bohnet finished with 23 assists and 10 digs, while Crawford ended with eight assists and nine digs.
   Bohnet hadn't set extensively in a match since a Nov. 20, 2015 win at Georgetown that saw her compile 41 assists and 13 digs.
   Crawford made 11 starts at setter for Creighton's 2015 team that won the BIG EAST, averaging 8.80 assists per set. Crawford had three double-doubles, including a triple-double (51 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills) in her second career start against Louisville.
   Last Friday vs. Georgetown, Megan Ballenger (23 assists) made her collegiate setting debut, splitting time with Bohnet (24 assists), as CU set a school-record for hitting percentage in a four-set match (.446). Ballenger told media after the match that her previous setting experience consisted of "a couple of weeks" in high school, but nothing since.

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, all five home crowds this season have ranked among the top-21 in school history, as seen by the chart below.
   Creighton has averaged 1,938 fans per home match this season, which ranks 17th nationally.
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
   2,135   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
   1,671   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
   1,644   Villanova   11/20/16   W 3-2   Sokol
   1,637   Georgetown   09/22/17   W 3-1   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 117-40 when not facing CU. That .745 winning percentage is the best mark of any school in the country, as CU is one of three teams to face teams with a collective .700 winning percentage.
   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 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.

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.

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 marks the first time that Creighton has beaten three ranked teams in the same season.
   Through matches of September 25th, the only other teams with more wins over ranked teams are Florida and UNI.
Team   Top 25 Wins
Northern Iowa   4
Florida   4
Creighton   3
Minnesota   3
Nebraska   3
UCLA   3
USC   3

Top 25 Jays
Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 12th straight week, a streak that started on Oct. 31, 2016.
   Nationally, that's the 18th-longest active streak, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 25
   Streak   Team   Current Rank
   516   Stanford   2
   516   Nebraska   8
   433   Penn State   T-3
   406   Florida   1
   230   Washington   6
   210   Texas   5
   96   Florida State   21
   65   Wisconsin   7
   64   BYU   9
   52   UCLA   13
   36   Kansas   11
   35   Minnesota   T-3
   21   San Diego   17
   20   Michigan   23
   19   Oregon   12
   16   Kentucky   10
   15   Utah   15
   12   Creighton   14

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

Wilkinson Moving Up Blocks List
Marysa Wilkinson has moved into the top-10 in Creighton's record book in both total blocks and block assists. It's possible she could move up another spot or two 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.   Marysa Wilkinson   427   38   317   355   2014-Pr.
   10.   Kelly Goc   394   44   310   354   2004-07

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.   Marysa Wilkinson   427   317   2014-Pr.
   10.   Heather Thorson   402   313   2009-12

Jays Played in 700th Match
Creighton's Sept. 16 match vs. Iowa State was Creighton's 700th contest since reinstating the program in 1994. The team owns a record of 393-309, including a 79-23 mark in its last 102 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
240-260   UAB   09/17/11   L 1-3
314-286   DePaul   10/03/14   W 3-1
391-309   vs. #19 Iowa State   09/16/17   L 2-3

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 37-1 at home against everyone else as of September 26th.

Better To Receive?
Creighton's defense has done its job in the last eight matches, allowing just 12 aces in 600 serves received in that span.
   For the season, Creighton has faced 946 serves and allowed just 27 service aces in 46 sets. By comparison, Creighton owns 61 aces in 1,057 serving attempts.
   Below is a breakdown of those serves in the last eight matches:
#   Statistic
600   Opponent Serves
371   Creighton sideouts (61.8%)
203   Creighton kill on first rally (33.8%)
12   Opponent aces (2.0%)

Reception Near-Perfection
Creighton has allowed just 27 aces in 47 sets played for a scant 0.59 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
   0.59   2017   9-4 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

Witt Honored By BIG EAST
Sophomore libero Brittany Witt was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on September 12th 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.

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

Streaks vs. Unranked Teams
Each of Creighton's last 11 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 28 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 300-2 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

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 15th
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 41-14 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 42 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 134-18 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 28 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 are the Bluejays highest-ranked victim in program history.

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.

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.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 254-9 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 197-3 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 30 straight when up 2-0, and is 124-1 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 250-28 (.899) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 50-129 (.279) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 74-1 in its last 75 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 9-0 when winning the first set and 0-4 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%)

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.

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 48-27 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 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
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   0-1   9-4
Total   63-55   393-309

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 5-4 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 67-88 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   5-4
TOTAL   70-123
TOTAL Under Booth   67-88

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.

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

Bluejays On The Radio
Creighton has four upcoming broadcasts on local radio in 2017 that will air on KZOT 1180 AM. Below is a list of the upcoming broadcast schedule:
Oct. 15   1180 AM KZOT   Xavier
Oct. 22   1180 AM KZOT   Seton Hall
Nov. 4   1180 AM KZOT   Marquette
Nov. 5   1180 AM KZOT   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.

#14 Volleyball Makes First BIG EAST Road Trip This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Jess Bird

Samantha Bohnet

Mac Conlon

Kenzie Crawford

Lydia Dimke

Amanda Foje

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Brittany Lawrence

Kelsey O'Connell

Lauren Smith

Jaclyn Taylor

Marysa Wilkinson

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt