Friday, November 2
Queens, N.Y.
6:00 PM
Creighton University
at
St. John's
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
#9 Volleyball Makes Final Road Trip Of Regular-Season To Take On Red Storm; Pirates
10/31/2018 9:58:00 AM | Volleyball
Creighton can wrap up a berth to the BIG EAST Tournament with a win
Download Notes as a PDF
This Week's Schedule
Nov. 2   6 p.m. CST   #9 Creighton at St. John's   Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
Nov. 3   6 p.m. CST   #9 Creighton at Seton Hall   South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO (SHU)
This Week
No. 9 Creighton (20-4, 12-0 BIG EAST) plays its final road matches of the regular-season this weekend when it ventures to the East Coast for a pair of battles.
   The Bluejays put their 12-match win streak on the line on Friday in Queens, N.Y., when they take on St. John's (20-8, 9-4 BIG EAST) in a 6 p.m. CST match-up at Carnesecca Arena.
   Creighton then meets up with Seton Hall (8-18, 3-10 BIG EAST) on Saturday evening in another 6 p.m. CST contest from Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J.
Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will have free video webcasts.
   Friday's contest at St. John's will air on ESPN3.com and is free to view.
   Saturday match at Seton Hall is free to watch and will air on the Pirate Sports Network at SHUPirates.com/watch.
   Exact links to both broadcasts can be found on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Live Stats Information
Both matches this weekend will have free live stats. Exact links can also be found on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #9 Creighton
Creighton is 20-4 this season despite facing a grueling schedule that includes five national seeds from a year ago, and 13 contests against teams that played in the postseason a year ago.
   Creighton's best wins have come over No. 5 Kentucky, No. 18 and No. 21 Marquette, Northern Iowa, NC State, Iowa State and Wichita State, while the losses have come against Northern Iowa, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 8 Illinois and No. 10 USC. CU has won 12 straight matches, all in league play, while dropping just six sets in that stretch.
   Three returning All-Americans pace the Bluejays. Senior outside hitters Taryn Kloth (4.09 kps., .271%) and Jaali Winters (3.78 kps., 3.17 dps.), as well as 2017 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Brittany Witt (4.36 dps.) were named Preseason All-BIG EAST this season.
   Creighton boasts seven newcomers, including four freshmen who were ranked as the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation, in addition to three transfers. One of those is junior Madelyn Cole, a Marshall transfer who leads the BIG EAST with 10.79 assists per set.
   Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference, but has already swept preseason league favorite Marquette twice.
   CU averages 14.20 kills, 1.51 aces, 16.49 digs and 2.22 blocks per set on .258 hitting overall.
Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 20-8 on the season and 9-4 in BIG EAST. The Red Storm have gone 8-4 while participating in 12 five-set matches this season, including 7-of-13 league contests. SJU is 10-2 at Carnesecca Arena this year, where it averages 151 fans per contest.
   A pair of freshmen lead the Red Storm offense, as reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Efrosini Alexakou tops the club with 3.51 kills per set and Rachele Rastelli leads the team with 288 kills overall.
   All-BIG EAST setter Erica Di Maulo averages 9.98 assists per set and has a team-high 31 aces, and Florida State transfer Amanda Sanabia (5.19 dps.) has a league-best 587 digs.
   As a team, St. John's averages 12.86 kills, 15.22 digs, 1.88 blocks and 1.54 aces per set on .210 hitting.
Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall is 8-18 on the season and 3-10 in BIG EAST play heading into Friday's match-up with Providence.
   Preseason All-BIG EAST performer Abby Thelen leads Seton Hall in kills (3.60 kps.) and hits at a .264 clip.
   The other primary offensive threat is Caitlin Koska's 2.87 kills per set, who also leads the Pirates in aces (20) and is second in digs (2.73 dps.).
   Sophia Coffey (7.21 aps.) and Maggie Cvelbar (4.54 aps.) share setting duties.
   Seton Hall averages 12.57 kills, 0.93 aces, 15.14 digs and 1.54 blocks per set on .217 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booh (Truman State, 1997), who is in her 16th season with a 337-164 record. She's led Creighton to four straight BIG EAST titles, and five league crowns in the last six years. Booth 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 seven NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last seven 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, Craig Dyer and Noel Carpio.
Series History vs. St. John's
Creighton leads the all-time series with St. John's by a 10-1 margin, including a 5-0 record 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 10 meetings in the series, winning 30-of-35 sets.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-1 vs. St. John's and coach Joanne Persico.
Series History vs. Seton Hall
Creighton is 10-3 all-time against Seton Hall, and 3-2 in South Orange. The Bluejays have won nine straight meetings in the series, including seven consecutive sweeps.
   The Pirates are one of two (Villanova) BIG EAST teams to beat Creighton multiple times since the start of the 2014 season, with CU going 9-2 against the Pirates and 75-3 against everyone else.
   Seton Hall is also the only conference team to sweep the Bluejays in Omaha since 2012, and the only conference team to beat Creighton in both regular-season meetings since Northern Iowa and Missouri State in 2011 in the MVC.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-3 all-time against Seton Hall and coach Allison Yaeger.
Keeping It 100
The number 100 figures prominently into three different Creighton Volleyball stats this weekend.
   Creighton has played exactly 100 regular-season BIG EAST matches, and owns an unreal 91-9 mark. That includes a 48-2 mark at home and a 43-7 record on the road. The only two teams to beat CU in Omaha during regular-season BIG EAST play are this weekend's foes, St. John's (2013) and Seton Hall (2014).
   Friday is likely to be Jaali Winters' 100th consecutive start. She's currently tied for fourth in program history with Kelli Browning with 99 straight starts. She would be the fourth player in Creighton history to make 100 starts in a row, joining Megan Bober (128), Lauren Smith (125) and Korie Lebeda (119).
   Friday's match will also be Creighton's 100th all-time as a ranked team. The Bluejays are currently 78-21 all-time while ranked in the AVCA poll, which includes a 26-10 mark in true road contests and a 3-0 record vs. St. John's while ranked.
Championship Season
Creighton has saved some of its best work for the months of October and November in recent seasons.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton is 54-5 in October, and 46-5 in the month of November.
   Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 71-5 in the months of October and November.
It's About Time
Both of Creighton's road matches this weekend will take place in the Eastern time zone, but history suggests the travel hasn't been an issue.
   Creighton has gone 23-1 in its last 24 matches in the Eastern time zone.
Hall Pass
Creighton has won 23 straight sets against Seton Hall, outscoring The Hall 576-412 in that time. The Pirates have scored more than 19 points in just nine of those 23 sets.
   Creighton has outblocked SHU 73.5 - 25.5 in those 23 sets, and out-aced the Pirates 37-9.
   As seen in the chart below, the team with more aces in the Creighton/Seton Hall series is 13-0 all-time, while the team with more blocks is 12-0-1 all-time in the series.
Date   Result   Aces   Blocks   11/03/13   CU 3-0   CU 3-1   CU 12.5-8.0
11/16/13Â Â Â SHU 3-1Â Â Â SHU 6-2Â Â Â SHU 16.0-14.0
10/10/14Â Â Â SHU 3-2Â Â Â SHU 9-3Â Â Â SHU 22.0-14.0
11/23/14Â Â Â SHU 3-0Â Â Â SHU 2-0Â Â Â SHU 13.0-7.0
11/29/14Â Â Â CU 3-1Â Â Â CU 2-0Â Â Â CU 18.0-8.0
09/25/15Â Â Â CU 3-1Â Â Â CU 5-5Â Â Â CU 11.0-8.0
10/31/15Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 4-2Â Â Â CU 9.0-6.0
10/16/16Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 3-1Â Â Â CU 13.0-3.0
10/28/16Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 5-1Â Â Â CU 11.0-2.0
11/25/16Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 6-0Â Â Â CU 7.0-4.0
09/29/17Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 4-0Â Â Â CU 7.5-2.5
10/22/17Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 6-0Â Â Â CU 7.0-2.0
10/05/18Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 5-1Â Â Â CU 12.0-2.0
Ace Queens
One big difference in recent Creighton/Seton Hall match-ups has been the discrepancy in service aces.
   In fact, Seton Hall has had just once ace in its last four meetings versus CU, with that coming by Caitlin Koska on October 5th.
   In those four meetings, Creighton has 21 aces and 24 errors in 293 serving attempts, while Seton Hall owns one ace and 16 service errors in 231 attempts.
What's Your 20?
Creighton reached 20 wins on October 27th with a victory at DePaul, matching the earliest date on the calendar in program history that the team has reached 20 victories.
   The 2012 team won its 20th match on Oct. 27, as well. That club finished 29-4.
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Creighton has won 12 straight matches, which ranks as the nation's 11th-longest streak through matches of Oct. 30.
Rank   Wins   Team   Next Match
1.   22   BYU   11/2
   22   Stephen F. Austin   11/1
3.   20   Denver   11/2
4.   18   Stanford   11/2
5.   17   UCF   11/1
   17   Texas State   11/2
7.   15   Alabama A&M   11/1
8.   13   Rice   11/2
   13   American   11/2
   13   Kentucky   10/31
11.   12   Creighton   11/2
   12   High Point   11/2
   12   VCU   11/2
   12   Stony Brook   11/4
Seven Straight 20-Win Seasons
Creighton is 20-4 this year and has picked up 20 victories for the 10th time in the program's modern history, and seventh straight season.
   When Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton's modern day school record for wins in a season was 16.
   Creighton was one of 17 schools with six straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-17) entering this fall. That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
   Among those to extend the streak to seven (or more) this year have been BYU, Creighton, Marquette and Stanford.
   The following schools are still trying to extend their streak of 20-win seasons in 2018, through matches of October 30th.
Team   2018 W-L   Next Match
Florida   19-4   10/31
Penn State   18-4   11/2
Colorado State   19-6   11/1
American   18-9   11/2
Kentucky   16-4   10/31
Nebraska   16-6   11/2
Western Kentucky   16-9   11/2
Texas   14-4   10/31
Hawai'i   14-7   11/2
Florida State   14-8   11/2
Kansas   13-7   10/31
Washington   13-9   11/2
Wichita State   11-11   11/2
Jays To Pirates: "I'm The Captain Now"
Creighton has beaten Xavier 15 straight times, and won 23 straight sets over Seton Hall.
   The 23 straight set victories over the Pirates is two away for the record against any opponent, Indiana State (25).
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   19   Southern Illinois   2003-11
   16   Indiana State   2005-Present
   15   Xavier   2013-Present
Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   25   Indiana State   2005-09
   24   Xavier   2015-18
   23   Indiana State   2009-Present
   23   Seton Hall   2015-Present
   19   Providence   2014-17
Magic Numbers
Creighton can clinch a spot in the 2018 BIG EAST Championship with a win this weekend, or a loss by either Villanova or Georgetown.
   With a win on Friday at St. John's, Creighton can clinch a top-two seed.
   With two CU wins and two losses by Marquette this week, Creighton can clinch the the top seed.
Road Wins Keep Coming
Creighton has won six consecutive road matches, tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history.
   Last Friday's win at No. 18 Marquette was especially impressive, as it was the first time since 2012 that a visiting team knocked off a ranked opponent on the road in BIG EAST play.
   Wins over St. John's and Seton Hall this weekend would tie it for the second-longest streak ever, and be one shy of the current mark of nine done in 2016 by CU's Elite Eight team.
Creighton's Longest Road Win Streaks
Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   9   Sept. 30-Dec. 2, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
   8   Sept. 29 - Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
   7   Sept. 21-Nov. 9, 2007   at #24 Wichita State, 3-0
   7   Nov. 21, 2009-Oct. 2, 2010   at Drake, 3-1
   6   Oct. 14-Nov. 17, 2000   at Missouri State, 3-0
   6   Oct. 31, 2015-Aug. 28, 2016   at USC, 3-2
   6   Sept. 28, 2018 - Present   TBD
Champions Clash
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton and Marquette are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EASTÂ volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through Oct. 31) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (thru 10/31)
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (5)Â Â Â 91Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 149Â Â Â 45
Marquette (5)Â Â Â 79Â Â Â 21Â Â Â 137Â Â Â 50
Xavier   65   36   99   83
Butler   58   42   107   74
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 53Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 98Â Â Â 88
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 50Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 81
St. John's   44   57   104   86
Georgetown   23   78   57   119
DePaul   19   81   61   113
Providence*Â Â Â 12Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 54Â Â Â 100
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
Jays On A Roll
Creighton has won 12 straight matches, tied for the third-longest streak in program history.
   Dating to last season, Creighton has also won 13 straight league contests. A pair of wins this week could move that into the program's second-longest conference streak ever.
   Consecutive Wins (All Matches)
      Wins   Dates   Snapped By
      23   Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
      17   Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
      12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2
      12   Sept. 21, 2018 - Present   ? ? ?
      11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0
      11   Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017   at Villanova, 3-0
     Â
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
      Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
      28   Oct. 31, 2015-Sept. 30, 2017   at Marquette, 3-0   BIG EAST
      14   Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012   Never (left MVC)   MVC
      13   Nov. 18, 2017-Present   ???   BIG EAST
      12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2   BIG EAST
      11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0   BIG EAST
      11   Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017   at Villanova, 3-0   BIG EAST
Third Set's A Charm
One key factor to watch this weekend is the result of the third set.
   Creighton is 17-0 this season when winning the third set, but 3-4 when dropping the third set.
   Since a Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 73-0 against BIG EAST teams (67-0 in the regular-season and 6-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.
   St. John's is 18-0 when winning the third set, but 2-8 when losing the third set this season.
   Seton Hall is 7-0 when winning the third set, but 1-18 when losing the third set this season.
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 279-30 (.903) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 58-134 (.302) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2017 won just 20.8 percent of their matches last season.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 85-2 in its last 87 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific and on Sept. 6, 2018 to No. 7 Nebraska.
   Last year's team was 22-0 when winning the first set and 4-7 when dropping the first set.
   This year's team is 16-2 when winning the first set and 4-2 when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has won 56 straight matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
Player of the Year Candidate Comparisons
While 12 All-BIG EAST performers return from last year, it would seem that Marquette's Allie Barber and the Creighton duo of Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters lead the way in the running for 2018 BIG EAST Player of the Year contention.
   Barber has some of the top attacking numbers, Kloth leads the trio in aces and blocks, while Winters is the only true six rotation player of the bunch and is tops in the group in digs and double-doubles.
Statistic   Kloth   Winters   Barber
Kills   356   329   378
Kills Per Set   4.09   3.78   4.61
Hitting Pct.   .271   .241   .360
Attack Errors   118   105   79
Digs   114   276   49
Digs Per Set   1.31   3.17   0.60
Aces   21   16   2
Aces Per Set   0.24   0.18   0.02
Blocks   34   32   32
Blocks Per Set   0.391   0.37   0.390
Points   397.5   363.5   397.0
Points Per Set   4.56   4.17   4.84
Double-Doubles   1   13   0
BIG EAST Kills   134   160   179
BIG EAST Kills Per Set   3.93   3.81   4.84
BIG EAST Hitting Pct.   .284   .290   .388
BIG EAST Attack Errors   51   40   36
BIG EAST Digs   54   117   20
BIG EAST Digs Per Set   1.29   2.79   0.54
BIG EAST Aces   13   9   2
BIG EAST Aces Per Set   0.31   0.21   0.05
BIG EAST Blocks   19   11   12
BIG EAST Blocks Per Set   0.45   0.26   0.32
BIG EAST Points   189.5   174.5   187.5
BIG EAST Points Per Set   4.51   4.15   5.07
BIG EAST Double-Doubles   1   5   0
BIG EAST Offensive POWÂ Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 3
BIG EAST Defensive POWÂ Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0
Three Top Attackers Collide
One key reason that Creighton has gone 6-1 in the last three seasons against Marquette is their ability to slow standout outside hitter Allie Barber, the 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the 2018 Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
   Here's a look at the stats of the BIG EAST's top three outside hitters (Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Allie Barber) in their seven head-to-head matches over the past three seasons:
Name   Wins   SP   K-E-TA   PCT.   SA   D   TB
Winters   6   25   107-33-290   .255   1   92   4
Kloth   6   25   87-32-238   .231   3   31   9
Barber   1   25   109-25-272   .309   1   22   8
Ranked vs. Ranked in the BIG EAST
Creighton's two wins over Marquette this seaosn have been the first regular-season BIG EAST match-ups since 2005 that featured a pair of ranked teams.
   You'd have to go back to October 29, 2005 to find the last previous time two ranked BIG EAST had faced each other in league play, when No. 7 Notre Dame beat No. 6 Louisville.
   The last previous time any two BIG EAST foes faced each other while ranked at any point in time came Nov. 18, 2007, when No. 20 St. John's swept No. 21 Louisville in the title match of the conference tournament.
All-American Efforts
An honorable mention All-American in 2016, Taryn Kloth is well on her way to garnering even more accolades during her senior campaign.
   In six contests this fall against teams who were ranked at the time of the match, Kloth has averaged 4.77 kills per set and hit a robust .302. She averages 20.7 kills per match against ranked opponents this year.
   Jaali Winters averages 4.35 kills and 3.12 digs per set on .238 hitting against top-25 foes this fall. She's had a double-double in all six matches against ranked teams this fall.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 13-74 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 8-8 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   Last year's win at No. 3 Washington was the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays have ever beaten, surpassing a win at No. 4 Kansas the previous December.
   Creighton is 5-30 all-time against top-10 foes (5-23 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 5-36 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017) and No. 7 Kansas (2017) and No. 18 Marquette (2018).
   Creighton is 78-21 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 9-13 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark improves to 2-1 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 28 of Creighton's 49 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 168-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 42 straight home matches over unranked teams.
   This is the fourth time that Creighton has been ranked exactly ninth. Creighton was ranked ninth in the 2016 year-end poll, the preseason 2017 poll and most recently (before this week) on Sept. 4 2017. CU is 5-1 all-time when ranked ninth.
4 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last four BIG EAST regular-season titles. No team had won four straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
   Notre Dame had also been the last team to win four or more straight outright BIG EAST regular-season titles, having claimed four in a row from 1999-2002. No team has ever won five straight outright titles, which CU is striving to do.
   The only other team in Creighton history to win four (or more) straight regular-season titles was the men's soccer program, which claimed five straight MVC crowns from 1992-96. All five of those soccer titles were also outright titles.
Back-To-Back-To-Back-To-Back
Creighton won its fourth straight BIG EAST Championship title last year, becoming the first team to do so since Notre Dame won four in a row from 1995-98.
   Creighton (2014-Present), Pittsburgh (1988-94) and Notre Dame (1995-98) are the only four schools to ever win back-to-back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in volleyball.
   The only five schools nationally to win a league tournament each of the last four seasons are American, Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Denver and Western Kentucky.
   Creighton is 9-1 all-time in five appearances at the BIG EAST Championships, reaching the final each time.
   Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, Creighton has made 15 straight appearances in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
   Creighton's current senior class is 69-3 against BIG EAST opposition, including a 6-0 mark in league tournament play.
Six Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Unbeaten In Conference
There are 32 conferences in the country, and Creighton is one of 16 teams that remains unbeaten in league play.
Team   League W-L   Conference
Alabama A&MÂ Â Â 15-0Â Â Â Southwestern
Texas State   13-0   Sun Belt
American   12-0   Patriot
BYUÂ Â Â 12-0Â Â Â West Coast
Creighton   12-0   BIG EAST
Minnesota   12-0   Big Ten
Northern Iowa   12-0   Missouri Valley
Stanford   12-0   Pacific 12
Stephen F. Austin   12-0   Southland
Denver   11-0   Summit
UCFÂ Â Â 11-0Â Â Â American Athletic
VCUÂ Â Â 11-0Â Â Â Atlantic 10
Kentucky   10-0   Southeastern
Rice   10-0   Confrence USA
Howard   10-0   Mid-Eastern Athletic
Stony Brook   9-0   America East
Keeping It 100
Creighton's senior class is 102-27 in the last four seasons. Creighton had reached 100 victories in a four-year span only three times previously, with the record being 107 from 2014-17.
   Jaali Winters has played in all 102 of those wins, while Taryn Kloth's participated in 100 of them.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
   W-L   Years
   107-32   2014-17
   104-31   2012-15
   104-34   2013-16
   102-27   2015-Pres.
   94-36   2011-14
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   106   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-17
   104   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   102   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   102   Jaali Winters   2015-Pres.
   101   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   100   Taryn Kloth   2015-Pres.
   95   Kate Elman   2012-15
Best Starts After 24 Matches
At 20-4 overall, Creighton is off to its second-best start after 24 matches, and best in the program's BIG EAST era.
   Only CU's 2012 team, which started 21-3, had a better mark at this point in the season.
Best Creighton Record After 24 Matches
   W-L after 24   Year   W-L after 26
   21-3   2012   23-3
   20-4   2018   ?
   19-5   2017   21-5
   18-6   2016   20-6
Halfway Home
Creighton has gone 8-1 or better in nine straight halves (matches 1-9 or 10-18) of league play. Creighton is 49-4 all-time in the first half of BIG EAST play, and 42-5 in the second half since joining the league in 2013.
League Record by Year
Year   1st Half   2nd Half   Place
1994Â Â Â 2-8Â Â Â 1-9Â Â Â T-9th MVC
1995Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â T-7th MVC
1996Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â T-6th MVC
1997Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-3rd MVC
1998Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â 8th MVC
1999Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 5th MVC
2000Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2001Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2002Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â T-9th MVC
2003Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-5th MVC
2004Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5th MVC
2005Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 5th MVC
2006Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2007Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â T-2nd MVC
2008Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 2nd MVC
2009Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2010Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 3rd MVC
2011Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4th MVC
2012Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st MVC
2013Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â T-2nd BIG EAST
2014Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2018   9-0   3-0 so far  Â
Total   142-84   133-87   --
Let's Get It Started
Creighton has started 11-0 or better in league play for the third time in the last four seasons, and this year's 12-0 start is the second-best in program history.
   Below is a list of Creighton's best starts in conference play all-time:
Start   League   Year   Final W-L   Final Place
18-0Â Â Â BIG EASTÂ Â Â 2016Â Â Â 18-0Â Â Â 1st
12-0Â Â Â BIG EASTÂ Â Â 2018Â Â Â TBDÂ Â Â TBD
11-0Â Â Â BIG EASTÂ Â Â 2015Â Â Â 17-1Â Â Â 1st
TCB
With 8-18 Seton Hall on tap for Saturday, it's worth noting that Creighton has won 25 straight matches against teams that enter a match under .500 since a loss at USC on Sept. 3, 2016.
   The Bluejays have not lost a match to a conference team with an overall record under .500 prior to the match since Nov. 12, 2011 at Bradley.
You Dig?
They say that defense wins championships, and that's certainly proven true for Creighton.
   Creighton has won 71 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.
   All but one of Creighton's last 52 matches (against all foes) have been won by the team with more digs, which goes back to Sept. 15, 2017.
Attendance Mark Falls
Creighton smashed yet another major home attendance record on Oct. 21st.
   CU has currently hosted 30,716 fans in nine home contests. That's breaks the previous program record of 29,905 set in 2015 over the course of 18 home contests. Creighton still has a minimum of four home matches left.
   Earlier this year Creighton set a program record for the largest home crowd in school history when 14,022 turned out on Sept. 6 to see the Bluejays host Nebraska.
Winters Is Here
Jaali Winters enters this weekend with a school-record 1,721 kills, after setting the mark in the second set on Oct. 7 vs. St. John's.
   Not to be forgotten, Winters' All-American teammate on the outside Taryn Kloth has climbed up to seventh on CU's all-time kills list.
Most Career Kills, Creighton History
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Jaali Winters   463   1,721   2015-Pr.
   2.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   3.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   4.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   5.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   6.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   7.   Taryn Kloth   431   1,293   2015-Pr.
   8.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   9.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   1,183   2014-17
   10.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
Jaali Scaling The Record Books
Jaali Winters continues to rewrite the record book nearly every time she takes the court.
   On Sept. 9 vs. Wichita State, Winters had her 90th career match with 10+ kills, breaking the CU mark of 89 set by Leah Ratzlaff (2002-05).
   On Sept. 15 at Illinois, Winters broke Ratzlaff's school record for career attack attempts.
   On Oct. 7 at home against St. John's, Winters took down Ratzlaff's mark for career kills.
   On Oct. 12 at Georgetown, Winters broke Ratzlaff's record for career points.
   Below is a complete list of all 80 school records that are currently owned by Winters:
Category   Type   Figure
10+ Kills by a freshman   Consecutive Matches   19
Kills in a debut   Match   17
Points Served To Start Match   Match   11
Attack Attempts   Match (5-set)   77
Block Solos   Match (5-set)   4
Kills at D.J. Sokol Arena   Match (3-set)   23
Kills at D.J. Sokol Arena   Match (4-set)   23
Kills at D.J. Sokol Arena   Match (5-set)   28
Attempts at Sokol Arena   Match (5-set)   77
Kills   Match (4-set NCAA)   21
Kills   Match (5 set NCAA)   24
Attempts   Match (4-set NCAA)   63
Attempts   Match (5-set NCAA)   66
Points   Match (4-set NCAA)   22.0
Points   Match (5-set NCAA)   26.0
Kills   Match (3-set B.E. Tourn.)   18
Kills   Match (5-set B.E. Tourn.)   21
Attempts   Match (3-set B.E. Tourn.)   37
Attempts   Match (5-set B.E. Tourn.)   77
Aces   Match (3-set B.E. Tourn.)   3
Aces   Match (5-set B.E. Tourn.)   1
Digs   Match (3-set B.E. Tourn.)   14
Block Solos   Match (5-set B.E. Tourn.)   1
Points   Match (3-set B.E. Tourn.)   19.0
Points   Match (5-set B.E. Tourn.)   22.5
Kills by a freshman   Season   546 (2015)
Kills Per Set by a freshman   Season   4.07 (2015)
20+ Kill matches by a frosh   Season   9 (2015)
10+ Kill matches   Season   31 (2015)
Kills   Season   546 (2015)
Attack Attempts   Season   1,428 (2015)
Points   Season   595.5 (2015)
Kills at D.J. Sokol Arena   Season   249 (2015)
KIlls Per Set at Sokol   Season   4.08 (2015)
Attempts at Sokol Arena   Season   611 (2015)
Points at Sokol Arena   Season   269.5 (2015)
Points Per Set at Sokol   Season   4.42 (2015)
Sets Played at Sokol   Season   61 (2015)
KIlls   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   79 (2016)
Kills Per Set   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   4.42 (2015)
Attempts   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   218 (2016)
Points   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   86.5 (2016)
Points Per Set   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   4.81 (2016)
Double-Doubles   Season (NCAA Tourn.)   3 (2016)
Kills   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   39 (2015)
Kills Per Set   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   4.88 (2015)
Attempts   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   114 (2015)
Aces   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   5 (2016)
Aces Per Set   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   0.83 (2016)
Points   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   41.5 (2015
Points Per Set   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   5.58 (2016)
Double-Doubles   Season (B.E. Tourn.)   2 (2017)
Quickest to 200 kills   Career   15 matches
Quickest to 300 kills   Career   21 matches
Quickest to 400 kills   Career   28 matches
Quickest to 500 kills   Career   34 matches
Quickest to 600 kills   Career   41 matches
Quickest to 1700 kills   Career   128 matches
10+ Kill matches   Career   102
Kills   Career   1,721
Attack Attempts   Career   4,768
Points   Career   1904.0
Kills at D.J. Sokol Arena   Career   683
Kills Per Set at Sokol   Career   3.86
Attempts at Sokol Arena   Career   1,785
Points at Sokol Arena   Career   747.5
Points Per Set at Sokol Arena   Career   4.22
Kills   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   155
Kills Per Set   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   4.08
Attempts   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   465
Points   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   169.5
Points Per Set   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   4.46
Wins Played in   Career (NCAA Tourn.)   6
Kills   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   85
Kills Per Set   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   3.86
Aces   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   7
Aces Per Set   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   0.32
Points   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   100.0
Points Per Set   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   4.55
Double-Doubles   Career (B.E. Tourn.)   4
Onto The Next One
Now the Creighton recordholder in kills, Jaali Winters is continuing her onslaught on the BIG EAST all-time kills list. She's currently 12th all-time, but trails only Xavier's Abbey Bessler since the league's reconfiguration in 2013.
   The figures were researched by Matt DeMarinis of WhiteAndBlueReview.com, as the league record book doesn't have such a list.
Big East Volleyball All-Time Kills Leaders
   1.   2,145   Lola Arslanbekova, Louisville   2009-12
   2.   1,976   Stephanie Niemer, Cincinnati   2007-10
   3.   1,852   Karin Palgutova, St. John's   2012-15
      1,852   Diana Andreyko, Pittsburgh   2004-07
   5.   1,815   Ann Marie Lucanie, Pittsburgh   1990-93
   6.   1,801   Marcela Gurgel, South Florida   2006-09
   7.   1,774   Abbey Bessler, Xavier   2013-16
   8.   1,766   Jackie Ahlers, St. John's   2002-04, 06
   9.   1,729   Sarah Katinger, Providence   1998-01
   10.   1,723   Jenelle Koester, Connecticut   1995-98
      1,723   Stacy Evans, Villanova   1994-97
   12.   1,721   Jaali Winters, Creighton   2015-18
   13.   1,717   Kiran Gill, Georgetown   1997-00
   14.   1,698   Lola Opadiran, Rutgers   1996-99
      1,698   Dana Fiume, Syracuse   1997-00
Winters Is Coming, Part 2
Jaali Winters ranks third nationally among active players with 1,721 career kills and third with 4,768 attack attempts. Taylor Louis, who has 1,859 kills and 4,855 attack attempts during her career that started at Marquette and has continued at Iowa, leads both categories.
   Winters' Creighton team met Louis' Marquette team three times in 2015 and twice in 2016, with Winters owning more head-to-head kills (92-79) in fewer attack attempts (237-248).
   Creighton won all five matches.
Winters Wins Weekly Awards
Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9th after she averaged 4.50 kills and 2.33 digs per set on .353 hitting to help Creighton to a pair of sweeps. She also became Creighton's all-time kills leader during the week prior.
   Winters opened with 11 kills, nine digs and two blocks in a 3-0 win over Seton Hall. Six of her kills and four of her digs came in the first set to help set the tone against a Pirates team that would not lead in the final two frames.
   On Sunday, Winters had 16 kills and hit a season-best .441 in a 3-0 win versus St. John's. Her kill to give Creighton a 14-10 lead in the second set was the 1,623rd of her career, breaking Leah Ratzlaff's Creighton record that had stood since 2005.
   Winters was also targeted 42 times in serve receive without being aced.
   Winters also won the Offensive Player of the Week award on Oct. 30th after averaging 4.79 points, 4.57 kills, 3.57 digs and 0.43 blocks per set on .389 hitting in victories at No. 18 Marquette (3-1) and at DePaul (3-0). The six-rotation senior also handled 30-of-31 serve receptions successfully and helped CU convert those into 16 first ball kills.
    The Ankeny, Iowa, native opened her week leading the Bluejays in kills (25), digs (19) and hitting percentage (.442) as Creighton snapped No. 18 Marquette's nine-match win streak on Friday as the Bluejays became the first club to post a conference road win over a ranked BIG EAST team since 2012.
    On Saturday, Winters had seven kills and six digs in Creighton's 3-0 sweep at DePaul.
   Winters has now been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week three times in her career (also 10/17/17) to go along with her pair of Defensive Player of the Week (10/31/17 and 9/11/18) laurels. She remains the only player in league history to be honored with both awards at any point in a career.
   Creighton has now had three different women named Offensive Player of the Week (Ballenger and Kloth once each and Winters twice) and three women named Defensive Player of the Week (Hickman, Winters, Witt) this fall.
Cole Chasing 1,000 Assists
Madelyn Cole opens this weekend with 939 assists this season in 24 matches, and poised to reach 1,000 with the Bluejays.
   Only eight players in program history have recorded 1,000 career assists.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Assists (Career)
Name   SP   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   77   23   10/29/05   Missouri St.
Brittany Coleman   86   23   11/01/03   Northern Iowa
Lydia Dimke   88   26   11/06/16   Xavier
Kailey Reyes   97   27   09/04/99   Boise State
Maggie Baumert   103   32   11/29/14   vs. Seton Hall
Megan Bober   106   28   11/20/09   at #21 No. Iowa
Melissa Weisensee   119   35   09/20/95   Wichita State
Michelle Sicner   267   72   10/04/13   at Butler
Fewest Single-Season Matches to 1,000 Assists
Name   MP   Opponent   Year
Korie Lebeda   21   at Drake   2006
Brittany Coleman   22   at Southern Illinois   2004
Korie Lebeda   23   Missouri State   2005
Brittany Coleman   23   Northern Iowa   2003
Kailey Reyes   23   at Southern Illinois   1999
Melissa Weisensee   23   at Evansville   1996
Kailey Reyes   24   at Wichita State   2000
Melissa Weisensee   24   at Evansville   1997
Kailey Reyes   25   Wichita State   2001
Korie Lebeda   25   Southern Illinois   2007
Korie Lebeda   26   Bradley   2008
Lydia Dimke   26   Xavier   2016
Megan Bober   27   Eansville   2010
Lydia Dimke   27   Georgetown   2017
Megan Bober   28   at Northern Iowa   2009
Megan Bober   28   at Wichita State   2012
Michelle Sicner   28   Xavier   2013
Maggie Baumert   32   vs. Seton Hall   2014
Kloth A Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Creighton's Taryn Kloth is one of 10 women who excels both on and off the court that has been selected as a finalist for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball. Kloth is the only finalist from the BIG EAST.
   To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
   An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
   Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.
Getting Better & Better
Last Friday's triumph at Marquette was Creighton's 500th match under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and it continues to thrive under her direction.
   Below is a look at Creighton's record under Booth in 50-match segments.
Match #   W-L   Opponent   Date   Result
50   25-25   Missouri State   10/22/04   L 0-3
100   56-44   Southern Illinois   09/16/06   W 3-1
150   88-62   vs. So. Illinois   11/23/07   W 3-1
200   115-85   at Missouri State   10/30/09   L 0-3
250   143-107   at #11 Nebraska   09/08/11   L 0-3
300   182-118   Illinois State   11/10/12   W 3-1
350   215-135   South Dakota   09/20/14   L 2-3
400   255-145   at DePaul   11/07/15   W 3-1
450   296-154   Northern Iowa   09/02/17   W 3-0
500   336-164   at #18 Marquette   10/26/18   W 3-1
14 Aces, 5 Errors
Creighton served up a season-high 14 aces against Butler on October 20th and countered that with just five serving errors.
   The +9 ace/error differential ranks tied for third-greatest since the program's 1994 restart, and was the best since a +10 (12 aces, 2 errors) disparity at DePaul on Oct. 3, 2014.
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
+9   14   5   Butler   10/20/18
+8   13   5   at New Mexico   9/4/04
+8   12   4   DePaul   9/25/16
Zumach Nets League Honor
Kari Zumach was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Oct. 23 after helping CU to a pair of wins.
   A Buffalo, Minn., native, Zumach averaged 2.31 points, 1.88 kills, 0.88 blocks and 0.50 digs per set while hitting .448 in victories over Xavier and Butler.
   Zumach made her first career BIG EAST start last Thursday in a win over Xavier, and she came through with a season-high nine kills on season-high .471 hitting. She added three digs and tied for the team-lead with four blocks as CU rallied for a five-set win.
    On Saturday vs. Butler, the right-side hitter had six kills on .417 hitting, adding three blocks and a dig. She had exactly two kills and one block in all three sets of a match that Creighton never trailed in at any point.
   Zumach is the seventh different player in program history to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, and first since Megan Ballenger on Oct. 31, 2016. The other five past honorees are Jess Bird, Lauren Smith (2x), Marysa Wilkinson (2x), Jaali Winters (6x) and Brittany Witt (2x).
Solid Start In Cincinnati
Jaali Winters was at the service line as Creighton scored the first 11 points of a Sept. 29 sweep at Xavier. Winters had three aces and a kill to help contribute to the hot start.
   Per the NCAA record book, it was tied for the third-best serving run to start a match in NCAA history. It's also a Creighton record, besting the mark held by Megan Ballenger vs. Seton Hall in 2016, as seen below:
Consecutive Points Served to Start a Match
   No.   Player: Team vs. Opponent   Date
   13   Allison Kearney, Arkansas St. vs. Alcorn St.   09/16/11
   12   Katie Bova, Valparaiso vs. IUPUI   10/01/05
   11   Kristin Carpenter, Penn State vs. Princeton   09/18/10
   11   Taylor Barnes, Baylor vs. Louisiana-Monroe   09/01/06
   11   Jaali Winters, Creighton at Xavier   09/29/18
   10   Megan Carter, Lafayette vs. Providence   10/15/05
   10   Megan Ballenger, Creighton vs. Seton Hall   10/16/16
Kloth Earned Player of the Week Honor
Creighton senior Taryn Kloth was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25.
   Though Kloth was named First Team All-Conference in 2016, and Second Team All-Conference and BIG EAST Championship Most Valuable Player in 2017, it's the first time in her career the Sioux Falls, S.D., native has been named a Player of the Week by the BIG EAST.
   Kloth averaged 5.08 points, 4.50 kills, 1.17 digs, 0.50 blocks and 0.33 aces per set on .440 hitting as No. 10 Creighton won all six sets it played to open BIG EAST play.
    The outside hitter had 11 kills, four digs and an ace on .409 hitting as Creighton swept DePaul to open league play. She then had 16 kills, three digs and two blocks on .464 hitting in a sweep over No. 21 Marquette, the preseason league favorite. Kloth had eight kills in the opening set, a 25-17 triumph, that set the tone in the victory.
Sweeeeeeeeeep!!!
Creighton has swept 8-of-12 matches at all sites in BIG EAST play this season, and swept eight of its last nine home matches against league foes dating to last fall.
   During Creighton's 33-match home winning streak in league play, the Bluejays have dropped only 14 (of 113) sets at home, with nine of those setbacks coming in set two.
   Creighton is 30-3 in set one, 24-9 in set two, 32-1 in set three, 9-1 in set four and 4-0 in set five during that home streak, which means they are 66-4 in sets that they spend at least some time on the south bench.
   In Creighton's 100 all-time regular-season BIG EAST matches at all sites, Creighton is 53-4 in three-set matches, 27-2 in four-set matches and 11-3 in five-set contests.
Something To Shoot For
Creighton's current senior class has never lost to a BIG EAST team at D.J. Sokol Arena, going a perfect 35-0 in that span. The Bluejays were 11-0 (including two BIG EAST Tournament wins) in 2015, 10-0 in 2016, 8-0 last fall and 6-0 to date this fall.
   Creighton has not lost a home match to a BIG EAST team since Seton Hall upset the Bluejays on Nov. 23, 2014.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in four of its previous six seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017), and is off to a 6-0 start in conference home matches this fall.
   Creighton is 48-2 all-time (.960) 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 79-7 (.919) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 33 straight victories.
   Creighton has won all 10 meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all nine encounters versus Seton Hall since dropping the home match in 2014.
   The Bluejays have had a winning record in conference home matches each of the last 13 seasons (including 2018). That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down two years ago and no longer exists.
   Creighton has not lost an October home match since October 15, 2011 against Northern Iowa, having won its last 29 such matches.
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 100 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 18 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   Seton Hall and Marquette are the only league foes to top the Bluejays three times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   11-1   -   11-1
DePaul   12-0   -   12-0
Georgetown   11-0   -   11-0
Marquette   10-2   2-1   12-3
Providence   8-0   -   8-0
Seton Hall   8-3   2-0   10-3
St. John's   10-1   -   10-1
Villanova   9-2   2-0   11-2
Xavier   12-0   3-0   15-0
Total   91-9   9-1   100-10
Top 10 Jays
Creighton Volleyball climbed to a season-best ninth in this week's AVCA poll. It's the 12th different week in program history that the Bluejays have spent in the top-10, and eighth in a row.
   Here's a look at Creighton's all-time top-10 rankings in the AVCA poll:
Rank   Week   W-L That Week
9Â Â Â 8/9/17Â Â Â 3-0
7Â Â Â 8/28/17Â Â Â 2-1
9Â Â Â 9/4/17Â Â Â 2-1
8Â Â Â 9/11/17Â Â Â 0-2
10Â Â Â 9/10/18Â Â Â 2-1
10Â Â Â 9/17/18Â Â Â 2-0
10Â Â Â 9/24/18Â Â Â 2-0
10Â Â Â 10/1/18Â Â Â 2-0
10Â Â Â 10/8/18Â Â Â 2-0
10Â Â Â 10/15/18Â Â Â 2-0
10Â Â Â 10/22/18Â Â Â 2-0
9Â Â Â 10/29/18Â Â Â TBD
Top 25 Jays
Creighton started the 2018 campaign ranked 13th and are currently ninth.
   This means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 33rd straight week. That streak started on Oct. 31, 2016. Nationally, that's the 11th-longest active streak, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 25
   Streak   Team   Current Rank
   537   Stanford   2
   537   Nebraska   8
   454   Penn State   7
   427   Florida   11
   231   Texas   6
   86   Wisconsin   5
   85   BYU   1
   73   UCLA   22
   56   Minnesota   3
   37   Kentucky   12
   33   Creighton   9
Jays Get New Court
After playing on the same sport court tiled surface since the opening of D.J. Sokol Arena, Creighton Volleyball introduced a new Taraflex® Sports Flooring surface at D.J. Sokol Arena for its match on Sept. 21 vs. DePaul.
   Taraflex® floors have been used for the last 11 Summer Olympics, and provides better shock absorption and comfort while preventing both short and long-term injuries, preventing skin burns and providing for optimal levels of sliding while also allowing for easier maintenance.
   The new court was paid for by private donations.
Any Venue Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton has a .500 record or better (in all matches) at every venue in which it has played a BIG EAST match.
Site   Creighton W-L
D.J. Sokol Arena (CU)Â Â Â 69-12
Al McGuire Center (MU)Â Â Â 8-2
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU)Â Â Â 7-1
Cintas Center (XU)Â Â Â 6-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU)Â Â Â 6-0
Carnesecca Arena (SJU)Â Â Â 5-0
McDonough Arena (GU)Â Â Â 6-0
Alumni Hall (PC)Â Â Â 4-0
Jake Nevin Field House (VU)Â Â Â 4-2
Walsh Gym (SHU)Â Â Â 3-2
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the first time since Creighton's 2012 season in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bluejays were not picked to win their league. This year a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Marquette with 78 points and six first-place votes, edging out Creighton's 76 points and four first-place votes. Butler was picked third in the league's preseason poll, with Villanova fourth.      Creighton also had three women named to the 12 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt were all honored. It was the second straight preseason honor for Kloth and Witt, and third in a row for Winters.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 13 of the past 15 years, including eight years where it's finished exactly where it was 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   1st   - -
2018   2nd   ??   ??
New Time For November 11th
The Creighton University Athletics Department has moved the start time for its Nov. 11 volleyball home match against Villanova from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
   The start time was moved to avoid a conflict with a nationally-televised Creighton men's basketball home game vs. East Tennessee State that same day that begins at 12:30 p.m. Contact was made with the Villanova Athletic Department, who agreed to accommodate the request.
   The men's basketball game will still take place at CHI Health Center Omaha, while the volleyball match remains at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Winters Earns Defensive Award
Senior Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11th in recognition of her 4.54 digs and 3.92 kills per set.
   Winters had a double-double in all three matches, starting with 18 kills and 18 digs against No. 7 Nebraska on Sept. 6.
   She then lifted a career-high 26 digs to go with 15 kills in a win over Iowa State one night later. Winters' 26 digs vs. Iowa State were the most by a Bluejay outside hitter in one match since October 23, 2009 (Allie Oelke), and were the most by any Creighton player in a four-set match since Oct. 4, 2014 (Kate Elman).
   The Ankeny, Iowa, native closed out her week with 18 kills and 15 digs in a victory over Wichita State.
   Winters was named MVP of the Bluejay Invitational for her efforts.
   This was the second time in her career she's been named Defensive Player of the Week by the BIG EAST (also Oct. 31, 2017), but that's hardly her only league honor. Winters has also been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week once, was a six-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week in 2015, is a three-time First Team All-BIG EAST selection, the 2015 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament MVP and a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree.
Double Trouble
Jaali Winters owns 13 double-doubles this season, including one in all six matches this season against top-25 opponents. Winters owns 55 double-doubles in her career. That ranks sixth-most in program history, and the most by any outside hitter.
Matches With a Double-Double, Career
   D-D   Name   Years   Primary Position
   65   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97   Setter
   64   Kailey Reyes   1998-01   Setter
   60   Melissa Walsh   1998-01   Middle Blocker
   57   Megan Bober   2009-12   Setter
   56   Korie Lebeda   2005-08   Setter
   55   Jaali Winters   2015-Pres.   Outside Hitter
   41   Allie Oelke   2007-10   Outside Hitter
Winters Part Of 1,000 & 1,000 Club
Jaali Winters enters this week with 1,721 career kills and 1,301 career digs. Last year she became the third player in CU history with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs, and first to get there as a junior.
   Melissa Walsh (1,596 kills; 1,240 digs) and Allie Oelke (1,126 kills; 1,382 digs) previously accomplished the feat.
   Winters ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 331 kills and 11th with 276 digs, making her the league's only player with more than 275 kills and digs. The 10 players ahead of her in digs are all liberos who have combined for 14 kills all fall, while Winters averages 3.78 kills per set.
Can You Dig It?
Junior Brittany Witt and senior Jaali Winters have climbed into the top 10 in Creighton history on the all-time digs chart. Witt is up to second, while Winters is fifth.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kate Elman   464   2,054   2012-15
   2.   Brittany Witt   333   1,403   2016-Pr.
   3.   Janeen Piller   336   1,392   2001-04
   4.   Allie Oelke   445   1,382   2007-10
   5.   Jaali Winters   463   1,301   2015-Pr.
   6.   Kailey Reyes   368   1,258   1998-01
   7.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,240   1998-01
   8.   Julianne Mandolfo   241   1,224   2010-11
   9.   Melissa Weisensee   411   1,223   1994-97
   10.   Melanie Jereb   471   1,218   2012-15
More Attendance Notes
How many fans is 14,022? Consider these facts...
- In the five seasons (1998-02) before Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, the Bluejays attracted a total of 13,670 fans in 51 home matches, an average of 268 fans per match.
- Last year Creighton's nine BIG EAST peers attracted a grand total of 51,433 fans in 122 home dates, an average of 422 fans per match. Multiply 422 by 33 and you still don't get to 14,022.
- Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, no league peer has attracted as many as 10,000 fans in any season, nor averaged more than 845 fans per home match for a full season.
- Through matches of October 30, the other nine schools in the BIG EAST had attracted a total of 36,234 fans in 94 home dates (385 per match).
   Last year Creighton led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, baseball and men's basketball.
   Here's a look at the national leaders in average home attendance, after matches of October 28:
   Rank   Average   School
   1.   Nebraska   8,160
   2.   Wisconsin   7,052
   3.   Hawai'i   5,436
   4.   Minnesota   5,284
   5.   Texas   3,903
   6.   Creighton   3,413
   7.   Penn State   3,403
   8.   Florida   2,829
   9.   Michigan State   2,765
   10.   BYU   2,695
Quick Witt-ed
Brittany Witt started her junior season with 10 straight matches in each of her first 18 matches, and a streak of 21 in a row dating to last year, before "just" nine digs at Georgetown on Oct. 12.
   The streak of 18 straight matches with 10+ digs to open a season was the fourth-longest in program history
   Witt's streak of 21 straight double-figure matches in a row was the longest streak of her career, and was the sixth-longest in CU history.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs, To Start Year
   32   Kate Elman   2012
   29   Janeen Piller   (every match) 2004
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007
   18   Brittany Witt   2018
   9   Nayka Benitez   2010
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
   43   Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
   32   Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
   30   Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
   27   Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
   23   Julianne Mandolfo, Sept. 9-Nov. 24, 2011
   21   Brittany Witt, Nov. 25, 2017 - Oct. 7, 2018
   19   Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
Ranked Pair
August 24th marked just the second time that Creighton Soccer and Creighton Volleyball both beat ranked teams on the same day, as the volleyball team topped No. 5 Kentucky (3-2) just hours before the men's soccer team defeated No. 11 Clemson (2-0).
   The only previous day with both teams taking down top-25 foes had been Aug. 30, 2013, when the volleyball team opened its season with a 3-1 win over No. 13 BYU and the men's soccer team followed with a 2-0 triumph over No. 14 Tulsa.
   This year has been the first time both teams have been ranked in the top-10 at the same time.
Record Crowd
Creighton set an NCAA regular-season record for a volleyball-only crowd on Sept. 6 when it hosted 14,022 fans for its home match against No. 7 Nebraska.
   The total eclipsed the previous NCAA mark of 13,870 that Nebraska hosted in 2009 for a match against UCLA, and also topped the previous record for a Creighton home match of 13,081 set in 2007 when the Bluejays entertained Cal Poly.
   In five all-time volleyball matches at CHI Health Center Omaha, Creighton has played before an average of 11,477 fans.
   Below is a list of the largest crowds (and home crowds) in Creighton and NCAA Volleyball history:
Largest Home Crowds
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU W-L   Facility
   14,022   #7 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   2,578   #13 Kentucky   09/01/17   W 3-0   Sokol Arena
Largest Crowds (All Sites)
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   14,022   #7 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,627   at #5 Nebraska   09/29/02   L 0-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,277   vs. Montana St.   09/16/16   W 3-0   Devaney Ctr.
Largest Crowds
NCAA Volleyball-Only Regular-Season History
   Att.   Match   Date   Site
   14,022   Nebraska at Creighton   09/06/18   Omaha, Neb.
   13,870   UCLA at Nebraska   09/13/09   Lincoln, Neb.
   13,412   LSU at Nebraska   09/12/08   Lincoln, eb.
   13,396   Hawaii at Nebraska   10/21/07   Lincoln, Neb.
   13,081   2 matches (CP@CU; PSU-NU)   09/02/07   Omaha, Neb.
Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton collected eight non-conference wins for the first time since the 2013 team went 9-3.
   Creighton Volleyball went 3-3 against ranked non-conference teams last season. Before last fall, CU had been 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
   This year's club is 8-4 in non-conference play, and 1-3 against ranked teams in the non-con.
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
2017Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â TBD
How Many MVP's Can They Have?
Creighton has won seven different tournaments since the start of the 2016 season, and had five different MVP's honored.
   Three members of this year's team (Jaali Winters, Taryn Kloth and Megan Ballenger) have won at least one tourney MVP in their careers.
Year   Event   MVP
2016   BIG EAST Championship   Jaali Winters
2017   Husky Invitational   Marysa Wilkinson
2017   Bluejay Invitational   Lydia Dimke
2017   Kansas Invitational   Jaali Winters
2017   BIG EAST Championship   Taryn Kloth
2018   SMU DoubleTree Classic   Megan Ballenger
2018   Bluejay Invitational   Jaali Winters
15 Not Enough For These Jays
Normally when a fifth set is contested, a team must reach 15 points (and win by two) to earn a victory.
   In both of CU's five-setters on the opening weekend at the Trojan Invitational, that still wasn't enough to decide a victor.
   Creighton lost to No. 10 USC by an 18-16 count in the fifth set on Aug. 25.
   One day earlier, Creighton saved two match points and eventually converted its sixth match point opportunity to take a 22-20 decision vs. No. 5 Kentucky.
   The 22-20 score was the highest-scoring fifth set in program history, eclipsing a 20-18 win in 2016 at No. 4 Kansas and a 20-18 loss to Iowa in St. Louis in 2010.
All Night Long
Creighton played the longest match (by time) in program history on Aug. 25 against No. 10 USC, as its match against the Women of Troy lasted 3:04. That match was so long that it exceeded the length of the Los Angeles Rams preseason game (3:02) against the Houston Texans that was played just blocks away earlier in the day.
   The previous longest matches had been 2:45, done twice in the fall of 2000.
Creighton's Longest Matches (By Length)
   Time   Opponent, Date   Result
   3:04   at #10 USC, 8/25/18   USC 3-2
   2:45   at Indiana State, 10/14/00   CU 3-2
   2:45   at Evansville, 11/4/00   CU 3-2
   2:42   at USC, 9/3/16   USC 3-2
BIG EAST Honors Ballenger and Hickman
Megan Ballenger was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Naomi Hickman honored as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on September 4th.
   Ballenger earned MVP honors at the SMU DoubleTree Classic after helping Creighton to three 3-0 sweeps. She averaged 3.89 points, 3.44 kills and 0.78 blocks per set while hitting .529.
   Hickman averaged 1.78 blocks per set to help Creighton win all nine sets it played. She opened the tournament by tying her career-high with six blocks against Arkansas State, then broke that mark hours later with seven blocks against North Carolina State.
   This was Hickman's first career Player of the Week honor from the BIG EAST. Ballenger was previously recognized as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times in 2016.
Service Improves
Creighton had 23 service errors in its season-opening victory over No. 5 Kentucky, including nine errors in 20 attempts in the first set of the season.
   Creighton has minimized such mistakes since then, with a total of just 153 service errors in the past 23 contests.
   Below is a list of the most service errors in a match in program history:
Most Team Service Errors in a match, Creighton history
SE   Opponent   Date   Aces   Result
25   at Wichita State   9/24/04   5   L 3-1
23   vs. #5 Kentucky   8/24/18   5   W 3-2
21   San Francisco   8/27/10   1   W 3-1
20   Drake   10/10/98   9   L 3-2
18   at Evansville   9/12/98   5   L 0-3
18   Drake   10/8/04   5   W 3-1
18Â Â Â vs. Miami (Ohio)Â Â Â 8/28/15Â Â Â 7Â Â Â W 3-2
Special K
Taryn Kloth had a (then) career-high 25 kills in the Aug. 25 match at No. 10 USC. It was two more than her previous best, which was set in 2016 at USC the last time she faced the Women of Troy in the Galen Center.
   Kloth eclipsed that with a career-best 26 kills versus No. 7 Nebraska on Sept. 6, and one night later added 23 putaways vs. Iowa State in just four sets. When Kloth had 26 kills on .400 hitting vs. Nebraska, she became the first Creighton player with 26+ kills to hit .400 or better since Kelly Goc hit .625 with 26 kills on Nov. 16, 2007 vs. Drake.
   Kloth also had 26 kills on Sept. 28 in a win at Butler.
   Kloth now owns seven career matches of 20+ kills, including five this fall, as seen below:
Taryn Kloth -- Most Kills in a Match
      Kills   Opponent   Date
      26   #7 Nebraska   9/6/18
      26   at Butler   9/28/18
      25   at #10 USC   8/25/18
      23   at USC   9/3/16
      23   Iowa State   9/7/18
      23   at #8 Illinois   9/15/18
      20   at Villanova   10/7/16
25 Kill Duo
Senior All-American outside hitters Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth each had a match of 25 kills on the opening weekend of the season.
   Winters had 25 kills against No. 5 Kentucky on Aug. 24, and one day later Kloth had 25 kills at No. 10 USC.
   In all of last season, Winters (with 28 at Butler) was the only Bluejay performer with 20+ kills in any match last season.
   This year marks the first time since 2000 that multiple Creighton players have had a match with 25 or more kills. In 2000, Melissa Walsh had three matches while Melanie Keolanui did it once. It also happened in 1998 with Walsh (twice) and Shelly Kapler (once).
   This is already the first time CU has had multiple players with mulitple 25 kill matches in the same season. If Kloth can compile 25 kills in another match this year, she'll become the first Bluejay with four matches of 25+ kills in the same season.
   Below is a list of Creighton players with the most career matches of 20 or more kills, as well as 25 or more kills.
Most Matches With 20+ Kills, Creighton Career
   20+K   Name   Years
   23   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   20   Leah Ratzlaff   2002-05
   18   Jaali Winters   2015-Pres.
   13   Kelly Goc   2004-07
   10   JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
   7   Taryn Kloth   2015-Pres.
   5   Jessica Houts   2005-09
   5   Leah McNary   2011-14
Most Matches With 25+ Kills, Creighton Career
   25+K   Name   Years
   8   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   6   Leah Ratzlaff   2002-05
   6   Jaali Winters   2015-Pres.
   3   Taryn Kloth   2015-Pres.
   2   Jessica Houts   2005-09
   1   Michelle Prorock   1994-96
   1   JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
   1   Shelly Kapler   1996-99
   1   Melanie Keolanui   1997-00
   1   Kelly Goc   2004-07
   1   Alicia Runge   2009-10
Four For Four For Number Five
Jaali Winters has started each of the last four season openers, becoming the 15th player in school history to start the initial match of the season four times. Below is that list:
Four Opening Day Starts
Name   Years
JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
Shelly Kapler   1996-99
Erin Swanson   1998-01
Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Melissa Walsh   1998-01
Carolyn Decker   2004-06, 08
Korie Lebeda   2005-08
Jessica Houts   2006-09
Allie Oelke   2007-10
Heather Thorson   2009-12
Megan Bober   2009-12
Jess Bird   2013-16
Lauren Smith   2013-16
Jaali Winters   2015-18
Setting The Table
For the sixth time in seven years, Creighton had a different opening day setter.
   The Jays started the season with Megan Bober 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. Lydia Dimke started the initial contest in both 2016 and 2017, but she has graduated.
   This year Madelyn Cole started the season-opener against No. 5 Kentucky, producing a double-double in the five-set victory.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous six seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and five of them saw Creighton win conference titles. Creighton also won six of those seven season-opening matches.
Top 10 Recruiting Class
Creighton's freshman quartet of Keeley Davis, Annika Welty, Jaela Zimmerman and Kari Zumach were named the nation's No. 10 recruiting class by PrepVolleyball.com. That's the highest-ranked class in program history.
   The same organization ranked Davis as the nation's No. 42 recruit, with Zimmerman 49th.
   Creighton has had just two top-50 recruits previously (No. 18 Taryn Kloth in 2015, No. 41 Jaali Winters in 2015) while No. 50 (in 2014) Lydia Dimke went to Purdue for two years before transferring to Creighton.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces at CU
Rank   Year   Player
68Â Â Â 2004Â Â Â Carolyn Decker
55Â Â Â 2008Â Â Â Laurel Sanford
60Â Â Â 2011Â Â Â Michelle Sicner
73Â Â Â 2013Â Â Â Jess Bird
50Â Â Â 2014Â Â Â Lydia Dimke*
18Â Â Â 2015Â Â Â Taryn Kloth
41Â Â Â 2015Â Â Â Jaali Winters
98Â Â Â 2017Â Â Â Naomi Hickman
99Â Â Â 2017Â Â Â Steph Gaston
42Â Â Â 2018Â Â Â Keeley Davis
49Â Â Â 2018Â Â Â Jaela Zimmerman
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Class Rankings
Year   Rank   Freshman Recruits
2004   Best of the Rest   (Baumann, Decker, Goc, Lahm, Mehal)
2005   Honorable-Mention   (Cvejdlik, Houts, Lebeda)
2006   None   (Bloemke, Schulze, Workman)
2007   None   (Feldman, Oelke, Vrbicky)
2008   Highest Honorable-Mention   (Almgren, Bober, Sanford)
2009   Highest Honorable-Mention   (Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010   High Honorable-Mention   (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011   Highest Honorable-Mention   (Browning, McNary, Neisler, Sicner, Stivers)
2012   High Honorable-Mention   (Elman, Jansen, Jereb, L. Smith)
2013   None   (Bird, Crawford, Foje)
2014   Highest Honorable-Mention   (Lawrence, Tupper, Wilkinson)
2015   11th   (Ballenger, Bohnet, Kloth, O'Connell, Winters)
2016   High Honorable-Mention   (Conlon, Taylor, Witt)
2017   25th   (Gaston, Hickman, Roumeliotis)
2018   10th   (Davis, Welty, Zimmerman, Zumach)
The Gauntlet
Creighton played five different non-conference teams that were in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the most in the nation, with Northern Iowa, Texas, USC and Wichita State.
   The Bluejays met up with No. 2 Nebraska, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 10 USC, No. 12 Illinois and No. 21 Iowa State in 2018.
   This is the sixth straight season that Creighton will face four or more non-conference foes that are in the preseason Top 25.
   Of Creighton's 12 non-conference matches this year, all but one (Lipscomb) were against a team that played in the postseason last fall.
European Summer Tour
Creighton got a head start on the 2018 season with an 11-day trip to Europe in mid-June.
   The team played five matches while spending time in Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.
   All 15 members of the 2018 team were allowed to participate, including the seven newcomers.
Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton started the season ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It's the fifth time in the past six campaigns that CU's been ranked in the preseason AVCA poll, and third straight fall.
   Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the previous 10 seasons, only 178-of-250 teams (71.2 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   Since 2008, all but 25 teams (of 250) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.0 percent).
Creighton's History in the AVCA Preseason Poll
   Year   Preseason Rank   Final W-L   Final Rank
   2013   25th   23-9   NR
   2014   23rd   25-9   NR
   2016   18th   27-9   9th
   2017   9th   26-7   16th
   2018   13th   TBD   ???
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including this year's season-opening win over No. 5 Kentucky. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 337-2 under Booth when it reaches a math 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
08/24/18   vs. #5 Kentucky   16-15, 19-18   22-20
Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 19 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
   Creighton is one of 15 teams to win a match in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments. That group includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is also one of 17 schools with six straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-17). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
   Creighton is also one of just nine schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the previous six seasons (2012-17). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.
   Creighton is also one of 11 teams to be in the year-end AVCA poll in 2015, 2016 and 2017. That list includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 279-10 (.965) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 222-4 mark (.982) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 149-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets in 2017 won 97.0 percent of their matches last season.
   Conversely, the Jays are 14-193 (.068) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 14 comebacks in program history from down 0-2 are listed below.
Date   Opponent   Sets 3-5 scores   Coach
09/19/97   at Bradley   15-11, 15-13, 15-8   Wallace
10/01/99   at Drake   15-6, 17-15, 15-11   Wallace
09/03/04   vs. Montana   30-20, 30-21, 15-11   Booth
10/15/04   at Bradley   30-22, 30-23, 15-11   Booth
10/15/05   at So. Illinois   30-25, 30-24, 15-8   Booth
09/21/07   at No. Iowa   31-29, 30-26, 15-12   Booth
11/16/12   at Wichita St.   25-16, 25-20, 16-14   Booth
09/05/14   vs. No. Iowa   25-16, 25-22, 15-5   Booth
11/08/14   at Butler   25-16, 25-20, 15-13   Booth
09/20/15   Kansas State   25-23, 26-24, 15-13   Booth
10/09/15   DePaul   25-21, 25-12, 15-11   Booth
11/20/15   at Georgetown   30-28, 26-24, 15-7   Booth
10/13/17   Butler   25-21, 25-23, 15-9   Booth
10/18/18   Xavier   25-17, 25-17, 15-13   Booth
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Taryn Kloth gained valuable experience this summer with the US Collegiate National Team, spending 11 days in China in late May.
   It's the second straight season that Kloth has been part of USA Volleyball, as in 2017 she was part of USA Volleyball's team that went to Minneapolis, Minn.
   Among Kloth's USA Volleyball teammates from 2018 that Creighton faced this season include Madison Lilley (Kentucky), Carlyle Nusbaum (Lipscomb) and Jenna Rosenthal (Marquette). CU went 1-0 against Kentucky and Lipscomb and 2-0 versus Marquette this fall.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 55-29 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 13 of its last 17 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016, 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette and a 2018 win at Butler.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 12-3 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 4-1Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 20-4
Total   70-57   430-316
Marian Pipeline
This is the 16th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Kelsey O'Connell and junior Brittany Witt return.
   Each of the last seven 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.
2018: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
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
Production Returns
Creighton returns 8-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters and libero Brittany Witt.
   From last year's team, only Marysa Wilkinson, Lydia Dimke, Kenzie Crawford, Jaclyn Taylor (transferred to Nebraska-Omaha) and Brittany Lawrence (graduated and transferred to Northern Colorado) are not back.
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   334 (22.7%)   1203 (77.3%)
Digs   1465 (76.7%)   444 (23.3%)
Aces   123 (80.9%)   29 (19.1%)
Kills   1164 (69.1%)   520 (30.9%)
Matches Started   118 (59.6%)   80 (40.4%)
Points   1428 (68.5%)   656 (31.5%)
Blocks   141 (56.9%)   107 (43.1%)
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played 14 matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 8-6 against such teams.
   This year's team will play 11 matches against teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including 11-of-24 opponents so far this fall.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 77-94 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 8-6
2018Â Â Â 7-4
TOTALÂ Â Â 80-129
TOTAL Under Booth   77-94
Lucky Number Seven
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she directed her troops to seven NCAA Tournaments. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   Booth is one of four head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams, and tops among all females.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   7
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Boothbecame Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up.
   Booth won her 300th match at CU on Sept. 24 vs. Villanova, and now owns 337 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport   Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball   757*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Ed Servais, Baseball   517*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   427*
Kirste Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   337*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   312*
*still active coaching at Creighton
All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 127-36 record since the start of the 2014 season. On a national basis, the 127 wins are tied for eighth-most.
Most Wins, Since 2014 (through 10/28)
   Rank   School   Wins
   1.   Penn State   139
      Western Kentucky   139
   3.   BYU   138
   4.   Stanford   134
      Nebraska   134
   6.   Washington   129
      Florida   129
   8.   Creighton   127
      Dayton   127
   10.   Texas   125
      Colorado State   125
   12.   Minnesota   124
   13.   Wisconsin   123
      American   123
This and That
Amaze your friends and neighbors with these facts...
• Creighton has won six sets this season after an opponent owned a set point.
• Creighton is the only team in the nation to rank in the top-10 in average home attendance in both women's volleyball and men's soccer.
• Jaali Winters has played in 56 matches that were either four-set or five-set contests. She's had 10 kills in all but one of them, and had nine in the other.
• Off to an 20-4 start this fall, Creighton's improved to 430-316 in program history. It marks the first time that CU has been more than 114 wins over .500, an impressive feat considering the program was 59 matches under .500 before Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
• Kirsten Bernthal Booth's next win will be the 450th of her coaching career. She won 112 times at Kirkwood CC before posting 337 wins at Creighton.
• Creighton owns multiple wins over top-25 teams for the fourth straight season. From 1994-2014, Creighton had a total of three seasons with one ranked win each.
• Creighton's three wins over ranked teams this season tie a school-record first done in 2017.
• Creighton has played 27 matches against ranked teams in the last four years (going 10-17), including seven matches vs. ranked teams in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and six such squads this fall.
• All four of Creighton's seniors will graduate in December.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballCreighton Media Availability Volleyball Sept. 17
Wednesday, September 17
#18 Creighton Volleyball vs. #1 Nebraska Highlights - 9/16/25
Wednesday, September 17
Creighton Volleyball vs. Nebraska Press Conference - 9/16/25
Monday, September 15
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. UNI - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
