Friday, October 25
Providence, R.I.
5:00 PM
Creighton University
at
Providence
Ally Van Eekeren
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
#10 Volleyball To Hit Halfway Mark of League Play at Providence This Weekend
10/22/2019 12:45:00 PM | Volleyball
Bluejays are 15-3 and 8-0 in the BIG EAST
Download Notes as a PDF
This Weekend
Oct. 25 5 pm CT #10 Creighton at Providence Providence, R.I. (Alumni Hall) | VIDEO ($) | STATS
Oct. 26 5 pm CT #10 Creighton at Providence Providence, R.I. (Alumni Hall) | VIDEO ($) | STATS
This Week
No. 10 Creighton (15-3, 8-0 BIG EAST) visits travel partner Providence (5-16, 0-8 BIG EAST) for a pair of matches this weekend.
The teams will play at 5 p.m. CST on both Friday and Saturday nights at Alumni Hall in Providence, R.I.
Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will have video webcasts at Friars.com/watch that is available for a fee.
Exact links to both broadcasts can be found on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home matches will have free live stats at http://creighton.statbroadcast.com.
Fans can also find links to road matches on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #10 Creighton
Winners of a league-best 10 straight matches, Creighton is 15-3 on the season and 8-0 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays defeated No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC on back-to-back days in non-conference play, and also own a win at No. 10 Marquette, the league's preseason favorite.
With All-BIG EAST setter Madelyn Cole (10.91 aps., 2.58 dps., 0.33 saps.) directing the offense, five women are averaging 1.98 or more kills per set for the Bluejays.
Keeley Davis is the seven-time reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and leads CU with 3.22 kills per set. Davis had 31 kills in the win at No. 10 Marquette, one shy of CU's school record, to help her earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 15.
Davis is supported by fellow attackers Erica Kostelac (2.78 kps., 0.44 saps.), Jaela Zimmerman (2.72 kps.), Naomi Hickman (1.98 kps., .323%) and Megan Ballenger (2.20 kps., .361%, 0.92 bps.). Zimmerman was named MVP of the Creighton Classic on Sept. 21, while Hickman was named MVP of the UNI Tournament on Sept. 7.
Three-time Preseason All-BIG EAST libero Brittany Witt (4.98 dps.) anchors the defense and leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
Creighton averages 13.98 kills, 14.97 digs, 1.94 blocks and 1.73 aces per set on .260 hitting.
Scouting Providence
After a 5-4 start to the season, the Friars have lost 12 consecutive matches to drop to 5-16 overall and 0-8 in BIG EAST play. Six of those 16 losses have come in five sets, however.
Jennifer Leitman (3.09 kps., 2.12 dps.) ranks as one of the best freshmen in the BIG EAST and tops the club in kills, but did not play in either match last weekend.
Also averaging multiple kills are Emma Nelson (2.55 kps.) and Addison Root (2.36 kps.).
Allison Barber (8.45 aps., 0.28 saps. 3,00 dps.) sets the offense, and Caroline LaMacchia leads PC with 3.09 digs per set.
As a team, Providence averages 11.59 kills, 1.37 aces, 15.00 digs and 1.74 blocks per set on .172 hitting as a team.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 361-168 record in her 17th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to five straight BIG EAST titles, and six league crowns in the last seven 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 eight NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last eight 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. Providence
Creighton is 10-0 all-time against Providence, winning 30-of-31 sets in a series that began in 2013. Fourteen of those set victories have been by 10 or more points.
CU has also its last 11 sets against the Friars.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-0 all-time against Providence and coach Margot Royer-Johnson.
Providence x 2?
In a nearly unprecedented scheduling quirk, Creighton is playing Providence twice in a row this weekend.
The two teams are travel partners in the geographically expansive BIG EAST Conference, but rather than have each team travel halfway across the country on different weekends at great expense, it was agreed to have the teams play consecutively on the same weekend at the same site.
In 2016, Providence played back-to-back matches in Omaha to start the arrangement. In 2017, the teams played twice in Rhode Island. Last year, the teams closed the regular-season by playing Providence twice in Omaha.
Since restarting its program in 1994 Creighton has played 774 matches, but only four times has the team played the same foe twice in a row.
The first time came in 2011 at the Texas A&M Invitational, when CU met the host Aggies on both August 26 and August 27 after a potential fourth team in that event dropped out.
The past three seasons against Providence have been the only other times.
In each previous instance, the team to win the first match also won the rematch the following day.
Senior Class Chasing 100 Wins
Creighton owns a sparkling 99-22 record since the start of the 2016 season, which puts the Bluejays just one victory away from 100 in that time.
Brittany Witt has played in all 99 victories and can become the seventh volleyball player to appear in 100 victories at CU. Megan Ballenger has played in 97 wins, missing a pair of victories in 2016.
Creighton has achieved 100 victories in a four-year span four times previously.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
W-L Years
111-28 2015-18
107-32 2014-17
104-31 2012-15
104-34 2013-16
99-22 2016-Present
94-36 2011-14
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
111 Jaali Winters 2015-18
109 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
106 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
104 Lauren Smith 2013-16
102 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
99 Brittany Witt 2016-Present
97 Megan Ballenger 2016-Present
95 Kate Elman 2012-15
Most Wins Since 2016
Creighton owns 99 victories and an .818 winning percentage since the start of the 2016 season.
The 99 victories ranks sixth-best in the nation, while the .818 winning percentage is ninth-best.
Best Records Since Start of 2016 Season (10/20)
Sorted By Wins Sorted By Win Percentage
1. 107 Nebraska 1. BYU .898 106-12
2. 104 Stanford 2. Stanford .874 104-15
3. 106 BYU 3. Nebraska .870 107-16
4. 102 Western Kentucky 4. Florida .860 98-16
5. 100 Pittsburgh 5. Texas .856 89-15
6. 99 Creighton 6. W. Kentucky .850 102-18
7. 98 Stephen F. Austin 7. Minnesota .843 97-18
98 Florida 8. Pittsburgh .840 100-19
9. 97 Minnesota 9. Creighton .818 99-22
97 Penn State 10. Kentucky .805 91-22
On The Road Again...
Creighton has won each of its past five true road matches, and is 13-1 in its last 14 true road matches.
Creighton is just four wins away from matching its program record for consecutive road victories.
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
8 Sept. 28 - Nov. 3, 2018 at #2 Nebraska
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
5 Nov. 21, 2003-Sept. 14, 2004 at Wichita State, 3-1
5 Oct. 11-Nov. 15, 2014 at #8 Illinois, 3-0
5 Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017 at Villanova, 3-0
5 Sept. 6, 2019 - Present ? ? ?
Not Half Bad
Creighton is 8-0 on the season in BIG EAST play and will reach the midway point of league action following Friday's contest at Providence.
Regardless of Friday's result, Creighton will be 8-1 or 9-0 for the sixth straight season, and eighth time in the past nine years.
This is the 20th straight time that Creighton has owned a .667 win percentage or better in either the first or second half of a conference season.
League Record by Year
Year 1st Half 2nd Half Final Place
1994 2-8 1-9 T-9th MVC
1995 3-7 3-7 T-7th MVC
1996 2-7 3-6 T-6th MVC
1997 6-3 4-5 T-3rd MVC
1998 2-7 3-6 8th MVC
1999 5-4 4-5 5th MVC
2000 5-4 5-4 T-4th MVC
2001 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2002 1-8 1-8 T-9th MVC
2003 5-4 4-5 T-5th MVC
2004 5-4 5-4 5th MVC
2005 4-5 6-3 5th MVC
2006 7-2 5-4 4th MVC
2007 7-2 7-2 T-2nd MVC
2008 7-2 8-1 2nd MVC
2009 4-5 6-3 T-4th MVC
2010 7-2 6-3 3rd MVC
2011 6-3 6-3 4th MVC
2012 8-1 9-0 1st MVC
2013 6-2 6-2 T-2nd BIG EAST
2014 8-1 8-1 1st BIG EAST
2015 9-0 8-1 1st BIG EAST
2016 9-0 9-0 1st BIG EAST
2017 8-1 8-1 1st BIG EAST
2018 9-0 9-0 1st BIG EAST
2019 8-0 so far 0-0 so far TBD
Total 150-84 139-87 --
Back In The Top 10
Creighton is a season-best 10th in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll.
It's the 18th different week in program history that the Bluejays have spent in the top 10, which includes 12 straight weeks in 2018.
Creighton is one of just nine programs to have spent at least one week in the AVCA Top 10 in each of the last four seasons, a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.
Creighton is 14-1 all-time when ranked exactly No. 10, tied for the most wins of any slotting with its 14-2 mark when ranked exactly No. 9.
All-Time Weekly AVCA Top-10 Rankings
December 19, 2016 (Year-End) 9th
August 9, 2017 (Preseason) 9th
August 28, 2017 7th
September 4, 2017 9th
September 11, 2017 8th
September 10, 2018 10th
September 17, 2018 10th
September 24, 2018 10th
October 1, 2018 10th
October 8, 2018 10th
October 15, 2018 10th
October 22, 2018 10th
October 29, 2018 9th
November 5, 2018 9th
November 12, 2018 9th
November 19, 2018 9th
November 26, 2018 9th
October 21, 2019 10th
On Record Pace
A pair of Bluejay seniors are approaching the midpoint in league play on pace to set BIG EAST single-season records that date back to the start of the rally scoring era in 2001.
Megan Ballenger enters this weekend hitting .486 in league action. The current single-season mark is owned by Notre Dame's Ashley Tartutis, who hit .481 in 2007.
In addition, Erica Kostelac has owns 19 aces after eight conference contests. That computes to 2.38 aces per BIG EAST match. If she were to maintain that rate over 18 league contests, she'd finish the year with 42.8. The BIG EAST record for aces during league play in a single campaign is 37 by Villanova's Kim Maroon in 2010.
Just Win, Baby
Creighton has won a season-best 10 straight matches. That ranks as tied for the seventh-longest mark in program history, and also marks the sixth straight campaign with at least one 10-match win streak.
All eight win streaks of 10 or longer have taken place in the past eight seasons, after never having done it from 1994-2011.
With a pair of victories this weekend, CU would tie its fourth-longest win streak ever.
Most Consecutive Wins, Creighton History
Wins Dates Snapped By
23 Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016 at #5 Texas, 3-0
21 Sept. 21 - Nov. 30, 2018 #22 Washington, 3-0
17 Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012 at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
12 Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015 at Villanova, 3-2
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0
11 Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017 at Villanova, 3-0
10 Oct. 31-Dec. 5, 2015 vs. #2 USC, 3-1
10 Sept. 19, 2019 - Present ? ? ?
8 Oct. 25-Nov. 22, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa, 3-2
Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (10/22)
Wins Team Next Natch
18 Western Kentucky 10/25
17 Colorado State 10/24
16 Baylor 10/23
16 South Dakota 10/25
13 Stephen F. Austin 10/24
13 San Diego 10/24
12 Towson 10/23
12 Fairfield 10/26
10 Creighton 10/25
10 East Tennessee State 10/25
Ace, Ace, Baby
Madelyn Cole has compiled 11 consecutive matches with an ace, as seen below. Cole is the only Bluejay with a streak or nine or longer since 2011, and has actually done it three times in that span.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
15 Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
11 Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
11 Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
11 Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
11 Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27 - Dec. 1, 2018
11 Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14, 2019 - Present
9 Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995
9 Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 - Sept. 21, 2018
Cole Eyes 2,000 Creighton Helpers
Madelyn Cole enters this weekend with 1,987 assists since transferring to Creighton prior to the 2018 season. She's appeared in 52 matches as a Bluejay.
Here's how long it took Creighton's previous setters to reach 2,000 career assists.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 2,000 Assists (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Korie Lebeda 43 09/22/06 Drake
Brittany Coleman 45 10/02/04 Southern Illinois
Kailey Reyes 49 09/01/00 at Iowa State
Lydia Dimke 52 10/13/17 Butler
Megan Bober 55 11/05/10 at Wichita State
Melissa Weisensee 66 09/15/96 at UMKC
Michelle Sicner 109 11/23/14 Seton Hall
RPI Update
Despite a pair of lopsided 3-0 wins last weekend, Creighton dropped from 10th to 16th in this week's official NCAA RPI rankings.
The chart below shows where Creighton has been in the official RPI each week since 2010. Week 1 refers to the first Monday in October, which is when the NCAA first releases the RPI publicly each year.
Creighton Volleyball RPI by Week
'10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19
Week 1 55 -- 26 10 41 20 29 8 21 18
Week 2 32 -- 29 7 42 23 23 14 22 10
Week 3 40 65 29 5 46 23 27 13 20 16
Week 4 44 63 34 7 40 26 19 15 22
Week 5 41 55 32 9 39 23 20 15 17
Week 6 46 53 33 10 31 23 16 14 16
Week 7 44 58 31 12 31 20 17 9 14
Week 8 39 61 29 16 34 21 18 16 16
Week 9 29 69 26 16 24 15 17 10 13
NCAA Seed -- -- -- -- -- 16 -- 9 9
FINAL 32 74 24 18 34 14 12 14 16
Let's Get It Started
Creighton has started 8-0 in league play for the fourth time in the last five seasons. All three previous times CU has started 7-0 or better, it has gone on to win league regular-season and tournament crowns.
Below is a list of Creighton's best starts in conference play all-time:
Start League Year Final W-L Final Place
18-0 BIG EAST 2016 18-0 1st
18-0 BIG EAST 2018 18-0 1st
11-0 BIG EAST 2015 17-1 1st
8-0 BIG EAST 2019 TBD TBD
6-0 MVC 2007 14-4 T-2nd
Jays On A Roll
Dating to last season, Creighton has won 27 straight regular-season league contests, the program's second-longest conference streak ever. That doesn't factor in a 4-0 mark in league championship play in that time.
The last BIG EAST team to defeat CU was Villanova on Nov. 17, 2017.
Creighton can tie its longest streak of conference wins ever with a win on Friday, and rewrite the mark with wins on both Friday and Saturday.
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
28 Oct. 31, 2015-Sept. 30, 2017 at Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST
27 Nov. 18, 2017-Present ??? BIG EAST
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
Davis & Witt Honored With BIG EAST Awards
Creighton swept all three BIG EAST weekly honors on Oct. 15. Brittany Witt was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Keeley Davis brought home both the Offensive Player of the Week and the Freshman of the Week honor. It was the sixth straight week Davis has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, extending her league record.
Davis led all BIG EAST players with 4.75 kills per set during the week, hitting .370. The freshman from Highlands Ranch, Colo., started her week with seven kills, five digs and an ace on .286 hitting in a 3-0 win at DePaul.
Davis then more than doubled her previous high as she pounded 31 kills in a 3-2 road win at No. 10 Marquette, all while hitting .390 and adding seven digs, two aces and a block assist. Davis' 31 kills were the most by any BIG EAST player since 2016, the most by a Creighton player since 1996, and just one shy of CU's single-match record. She had 10 kills in the third set alone, then added seven more in the fourth set. In the decisive fifth set, Davis had six early kills as CU blitzed to a 10-4 lead in an eventual 15-8 victory. In addition to her attacking prowess, Davis' seven digs tied her season-high.
Witt led all BIG EAST players with 5.50 digs per set during the week. The senior libero was also targeted 35 times in serve receive on the weekend, allowing just one ace while helping with passes that led to 18 kills.
The Omaha product opened her week with nine digs and a season-best four aces in a 3-0 sweep at DePaul on Friday. CU's defense held DePaul to just 32 kills in the match, 15 fewer than any other league contest for the Blue Demons this fall. Witt's four aces helped her move into the top five in program history for career aces.
On Saturday, Witt had a career-high 35 digs in Creighton's 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette in a battle for first place. Witt's 35 digs were the most by a Bluejay since 2012, and just three shy of the program record for one match.
Davis Also AVCA National Player of the Week
For her accomplishments listed above, Keeley Davis was also named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 15.
Davis is the second Bluejay ever to earn the honor, joining Michelle Sicner, who earned the award exactly six years to the day earlier, also after wins vs. DePaul and Marquette.
Cole A Senior Class Award Candidate
Madelyn Cole is among 30 student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that has been selected as a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award®. Cole is the only player from a school in Nebraska on the list, and joins Marquette's Allie Barber as one of two BIG EAST players to make the initial cut.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
A health and life style management major, Cole is a native of Dallas, Texas. She was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2016 and 2017 while attending Marshall and has been quite active in the community since transferring to Creighton in 2018. She's worked summer camps, visited a school in Slovenia, participated in Night Out With The Jays and also Hanging With The Jays. The setter is a team captain for Creighton, as well.
Cole is the latest in a long line of Creighton Volleyball student-athletes to make the Senior CLASS cut in recent seasons, as Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters were candidates in 2018. Lydia Dimke was a candidate in 2017, as were Jess Bird and Lauren Smith in 2016. Other past volleyball candidates include Melanie Jereb (2015), Kelli Browning (2014) and Megan Bober (2012). Both Kloth (2018) and Smith (2016) were named Senior CLASS All-Americans following the season.
Former Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt won the 2011 Senior CLASS Award on the pitch, while ex-Creighton men's basketball standout Doug McDermott won the 2014 Senior CLASS Award on the hardwood.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton improved to a season-best 10th in this week's AVCA poll. That means the Jays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 47th straight week. The streak started on Oct. 31, 2016.
Nationally, that's the 10th-longest active streak, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 25
Streak Team Current Rank
551 Stanford 2
551 Nebraska 5
468 Penn State 8
441 Florida 13
245 Texas 4
100 Wisconsin 6
99 BYU 12
70 Minnesota 7
51 Kentucky 16
47 Creighton 10
Witt Gets To Everything
Brittany Witt collected a career-high 35 digs in Creighton's 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette on October 12th. That performance ranks tied for sixth-most in program history for a single match.
Witt had multiple digs on five different points, including a pair of times in the third set where she had three digs on the same point.
Most Digs, Match, Creighton History
38 Melissa Weisensee vs. Evansville (4s) 10-10-97
38 Bianca Rivera at Drake (5s) 9-11-07
36 Janeen Piller vs. Drake (4s) 10-8-04
36 Nayka Benitez vs. Wichita State (4s) 10-2-09
36 Julianne Mandolfo at Illinois State (5s) 10-29-11
35 Janeen Piller vs. Bradley (5s) 10-31-03
35 Janeen Piller at Missouri State (4s) 9-25-04
35 Janeen Piller vs. Wichita State (5s) 10-23-04
35 Kate Elman at Wichita State (5s) 11-16-12
35 Brittany Witt at Marquette (5s) 10-12-19
31 Flavors For Davis
Keeley Davis entered Creighton's match at No. 10 Marquette on Oct. 12 with a season-best of 14 kills, only to go off for 31 kills in the 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles.
Ten of Davis' kills came in the third set and six came in the first 15 points of the fifth set. Overall, 23 of her kills came after intermission.
Her 31 kills were one shy of the program record set by Michelle Prorock vs. Evansville in 1996.
The 31 kills were the most by a Bluejay in any five set match, and also the most ever by a Bluejay freshman in any contest.
Davis' 31 kills were the most by any BIG EAST player since St. John's Gina Traballi had 32 at Marquette in 2016, and her 33.5 points the most by a BIG EAST performer since Georgetown's Symone Speech vs. Seton Hall in 2017.
Davis' 33.5 points were the most by a Bluejay in program history since the points statistic was introduced with the implementation of rally scoring in 2001.
Most Kills, Match, Creighton History
32 Michelle Prorock vs. Evansville (4s) 11-2-96
31 Keeley Davis at Marquette (5s) 10-12-19
30 Melissa Walsh at Indiana State (5s) 10-16-98
28 Melissa Walsh vs. Drake (5s) 10-10-98
28 Melissa Walsh at Drake (5s) 10-1-99
28 Melissa Walsh vs. Northern Iowa (4s) 10-27-00
28 Leah Ratzlaff at Southern Illinois (4s) 11-22-03
28 Jaali Winters at St. John's 10-2-15
28 Jaali Winters vs. Butler (5s) 10-13-17
Most Points, Match, Creighton History
33.5 Keeley Davis at Marquette (5s) 10-12-19
31.5 Leah Ratzlaff at Southern Illinois (4s) 11-22-03
31.0 Jaali Winters at St. John's (4s) 10-02-15
30.5 Jessica Houts at Evansville (5s) 11-18-06
30.0 Kelly Goc vs. Drake (4s) 11-16-07
30.0 Jaali Winters vs. Butler (5s) 10-13-17
Davis Keeps Improving
Keeley Davis has won seven consecutive BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors, and with good reason. Her team continues to win, and her stats continue to improve week-by-week.
Davis' initial Freshman of the Week accolade came during week two, and she's won it every week since.
Week W-L KPS HIT% SAPS DPS BPS
Week 1 0-2 2.57 .136 .29 .29 .14
Week 2* 3-0 2.62 .168 .15 .85 .38
Week 3* 2-1 2.82 .239 .18 1.00 .45
Week 4* 2-0 3.67 .327 .67 1.00 .83
Week 5* 2-0 3.00 .220 .57 .71 .29
Week 6* 2-0 3.17 .125 .67 1.00 .33
Week 7* 2-0 4.75 .370 .38 1.50 .12
Week 8* 2-0 3.83 .353 .17 1.33 .50
*Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Pencil Her In For 10+ Digs
Brittany Witt has led Creighton in digs during all 18 matches this season, reaching double-figures in 16 of those contests.
With 35 digs at Marquette on Oct. 12, Witt became the second player in program history with 10+ digs in 100 or more career matches.
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+ Digs Name Years
110 Kate Elman 2012-15
102 Brittany Witt 2016-Pres.
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
News, Notes, Nuggets
Creighton accomplished a lot of statistical marks on Oct. 11 (DePaul) and Oct. 12 (Marquette) that it hadn't in some time. Consider...
- Creighton's 26 block assists at Marquette were its most since 26 vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 16, 2016.
- Creighton's .714 hitting percentage in the third set at DePaul was the program's best since hitting .818 in the first set at DePaul on Oct. 6, 2017, and tied for its third best hitting percentage in any set ever.
- Creighton's victory at No. 10 Marquette was the program's first top-25 true road win since a win at No. 18 Marquette on Oct. 26, 2018, its first top-10 win at any site since a win vs. No. 5 Kentucky on Aug. 24, 2018 and its first top-10 road win since a 3-0 sweep at No. 7 Kansas on Sept. 9, 2017.
- Keeley Davis' 31 kills made her the first Bluejay with 20 or more kills in a match since Jaali Winters at No. 18 Marquette on Oct. 26, 2018 and the first Bluejay with 30 or more kills in a match since Melissa Walsh had 30 at Indiana State on Oct. 16, 1998.
- Brittany Witt's 35 digs made her the first Bluejay with 30+ digs in a match since Witt herself had 34 at Marquette on Nov. 25, 2017. Witt's the first Bluejay with 35 or more digs in a match since Kate Elman had 35 at Wichita State on Nov. 16, 2012.
- Naomi Hickman's 10 block assists and 11 total blocks were the most by a CU player in a match since Lauren Smith had 10 blocks assists and 11 overall blocks on Nov. 20, 2015 at Georgetown.
Comparing Seasons
Now in its seventh year in the BIG EAST, this year's Creighton team compares favorably with some of its past teams.
The 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 teams all would win the BIG EAST Championship and regular-season league title.
Creighton in BIG EAST Play (League Stats Only)
Year W-L KPS HIT% SAPS DPS BPS
2013 12-4 13.75 .213 1.00 16.20 3.13
2014 16-2 14.09 .242 1.30 17.09 2.86
2015 17-1 15.02 .271 1.33 16.97 2.47
2016 18-0 15.37 .317 1.69 16.08 2.41
2017 16-2 14.81 .302 1.31 16.62 2.05
2018 18-0 14.45 .294 2.13 15.67 2.38
2019 8-0 14.74 .303 2.33 14.74 1.87
Another Strong Start
Creighton is off to its first 15-3 start since the 2012 campaign, which saw the Jays open 29-3.
Here's how this year compares to Creighton's last two teams, statistically, after 18 matches:
Year 2017 2018 2019
Match W-L 13-5 14-4 15-3
Set W-L 43-20 47-18 47-17
vs. Top-25 3-3 2-3 3-3
Tourney Titles 3 2 2
Kills/Set 14.16 14.28 13.98
Hitting % .272 .248 .260
Aces/Set 1.19 1.37 1.73
Digs/Set 15.70 17.22 14.97
Blocks/Set 2.16 2.29 1.94
Kill/Set Leader Winters, 3.37 Kloth, 4.38 Davis, 3.22
Dig/Set Leader Witt, 4.02 Witt, 4.74 Witt, 4.98
Serving Better
After being plagued by serving accuracy woes to start the season, Creighton has made vast improvements during the past five weekends.
Creighton started the year with 42 aces and 99 service errors in its first nine contests, during which time CU won 20-of-34 sets. Creighton served just 87.0 percent of its 762 serves inbounds in that span.
In nine matches since then, Creighton has 69 service aces and 69 service errors while winning 27-of-30 sets played. CU has served 729 times, serving it inbounds 90.5 percent of the time. Keeley Davis (15 aces, 10 errors), Erica Kostelac (19/14), Madelyn Cole (14/9) and Jaela Zimmerman (8/5) have fueled the resurgence behind the service stripe.
102 Wins While Ranked
Creighton owns a 102-25 record all-time when playing as a ranked team. The 100th win was a special one too, defeating No. 10 Marquette in five sets on Oct. 12.
Ranked Creighton teams are 6-0 all-time when facing Providence.
Creighton is 13-17 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself.
The Bluejays are also 6-31 all-time in all matches against top-10 foes (6-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
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 60-5 in October, and 55-5 in the month of November.
Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 86-5 in the months of October (47-3) and November (39-2).
Top 25 History
Creighton is 17-78 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 12-12 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
An opening-weekend 2017 win at No. 3 Washington is the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays have ever beaten, surpassing a win at No. 4 Kansas the previous December.
Creighton is 6-31 all-time against top-10 foes (6-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 6-37 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017), No. 7 Kansas (2017), No. 18 Marquette (2018) and No. 10 Marquette (2019).
Creighton is 102-25 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 13-17 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, 32 of Creighton's 53 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 188-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 56 straight home matches over unranked teams, and 37 in a row at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 13-17)
Home: 3-5 Away: 5-6 Neutral: 5-6
Date Winner Loser CU Score
11/19/12 #11 Minnesota #21 Creighton 1-3
08/30/13 #25 Creighton #13 BYU 3-1
09/14/13 #11 UCLA #24 Creighton 1-3
09/16/13 #7 Hawaii #23 Creighton 2-3
08/30/14 #22 Kansas #23 Creighton 1-3
09/03/16 #23 Kentucky #22 Creighton 0-3
12/02/16 #21 Creighton #4 Kansas 3-2
12/09/16 #21 Creighton #17 Michigan 3-2
12/10/16 #5 Texas #21 Creighton 0-3
08/26/17 #9 Creighton #3 Washington 3-1
09/01/17 #7 Creighton #13 Kentucky 3-0
09/02/17 #18 USC #7 Creighton 0-3
09/08/17 #17 Purdue #9 Creighton 1-3
09/09/17 #9 Creighton #7 Kansas 3-0
09/16/17 #19 Iowa State #8 Creighton 2-3
12/12/17 #12 Michigan St. #15 Creighton 1-3
08/24/18 #13 Creighton #5 Kentucky 3-2
08/25/18 #10 USC #13 Creighton 2-3
09/06/18 #7 Nebraska #14 Creighton 2-3
09/15/18 #8 Illinois #10 Creighton 1-3
09/23/18 #10 Creighton #21 Marquette 3-0
10/26/18 #10 Creighton #18 Marquette 3-1
11/24/18 #9 Creighton #16 Marquette 3-1
12/01/18 #22 Washington #9 Creighton 0-3
08/30/19 #2 Nebraska #18 Creighton 1-3
08/31/19 #20 Baylor #18 Creighton 0-3
09/06/19 #23 Creighton #12 Kentucky 3-1
09/07/19 #23 Creighton #15 USC 3-1
09/14/19 #12 Washington #17 Creighton 1-3
10/12/19 #13 Creighton #10 Marquette 3-2
BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
CU's victory at Marquette on October 12 appeared on BIG EAST Digital Network.
Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is 25-1 on BEDN. Six of those victories came in five sets.
CU's next appearance on BEDN is scheduled for Nov. 22 vs. Marquette.
BIG EAST's Best
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton and Marquette are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through Oct. 24, 2019) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (through 10/24)
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (6) 105 9 174 49
Marquette (6) 91 22 162 56
Xavier 71 43 107 98
Butler 64 50 116 92
Villanova (1) 59 56 117 91
Seton Hall (1) 57 56 107 105
St. John's 52 62 120 98
Georgetown 29 85 75 129
DePaul 21 93 71 129
Providence* 12 86 59 122
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
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 own 116 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 21 more wins than Marquette for most in the league as of October 24th.
CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (3) and Villanova (2) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent Reg. Season BE Tourney Total
Butler 12-1 - 12-1
DePaul 13-0 - 13-0
Georgetown 13-0 - 13-0
Marquette 11-2 3-1 14-3
Providence 10-0 - 10-0
Seton Hall 10-3 2-0 12-3
St. John's 12-1 - 12-1
Villanova 11-2 3-0 14-2
Xavier 13-0 3-0 16-0
Total 105-9 11-1 116-10
Any Venue Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton has a .667 winning percentage 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) 84-14
Al McGuire Center (MU) 9-2
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU) 7-1
Carnesecca Arena (SJU) 7-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU) 7-0
Cintas Center (XU) 6-0
McDonough Arena (GU) 6-0
Walsh Gym (SHU) 5-2
Alumni Hall (PC) 4-0
Jake Nevin Field House (VU) 4-2
5 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2018 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win five straight outright regular-season titles.
No team had won five straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
The only other team in Creighton history to win five 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.
5 Straight BIG EAST Championship Titles Too
Creighton won its fifth straight BIG EAST Championship title in 2018, becoming the first team to do so since Pittsburgh's seven straight league tournament titles from 1988-94.
Creighton is the only school in the country to win a league tournament each of the last five seasons.
Creighton is 11-1 all-time in six appearances at the BIG EAST Championships, reaching the final each time.
Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, Creighton has made 16 straight appearances in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
Setting An Example
Since the start of last season, Creighton is 28-0 against BIG EAST competition. The Bluejays are 84-10 in sets against league foes in that time, dropping four sets in four matches against Marquette, meaning they've gone 72-6 in sets against everyone else.
Marquette is 23-4 against league opponents in that same span, with all four losses coming to Creighton. The Golden Eagles are 73-17 in sets against league foes in that time, with 12 of those set losses against Creighton, meaning they've gone 69-5 in sets against everyone else.
Ran The Table, Again
Creighton has won 27 straight regular-season conference matches. On a national basis through matches of October 23, that ranks as tied for the longest nationally with Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference.
Creighton tied the BIG EAST record for the best record in league history with an 18-0 mark last fall, matching the mark first done by the 2016 Bluejay club.
Creighton's 18-0 mark in 2016 made CU the first team to finish BIG EAST play unbeaten since Notre Dame went 14-0 in 2009.
Here's a look at the most consecutive wins to start league play in BIG EAST history:
Consecutive Wins To Start BIG EAST Play
Wins School Year Final W-L
18 Creighton 2016 18-0
18 Creighton 2018 18-0
14 St. John's 2006 14-0
14 Notre Dame 2009 14-0
13 Louisville 2007 13-1
Crushing It Against The Top 25
Junior Naomi Hickman has been dominant against top-25 foes this season, averaging 2.21 kills and 0.83 blocks per set and hitting .447.
That includes Hickman's career-high 17 kills in a win over No. 12 Kentucky, .733 hitting in a 3-1 victory over No. 15 USC, and a career-high 11 blocks in a win over No. 10 Marquette.
In her last three matches against Marquette, Hickman owns 25 blocks in 13 sets (1.92 bps.) and has hit .261.
Witt Keeps On Digging
Senior Brittany Witt has six matches this fall with 20 or more matches, giving her 24 in her career. That ranks fourth-most in team history.
Witt is tied for second in program history with four career matches of 30 or more digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
20+D Name Years
41 Kate Elman 2012-15
32 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
27 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
24 Brittany Witt 2016-Pres.
20 Janeen Piller 2001-04
19 Nayka Benitez 2009-10
Matches With 30+ Digs, Career
30+D Name Years
9 Julianne Mandolfo 2010-11
4 Janeen Piller 2001-04
4 Bianca Rivera 2007-08
4 Nayka Benitez 2009-10
4 Brittany Witt 2016-Pres.
2 Kate Elman 2012-15
1 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
1 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
1 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
Match 1 of Weekend vs. Match 2
One of the challenges of going on the road in the BIG EAST is typically having to play matches on back-to-back days, without the benefit of a travel day in between that Creighton opponents are afforded when they come to Omaha.
Creighton, however, has managed to enjoy success, regardless of when it plays on the road.
Since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton is 49-7 in league road matches. That includes a 21-6 mark in its first road game of a multi-game weekend, and a 26-1 record (with 23 straight wins) when playing a second road day in a row. CU is also 2-0 in single matches against travel partners that don't have an accompanying match.
Creighton is also 56-2 in league home matches, including a 24-1 mark (with 22 straight wins) when playing the first match of a three-day weekend, as well as a 24-1 mark (with 17 straight wins) when playing two days later. Creighton is also 2-0 when playing a solo home match, and 3-0 both on day one and day two when playing on consecutive days at home without a break.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST. Last year CU was picked second and went 18-0 in league play en route to a fifth straight regular-season title.
This year a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Marquette the favorite with 80 points and eight first-place votes, edging out Creighton's 73 points and two first-place votes. St. John's was picked third in the league's preseason poll, with Villanova fourth and Butler fifth. Rounding out the poll are Georgetown, DePaul, Seton Hall, Xavier and Providence.
Creighton also had three women named to the 12 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Megan Ballenger, Madelyn Cole and Brittany Witt were all honored. It was the third straight preseason honor for Witt.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 14 of 16 years under Booth, including eight years where it's finished exactly where it was picked.
Year Preseason Pick Finish Move
1994 11th 9th #2
1995 9th 7th #2
1996 9th 6th #3
1997 8th 3rd #5
1998 6th 8th i2
1999 T-7th 5th #2
2000 4th T-4th - -
2001 2nd 4th i2
2002 7th 9th i2
2003 9th T-5th #4
2004 5th 5th - -
2005 5th 5th - -
2006 4th 4th - -
2007 3rd T-2nd #1
2008 3rd 2nd #1
2009 4th T-4th - -
2010 4th 3rd #1
2011 3rd 4th i1
2012 4th 1st #3
2013 1st T-2nd i1
2014 1st 1st - -
2015 1st 1st - -
2016 1st 1st - -
2017 1st 1st - -
2018 2nd 1st #1
2019 2nd TBD TBD
What's The Difference?
En route to its league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Creighton compiled an 85-5 record in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Jays won those five titles by a combined 12.5 games over their nearest competitors, meaning if you took the record for the best second-place club each year they'd be 72-17.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in five of its previous seven seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
Creighton is 56-2 all-time (.966) 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 87-7 (.924) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 41 straight victories.
Creighton has won all 12 meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all 11 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 (entering 2019). That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down three years ago and no longer exists.
Sweeeeeeeeeep!!!
Creighton swept 14-of-18 matches at all sites in BIG EAST play last season, and has swept 15 of its last 17 regular-season home matches against league foes dating to 2017.
During Creighton's 41-match home winning streak in league play, the Bluejays have dropped only 15 (of 138) sets at home, with nine of those setbacks coming in set two.
Creighton is 38-3 in set one, 32-9 in set two, 39-2 in set three, 10-1 in set four and 4-0 in set five during that home streak in league play, which means they are 81-5 in sets that they spend at least some time on the south bench.
During this 41-match regular-season home win streak in league play, only one opponent has won more than three sets against CU in Omaha, Villanova (4), while neither Providence nor Marquette have won a set.
In Creighton's 114 all-time regular-season BIG EAST matches at all sites, Creighton is 65-4 in three-set matches, 28-2 in four-set matches and 12-3 in five-set contests.
Nice Work, Ace
In 26 regular-season league matches since the start of last fall, Creighton allowed three aces or less in 19 of them, and one ace or less nine times.
Creighton has served more aces than its opponent in 23-of-26 league matches in that time, and was tied on two other occasions.
The Bluejays have won 84 consecutive matches against BIG EAST foes when owning more aces than its competition since a Nov. 1, 2013 loss to St. John's.
All-Tourney Trio in Omaha
Three Bluejays were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Creighton Classic -- Jaela Zimmerman, Madelyn Cole and Keeley Davis.
Zimmerman took home MVP honors after averaging 4.50 kills per set on .404 hitting. She had a career-high 16 kills vs. Wyoming. It's the first All-Tournament Team and MVP honor of the sophomore's career.
Cole was recognized after averaging 10.83 assists, 2.50 digs and 1.33 blocks per set in two wins. It's her second All-Tournament Team accolade this fall, and the fourth of her career.
Davis averaged 3.67 kills per set and hit .327 to earn the first All-Tournament Team recognition in her young career.
Iron Woman Witt
Brittany Witt has played in all 428 sets that Creighton's participated in since enrolling on campus in the fall of 2016.
Witt is just the fourth woman in program history to have played in every set the team has played in over any four-year span; Lauren Smith (511 from 2013-16), Megan Bober (480 from 2009-12) and Korie Lebeda (428 from 2005-08).
Newcomers Unite
Newcomers Keeley Davis (206) and Erica Kostelac (178) rank first and second on the 2019 Creighton team in kills as each woman bids to become the first newcomer to lead CU in kills since Jaali Winters in 2015.
Only JoDe & Jaali More Quickly Than Keeley
Keeley Davis surpassed the 100 kill milestone during the 10th match of her career on Sept. 21 vs. Wyoming.
Only two women in program history have gotten there in fewer matches, JoDe Cieloha (8 matches) and Jaali Winters (9).
Davis surpassed 200 career kills last Sunday vs. Xavier in her 18th career match, tied for third-fastest ever to that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
JoDe Cieloha 8 09/23/94 at Drake
Jaali Winters 9 9/12/15 Pacific
Melissa Walsh 10 09/26/98 at Bradley
Carolyn Decker 10 09/18/04 Illinois State
Keeley Davis 10 09/21/19 Wyoming
Allie Oelke 11 09/15/07 vs. Charlotte
Creighton's Quickest Players To 200 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Jaali Winters 15 9/27/15 Villanova
Melissa Walsh 16 10/16/98 at Indiana State
Keeley Davis 18 10/20/19 Xavier
JoDe Cieloha 18 10/30/94 at UMKC
Allie Oelke 18 10/06/07 at Southern Illinois
Shelly Kapler 22 11/09/96 at Bradley
September To Remember
Creighton went 9-1 in September. It was just the second month in program history with a .900 winning percentage or better in 10+ matches, joining October of 2015.
Best Winning Percentage, Month (Min. 10 Matches)
Pct. W-L Month, Year
.909 10-1 October 2015
.900 9-1 September 2019
.818 9-2 September, 2018
.769 10-3 September 2006
.750 9-3 September, 2012
Ballenger Can Block
Megan Ballenger tied her career-high with eight blocks on Sept. 19 vs. Wichita State, then established a new best with nine rejections two days later vs. Wyoming.
She became the first Bluejay with eight or more blocks in consecutive contests since Kelli Browning did so on Oct. 3-4, 2014.
Ballenger, owns 327 blocks in her career.
All-Tourney Duo
Brittany Witt and Erica Kostelac were each named to the All-Tournament Team on Sept. 14 at the Bluejay Invitational.
Witt led CU with 53 digs (4.82 dps.) and shared team-best honors with Kostelac with four service aces. It's the second All-Tourney Team accolade this fall (Husker Invitational), and sixth of her career.
Kostelac hit .321 while topping the Bluejays with 36 kills (3.27 kps.), recording 10 or more kills in each contest. It's her first honor as a Bluejay.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including last 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 361-2 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
08/24/18 vs. #5 Kentucky 16-15, 19-18 22-20
Booth Earns 350th Win at Creighton
Kirsten Bernthal Booth picked up her 350th victory at Creighton on Sept. 13 with a 3-0 triumph over Nebraska-Omaha. The victory gave her a record of 350-167.
Booth has beaten 89 different schools while at Creighton, adding USC, Nebraska-Omaha and Wyoming this season.
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
350-167 Nebraska-Omaha 09/13/19
Can You Dig It?
Senior Brittany Witt ranks second in Creighton history on the all-time digs chart as she continues her pursuit of predecessor Kate Elman's record of 2,054.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 464 2,054 2012-15
2. Brittany Witt 428 1,853 2016-Pr.
3. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
4. Jaali Winters 494 1,386 2015-18
5. Allie Oelke 445 1,382 2007-10
Witt Surpasses 100 Aces
Brittany Witt became CU's seventh player to reach 100 aces in a career, doing so on Oct. 5 at St. John's.
Witt reached the century mark in her 117th match, making her the fifth-fastest Bluejay player to reach 100 aces.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Aces (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Molly Moran 73 08/31/01 vs. DePaul
Melissa Weisensee 77 11/01/96 Southern Illinois
JoDe Cieloha 85 09/06/97 at UNLV
Shelly Kapler 95 10/15/99 Bradley
Brittany Witt 117 10/05/19 at St. John's
Kate Elman 120 11/15/15 Butler
Jaali Winters 135 11/17/18 Providence
Most Career Service Aces, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Molly Moran 341 145 1998-01
2. Melissa Weisensee 411 125 1994-97
3. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 1994-97
4. Brittany Witt 428 106 2016-Pr.
5. Kate Elman 464 105 2012-15
Just A Few Streaks...
- Creighton has won 75 straight matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton has won 56 straight home matches against unranked teams and is 96-2 in its last 98 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton has won 31 matches in a row against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.
Hickman Earns Two Honors
Naomi Hickman entered September with a career-high of nine kills, only to reel off double-figure kills in each match of the UNI Tournament en route to MVP honors.
Hickman opened her month with a career-high 17 kills in CU's win over No. 12 Kentucky on Sept. 6, hitting .640 in 25 swings.
Hickman then had 10 kills during the victory over Northern Iowa before wrapping up the weekend with 11 kills in 15 errorless swings as she hit .733 in the victory over No. 15 USC.
For the weekend, Hickman averaged 2.92 kills per set and hit .465 with 38 kills in 71 swings against just five attack errors.
The rosters of the four teams in the UNI Tournament featured 10 players who have previously been named All-Americans by the AVCA.
For her efforts, Hickman was also named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.
Friday Night Fun?
September 6 was a special day for the Creighton Volleyball and Men's Soccer programs, as both teams picked up top-25 victories. Volleyball beat No. 12 Kentucky in the afternoon before the men's soccer program downed No. 21 Akron at night.
In school history, Creighton has picked up wins over ranked men's soccer and volleyball teams on the same day just three times.
Last year on Aug. 24, the men's soccer team defeated No. 11 Clemson, 2-0, and No. 13 Bluejay Volleyball beat #5 Kentucky, 3-2.
The first time it happened occurred on Aug. 30, 2013, when men's soccer beat No. 14 Tulsa 2-0 and volleyball knocked off No. 13 BYU, 3-1.
The Gauntlet
Creighton played five different non-conference teams that were in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That was tied for the third-most of any team in the nation, and trailed only preseason No. 1 Stanford and Wichita State's six. Among the other teams with five ranked non-conference foes are 2019 Bluejay opponents Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Washington.
The Bluejays met up with preseason No. 2 Nebraska, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 USC and No. 20 Baylor in 2019.
This is the seventh straight season that Creighton will face four or more non-conference foes that are in the preseason Top 25.
The three teams to have beaten Creighton this season are a combined 46-5 and are currently ranked No. 1 (Baylor), No. 5 (Nebraska) and No. 9 (Washington).
All-Tourney Trio
Junior middle blocker Naomi Hickman was named Most Valuable Player of the UNI Tournament and joined on the All-Tournament team by Creighton teammates Megan Ballenger and Madelyn Cole.
The trio were key cogs in Creighton's 3-0 weekend that included four-set wins over No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC, as well as a 3-2 win against tournament host and defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa.
Hickman and Ballenger shared team-high honors with 38 kills in 13 sets (2.92 kps.). Hickman hit .465 while Ballenger hit .437 as the Bluejay middle blocking duo dominated all weekend long. Cole quarterbacked a Bluejay offense that hit .266 on the weekend, dishing 153 assists in 13 sets (11.77 aps.). Cole also hit .455 in 22 swings and contributed 39 digs (3.00 dps.), 11 blocks (0.85 bps.) and two aces (0.15 saps.).
Hickman entered the week with a career-high of nine kills, only to reach double-figures in all three matches in Cedar Falls. She posted 17 kills on .640 hitting in the Bluejay victory over Kentucky, adding three blocks and two digs. Hickman then added 10 kills and four blocks in CU's 3-2 triumph over Northern Iowa on Friday night. She capped her weekend with 11 kills in 15 errorless swings, hitting a career-best .733, in the Bluejays' first win over USC in program history.
Ballenger had 12 kills on .579 hitting in the victory over Kentucky, adding five blocks. She then finished with 10 kills and a pair of blocks while hitting at a .348 clip later that night vs. UNI. Ballenger then tied her career-high with 16 kills in the title game victory over USC, hitting .414 in the process.
Cole had double-doubles in all three matches. She had 53 assists, 14 digs and five blocks as CU hit .319 in the win vs. Kentucky. Cole added 48 assists and tied a season-high with 15 digs in a five-set win vs. UNI. She closed the weekend with 52 assists, 10 digs, five kills and four blocks as the Jays hit .355 in the win over USC.
Joining Hickman, Ballenger and Cole on the All-Tournament Team were Kentucky's Gabby Curry and Leah Edmond, USC's Emilia Weske and UNI's Karlie Taylor.
Top 25 x 3
Creighton was the only volleyball team in the nation to start the season by playing three different ranked teams, as it met No. 2 Nebraska, No. 20 Baylor and No. 12 Kentucky.
Illinois also opened with three straight matches against ranked teams, but two of those were against Tennessee in back-to-back contests.
This season marks the first time that Creighton's first three matches of the season have come against top-25 competition.
Top 25 x 5
Per research by Liberty SID Joe Carmany and Texas SID Jocelyn VerVelde, Creighton was one of three teams to open the year with five straight matches against teams that ended the 2018 campaign with a top-25 RPI.
USC and Texas are also among that group.
Creighton: Nebraska, Baylor, Kentucky, UNI, USC
USC: Texas State, Texas, Kentucky, UNI, Creighton
Texas: UNI, USC, Minnesota, Stanford, BYU
Witt Honored in Lincoln
Senior Brittany Witt was Creighton's lone representative on the Husker Invitational All-Tournament Team on Aug. 31st.
A libero from Omaha, Neb., Witt had 16 digs over the course of four sets in CU's season-opener against No. 2 Nebraska, then added 15 more digs in three sets against No. 20 Baylor one night later.
For the weekend Witt averaged 4.43 digs per set and also added a total of five assists in seven sets played against top-20 competition.
The Husker Invitational marks the fifth different event that Witt has earned All-Tournament Team honors during her Bluejay career.
Baylor's Yossiana Pressley took home MVP honors and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by fellow Bears Hannah Lockin and Shelly Stafford. Nebraska's Lauren Stivrins and Kenzie Knuckles joined Witt and UCLA's Mac May, as well.
Baylor and Nebraska both went 2-0 in the event, as each team defeated Creighton and UCLA once each.
100+ Starts For Ballenger and Cole
Senior middle blocker Megan Ballenger has made 113 career starts, including each of Creighton's last 80 contests. The last time she didn't start came on Sept. 3, 2016 against USC.
Ballenger 113 career starts is eighth in program history. The school record is 138 starts, set last year by Ballenger's former high school and college teammate, Jaali Winters.
Ballenger's senior teammate Madelyn Cole has made 106 career starts (including 101 straight) when you factor in 54 starts before transferring in from Marshall.
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 29-5 last fall, winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth straight season. The Bluejays earned the No. 9 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted for the second straight season, defeating South Dakota before falling to No. 22 Washington in the second round.
Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, BIG EAST Championship MVP and a Third Team All-American after finishing with 96 school records, including Creighton's career kill mark (1,843). Winters, along with Honorable Mention All-American Taryn Kloth, were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Joining them as First Team All-BIG EAST honorees was setter Madelyn Cole.
Creighton ranked 11th nationally in average home attendance (2,802), including a record crowd of 14,022 in a five-set match vs. Nebraska.
New Blood
Junior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past three years, and next year has a chance to become the 16th player to start four season openers.
Jaali Winters finished off the feat last fall, as seen below.
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
Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 16 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
Creighton is one of 13 teams to win a match in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. That group includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
Creighton is also one of 10 teams to be in the year-end AVCA poll in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. That list includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Creighton is one of 14 schools with seven straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-18). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky.
Creighton is one of just seven schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the last seven seasons (2012-18). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas.
Creighton is one of just nine programs to have spent at least one week in the AVCA Top 10 in each of the last four seasons, (2016-19) a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.
Up To Speed on Seeds
Creighton is one of 12 schools to be a national seed in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
BYU, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas have been national seeds all four times.
Creighton, Florida, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin have each been national seeds three times in that span.
Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton started this season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It's the sixth time in the past seven campaigns that CU's been ranked in the preseason AVCA poll, and fourth straight fall.
Only 12 teams have been ranked in the preseason each of the last four years: BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Those same 12 teams are the only programs to be ranked in the preseason in six of the last seven campaigns.
Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the last 11 seasons (including 2018), only 197-of-275 teams (71.6 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
Since 2008, all but 28 teams (of 275) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (89.8 percent).
The only previous time that Creighton Volleyball was ranked 18th in the preseason was the 2016 campaign, which saw the Bluejays reach the Elite Eight.
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 29-5 13th
2019 18th TBD TBD
Setting The Table
For just the second time in the last eight years, Creighton started the same opening day setter in consecutive seasons.
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, before graduating.
Last year Madelyn Cole started the season-opener against No. 5 Kentucky, producing a double-double in the five-set victory. She had another double-double in this year's lid-lifter against No. 2 Nebraska.
The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous seven seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and six of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
Creighton won six of those eight (including 2019) season-opening matches.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 299-10 (.968) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 242-4 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 169-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 89-0 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when up 2-0 at the break.
Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets in 2018 won 94.8 percent of their matches, and have won 95.0 percent of their matches in the last 10 years.
Conversely, the Jays are 14-197 (.067) 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
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 300-30 (.909) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 61-138 (.307) under Booth when it drops the first set.
Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2018 won just 20.7 percent of their matches last season, and 20.2 percent of their matches in the previous 10 seasons.
Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 99-2 in its last 101 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 24-2 when winning the first set and 5-3 when dropping the opener.
This year's team is 13-0 when winning the first set, but is 2-3 when dropping the opener.
Creighton has won 75 straight matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
Third Set's A Charm
One key factor to watch in 2018 was the result of the third set.
Creighton was 26-0 last season when winning the third set, but 3-4 when dropping the third set.
This year's team is 12-1 when taking the third frame, and 3-2 when losing the third set.
Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 87-0 against BIG EAST teams (79-0 in the regular-season and 8-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 57-29 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 15 of its last 19 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, a 2018 win at Butler and wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette this fall.
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
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 4-1 26-7
2018 3-2 29-5
2019 2-0 15-3
Total 72-57 454-320
Marian Pipeline
This is the 17th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Brittany Witt returns and is joined by freshman Emily Bressman. It's also the eighth straight season with multiple Marian grads.
Each of the last eight 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.
2019: Emily Bressman, Brittany Witt
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 9-of-15 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters and libero Brittany Witt.
From last year's team, only Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Kelsey O'Connell, Jaali Winters, Kari Zumach (transferred to Indiana and Alexa Roumeliotis (transferred to Colorado State) are not back.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1485 (94.5%) 87 (5.5%)
Blocks 190 (67.7%) 90.5 (32.3%)
Aces 122 (59.8%) 82 (40.2%)
Matches Started 110 (53.9%) 94 (46.1%)
Digs 960 (49.9%) 963 (50.1%)
Points 927 (42.7%) 1246.5 (57.3%)
Kills 615 (36.4%) 1074 (63.6%)
Seven Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last seven seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The only other sport in Creighton history to make seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008, and also reached seven straight NCAA Tournaments from 2010-16.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played 13 matches against 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 8-5 against such teams.
This year's team is scheduled to play eight matches against teams that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, and currently is 4-3 in those contests.
After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 82-98 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 8-6
2018 8-5
2019 4-3
TOTAL 85-133
TOTAL Under Booth 82-98
The Great Eight
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has now directed her troops to eight NCAA Tournaments. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
Booth is the second head coach in Creighton history to lead eight different NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only former men's soccer coach Bob Warming.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 8
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Elmar Bolowich Men's Soccer 6
Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up.
Booth won her 300th match at CU on Sept. 24 vs. Villanova, and now owns 361 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball 777*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Ed Servais, Baseball 558*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 445*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 361*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 327*
*still active coaching at Creighton
You Dig?
They say that defense wins championships, and that's certainly proven true for Creighton.
Creighton has won 87 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.
All but four of Creighton's last 78 matches (against all foes) have been won by the team with more digs, which goes back to Sept. 15, 2017.
Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton collected eight non-conference wins in 2018 for the first time since the 2013 team went 9-3.
Creighton is 6-9 against ranked non-conference foes over the last three seasons after going 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 26-7
2018 8-4 1-3 29-5
2019 7-3 2-3 TBD
This and That
Amaze your friends and neighbors with these nuggets...
• Kirsten Bernthal Booth earned AVCA East Region Coach of the Year honors in 2018. It's the third time that Booth has been recognized (also 2015 and 2016) in the East Region. She is the nation's only coach to be honored three of the last four seasons.
• This year marks the fifth straight campaign Creighton has beaten multiple top-25 programs.
• Creighton finished last season ranked 11th nationally in average home attendance (2,802).
• Naomi Hickman is averaging 2.21 kills per set while hitting .447 in six matches this season against top-20 competition.
• Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 11-1 at the conference tournament. No other BIG EAST team has a winning record in league championship action in that time.
• Despite owning 31 kills at Marquette on Oct. 12, Keeley Davis had kills on back-to-back points just once in the entire match (3-2 and 4-2 in the fifth set).
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Trailer
Wednesday, May 27
Creighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Part 1
Tuesday, May 26
Creighton Volleyball vs Nebraska Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
Nebraska Volleyball vs Creighton Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
