Photo by: Steve Branscombe
#10 Volleyball Ready For St. John's in BIG EAST Championship
11/27/2019 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Creighton seeks sixth straight BIG EAST Tournament title
Download Notes as a PDF
This Weekend
Nov. 29 2:30 pm Villanova at #12 Marquette (BEDN) Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |
Nov. 29 5:30 pm St. John's vs. #10 Creighton (BEDN) Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |
Nov. 30 3:30 pm BIG EAST Championship Final (FS2) Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |
This Week
No. 10 Creighton heads to the BIG EAST Championship, presented by Jeep, this weekend.
The tournament gets underway on Friday, Nov. 29 at 2:30 p.m., as third-seeded Villanova (22-8, 13-5 BIG EAST) meets second-seeded and No. 12 ranked Marquette (26-4, 16-2 BIG EAST).
At 5:30 p.m., top-seeded and No. 10 ranked Creighton (24-4, 17-1 BIG EAST) takes on fourth-seeded St. John's (20-11, 12-6 BIG EAST).
The winners from Friday's semifinals will meet in Saturday's championship match-up that starts at 3:30 p.m., with the victor of that contest earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The matches will be contested at Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be aired on BEDN, which can be seen at on Twitter at @BIGEAST or on-line at https://www.youtube.com/BIGEASTConference. Bob Brainerd and Michelle Griffin-Wenzel will announce, with Piper Shaw serving as sideline reporter.
Saturday's final will feature the same trio on the call and can be seen on FS2, as well as via the FoxSportsGo app.
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
Ranked 10th nationally, Creighton is 24-4 on the season. The Bluejays won their sixth straight outright BIG EAST title with 3-1 wins over No. 9 Marquette and DePaul last weekend, improving to 75-3 in the last four years against BIG EAST competition.
The Bluejays have tied a school record with four top-25 wins this fall, beating Marquette when the Golden Eagles were ranked No. 9 (Nov. 22) and No. 10 (Oct. 12), as well as non-conference wins over No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC on back-to-back days in September.
With two-time All-BIG EAST setter Madelyn Cole (11.08 aps., 2.69 dps., 0.41 saps.) directing the offense, five women are averaging 1.93 or more kills per set for the Bluejays.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Keeley Davis was a 10-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and leads CU with 3.29 kills per set. Davis had 31 kills in the win October 12 at No. 10 Marquette, one shy of the school record, to help her earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 15.
Davis is supported by fellow attackers Jaela Zimmerman (3.06 kps.), Erica Kostelac (2.86 kps., 0.39 saps.), Megan Ballenger (2.14 kps., .311%, 0.96 bps.) and Naomi Hickman (1.93 kps., .308%., 0.96 bps.). Zimmerman was named MVP of the Creighton Classic on Sept. 21, while Hickman was named MVP of the UNI Tournament on Sept. 7.
Senior Brittany Witt (5.11 dps.) anchors the defense and leads the BIG EAST in digs per set. She was named BIG EAST Libero of the Year for the second time on Wednesday.
Creighton averages 14.16 kills, 15.54 digs, 2.15 blocks and 1.77 aces per set on .260 hitting.
Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 20-11 on the season, with eight losses against teams that have been ranked at some point this season. The Johnnies had a streak of six straight wins snapped in Sunday's 3-2 loss at Villanova, and are 1-5 this fall against teams in this weekend's BIG EAST Championship.
Efrosini Alexakou (4.24 kps.), Klara Mikelova (2.65 kps.) and Rachele Rastelli (3.14) are among the top offensive trios in the BIG EAST.
All-BIG EAST setter Erica Di Maulo (10.09 aps.) directs the offense, and 2018 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Amanda Sanabia (3.95 dps.) leads the defense.
As a team, St. John's averages 13.53 kills, 1.60 aces, 13.52 digs and 2.14 blocks per set on .234 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 370-169 record in her 17th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to six straight outright BIG EAST titles, and seven league crowns in the last eight 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. Booth was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the third time in 2019.
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. St. John's
Creighton leads the all-time series with St. John's by a 13-1 margin, but the teams have never played on a neutral floor or in a league tournament.
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 13 meetings in the series, winning 39-of-44 sets.
CU swept both matches this season, and have now won 14 sets in a row (and 30 of the last 31) against the Johnnies.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 13-1 vs. St. John's and coach Joanne Persico.
Creighton vs. St. John's in 2019
Creighton is 2-0 against St. John's this season, sweeping both meetings.
Creighton won the Oct. 4 meeting in Queens (26-24, 27-25, 25-19). In that battle, Creighton survived set points from St. John's in each of the first two sets before CU rallied. Brittany Witt led CU with 22 digs, and Keeley Davis topped the Jays with 10 kills. Efrosini Alexakou led SJU with 12 kills.
The Bluejays won the rematch on Nov. 1 in Omaha (25-22, 25-12, 25-22), as Jaela Zimmerman had 13 kills and Madelyn Cole delivered a double-double with 33 assists and 11 digs. Alexakou once again paced the Johnnies with 13 kills. CU did not trail until the third set.
BIG EAST Championship History
Creighton is 11-1 all-time in six previous BIG EAST Championship appearances, including five titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
Creighton is 6-0 in the semifinal round and 5-1 in the finals. CU has never faced St. John's in the BIG EAST Championship.
Each of Creighton's last seven teams have reached the conference tournament title match, a streak that started in 2012 when the Bluejays were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bluejays are also 4-0 when playing at Al McGuire Center for the BIG EAST Championship, going 2-0 en route to the title in both 2014 and 2017.
At 11-1, Creighton is the only team in this weekend's BIG EAST Championship with a winning record in the event all-time. Villanova is 22-32, St. John's is 5-7 and Marquette is 9-10.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 11-1 in BIG EAST Championship action with five titles. By comparison, the league's nine other active coaches have a combined mark of 10-24 in the BIG EAST Championship with one title.
With a Win...
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
-Improve to 25-4 with its fifth straight win, its 20th win in its last 21 tries, and 25th win in its last 27 contests.
-Improve to 12-1 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship, including a 7-0 mark in the semifinal round.
- Kirsten Bernthal Booth would improve to 12-1 at the BIG EAST Championship, while the rest of the league's active coaches would be a combined 11-26 by the night's end.
-Improve to 13-0 all-time in league tournament play as a top seed (11-0 in BIG EAST play).
-Advance to its eighth straight conference tournament title match, a streak that started with the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final.
-Clinch a sixth straight season with 25+ wins. Nationally, only Creighton (currently 24-4), BYU (currently 24-4) and Florida (currently 23-4) have had 25+ wins every season from 2014-18
-Earn its 14th straight win over St. John's, and third this fall, while moving to 14-1 all-time against the Red Storm.
-Improve to 27-1 all-time on BEDN.
-Improve to 46-1 in its last 47 matches against unranked teams.
The Avengers
During its five-year run of BIG EAST Tournament titles from 2014-18, Creighton lost just five regular-season matches. In each case, Creighton would avenge that loss with a league tournament victory over the opponent that beat them previously.
This year's Creighton team owns one league loss, and could have a chance for revenge against Villanova in the final.
Date Loss Tourney Rematch Result
10/10/14 at Seton Hall
11/23/14 Seton Hall W 3-1
10/30/15 at Villanova W 3-0
10/05/17 at Marquette W 3-2
11/17/17 at Villanova W 3-0
11/08/19 at Villanova ? ? ?
6 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2019 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win six straight outright regular-season titles.
No team had won six straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005, though the Irish shared the title in 2003 (with Pittsburgh) and 2005 (with Louisville)
The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win six or more consecutive league titles, breaking a tie it had held with the men's soccer program (1992-96).
Back-To-Back-To-Back-To-Back-To Back Titles
Creighton won its fifth straight BIG EAST Championship title last year, becoming the first team to do so since Pittsburgh's seven straight from 1988-94.
Creighton (2014-Present) and Pittsburgh (1988-94) are the only schools to ever win back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in volleyball.
Creighton is the only team in the nation to have an active streak of five straight league tournament titles.
Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, Creighton has made 17 straight appearances (including 2019) in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
Since the start of 2016, Creighton is 75-3 against BIG EAST opposition, including a 6-0 mark in league tournament play. That mark includes a 9-1 record against Marquette, 8-2 against Villanova and 58-0 against everyone else in the league (including an 8-0 mark vs. St. John's).
Booth's Haul
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is one of two volleyball coaches in league history to win five or more BIG EAST Championship titles.
The only coach with five or more was Notre Dame's Debbie Brown (9).
Title Hunting
This fall Creighton Volleyball won the school's 12th different regular-season crown won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
As seen below, half of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.
Creighton's BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles (12)
Baseball: 2014, 2017, 2019
Men's Soccer: 2014, 2018
Volleyball: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Women's Basketball: 2016-17 (tie)
BIG EAST Tournament Champions
Creighton Volleyball is seeking the school's seventh different BIG EAST Tournament title won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
All but one of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.
Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament Titles (6)
Baseball: 2019
Volleyball: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
As The Top Seed
Creighton will be the No. 1 seed at a conference tournament for the seventh time in program history. Each of the previous six times it has been the No. 1 seed, the Bluejays went on to win the title with two straight wins.
In 2012, Creighton was the top seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Springfield, Mo., and beat Illinois State and Wichita State.
In 2014, Creighton was the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and beat Xavier and Seton Hall in Milwaukee, Wis.
In 2015 Creighton hosted the tournament and defeated Marquette and Villanova en route to hoisting the trophy.
In 2016, Creighton went to Indianapolis, Ind., and swept both Seton Hall and Xavier to win the crown.
In 2017, Creighton went to Milwaukee, Wis., and beat both Villanova and Marquette to win the title.
Last year, Creighton hosted the tournament and topped Villanova and Marquette to bring home the hardware.
The BIG EAST Championship has been won by the top seed each of the last seven years, and the No. 1 seed has also won 15 straight matches
Bluejays Collect The Hardware
Creighton had quite a haul of honors as the BIG EAST named five Bluejays to its 18-woman All-Conference Team on Wednesday.
Megan Ballenger, Madelyn Cole, Keeley Davis, Brittany Witt and Jaela Zimmerman were all among those recognized.
This is the second First Team All-Conference award for both Cole (2018, 2019) and Witt (2017, 2019).
Witt was also honored as BIG EAST Libero of the Year for the second time in three seasons (also 2017).
Davis was a unanimous selection as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
In addition, Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Angie Oxley Behrens, Craig Dyer and Noel Carpio were named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. It's the third time Booth has been honored (2015, 2016, 2019).
Mirror Images?
St. John's and Creighton have more in common than you might think.
Both teams boast a former BIG EAST Libero of the Year. Creighton's Brittany Witt won the award in 2017 and 2019, while St. John's Amanda Sanabia was recognized in 2018.
Both teams have a two-time All-BIG EAST setter. Last year Creighton's Madelyn Cole led the league with 10.92 assists per set, while Red Storm senior Erica Di Maulo was second with 10.14 assists per set. This year Cole was first and Di Maulo third in assists per set.
St. John's features the 2018 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Efrosini Alexakou, who averaged 3.57 kills per set a year ago. Creighton boasts Keeley Davis (3.29 kps.), the 2019 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
St. John's is coached by 2006 and 2018 BIG EAST Coach of the Year Joanne Persico. Creighton is led by Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who has led the Bluejays to six straight league titles and was also recognized as the 2015 and 2016 BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
The Case For An At-Large Bid
Should Creighton not win the BIG EAST Championship this weekend, its case is still very strong for an at-large bid. Consider the following ...
- Creighton is ranked 10th in this week's AVCA poll.
- Creighton owns an NCAA RPI of 17 in this week's official rankings.
- Creighton ranks 13th nationally in winning percentage.
- Creighton won regular-season title in the BIG EAST Conference for a sixth straight year.
- Creighton ranks tied for 10th nationally in road victories and tied for 13th in total victories this season.
- Creighton owns four victories over top-25 teams this season, having beaten No. 9 Marquette, No. 10 Marquette, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC.
- CU won two different non-conference titles, winning events hosted by Northern Iowa and Creighton.
- Creighton has played well in past NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2016, the Sweet 16 in 2015, and winning at least one game in seven of its first eight trips to the Big Dance.
- The winning percentage of Creighton's non-conference opponents is 15th-best nationally.
Join The Jays On Selection Sunday
Creighton Volleyball fans and media are invited to join the players and coaches at DJ's Dugout Downtown (1003 Capitol Street) Sunday night (Dec. 1) to watch the 2019 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship selection show.
The show will be televised live nationally on ESPNU starting at 7:30 p.m., Central time.
Hickman A Human Wall
Junior Naomi Hickman had 10 blocks in each of Creighton's matches last weekend. She's the first Bluejay with double-digit stuffs in consecutive contests since Kelli Browning in November of 2012. Creighton's never had a player with 10 or more blocks in three straight matches.
Hickman is the fourth Bluejay player with three matches or more of 10+ blocks in the same season, a list that includes Browning twice.
Matches With 10+ Blocks, Season
10+B Name Year
5 Kelli Browning 2012
4 Ashley Williams 2003
3 Jessica Houts 2009
3 Kelli Browning 2013
3 Naomi Hickman 2019
All-Tourney Team Recipients Return
A pair of Bluejays have won All-Tournament Team honors in the past at the BIG EAST Championship.
Brittany Witt was lauded with such accolades in 2017 after averaging 4.88 digs per set, including 34 digs in the final.
Last year, Naomi Hickman landed a spot on the All-Tourney Team after she averaged 2.00 kills and 1.86 blocks on .387 hitting.
CU Sweeps Player of the Week Honors
One day after winning a sixth consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, the Creighton Volleyball team swept the weekly honors handed out by the league office on Monday, Nov. 25. Jaela Zimmerman (Offensive Player of the Week), Naomi Hickman (Defensive Player of the Week) and Keeley Davis (Freshman of the Week) all brought home honors after the Bluejays picked up 3-1 wins over No. 9 Marquette and DePaul..
Zimmerman averaged 4.81 points, 4.38 kills, 1.88 digs, 0.38 blocks and 0.25 aces on .299 hitting. A sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., Zimmerman had the two-highest kill totals of her career this week, which started with a personal-best 18 kills in Friday's 3-1 win over No. 9 Marquette. Zimmerman added 10 digs to claim her third straight double-double, and also contributed three assists and an ace. Two days later, the sophomore standout had 17 kills, five digs, three blocks and an ace as she hit .350 in a victory over DePaul. This is Zimmerman's first career weekly honor from the BIG EAST.
Hickman averaged 2.94 points, 2.50 blocks and 1.62 kills per set and hit .303 during the victories. Hickman had 10 blocks and seven kills on .333 hitting in Friday's 3-1 victory over No. 9 Marquette. CU's 15 blocks as a team were its most in a match since 2015. On Sunday, Hickman had 10 blocks and six kills on .278 hitting in a 3-1 triumph vs. DePaul. Hickman is Creighton's first player with consecutive matches of 10+ blocks since Kelli Browning in 2012 when Creighton was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the second career Defensive Player of the Week accolade for Hickman, who was previously recognized on Sept. 4, 2018.
Davis averaged 3.75 points, 3.12 kills, 2.50 digs, 0.50 blocks and 0.38 aces as Creighton wrapped up its unprecedented sixth consecutive regular-season BIG EAST outright title. Davis opened her week with 12 kills, three blocks and a season-high nine digs in a 3-1 win over No. 9 Marquette. It was CU's first home victory over a top-10 opponent and pushed Davis over 300 kills on the season. Two days later, Davis had 13 kills, two aces and a season-high 11 digs as she notched her first career double-double. This is the 10th time in the last 12 weeks that the Highlands Ranch, Colo., native has been tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
Secret Weapon
Sophomore Annika Welty played sparingly in Creighton's first two matches of the season, then missed each of the next 22 contests due to injury.
She was cleared to practice on Nov. 14 and returned to game action just two days later vs. Xavier.
Welty entered last weekend with 2019 totals of eight kills, 10 digs, three blocks and no aces in eight sets over the course of four matches played.
Last weekend made the struggles during her road to recovery worth it. She had eight kills, six blocks and two digs on .615 hitting in the win vs. No. 9 Marquette, and two days later added six kills, six blocks, two digs and her first ace of 2019 as the Bluejays defeated DePaul.
Welty averaged 0.70 kills and 0.70 blocks per set in 25 matches as a freshman on Creighton's BIG EAST champion team, including seven starts from Sept. 14-29.
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. CU has also won the 2019 regular-season crown.
Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through Nov. 28, 2019) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (through 11/28)
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (6) 114 10 183 50
Marquette (6) 100 23 171 57
Xavier 75 49 111 104
Butler 70 54 122 96
Villanova (1) 67 57 125 93
St. John's 59 65 127 101
Seton Hall (1) 58 65 108 114
Georgetown 30 94 76 138
DePaul 25 99 75 135
Providence* 13 95 60 131
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
Creighton & Marquette In 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 and Marquette are two of 14 schools that entered this fall 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.
BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
CU's victory vs. Marquette on November 22 appeared on BIG EAST Digital Network.
Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is 26-1 on BEDN. Six of those victories came in five sets.
CU's next appearance on BEDN is scheduled for Friday vs. St. John's.
First Class In Every Way
Creighton's senior quartet of Megan Ballenger, Madelyn Cole, Megan Sharkey and Brittany Witt arrived on campus at three different times and come from three different states, but they continue to represent the university in a first class manner both on and off the floor and will be recognized following Sunday's contest vs. DePaul.
Since the fall of 2015 when Ballenger first arrived, Creighton has gone 86-4 in regular-season BIG EAST play and 8-0 in BIG EAST Championship action, winning all nine possible conference titles (so far) in that time.
Combined they've contributed 1,106 kills, 2,947 assists, 2,900 digs, 262 aces and 492 blocks in a Bluejay uniform while helping CU to a 135-32 overall record since Ballenger enrolled, and a 108-23 mark since Ballenger and Witt began playing.
In Ballenger's redshirt season in 2015, Creighton went 27-9 as the Bluejays earned the first national seed in team history, advanced to the program's first Sweet 16, and were ranked 19th in the year-end poll.
Witt joined the team in 2016 and along with Ballenger, Creighton tied a school-record with 29 wins and they became the first volleyball team in BIG EAST history to finish league play 18-0. The Bluejays then became the first team in history to open an NCAA Tournament with three straight five-set wins to advance to the program's first Elite Eight, and wrapped up the year ranked ninth nationally.
In 2017 Witt and Ballenger helped the Bluejays as they went 26-7 and hosted the NCAA Tournament for the first time. CU posted road wins over No. 3 Washington and No. 7 Kansas early in the season en route to winning three straight non-conference tournaments.
Last year's team picked up transfers Cole and Sharkey and went 29-5, once again running the table in league play.
This year's team is 24-4 and won a sixth straight outright BIG EAST regular-season title, tying a school-record with four top-25 wins.
Creighton's 108 wins (so far) since 2016 are seventh-most nationally and three shy of the most victories in any four-year span in program history.
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.
Witt, who is 29 digs shy of tying Elman's record, owns four matches in her career with 29 or more digs, and two of those have come inside Al McGuire Center.
Witt has averaged 17.54 digs per match this season. At that rate, she would need to play in two more matches to surpass Elman. CU currently is guaranteed just one match, but could play as many as eight more depending on the length of its postseason run in the league and NCAA Tournaments.
Witt owns 128 digs in 25 career sets vs. St. John's (5.12 dps.), and has 37 digs in six sets (6.17 dps.) this season versus the Red Storm.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Kate Elman 464 2,054 2012-15
2. Brittany Witt 460 2,025 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
Quick Witted
Brittany Witt continues to play defense at a high level, leading the BIG EAST in digs per set.
Witt owns 33.26 percent of Creighton's digs in league play this season, a higher rate than any other player for their BIG EAST team this fall.
Witt also owns a dig on 15.14 percent of opposing attacks in BIG EAST play, which is the highest rate for any player for their team this fall.
Highest Percentage of Team's League Digs
Rk. Player, Team Digs Team D % of Team D
1. Brittany Witt, CU 310 932 33.26%
2. Madi Kutruff, XU 327 1027 31.84%
3. Regan Lough, VU 300 962 31.19%
4. Isabelle Banez, DPU 328 1071 30.63%
5. Elizabeth LaBue, BU 308 1017 30.29%
6. Amanda Sanabia, SJU 257 918 28.00%
7. Jessica Cusi, GU 255 913 27.93%
8. Martha Konovodoff, MU 267 981 27.22%
9. Raygan Murray, SHU 241 928 25.97%
10. Allison Barber, PC 174 933 18.65%
Highest Percentage of Digs on Opposing Attacks
BIG EAST Matches Only
Rk. Player, Team Digs Opp ATK % of ATK
1. Brittany Witt, CU 310 2047 15.14%
2. Madi Kutruff, XU 327 2456 13.31%
3. Isabelle Banez, DPU 328 2521 13.01%
4. Regan Lough, VU 300 2309 12.99%
5. Elizabeth LaBue, BU 308 2436 12.64%
6. Martha Konovodoff, MU 267 2153 12.40%
7. Amanda Sanabia, SJU 257 2174 11.82%
8. Jessica Cusi, GU 255 2189 11.65%
9. Raygan Murray, SHU 241 2387 10.10%
10. Allison Barber, PC 174 2213 7.86%
Two In the Top 12
The BIG EAST owns the 11th-best league RPI this fall, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have some heavyweights at the top.
This week's AVCA poll features a pair of BIG EAST teams in the top-12, as Creighton is ranked No. 10 and Marquette No. 12.
October 28th and November 4th marked the first times since December 5, 2005 that the BIG EAST Conference has had two top-10 teams simultaneously. Back then, it was No. 7 Louisville and No. 9 Notre Dame holding it down. Neither team remains in the BIG EAST.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 18-78 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 13-12 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 7-31 all-time against top-10 foes (7-24 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 111-26 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 14-17 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 54 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 196-22 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 59 straight home matches over unranked teams and all but one of its last 46 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 14-17)
Home: 4-5 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
11/22/19 #12 Creighton #9 Marquette 3-1
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
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.
Bouncing Back
Creighton is 131-11 (.923) in league play since the start of the 2012 campaign, a stat that includes CU's final season in the MVC.
On the rare 11 occasions where it lost, Creighton responded with a victory in its next match.
Creighton lost on Nov. 8 at Villanova, but responded one day later with a 3-0 victory at Georgetown.
In the last six seasons (starting in 2014), Creighton is 112-6 in all matches against BIG EAST competition.
Crushing It Against The Top 25
Junior Naomi Hickman has been dominant against top-25 foes this season, averaging 2.14 kills and 1.07 blocks per set and .432 hitting percentage.
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 35 blocks in 17 sets (2.06 bps.) and has hit .279.
Witt Feels At Home in Milwaukee
The two highest digging totals of Brittany Witt's career have both come at Al McGuire Center in a win against Marquette.
In the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament final, Witt had 34 digs during a 3-2 victory over Marquette.
Earlier this season, Witt had a career-high 35 digs in Milwaukee in a different 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles.
Witt owns 112 digs in 21 career sets played (5.33 dps.) at Al McGuire Center against Marquette, and 117 digs in 24 career sets (4.88 dps.) played against all teams inside the facility.
111 Wins While Ranked
Creighton owns a 111-26 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 against St. John's.
Creighton is 14-17 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself.
The Bluejays are also 7-31 all-time in all matches against top-10 foes (7-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
Another 20 Win Season
Creighton is 24-4 this year. It's the 11th time in the program's modern history, and eighth straight season, of 20 or more victories.
Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton's modern day single-season record for wins was 16, and the Bluejays were coming off a 3-23 campaign.
Creighton was one of 14 schools with seven straight seasons (2012-18) of 20+ wins entering this fall. That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky.
All but Florida State have won 20 or more matches in 2019, as well. The Seminoles are 18-9 heading into Wednesday's regular-season finale vs. Miami (Fla.).
23 x 7
Creighton is one of just seven schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the previous seven seasons (2012-18). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas.
The following schools are still trying to extend their streak of 23-win seasons in 2019, through matches of November 25th.
Team 2019 W-L Next Match
Stanford 22-4 11/26
Texas 20-3 11/30
The Quest For 25
Creighton is one of just three schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in each of the previous five seasons (2014-18). That group consists of BYU, Creighton and Florida.
The following schools are still trying to extend their lengthy streak of 25-win seasons in 2019, through matches of November 25th.
Team 2019 W-L Next Match
BYU 24-4 11/26
Creighton 24-4 11/29
Florida 23-4 11/27
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 then- 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.
Best Starts After 28 Matches
Creighton's 24-4 start is one win shy of the program's best mark after 28 matches in history, as the 2012 team started 25-3.
This is the fourth time that Creighton has started 23-5 or better through 28 matches. Each of the first three clubs to do it not only reached the NCAA Tournament, but advanced to the Second Round.
Best Starts After 28 Matches, Creighton History
W-L Year Final W-L (NCAA's)
25-3 2012 29-4 (NCAA Round 2)
24-4 2019 TBD
24-4 2018 29-5 (NCAA Round 2)
22-6 2017 26-7 (NCAA Round 2)
Cole Passes 1,000 Career Digs, 4,000 Assists
Madelyn Cole's name won't appear at the top of many of Creighton's career charts because she started her career at Marshall, but the senior is passed a couple of milestones nonetheless on Nov. 16 at Xavier.
Cole enters this weekend contest with 4,130 career assists and 1,036 career digs.
Cole owned 1,777 assists and 494 digs in 60 matches at Marshall and has 2,353 assists and 542 digs to her name in 62 matches as a Bluejay.
The only four players to reach 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs as Bluejays (only) are Megan Bober (4,359 assists & 1,123 digs), Korie Lebeda (5,281 & 1,130), Kailey Reyes (4,207 & 1,258) and Melissa Weisensee (4,018 & 1,223).
Cole Reaches 1,000 Assists This Year
Below is a listing of all the women who have reached 1,000 assists in a season. Madelyn Cole, who needed 26 matches to reach the mark last fall, got there in 27 contests this fall.
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
Madelyn Cole 26 at Seton Hall 2018
Megan Bober 27 Evansville 2010
Lydia Dimke 27 Georgetown 2017
Madelyn Cole 27 #9 Marquette 2019
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
Aces, In Spades
Madelyn Cole served up a career-high seven aces on Nov. 9 at Georgetown. The figure was one shy of the Creighton single-match record set by Carolyn Decker in 2004, and the most by a Bluejay since Michelle Sicner had seven aces vs. McNeese State in 2011.
Cole owns 0.421 aces per set in her Bluejay career, just a fraction behind Molly Moran's (1998-2001) program record of 0.425 aces per set.
Service Aces, Match
8 Carolyn Decker at New Mexico (3s) 9-4-04
7 Molly Moran vs. Drake (3s) 9-22-00
7 Kelli Koochi at Indiana State (4s) 10-19-01
7 Nayka Benitez vs. Bradley (4s) 9-25-10
7 Michelle Sicner vs. McNeese State (3s) 9-17-11
7 Madelyn Cole at Georgetown (3s) 11-9-19
Service Aces Per Set (Min. 40 SA)
Name Sets No. Avg. Years
1. Molly Moran 341 145 0.425 1998-01
2. Madelyn Cole 214 90 0.421 2018-Pr.
3. Nayka Benitez 233 82 0.352 2009-10
4. Melissa Weisensee 411 125 0.304 1994-97
5. Carolyn Decker 300 89 0.297 2004-08
6. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 0.284 1994-97
7. Shelly Kapler 388 104 0.268 1996-99
8. Brittany Witt 460 117 0.254 2016-Pr.
9. Julianne Mandolfo 241 60 0.249 2010-11
10. Michelle Prorock 299 72 0.241 1994-96
Over, Already?
Creighton is finishing matches at an unparalleled pace this season, both in league play and all matches.
Creighton has played an average of just 3.429 sets per match this fall, putting it on pace to break the previous mark (3.452) set by the 2007 club.
In league play, Creighton played an average of 3.278 sets per conference match this fall, tying the previous mark (3.278) set by the 2016 club.
Fewest Sets Per Match (All Matches)
Rank Year MP Sets Sets Per Match
1. 2019 28 96 3.429
2. 2007 31 107 3.452
3. 2018 34 118 3.471
4. 1994 25 87 3.480
5. 2001 27 94 3.481
Fewest Sets Per Match (League Matches)
Rank Year MP Sets Sets Per Match
1. 2016 18 59 3.278
2019 18 59 3.278
3. 2018 18 60 3.333
4. 1994 20 69 3.450
5. 2002 18 63 3.500
2007 18 63 3.500
Jays On A Roll
Creighton's 31-match win streak in BIG EAST regular-season play was snapped on Nov. 8 at Villanova, but CU is still 36-1 in its last 37 regular-season contests against league foes.
Creighton's 31 straight regular-season league wins was a program record. Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
31 Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST
28 Oct. 31, 2015-Sept. 30, 2017 at Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
Committee Likes The Jays
Creighton was listed 10th when the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee released a top 10 listing on Sunday, Nov. 3.
The reveal is based on the criteria used to select and seed the 64 teams for the Division I Women's Volleyball Championship and includes strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, and significant wins and losses. It included matches through November 2.
The announcement is part of the continued team evaluations that will culminate with the final bracket, revealed during the selection show on Sunday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
In 2016, the first year of the early preview, nine of the 10 teams in the early November rank remained a national seed, with No. 5 San Diego not earning any kind of national seed on Selection Sunday.
In 2017, the early committee ranking saw 8-of-10 teams hold onto a top-10 ranking, but No. 10 Wisconsin didn't end up as a top-16 seed.
Last year Creighton was the No. 10 seed in the preliminary rankings and ended up as the No. 9 seed. Nine of the 10 teams in last year's mock top-10 ended up as top 10 seeds, with mock No. 7 USC dropping to the No. 11 national seed.
Here's the top 10 that was announced by the committee on Nov. 3 this season:
Rk. Team W-L
1. Texas 16-2
2. Baylor 19-1
3. Wisconsin 16-4
4. Stanford 16-4
5. Pitt 23-1
6. Nebraska 18-3
7. Washington 17-5
8. Minnesota 17-3
9. Florida 18-3
10. Creighton 19-3
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.
She ranks third on CU's all-time list for career 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. Brittany Witt 460 117 2016-Pr.
4. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 1994-97
5. Kate Elman 464 105 2012-15
Pencil Her In For 10+ Digs
Brittany Witt has led Creighton in digs during all but two matches (Oct. 26 at Providence; Nov. 9 at Georgetown) this season, reaching double-figures in 25 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.
Her 111 matches with 10 or more digs is one more than Kate Elman's previous school record.
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
10+ Digs Name Years
111 Brittany Witt 2016-Pres.
110 Kate Elman 2012-15
74 Janeen Piller 2001-04
71 Allie Oelke 2007-10
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
Brittany's Best
Brittany Witt was named BIG EAST Libero of the Year in 2017, but continues to surpass the figures that won her that recognition as a sophomore.
During that 2017 season, Witt averaged 4.22 digs per set as Bluejay opponents hit .170 through 26 matches.
This season Witt is averaging 5.11 digs per set as Bluejay opponents are hitting .151 through 28 matches.
With Witt spearheading the defense, Creighton has won the dig battle in all but three of CU's last 41 matches (including the postseason) against BIG EAST opponents.
The opposing liberos that Creighton has faced have had more digs than Witt just three times this season (Nebraska, Wichita State and Villanova). Witt has been outdug in a BIG EAST match just once in CU's last 20 league contests.
Brittany Witt Season Stats
Week Team W-L DPS Opp Hit % REC %
2016 29-7 4.09 .178 .957
2017* 26-7 4.24 .188 .960
2018 29-5 4.32 .172 .945
2019* 24-4 5.11 .151 .958
*BIG EAST Libero of the Year
Hurler Honored By AVCA
Brian Hurler is one of 14 recipients of the 2019 Coaches 4 Coaches Scholarship, the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The scholarship provides the opportunity for up-and-coming volleyball coaches to attend their first AVCA Convention with the scholarship money used to pay for Convention registration and hotel costs. Scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to interact with successful coaches from all levels and explore the limitless networking and educational opportunities available at the AVCA Convention that make this an annual can't-miss event.
Hurler is in his first season on the Bluejay bench as a graduate manager and technical coordinator. He spent the previous three years as an assistant coach at Montclair State in New Jersey, and also owns experience working as a volunteer for the U.S. Women's National Team and Pan American Cup Team.
"Brian has been a huge addition to our program this year," said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. "He's finding statistical information that makes us better and can connect with our players so that when we train them to do something, we have the numbers to back it up with even more credibility on why we want to do it. Brian is a perfect recipient for this because he has incredible work ethic and wants to be great. His future in college volleyball is very bright."
Davis Is Killing It
Keeley Davis continues to lead Creighton in kills, as the freshman averages 3.29 kills per set. In program history, only four freshmen have ever averaged more than three kills per set over the course of a season, as seen below:
Most Kills Per Set, Creighton Freshman
(min. 100 kills)
KPS Name Year
4.07 Jaali Winters 2015
3.75 Melissa Walsh 1998
3.39 JoDe Cieloha 1994
3.292 Keeley Davis 2019
3.290 Allie Oelke 2007
2.85 Amanda Cvejdlik 2005
2.84 Jessica Houts 2005
Most Kills, Creighton Freshmen
Kills Name Year
546 Jaali Winters 2015
352 Allie Oelke 2007
341 Melissa Walsh 1998
316 Keeley Davis 2019
306 Melanie Jereb 2012
297 Jess Bird 2013
Outside Weapons
Erica Kostelac and Jaela Zimmerman continue to produce in league play at levels typically seen among the best outside hitters in the conference.
Kostelac ranks second in the BIG EAST in aces per set (0.51), seventh in points per set (3.86), eighth in hitting percentage (.284) and eighth in kills per set (3.14).
Zimmerman ranked sixth in points per set (3.89) and seventh in kills per set (3.27).
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013, only nine women have finished a season ranked in the top-10 in both categories during league play. That list consists of Nele Barber (2013), Autumn Bailey (2013, 2014), Kelli Browning (2014), Amanda Hansen (2015), Taryn Kloth (2016, 2018), Allie Barber (2017, 2018 and 2019), Symone Speech (2017), Hope Werch (2019) and Erica Kostelac (2019).
See You In 2020
Creighton has locked up its role as host of the 2020 BIG EAST Championship. Per league policy, the host of the championship will be the regular season champion from the previous year.
However, an institution is prohibited from hosting back to back BIG EAST Championships (two years in a row). In the instance that the same team is the regular season champion two consecutive seasons, the regular season runner up will host.
Senior Class Reaches 100 Wins
Creighton owns a sparkling 108-23 record since the start of the 2016 season, which puts CU seventh nationally in victories in that span.
Brittany Witt has played in all 108 victories and on Nov. 25 became the seventh volleyball player to appear in 100 victories at CU. Megan Ballenger has played in 106 wins since she missed a pair of victories in 2016, reaching the century mark on Nov. 1st.
Creighton has achieved 100 or more victories in a four-year span five times now.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
W-L Years
111-28 2015-18
108-23 2016-Present
107-32 2014-17
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Creighton Player
111 Jaali Winters 2015-18
109 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
108 Brittany Witt 2016-Present
106 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
106 Megan Ballenger 2016-Present
104 Lauren Smith 2013-16
Most Wins Since Start of 2016 Season (11/24)
Rk. Wins Team Next Match
1. 115 Nebraska 11/29
2. 114 BYU 11/26
3. 113 Stanford 11/26
4. 112 Western Kentucky NCAA's
5. 109 Pittsburgh 11/27
109 Stephen F. Austin NCAA's
7. 108 Creighton 11/29
8. 106 Florida 11/27
106 Penn State 11/29
10. 105 Minnesota 11/29
CU Stat Leaders in League Play
One reason Creighton finished atop the BIG EAST standings is because it is dominating the league stats, both individually and as a group.
As a team, CU led the way in opponents hitting percentage (.137) and aces per set (2.07).
Individually, a pair of Bluejays won a category.
Madelyn Cole owned a conference-best 11.41 assists per set.
Brittany Witt led all players with 5.25 digs per set.
2-0 Leads Are Familiar
Creighton has led 2-0 at intermission in 25 of its last 27 regular-season BIG EAST matches. Creighton is 84-0 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST play (not to mention 7-0 in BIG EAST Championship play) when leading 2-0. That improves Kirsten Bernthal Booth to 160-0 all-time in regular-season conference matches when owning a 2-0 advantage, and a 171-0 mark against league foes when you include league tournament play.
Creighton is 25-4 since joining the BIG EAST when tied 1-1 at intermission, with that last happening on Nov. 22 vs. No. 9 Marquette.
Creighton has trailed 0-2 at intermission just 11 times in league play since joining the BIG EAST and is 5-6 when that happens. The last time it occurred was Nov. 8, 2019 at Villanova.
Just Win, Baby
Creighton had its season-best 14-match win streak snapped on Nov. 8 at Villanova. That ranked as the fourth-longest mark in program history, and also marked 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.
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
14 Sept. 19 - Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0
12 Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015 at Villanova, 3-2
October Ends With Another Sweep
Two victories over Providence on Oct. 25 & 26 wrapped up a near-perfect October for Creighton.
The Bluejays went 8-0 with seven sweeps during the month. The lone exception was a 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette in which the Jays held a pair of match points in the third set.
Creighton swept 13 of its 18 BIG EAST Conference matches this season.
Since losing home matches to St. John's (in 2013) and Seton Hall (in 2014), CU has won all but one set against both the Red Storm and Pirates inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
RPI Update
Despite 11 wins (and one loss) over the course of its last 12 matches, Creighton has dropped from 10th (on Oct. 14) to 17th 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 20
Week 5 41 55 32 9 39 23 20 15 17 19
Week 6 46 53 33 10 31 23 16 14 16 21
Week 7 44 58 31 12 31 20 17 9 14 20
Week 8 39 61 29 16 34 21 18 16 16 17
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
Not Half Bad
Creighton went 17-1 on the season in BIG EAST play, having reached midway point of league action following its Oct. 26 contest at Providence.
Creighton has started league play 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 9-0 8-1 1st BIG EAST
Total 151-84 147-88 --
The Road Less Traveled
Creighton is 16-2 in its last 18 true road matches, but one of those setbacks came Nov. 8 at Villanova. The loss to the Wildcats snapped CU's seven-match road win streak.
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
7 Sept. 6 - Oct. 26, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0
No. 10 Jays
Creighton is 10th in this week's AVCA poll, improving two spots over last week's slot.
Creighton has spent 21 weeks in program history 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 16-1 all-time when ranked exactly No. 10.
Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 52nd 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
556 Stanford 3
556 Nebraska 6
473 Penn State 7
446 Florida 15
250 Texas 4
105 Wisconsin 5
104 BYU 13
75 Minnesota 8
56 Kentucky 14
52 Creighton 10
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
October 28, 2019 9th
November 4, 2019 9th
November 25, 2019 10th
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in six of the last eight seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
Creighton is 60-2 all-time (.968) 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 91-7 (.929) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 45 straight victories.
Creighton has won all 13 meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all 12 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 14 seasons (including 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.
Ace, Ace, Baby
Madelyn Cole had her streak of 12 consecutive matches with an ace snapped on Oct. 26 at Providence. 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
12 Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14 - Oct. 25, 2019
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
9 Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995
9 Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 - Sept. 21, 2018
Cole Reaches 2,000 Creighton Helpers
With 42 assists on Oct. 25 at Providence, Madelyn Cole surpassed the 2,000 assist milestone transferring to Creighton prior to the 2018 season. She did it in her 53rd match 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
Madelyn Cole 53 10/25/19 at Providence
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
Let's Get It Started
Creighton started 11-0 or better in league play for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Each time 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
12-0 BIG EAST 2019 17-1 1st
11-0 BIG EAST 2015 17-1 1st
6-0 MVC 2007 14-4 T-2nd
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
Davis Keeps Improving
Keeley Davis won seven consecutive BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors from Sept. 10-Oct. 22, and with good reason. Her team continued to win, and her stats improved week-by-week.
Davis' initial Freshman of the Week accolade came during week two, and she won it the following six weeks, as well.
After not winning the award the week of October 28, Davis won her eighth honor on Nov. 5th, her ninth recognition on Nov. 19th and her 10th and final award (of 13 weeks) on Nov. 26th.
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
Week 9 2-0 2.00 -.020 .17 1.00 .33
Week 10* 2-0 3.83 .431 .17 .67 .83
Week 11 1-1 3.33 .216 .17 1.17 .00
Week 12* 2-0 5.00 .243 .50 1.67 .83
Week 13* 2-0 3.12 .141 .38 2.50 .50
*Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
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, 2018 and 2019 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 17-1 14.61 .269 2.07 15.80 2.25
Serving Better
After being plagued by serving accuracy woes to start the season, Creighton has made vast improvements since mid-September.
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 19 matches since then, Creighton has 128 service aces and 146 service errors while winning 54-of-62 sets played. CU has served 1,501 times, serving it inbounds 90.3 percent of the time. Keeley Davis (24 aces, 24 errors), Erica Kostelac (22/18), Madelyn Cole (32/25) and Jaela Zimmerman (19/13) have fueled the resurgence behind the service stripe.
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 62-5 in October, and 62-6 in the month of November.
Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 95-6 in the months of October (49-3) and November (46-3).
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 125 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 21 more wins than Marquette for most in the league as of November 27th.
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 (3) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent Reg. Season BE Tourney Total
Butler 13-1 - 13-1
DePaul 14-0 - 14-0
Georgetown 14-0 - 14-0
Marquette 12-2 3-1 15-3
Providence 12-0 - 12-0
Seton Hall 11-3 2-0 13-3
St. John's 13-1 - 13-1
Villanova 11-3 3-0 14-3
Xavier 14-0 3-0 17-0
Total 114-10 11-1 125-11
Setting An Example
Since the start of last season, Creighton is 37-1 against BIG EAST competition. The Bluejays are 111-15 in sets against league foes in that time, dropping five sets in five matches against Marquette, meaning they've gone 96-10 in sets against everyone else.
Marquette is 32-5 against league opponents in that same span, with all five losses coming to Creighton. The Golden Eagles are 101-23 in sets against league foes in that time, with 15 of those set losses against Creighton, meaning they've gone 96-8 in sets against everyone else.
Witt Keeps On Digging
Senior Brittany Witt has eight matches this fall with 20 or more matches, giving her 26 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
26 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 54-8 in league road matches. That includes a 23-7 mark in its first road game of a multi-game weekend, and a 29-1 record (with 26 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 60-2 in league home matches, including a 26-1 mark (with 24 straight wins) when playing the first match of a three-day weekend, as well as a 26-1 mark (with 19 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 15 of 17 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 1st #1
What's The Difference?
En route to its league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Creighton has compiled a 102-6 record in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Jays won those five titles by a combined 13.5 games over their nearest competitors, meaning if you took the record for the best second-place club each year they'd be 88-19.
Sweeeeeeeeeep!!!
Creighton swept 14-of-18 matches at all sites in BIG EAST play last season, and has swept 17 of its last 21 regular-season home matches against league foes dating to 2017.
During Creighton's 45-match home winning streak in league play, the Bluejays have dropped only 17 (of 152) sets at home, with nine of those setbacks coming in set two.
Creighton is 41-4 in set one, 36-9 in set two, 42-3 in set three, 11-1 in set four and 4-0 in set five during that home streak in league play, which means they are 87-7 in sets that they spend at least some time on the south bench.
During this 45-match regular-season home win streak in league play, only one opponent has won more than three sets against CU in Omaha, Villanova (4).
In Creighton's 124 all-time regular-season BIG EAST matches at all sites, Creighton is 72-5 in three-set matches, 30-2 in four-set matches and 12-3 in five-set contests.
Nice Work, Ace
In 36 regular-season league matches since the start of last fall, Creighton allowed three aces or less in 26 of them, and one ace or less 13 times.
Creighton has served more aces than its opponent in 31-of-36 league matches in that time, and was tied on two other occasions.
The Bluejays have won 91 of its last 92 matches against BIG EAST foes when owning more aces than its competition since a Nov. 1, 2013 loss to St. John's.
Any Venue Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton has a .570 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) 88-14
Al McGuire Center (MU) 9-2
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU) 8-1
Carnesecca Arena (SJU) 7-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU) 7-0
McDonough Arena (GU) 7-0
Cintas Center (XU) 7-0
Alumni Hall (PC) 6-0
Walsh Gym (SHU) 5-2
Jake Nevin Field House (VU) 4-3
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 vs. Xavier on Oct. 20 in her 18th career match, tied for third-fastest ever to that milestone. Erica Kostelac did it on Oct. 26 in her 20th match to rank sixth on that list.
Davis reached 300 kills in her 27th career match, tying her for fourth-fastest.
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
Erica Kostelac 20 10/26/19 at Providence
Shelly Kapler 22 11/09/96 at Bradley
Creighton's Quickest Players To 300 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Jaali Winters 21 10/16/15 at Butler
Melissa Walsh 23 11/08/98 at UMKC
JoDe Cieloha 26 09/02/95 vs. Green Bay
Allie Oelke 27 11/09/07 at Missouri State
Keeley Davis 27 11/22/19 #9 Marquette
Shelly Kapler 30 09/05/97 vs. UTSA
Iron Woman Witt
Brittany Witt has played in all 460 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).
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.
With two victories at the BIG EAST Championship, Creighton would finish off a 9-1 month of November.
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 360 blocks in her career, good for 10th on CU's all-time list.
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 370-2 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
Just A Few Streaks...
- Creighton has won 83 straight matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton has won 59 straight home matches against unranked teams and is 104-3 in its last 107 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton has also won 38 matches in a row against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.
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 four teams to have beaten Creighton this season are a combined 91-18 and are currently ranked No. 1 (Baylor), No. 6 (Nebraska) and No. 9 (Washington), as well as a 22-win Villanova squad that is unranked.
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
100+ Starts For Ballenger and Cole
Senior middle blocker Megan Ballenger has made 123 career starts, including each of Creighton's last 90 contests. The last time she didn't start came on Sept. 3, 2016 against USC.
Ballenger 123 career starts is fifth 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 116 career starts (including 111 straight) when you factor in 54 starts before transferring in from Marshall.
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 (2012-18). 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 (2015-18). 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 seven of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
Creighton won six of those eight season-opening matches.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 307-10 (.968) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 250-4 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 177-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 92-0 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 14-198 (.066) 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 308-30 (.911) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 62-139 (.308) 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 102-2 in its last 104 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 21-0 when winning the first set, but is 3-4 when dropping the opener.
Creighton has won 83 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 20-1 when taking the third frame, and 4-3 when losing the third set.
Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 95-0 against BIG EAST teams (87-0 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.
Creighton is currently 2-0 this year in five set matches. The Bluejays have gone unbeaten in five set matches just once previously, in 2004.
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 24-4
Total 72-57 463-321
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 5-3 in those contests.
After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 83-98 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 5-3
TOTAL 86-133
TOTAL Under Booth 83-98
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 370 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history, through November 25th.
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 370*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 331*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327
*still active coaching at Creighton
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
You Dig?
They say that defense wins championships, and that's certainly proven true for Creighton.
Creighton has won 93 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.
All but five of Creighton's last 88 matches (against all foes) have been won by the team with more digs, which goes back to Sept. 15, 2017.
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 2.14 kills per set while hitting .432 in seven 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.
• Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton Volleyball has 10 or more regular-season wins against each league foe, In that same time, the Bluejays have lost 10 total regular-season league matches.
• 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
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
RS
/ VolleyballCreighton VB - Dear Volleyball - Annalea Maeder
Monday, November 10
Creighton VB - Dear Volleyball - Kiara Reinhardt
Monday, November 10
Creighton VB - Dear Volleyball - Sky McCune
Monday, November 10
Creighton Volleyball Senior Day Video 11-9-25
Monday, November 10
