#9 Volleyball Travels to East Coast For Villanova/Georgetown Matches

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This Weekend
Nov. 8   6 pm CT   #9 Creighton at Villanova   Villanova, Pa. (Jake Nevin Fieldhouse) | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS |
Nov. 9   4 pm CT   #9 Creighton at Georgetown   Washington, D.C. (McDonough Arena) | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS |

This Week
No. 9 Creighton (19-3, 12-0 BIG EAST) opens a four-match road swing this weekend with a trip to the East Coast.
   The Bluejays start their venture on Friday at 6 p.m. Central with a match at third-place Villanova (18-6, 9-3 BIG EAST). That contest will take place inside Jake Nevin Fieldhouse in Villanova, Pa.
   On Saturday at 4 p.m. Central, the Bluejays meet up with Georgetown (12-14, 2-10 BIG EAST). That match takes place at McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C.

Broadcast Information
Both matches this weekend will have video webcasts that require a subscription to watch.
   Villanova's broadcast can be seen at Villanova.com/watch.
   Georgetown's broadcast can be viewed at GUHoyas.com/watch.
   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 #9 Creighton
Winners of a league-best 14 straight matches, Creighton is 19-3 on the season and 12-0 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays defeated No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC on back-to-back days in non-conference play, and also own a win at No. 10 Marquette, the league's preseason favorite.
   With All-BIG EAST setter Madelyn Cole (11.04 aps., 2.64 dps., 0.33 saps.) directing the offense, five women are averaging 1.96 or more kills per set for the Bluejays.
   Keeley Davis is an eight-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and leads CU with 3.17 kills per set. Davis had 31 kills in the win at No. 10 Marquette, one shy of CU's school record, to help her earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 15.
   Davis is supported by fellow attackers Erica Kostelac (2.92 kps., 0.39 saps.), Jaela Zimmerman (2.83 kps.), Naomi Hickman (1.96 kps., .326%) and Megan Ballenger (2.13 kps., .346%, 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.
   Three-time Preseason All-BIG EAST libero Brittany Witt (4.93 dps.) anchors the defense and leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
   Creighton averages 14.12 kills, 15.22 digs, 2.04 blocks and 1.70 aces per set on .267 hitting.

Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 18-6 this season and 9-3 in BIG EAST play, good for third place. The Wildcats have won five in a row, and are 7-1 at home this fall.
   Mallory Potts (2.79 kps.), Sanaa Barnes (2.41 kps.), Clare Delaplane (2.41 kps.) and Kathleen Johnson (3.14 kps., .521%) are among the top offensive threats for the Wildcats. Setter Emma Decker (10.10 aps., 0.33 saps.) became the program's all-time assist leader on Sunday.
   Sophia Howling (1.93 kps., 1.02 bps.) has had a hand in half of VU's blocks, and libero Regan Lough (4.75 dps.) is fourth among all BIG EAST players in digs per set.
   Villanova averages 13.06 kills, 1.52 aces, 14.39 digs and 1.99 blocks per set on league-best .270 hitting.

Scouting Georgetown
Georgetown started the year 11-4 but is 1-10 since, a skid that started with Creighton's 3-1 victory over the Hoyas on Sept. 29. The Hoyas lead the nation in home matches, where they are 8-9.
   Iva Vujosevic leads GU with 3.60 kills and 0.46 aces per set. She also ranks second on the team with 2.57 digs per set.
   Elissa Barbosa (2.22 kps., 2.18 dps.), Margo Snipe (1.71 kps.) and Peyton Wilhite (1.90 kps.) also are offensive threats.
   Emma Plutnicki (8.10 aps.) and Margo Pivonka (4.81 aps.) handle setting duties, and Jessica Cusi (3.62 dps.) is the libero.
   The Hoyas average 11.62 kills, 1.53 aces, 13.82 digs and 1.72 blocks per set on .181 hitting as a team.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 365-168 record in her 17th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to five straight BIG EAST titles, and six league crowns in the last seven years. Booth led the Bluejays to their first two Sweet 16's (2015, 2016) and first Elite Eight (2016) in program history. In 2016 she was recognized as VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Coach of the Year and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only eight NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last eight years, another program first.
   Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
   Booth is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Craig Dyer and Noel Carpio.

Series History vs. Villanova
Creighton is 14-2 all-time vs. Villanova, including conference tournament wins in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The Bluejays have won five straight matches over 'Nova, losing just a single set in that time. CU is 4-2 all-time at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.
   Villanova is one of two BIG EAST teams to beat the Bluejays since the start of the 2015 season, handing CU its only league loss in 2015 in Pennsylvania, winning 19-17 in the fifth set. 'Nova also topped CU in three sets in 2017, which is the last time the Jays lost a league match.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 14-2 all-time against Villanova and coach Josh Steinbach.

Series History vs. Georgetown
Creighton is 13-0 all-time against Georgetown, dropping just seven sets in those contests.
   In 2015, Creighton lost the first two sets before ultimately saving two match points in a 3-2 road victory. In 2017 Creighton trailed 2-1 in the match before pulling out a 15-13 win in the fifth set after it trailed in the last set by scores of 5-0 and 13-12.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 13-0 against Georgetown, and 3-0 against Toby Rens.

Davis Picks Up Eighth Honor
Keeley Davis was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the eighth time this fall after she averaged 3.83 kills, 0.83 blocks, 0.67 digs and 0.17 aces per set while hitting .431 in a pair of Creighton victories last week. She amassed a team-high 23 kills in 51 swings, as she had just one attack error on the weekend.
   Davis had nine kills, three blocks and two digs while hitting .308 in a 3-0 victory over St. John's on Friday.
   On Sunday, Davis hit a career-best .560 and put down 14 kills in 25 errorless swings. Davis added two blocks, two digs and an ace.
   Davis' five blocks on the week matched that of Creighton's two opponents, and she had nearly half as many kills (23) as CU's two opponents combined for (50).

Another 20 Win Season In Reach
Creighton is 19-3 this year, in search of 20 victories for the 11th time in the program's modern history, and eighth straight season.
   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.
   Among those to extend the streak to eight (or more) straight 20-win campaigns this year have been Colorado State, Western Kentucky, Marquette and BYU.
   The following schools are still trying to extend their streak of 20-win seasons in 2019, through matches of November 5th.
Team   2019 W-L   Next Match
Creighton   19-3   11/8
American   18-7   11/6
Nebraska   18-3   11/6
Florida   18-3   11/8
Penn State   17-4   11/8
Washington   17-5   11/7
Stanford   16-4   11/7
Kentucky   16-6   11/8
Florida State   16-6   11/8
Texas   16-2   11/8

Best Starts After 22 Matches
Creighton's 19-3 start equals the program's best mark after 22 matches in history, as the 2012 team was also 19-3.
   This is the fourth time that Creighton has started 17-5 or better through 22 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 22 Matches, Creighton History
   W-L   Year   Final W-L (NCAA's)
   19-3   2012   29-4 (NCAA Round 2)
   19-3   2019   TBD
   18-4   2018   29-5 (NCAA Round 2)
   17-5   2017   26-7 (NCAA Round 2)

Jays On A Roll
Dating to last season, Creighton has won 31 straight regular-season league contests, the program's longest conference win streak ever. That doesn't factor in a 4-0 mark in league championship play in that time.
   The last BIG EAST team to defeat CU was Villanova on Nov. 17, 2017.
   Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
       Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
       31   Nov. 18, 2017-Present   ???   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 did not end up as a top-16 national 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

It's About Time
Each of Creighton's next four matches will take place in the Eastern time zone, but history suggests the travel hasn't been an issue.
   Creighton has gone 29-1 in its last 30 matches in the Eastern time zone.

Quick Witted
Brittany Witt continues to play defense at a high level, leading the BIG EAST in digs per set.
   Witt owns 32.50 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 14.65 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   194   597   32.50
2.   Elizabeth LaBue, BU   221   698   31.66
3.   Isabelle Banez, DPU   231   745   31.01
4.   Madi Kutruff, XU   215   696   30.89
5.   Amanda Sanabia, SJU   182   624   29.17
6.   Raygan Murray, SHU   163   576   28.30
7.   Jessica Cusi, GU   186   660   28.18
8.   Martha Konovodoff, MU   182   665   27.37
9.   Regan Lough, VU   188   696   27.01
10.   Allison Barber, PC   131   650   20.15

Highest Percentage of Digs on Opposing Attacks
BIG EAST Matches Only
Rk.   Player, Team   Digs   Opp ATK   % of ATK
1.   Brittany Witt, CU   194   1324   14.65
2.   Regan Lough, VU   188   1394   13.49
3.   Isabelle Banez, DPU   231   1751   13.19
4.   Elizabeth LaBue, BU   221   1678   13.17
5.   Madi Kutruff, XU   215   1691   12.71
6.   Martha Konovodoff, MU   182   1443   12.61
7.   Jessica Cusi, GU   186   1523   12.21
8.   Amanda Sanabia, SJU   182   1511   12.05
9.   Raygan Murray, SHU   163   1472   11.07
10.   Allison Barber, PC   131   1510   8.68

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 4.13 digs per set as Bluejay opponents hit .187 through 22 matches.
   This season Witt is averaging 4.93 digs per set as Bluejay opponents are hitting .154 through 22 matches.
   With Witt spearheading the defense, Creighton has won the dig battle in all but one match during CU's 35-match win streak against BIG EAST opponents.
   The opposing liberos that Creighton has faced have had more digs than Witt just twice this season (Nebraska and Wichita State), but that has yet to happen in BIG EAST play. Witt has not been outdug in a BIG EAST match in CU's last 14 contests.
Brittany Witt Through 22 Matches
Week   Team W-L   DPS   Opp Hit %   REC %
2016   16-6   4.15   .185   .957
2017*   17-5   4.13   .187   .968
2018   18-4   4.40   .174   .947
2019   19-3   4.93   .154   .953
*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."

Hoyas Among The Few
Saturday's foe, Georgetown, is one of two BIG EAST teams to win a set against Creighton this fall.
   The Hoyas won a 25-20 third set that is CU's largest margin of set loss during its 14-match win streak.
   Marquette is the only other BIG EAST team to win a set over CU this fall, having won a pair on Oct. 12.
   Creighton has lost just 28 sets in 41 regular-season BIG EAST road matches since the start of 2015. Twelve of those have come at either Villanova (8) or Georgetown (4), and Nova's eight home set wins are more than any other league foe in that span.

Daylight Savings Time Special
Last Sunday morning, Omaha residents set their clocks back an hour as part of Daylight Savings Time. Turns out that Creighton didn't even need that full hour to dispose of Seton Hall later that day.
   Creighton swept Seton Hall (25-12, 25-12, 25-9) in a match that took just 59 minutes. Seton Hall called the only timeout of the match when it trailed 10-4 in the first set, and neither team challenged a call throughout the match.
   The 59 minute match was Creighton's shortest since a different 59 minute match in a 3-0 loss at Northern Iowa on Sept. 17, 1999 and least in a Bluejay win since Sept. 15, 1996 during a 53 minute victory vs. UMKC.
   Both of those were in the sideout scoring era.
   Seton Hall's 33 points in the match were the fewest by a Bluejay opponent since DePaul had 32 (25-10, 25-12, 25-9) on Oct. 6, 2017.

Clean Sweeps   Creighton's active streak of six straight sweeps is two shy of a school-record done last year from Oct. 27-Nov. 23. CU's 2016 club also produced seven sweeps in a row from Oct. 28-Nov. 18, 2016.
   Creighton has won 20 straight sets, which also approaches a program record. The Bluejays won 25 sets in a row from both Oct. 28-Nov. 18, 2016 as well as from Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 2018.
   Creighton's streak of 20 set victories in a row is the nation's sixth-longest active streak through matches of November 3rd. Here's that list:
Most Consecutive Sets Won (through 11/4)
   Set Win Streak   Name   Next Match
   29   Texas   11/8
   28   VCU   11/8
   25   Florida Gulf Coast   11/8
   25   Pitt   11/8
   21   Western Kentucky   11/8
   20   Creighton   11/8

Davis Is Killing It
Keeley Davis continues to lead Creighton in kills, as the freshman averages 3.17 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
   3.29   Allie Oelke   2007
   3.17   Keeley Davis   2019
   2.85   Amanda Cvejdlik   2005
   2.84   Jessica Houts   2005

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 (0.54), fourth in points per set (4.05), fifth in hitting percentage (.314) and sixth in kills per set (3.28).
   Zimmerman ranks eighth in points per set (3.60), ninth in kills per set (2.92) and 10th in hitting percentage (.285).
   The only other player in the BIG EAST who ranks in the top-10 in both kills per set and hitting percentage during league play is Marquette's Allie Barber, a 2018 Second Team All-American.
   Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013, only seven 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 Symone Speech (2017).

Two In the Top 10
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-10, as Creighton is ranked No. 9 and Marquette No. 10.
   This week and last week mark the first time 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.

Within Reach...
With a 12-0 league record and six matches, Creighton has a few notable items within reach that relate to the league's postseason tournament.
   Creighton can clinch a spot in the four-team BIG EAST Championship at the end of the month (Nov. 29-30 in Milwaukee) with a win this weekend.
   With two victories this weekend, Creighton will also lock 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.
   With two wins this weekend, Creighton will assure itself a top-two seed at the 2019 BIG EAST Championship, and with Marquette unable to host the 2020 championship, that honor would go to CU.

Senior Class Reaches 100 Wins
Creighton owns a sparkling 103-22 record since the start of the 2016 season, which puts CU sixth nationally in victories in that span.
   Brittany Witt has played in all 103 victories and on Nov. 25 became the seventh volleyball player to appear in 100 victories at CU. Megan Ballenger has played in 101 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
   107-32   2014-17
   104-31   2012-15
   104-34   2013-16
   103-22   2016-Present
   94-36   2011-14

Most Wins, Appeared In As A Creighton Player
   111   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   109   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   106   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-17
   104   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   103   Brittany Witt   2016-Present
   102   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   101   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   101   Megan Ballenger   2016-Present
   95   Kate Elman   2012-15

Best Records Since Start of 2016 Season (11/5)
   Rk.   Wins   Team   Next Match
   1.   110   BYU   11/7
       110   Nebraska   11/6
   3.   107   Stanford   11/7
   4.   104   Western Kentucky   11/1
       104   Pittsburgh   11/8
   6.   103   Creighton   11/8
   7.   102   Stephen F. Austin   11/7
   8.   101   Florida   11/8
       101   Minnesota   11/8
   10.   100   Penn State   11/8

CU Stat Leaders in League Play
One reason Creighton is atop the BIG EAST standings is because it is dominating the league stats, both individually and as a group.
   As a team, CU leads the way in hitting percentage (.302), opponents hitting percentage (.137) and aces per set (2.08).
   Individually, no less than three different Bluejays lead a category.
   Megan Ballenger tops the league with .416 hitting percentage.
   Madelyn Cole owns a conference-best 11.49 assists per set.
   Brittany Witt leads all players with 4.97 digs per set.

2-0 Leads Are Familiar
Creighton has led 2-0 at intermission in each of its last 21 regular-season BIG EAST matches. Creighton is 80-0 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 156-0 all-time in regular-season conference matches when owning a 2-0 advantage, and a 167-0 mark against league foes when you include league tournament play.
   Creighton is 24-4 since joining the BIG EAST when tied 1-1 at intermission, with that last happening on Oct. 13, 2018 at Villanova.
   Creighton has trailed 0-2 at intermission just 10 times in league play since joining the BIG EAST and is 5-5 when that happens. The last time it occurred was Oct. 18, 2018 vs. Xavier.

Unbeaten In League Play
There are 334 Division I teams in a conference, but Creighton is one of 17 teams that remain unbeaten in league play through matches of November 4th.
   W-L   School   Conference   Next
   13-0   Fairfield   Metro Atlantic Athletic   11/6
   12-0   New Mexico State   Western Athletic   11/7
   12-0   Creighton   BIG EAST   11/8
   12-0   Wisconsin   Big Ten   11/8
   12-0   Pittsburgh   Atlantic Coast   11/8
   12-0   Colorado State   Mountain West   11/7
   12-0   South Dakota   Summit   11/5
   12-0   Stephen F. Austin   Southland   11/7
   12-0   Towson   Colonial Athletic   11/8
   12-0   Robert Morris   Northeast   11/8
   11-0   Howard   Mid-Eastern Athletic   11/8
   10-0   Western Kentucky   Conference USA   11/8
   10-0   Winthrop   Big South   11/8
   10-0   Dayton   Atlantic 10   11/8
   10-0   Texas   Big 12   11/8
   10-0   VCU   Atlantic 10   11/8
   10-0   Rice   Conference USA   11/8

Just Win, Baby
Creighton has won a season-best 14 straight matches. That ranks as the fourth-longest mark in program history, and also marks the sixth straight campaign with at least one 10-match win streak.
   All eight win streaks of 10 or longer have taken place in the past eight seasons, after never having done it from 1994-2011.
   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, 2019 - Present   ? ? ?
       12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2

   Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (11/4)
       Wins   Team   Next Match
       21   Colorado State   11/7
       20   Western Kentucky   11/8
       20   South Dakota   11/5
       17   Stephen F. Austin   11/7
       16   Towson   11/8
       16   Fairfield   11/6
       14   Creighton   11/8

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 has averaged 17.05 digs per match this season. At that rate, she would need to play in nine more matches to surpass Elman. CU currently has six regular-season matches left, but is in strong position to earn a spot in both the BIG EAST Championship as well as the NCAA Tournament that could prolong her career.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kate Elman   464   2,054   2012-15
   2.   Brittany Witt   440   1,909   2016-Pr.
   3.   Janeen Piller   336   1,392   2001-04
   4.   Jaali Winters   494   1,386   2015-18
   5.   Allie Oelke   445   1,382   2007-10

Witt Surpasses 100 Aces
Brittany Witt became CU's seventh player to reach 100 aces in a career, doing so on Oct. 5 at St. John's.
   Witt reached the century mark in her 117th match, making her the fifth-fastest Bluejay player to reach 100 aces.
   She is four aces shy of moving into third place 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.   JoDe Cieloha   398   113   1994-97
   4.   Brittany Witt   440   109   2016-Pr.
   5.   Kate Elman   464   105   2012-15

Pencil Her In For 10+ Digs
Brittany Witt has led Creighton in digs during all but one match (Oct. 26 at Providence) this season, reaching double-figures in 20 of those contests.
   With 35 digs at Marquette on Oct. 12, Witt became the second player in program history with 10+ digs in 100 or more career matches.
Matches With 10+ Digs, Career
   10+ Digs   Name   Years
   110   Kate Elman   2012-15
   106   Brittany Witt   2016-Pres.
   74   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   71   Allie Oelke   2007-10
   65   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97

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 has swept 10 of its 12 BIG EAST Conference matches so far this season, the first time it's ever done that in any league.
   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 Storma and Pirates inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

On The Road Again...
Creighton has won each of its past seven road matches, and is 15-1 in its last 16 true road matches, with the lone loss coming at No. 2 Nebraska in the 2019 season opener.
   Creighton is just two wins away from matching its program record for consecutive road victories.
   Creighton owns 16 straight road wins against unranked teams and 15 road conference road matches in a row.
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, 2019 - Present   ? ? ?

RPI Update
Despite six consecutive 3-0 wins over the course of the last three weekends, Creighton has dropped from 10th (on Oct. 14) to 19th 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
Week 7   44   58   31   12   31   20   17   9   14
Week 8   39   61   29   16   34   21   18   16   16
Week 9   29   69   26   16   24   15   17   10   13
NCAA Seed   --   --   --   --   --   16   --   9   9
FINAL   32   74   24   18   34   14   12   14   16

Not Half Bad
Creighton is 12-0 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   3-0 so far   TBD
Total   151-84   142-87   --

106 Wins While Ranked
Creighton owns a 106-25 record all-time when playing as a ranked team. The 100th win was a special one too, defeating No. 10 Marquette in five sets on Oct. 12.
   Ranked Creighton teams are 7-1 all-time against Villanova, and 6-0 against Georgetown.
   Creighton is 13-17 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself.
   The Bluejays are also 6-31 all-time in all matches against top-10 foes (6-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).

Back In The Top 10
Creighton remained a season-best ninth in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll. It's the second straight week CU has been ranked ninth.
   It's the 20th different week in program history that the Bluejays have spent in the top 10, which includes 12 straight weeks in 2018.
   Creighton is one of just nine programs to have spent at least one week in the AVCA Top 10 in each of the last four seasons, a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is 16-2 all-time when ranked exactly No. 9, tying its most wins from any poll position.
   Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 49th 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
   553   Stanford   5
   553   Nebraska   7
   470   Penn State   8
   443   Florida   12
   247   Texas   1
   102   Wisconsin   4
   101   BYU   11
   72   Minnesota   6
   53   Kentucky   18
   49   Creighton   9

All-Time Weekly AVCA Top-10 Rankings
December 19, 2016 (Year-End)   9th
August 9, 2017 (Preseason)   9th
August 28, 2017   7th
September 4, 2017   9th
September 11, 2017   8th
September 10, 2018   10th
September 17, 2018   10th
September 24, 2018   10th
October 1, 2018   10th
October 8, 2018   10th
October 15, 2018   10th
October 22, 2018   10th
October 29, 2018   9th
November 5, 2018   9th
November 12, 2018   9th
November 19, 2018   9th
November 26, 2018   9th
October 21, 2019   10th
October 28, 2019   9th
November 4, 2019   9th

Home Sweet Home
Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in five of its previous seven seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
   Creighton is 58-2 all-time (.967) 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 89-7 (.927) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 43 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 has started 11-0 or better in league play for the fourth time in the last five seasons. All three previous times CU has started 7-0 or better, it has gone on to win league regular-season and tournament crowns.
   Below is a list of Creighton's best starts in conference play all-time:
Start   League   Year   Final W-L   Final Place
18-0   BIG EAST   2016   18-0   1st
18-0   BIG EAST   2018   18-0   1s
12-0   BIG EAST   2019   TBD   TBD
11-0   BIG EAST   2015   17-1   1st
6-0   MVC   2007   14-4   T-2nd

Davis & Witt Honored With BIG EAST Awards
Creighton swept all three BIG EAST weekly honors on Oct. 15. Brittany Witt was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Keeley Davis brought home both the Offensive Player of the Week and the Freshman of the Week honor. It was the sixth straight week Davis has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, extending her league record.
   Davis led all BIG EAST players with 4.75 kills per set during the week, hitting .370. The freshman from Highlands Ranch, Colo., started her week with seven kills, five digs and an ace on .286 hitting in a 3-0 win at DePaul.
   Davis then more than doubled her previous high as she pounded 31 kills in a 3-2 road win at No. 10 Marquette, all while hitting .390 and adding seven digs, two aces and a block assist. Davis' 31 kills were the most by any BIG EAST player since 2016, the most by a Creighton player since 1996, and just one shy of CU's single-match record. She had 10 kills in the third set alone, then added seven more in the fourth set. In the decisive fifth set, Davis had six early kills as CU blitzed to a 10-4 lead in an eventual 15-8 victory. In addition to her attacking prowess, Davis' seven digs tied her season-high.
   Witt led all BIG EAST players with 5.50 digs per set during the week. The senior libero was also targeted 35 times in serve receive on the weekend, allowing just one ace while helping with passes that led to 18 kills.
   The Omaha product opened her week with nine digs and a season-best four aces in a 3-0 sweep at DePaul on Friday. CU's defense held DePaul to just 32 kills in the match, 15 fewer than any other league contest for the Blue Demons this fall. Witt's four aces helped her move into the top five in program history for career aces.
   On Saturday, Witt had a career-high 35 digs in Creighton's 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette in a battle for first place. Witt's 35 digs were the most by a Bluejay since 2012, and just three shy of the program record for one match.

Davis Also AVCA National Player of the Week
For her accomplishments listed above, Keeley Davis was also named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 15.
   Davis is the second Bluejay ever to earn the honor, joining Michelle Sicner, who earned the award exactly six years to the day earlier, also after wins vs. DePaul and Marquette.

Cole A Senior Class Award Candidate
Madelyn Cole was among 30 student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that was been selected as an initial candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award®, though she did not make the cut for the final 10. Cole was the only player from a school in Nebraska on the list, and joined Marquette's Allie Barber as one of two BIG EAST players to make the initial cut.
   To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
    An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
   A health and life style management major, Cole is a native of Dallas, Texas. She was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2016 and 2017 while attending Marshall and has been quite active in the community since transferring to Creighton in 2018. She's worked summer camps, visited a school in Slovenia, participated in Night Out With The Jays and also Hanging With The Jays. The setter is a team captain for Creighton, as well.
   Cole is the latest in a long line of Creighton Volleyball student-athletes to make the Senior CLASS cut in recent seasons, as Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters were candidates in 2018. Lydia Dimke was a candidate in 2017, as were Jess Bird and Lauren Smith in 2016. Other past volleyball candidates include Melanie Jereb (2015), Kelli Browning (2014) and Megan Bober (2012). Both Kloth (2018) and Smith (2016) were named Senior CLASS All-Americans following the season.
   Former Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt won the 2011 Senior CLASS Award on the pitch, while ex-Creighton men's basketball standout Doug McDermott won the 2014 Senior CLASS Award on the hardwood.

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 Tuesday, Nov. 5th.
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
*Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

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.

Comparing Seasons
Now in its seventh year in the BIG EAST, this year's Creighton team compares favorably with some of its past teams.
   The 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 teams all would win the BIG EAST Championship and regular-season league title.
Creighton in BIG EAST Play (League Stats Only)
Year   W-L   KPS   HIT%   SAPS   DPS   BPS
2013   12-4   13.75   .213   1.00   16.20   3.13
2014   16-2   14.09   .242   1.30   17.09   2.86
2015   17-1   15.02   .271   1.33   16.97   2.47
2016   18-0   15.37   .317   1.69   16.08   2.41
2017   16-2   14.81   .302   1.31   16.62   2.05
2018   18-0   14.45   .294   2.13   15.67   2.38
2019   12-0   14.77   .302   2.08   15.31   2.09

Another Strong Start
Creighton is off to its first 19-3 start since the 2012 campaign, which saw the Jays open 29-3.
   Here's how this year compares to Creighton's last two teams, statistically, after 22 matches:
Year   2017   2018   2019
Match W-L   17-5   18-4   19-3
Set W-L   55-22   59-21   59-17
vs. Top-25   3-3   2-3   3-3
Tourney Titles   3   2   2
Kills/Set   14.35   13.96   14.12
Hitting %   .275   .249   .267
Aces/Set   1.30   1.55   1.70
Digs/Set   15.94   16.52   15.22
Blocks/Set   2.13   2.25   2.04
Kill/Set Leader   Winters, 3.40   Kloth, 4.06   Davis, 3.17
Dig/Set Leader   Witt, 4.13   Witt, 4.40   Witt, 4.93

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 13 matches since then, Creighton has 87 service aces and 97 service errors while winning 39-of-42 sets played. CU has served 1,024 times, serving it inbounds 90.5 percent of the time. Keeley Davis (17 aces, 17 errors), Erica Kostelac (21/17), Madelyn Cole (18/15) and Jaela Zimmerman (13/10) 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 57-5 in the month of November.
   Since the start of the 2014 season, Creighton is a combined 90-5 in the months of October (49-3) and November (41-2).

Top 25 History
Creighton is 17-78 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 12-12 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   An opening-weekend 2017 win at No. 3 Washington is the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays have ever beaten, surpassing a win at No. 4 Kansas the previous December.
   Creighton is 6-31 all-time against top-10 foes (6-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 6-37 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017), No. 7 Kansas (2017), No. 18 Marquette (2018) and No. 10 Marquette (2019).
   Creighton is 106-25 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 13-17 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark improves to 2-1 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 32 of Creighton's 53 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 192-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 58 straight home matches over unranked teams, and 41 in a row at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 13-17)
Home: 3-5   Away: 5-6    Neutral: 5-6
Date   Winner   Loser   CU Score
11/19/12   #11 Minnesota   #21 Creighton   1-3
08/30/13   #25 Creighton   #13 BYU   3-1
09/14/13   #11 UCLA   #24 Creighton   1-3
09/16/13   #7 Hawaii   #23 Creighton   2-3
08/30/14   #22 Kansas   #23 Creighton   1-3
09/03/16   #23 Kentucky   #22 Creighton   0-3
12/02/16   #21 Creighton   #4 Kansas   3-2
12/09/16   #21 Creighton   #17 Michigan   3-2
12/10/16   #5 Texas   #21 Creighton   0-3
08/26/17   #9 Creighton   #3 Washington   3-1
09/01/17   #7 Creighton   #13 Kentucky   3-0
09/02/17   #18 USC   #7 Creighton   0-3
09/08/17   #17 Purdue   #9 Creighton   1-3
09/09/17   #9 Creighton   #7 Kansas   3-0
09/16/17   #19 Iowa State   #8 Creighton   2-3
12/12/17   #12 Michigan St.   #15 Creighton   1-3
08/24/18   #13 Creighton   #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/25/18   #10 USC   #13 Creighton   2-3
09/06/18   #7 Nebraska   #14 Creighton   2-3
09/15/18   #8 Illinois   #10 Creighton   1-3
09/23/18   #10 Creighton   #21 Marquette   3-0
10/26/18   #10 Creighton   #18 Marquette   3-1
11/24/18   #9 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-1
12/01/18   #22 Washington   #9 Creighton   0-3
08/30/19   #2 Nebraska   #18 Creighton   1-3
08/31/19   #20 Baylor   #18 Creighton   0-3
09/06/19   #23 Creighton   #12 Kentucky   3-1
09/07/19   #23 Creighton   #15 USC   3-1
09/14/19   #12 Washington   #17 Creighton   1-3
10/12/19   #13 Creighton   #10 Marquette   3-2

BEDN Brings Out The Best In the Bluejays
CU's victory at Marquette on October 12 appeared on BIG EAST Digital Network.
   Since the network originated in 2014, Creighton is 25-1 on BEDN. Six of those victories came in five sets.
   CU's next appearance on BEDN is scheduled for Nov. 22 vs. Marquette.

BIG EAST's Best
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton and Marquette are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through Nov. 7, 2019) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (through 11/7)
             BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)   W   L   W   L
Creighton (6)   109   9   178   49
Marquette (6)   95   22   166   56
Xavier   73   45   109   100
Butler   66   52   118   94
Villanova (1)   63   56   121   91
Seton Hall (1)   57   60   107   109
St. John's   54   64   122   100
Georgetown   29   89   75   133
DePaul   22   96   72   132
Providence*   13   89   60   125
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.

Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning record against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 120 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 7th.
   CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (3) and Villanova (2) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   12-1   -   12-1
DePaul   13-0   -   13-0
Georgetown   13-0   -   13-0
Marquette   11-2   3-1   14-3
Providence   12-0   -   12-0
Seton Hall   11-3   2-0   13-3
St. John's   13-1   -   13-1
Villanova   11-2   3-0   14-2
Xavier   13-0   3-0   16-0
Total   109-9   11-1   120-10

Any Venue Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton has a .667 winning percentage or better (in all matches) at every venue in which it has played a BIG EAST match.
Site   Creighton W-L
D.J. Sokol Arena (CU)   86-14
Al McGuire Center (MU)   9-2
Hinkle Fieldhouse (BU)   7-1
Carnesecca Arena (SJU)   7-0
McGrath-Phillips Arena (DPU)   7-0
Cintas Center (XU)   6-0
McDonough Arena (GU)   6-0
Alumni Hall (PC)   6-0
Walsh Gym (SHU)   5-2
Jake Nevin Field House (VU)   4-2

5 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2018 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win five straight outright regular-season titles.
   No team had won five straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
   The only other team in Creighton history to win five straight regular-season titles was the men's soccer program, which claimed five straight MVC crowns from 1992-96. All five of those soccer titles were also outright titles.

5 Straight BIG EAST Championship Titles Too
Creighton won its fifth straight BIG EAST Championship title in 2018, becoming the first team to do so since Pittsburgh's seven straight league tournament titles from 1988-94.
   Creighton is the only school in the country to win a league tournament each of the last five seasons.
   Creighton is 11-1 all-time in six appearances at the BIG EAST Championships, reaching the final each time.
   Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, Creighton has made 16 straight appearances in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.

Setting An Example
Since the start of last season, Creighton is 32-0 against BIG EAST competition. The Bluejays are 96-10 in sets against league foes in that time, dropping four sets in four matches against Marquette, meaning they've gone 84-6 in sets against everyone else.
   Marquette is 27-4 against league opponents in that same span, with all four losses coming to Creighton. The Golden Eagles are 85-18 in sets against league foes in that time, with 12 of those set losses against Creighton, meaning they've gone 81-6 in sets against everyone else.

Ran The Table, Again
Creighton has won 31 straight regular-season conference matches. On a national basis through matches of November 6, that ranks as tied for the longest nationally with Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference.
   Creighton tied the BIG EAST record for the best record in league history with an 18-0 mark last fall, matching the mark first done by the 2016 Bluejay club.
   Creighton's 18-0 mark in 2016 made CU the first team to finish BIG EAST play unbeaten since Notre Dame went 14-0 in 2009.
   Here's a look at the most consecutive wins to start league play in BIG EAST history:
Consecutive Wins To Start BIG EAST Play
   Wins   School   Year   Final W-L
   18   Creighton   2016   18-0
   18   Creighton   2018   18-0
   14   St. John's   2006   14-0
   14   Notre Dame   2009   14-0
   13   Louisville   2007   13-1

Crushing It Against The Top 25
Junior Naomi Hickman has been dominant against top-25 foes this season, averaging 2.21 kills and 0.83 blocks per set and hitting .447.
   That includes Hickman's career-high 17 kills in a win over No. 12 Kentucky, .733 hitting in a 3-1 victory over No. 15 USC, and a career-high 11 blocks in a win over No. 10 Marquette.
   In her last three matches against Marquette, Hickman owns 25 blocks in 13 sets (1.92 bps.) and has hit .261.

Witt Keeps On Digging
Senior Brittany Witt has six matches this fall with 20 or more matches, giving her 24 in her career. That ranks fourth-most in team history.
   Witt is tied for second in program history with four career matches of 30 or more digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-15
   32   Julianne Mandolfo      2010-11
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   24   Brittany Witt   2016-Pres.
   20   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   19   Nayka Benitez   2009-10

Matches With 30+ Digs, Career
   30+D   Name   Years
   9   Julianne Mandolfo   2010-11
   4   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   4   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   4   Nayka Benitez   2009-10
   4   Brittany Witt   2016-Pres.
   2   Kate Elman   2012-15
   1   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
   1   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   1   Melanie Jereb   2012-15

Match 1 of Weekend vs. Match 2
One of the challenges of going on the road in the BIG EAST is typically having to play matches on back-to-back days, without the benefit of a travel day in between that Creighton opponents are afforded when they come to Omaha.
   Creighton, however, has managed to enjoy success, regardless of when it plays on the road.
    Since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton is 51-7 in league road matches. That includes a 22-6 mark in its first road game of a multi-game weekend, and a 27-1 record (with 24 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 58-2 in league home matches, including a 25-1 mark (with 23 straight wins) when playing the first match of a three-day weekend, as well as a 25-1 mark (with 18 straight wins) when playing two days later. Creighton is also 2-0 when playing a solo home match, and 3-0 both on day one and day two when playing on consecutive days at home without a break.

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the second straight season, Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST. Last year CU was picked second and went 18-0 in league play en route to a fifth straight regular-season title.
   This year a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Marquette the favorite with 80 points and eight first-place votes, edging out Creighton's 73 points and two first-place votes. St. John's was picked third in the league's preseason poll, with Villanova fourth and Butler fifth. Rounding out the poll are Georgetown, DePaul, Seton Hall, Xavier and Providence.
   Creighton also had three women named to the 12 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Megan Ballenger, Madelyn Cole and Brittany Witt were all honored. It was the third straight preseason honor for Witt.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 14 of 16 years under Booth, including eight years where it's finished exactly where it was picked.
Year   Preseason Pick   Finish   Move
1994   11th   9th   #2
1995   9th   7th   #2
1996   9th   6th   #3
1997   8th   3rd   #5
1998   6th   8th   i2
1999   T-7th   5th   #2
2000   4th   T-4th   - -
2001   2nd   4th   i2
2002   7th   9th   i2
2003   9th   T-5th   #4
2004   5th   5th   - -
2005   5th   5th   - -
2006   4th   4th   - -
2007   3rd   T-2nd   #1
2008   3rd   2nd   #1
2009   4th   T-4th   - -
2010   4th   3rd   #1
2011   3rd   4th   i1
2012   4th   1st   #3
2013   1st   T-2nd   i1
2014   1st   1st   - -
2015   1st   1st   - -
2016   1st   1st   - -
2017   1st   1st   - -
2018   2nd   1st   #1
2019   2nd   TBD   TBD

What's The Difference?
En route to its league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Creighton compiled an 85-5 record in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Jays won those five titles by a combined 12.5 games over their nearest competitors, meaning if you took the record for the best second-place club each year they'd be 72-17.

Sweeeeeeeeeep!!!
Creighton swept 14-of-18 matches at all sites in BIG EAST play last season, and has swept 17 of its last 19 regular-season home matches against league foes dating to 2017.
   During Creighton's 43-match home winning streak in league play, the Bluejays have dropped only 15 (of 144) sets at home, with nine of those setbacks coming in set two.
   Creighton is 40-3 in set one, 34-9 in set two, 41-2 in set three, 10-1 in set four and 4-0 in set five during that home streak in league play, which means they are 85-5 in sets that they spend at least some time on the south bench.
   During this 43-match regular-season home win streak in league play, only one opponent has won more than three sets against CU in Omaha, Villanova (4), while neither Providence nor Marquette have won a set.
   In Creighton's 118 all-time regular-season BIG EAST matches at all sites, Creighton is 69-4 in three-set matches, 28-2 in four-set matches and 12-3 in five-set contests.

Nice Work, Ace
In 30 regular-season league matches since the start of last fall, Creighton allowed three aces or less in 22 of them, and one ace or less 11 times.
   Creighton has served more aces than its opponent in 26-of-30 league matches in that time, and was tied on two other occasions.
   The Bluejays have won 87 consecutive matches against BIG EAST foes when owning more aces than its competition since a Nov. 1, 2013 loss to St. John's.

All-Tourney Trio in Omaha
Three Bluejays were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Creighton Classic -- Jaela Zimmerman, Madelyn Cole and Keeley Davis.
   Zimmerman took home MVP honors after averaging 4.50 kills per set on .404 hitting. She had a career-high 16 kills vs. Wyoming. It's the first All-Tournament Team and MVP honor of the sophomore's career.
   Cole was recognized after averaging 10.83 assists, 2.50 digs and 1.33 blocks per set in two wins. It's her second All-Tournament Team accolade this fall, and the fourth of her career.
   Davis averaged 3.67 kills per set and hit .327 to earn the first All-Tournament Team recognition in her young career.

Iron Woman Witt
Brittany Witt has played in all 440 sets that Creighton's participated in since enrolling on campus in the fall of 2016.
   Witt is just the fourth woman in program history to have played in every set the team has played in over any four-year span; Lauren Smith (511 from 2013-16), Megan Bober (480 from 2009-12) and Korie Lebeda (428 from 2005-08).

Newcomers Unite
Newcomers Keeley Davis (241) and Erica Kostelac (222) rank first and second on the 2019 Creighton team in kills as each woman bids to become the first newcomer to lead CU in kills since Jaali Winters in 2015.

Only JoDe & Jaali More Quickly Than Keeley
Keeley Davis surpassed the 100 kill milestone during the 10th match of her career on Sept. 21 vs. Wyoming. Only two women in program history have gotten there in fewer matches, JoDe Cieloha (8 matches) and Jaali Winters (9).
   Davis surpassed 200 career kills 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.
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

September To Remember
Creighton went 9-1 in September. It was just the second month in program history with a .900 winning percentage or better in 10+ matches, joining October of 2015.
Best Winning Percentage, Month (Min. 10 Matches)
   Pct.   W-L   Month, Year
   .909   10-1   October 2015
   .900   9-1   September 2019
   .818   9-2   September, 2018
   .769   10-3   September 2006
   .750   9-3   September, 2012

Ballenger Can Block
Megan Ballenger tied her career-high with eight blocks on Sept. 19 vs. Wichita State, then established a new best with nine rejections two days later vs. Wyoming.
   She became the first Bluejay with eight or more blocks in consecutive contests since Kelli Browning did so on Oct. 3-4, 2014.
   Ballenger, owns 341 blocks in her career.

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 365-2 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 79 straight matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton has won 58 straight home matches against unranked teams and is 100-2 in its last 102 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton has won 34 matches in a row against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.

Hickman Earns Two Honors
Naomi Hickman entered September with a career-high of nine kills, only to reel off double-figure kills in each match of the UNI Tournament en route to MVP honors.
   Hickman opened her month with a career-high 17 kills in CU's win over No. 12 Kentucky on Sept. 6, hitting .640 in 25 swings.
   Hickman then had 10 kills during the victory over Northern Iowa before wrapping up the weekend with 11 kills in 15 errorless swings as she hit .733 in the victory over No. 15 USC.
   For the weekend, Hickman averaged 2.92 kills per set and hit .465 with 38 kills in 71 swings against just five attack errors.
   The rosters of the four teams in the UNI Tournament featured 10 players who have previously been named All-Americans by the AVCA.
   For her efforts, Hickman was also named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.

Friday Night Fun?
September 6 was a special day for the Creighton Volleyball and Men's Soccer programs, as both teams picked up top-25 victories. Volleyball beat No. 12 Kentucky in the afternoon before the men's soccer program downed No. 21 Akron at night.
   In school history, Creighton has picked up wins over ranked men's soccer and volleyball teams on the same day just three times.
   Last year on Aug. 24, the men's soccer team defeated No. 11 Clemson, 2-0, and No. 13 Bluejay Volleyball beat #5 Kentucky, 3-2.
   The first time it happened occurred on Aug. 30, 2013, when men's soccer beat No. 14 Tulsa 2-0 and volleyball knocked off No. 13 BYU, 3-1.

The Gauntlet
Creighton played five different non-conference teams that were in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That was tied for the third-most of any team in the nation, and trailed only preseason No. 1 Stanford and Wichita State's six. Among the other teams with five ranked non-conference foes are 2019 Bluejay opponents Kentucky, Northern Iowa and Washington.
   The Bluejays met up with preseason No. 2 Nebraska, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 USC and No. 20 Baylor in 2019.
   This is the seventh straight season that Creighton will face four or more non-conference foes that are in the preseason Top 25.
   The three teams to have beaten Creighton this season are a combined 54-9 and are currently ranked No. 3 (Baylor), No. 7 (Nebraska) and No. 14 (Washington).

All-Tourney Trio
Junior middle blocker Naomi Hickman was named Most Valuable Player of the UNI Tournament and joined on the All-Tournament team by Creighton teammates Megan Ballenger and Madelyn Cole.
   The trio were key cogs in Creighton's 3-0 weekend that included four-set wins over No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC, as well as a 3-2 win against tournament host and defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa.
   Hickman and Ballenger shared team-high honors with 38 kills in 13 sets (2.92 kps.). Hickman hit .465 while Ballenger hit .437 as the Bluejay middle blocking duo dominated all weekend long. Cole quarterbacked a Bluejay offense that hit .266 on the weekend, dishing 153 assists in 13 sets (11.77 aps.). Cole also hit .455 in 22 swings and contributed 39 digs (3.00 dps.), 11 blocks (0.85 bps.) and two aces (0.15 saps.).
   Hickman entered the week with a career-high of nine kills, only to reach double-figures in all three matches in Cedar Falls. She posted 17 kills on .640 hitting in the Bluejay victory over Kentucky, adding three blocks and two digs. Hickman then added 10 kills and four blocks in CU's 3-2 triumph over Northern Iowa on Friday night. She capped her weekend with 11 kills in 15 errorless swings, hitting a career-best .733, in the Bluejays' first win over USC in program history.
   Ballenger had 12 kills on .579 hitting in the victory over Kentucky, adding five blocks. She then finished with 10 kills and a pair of blocks while hitting at a .348 clip later that night vs. UNI. Ballenger then tied her career-high with 16 kills in the title game victory over USC, hitting .414 in the process.
   Cole had double-doubles in all three matches. She had 53 assists, 14 digs and five blocks as CU hit .319 in the win vs. Kentucky. Cole added 48 assists and tied a season-high with 15 digs in a five-set win vs. UNI. She closed the weekend with 52 assists, 10 digs, five kills and four blocks as the Jays hit .355 in the win over USC.
   Joining Hickman, Ballenger and Cole on the All-Tournament Team were Kentucky's Gabby Curry and Leah Edmond, USC's Emilia Weske and UNI's Karlie Taylor.

Top 25 x 3
Creighton was the only volleyball team in the nation to start the season by playing three different ranked teams, as it met No. 2 Nebraska, No. 20 Baylor and No. 12 Kentucky.
   Illinois also opened with three straight matches against ranked teams, but two of those were against Tennessee in back-to-back contests.
   This season marks the first time that Creighton's first three matches of the season have come against top-25 competition.

Top 25 x 5
Per research by Liberty SID Joe Carmany and Texas SID Jocelyn VerVelde, Creighton was one of three teams to open the year with five straight matches against teams that ended the 2018 campaign with a top-25 RPI.
   USC and Texas are also among that group.
Creighton: Nebraska, Baylor, Kentucky, UNI, USC
USC: Texas State, Texas, Kentucky, UNI, Creighton
Texas: UNI, USC, Minnesota, Stanford, BYU

100+ Starts For Ballenger and Cole
Senior middle blocker Megan Ballenger has made 117 career starts, including each of Creighton's last 84 contests. The last time she didn't start came on Sept. 3, 2016 against USC.
   Ballenger 117 career starts is eighth in program history. The school record is 138 starts, set last year by Ballenger's former high school and college teammate, Jaali Winters.
   Ballenger's senior teammate Madelyn Cole has made 110 career starts (including 105 straight) when you factor in 54 starts before transferring in from Marshall.

New Blood
Junior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past three years, and next year has a chance to become the 16th player to start four season openers.
   Jaali Winters finished off the feat last fall, as seen below.
Four Opening Day Starts
Name   Years
JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
Shelly Kapler   1996-99
Erin Swanson   1998-01
Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Melissa Walsh   1998-01
Carolyn Decker   2004-06, 08
Korie Lebeda   2005-08
Jessica Houts   2006-09
Allie Oelke   2007-10
Heather Thorson   2009-12
Megan Bober   2009-12
Jess Bird   2013-16
Lauren Smith   2013-16
Jaali Winters   2015-18

Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 16 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments (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 six of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Creighton won six of those eight (including 2019) season-opening matches.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 303-10 (.968) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 246-4 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 173-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 91-0 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when up 2-0 at the break.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets in 2018 won 94.8 percent of their matches, and have won 95.0 percent of their matches in the last 10 years.
   Conversely, the Jays are 14-197 (.067) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 14 comebacks in program history from down 0-2 are listed below.
Date   Opponent   Sets 3-5 scores   Coach
09/19/97   at Bradley   15-11, 15-13, 15-8   Wallace
10/01/99   at Drake   15-6, 17-15, 15-11   Wallace
09/03/04   vs. Montana   30-20, 30-21, 15-11   Booth
10/15/04   at Bradley   30-22, 30-23, 15-11   Booth
10/15/05   at So. Illinois   30-25, 30-24, 15-8   Booth
09/21/07   at No. Iowa   31-29, 30-26, 15-12   Booth
11/16/12   at Wichita St.   25-16, 25-20, 16-14   Booth
09/05/14   vs. No. Iowa   25-16, 25-22, 15-5   Booth
11/08/14   at Butler   25-16, 25-20, 15-13   Booth
09/20/15   Kansas State   25-23, 26-24, 15-13   Booth
10/09/15   DePaul   25-21, 25-12, 15-11   Booth
11/20/15   at Georgetown   30-28, 26-24, 15-7   Booth
10/13/17   Butler   25-21, 25-23, 15-9   Booth
10/18/18   Xavier   25-17, 25-17, 15-13   Booth

Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 304-30 (.910) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 61-138 (.307) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2018 won just 20.7 percent of their matches last season, and 20.2 percent of their matches in the previous 10 seasons.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 101-2 in its last 103 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 17-0 when winning the first set, but is 2-3 when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has won 79 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 16-1 when taking the third frame, and 3-2 when losing the third set.
   Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 91-0 against BIG EAST teams (83-0 in the regular-season and 8-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 57-29 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
   Creighton has won 15 of its last 19 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016, 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette, a 2018 win at Butler and wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette this fall.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 12-3 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
1994   0-2   5-20
1995   0-2   11-19
1996   2-6   9-19
1997   3-5   15-13
1998   2-3   7-18
1999   3-3   13-15
2000   3-3   16-12
2001   1-1   14-13
2002   1-3   3-23
2003   5-1   12-18
2004   4-0   18-11
2005   3-1   16-14
2006   4-2   21-10
2007   2-0   21-10
2008   2-3   18-9
2009   1-4   14-17
2010   3-3   21-12
2011   5-2   17-14
2012   4-1   29-4
2013   3-2   23-9
2014   3-2   25-9
2015   5-2   27-9
2016   4-3   29-7
2017   4-1   26-7
2018   3-2   29-5
2019   2-0   19-3
Total   72-57   458-320

Marian Pipeline
This is the 17th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Brittany Witt returns and is joined by freshman Emily Bressman. It's also the eighth straight season with multiple Marian grads.
   Each of the last eight years, Creighton's year-end leader in digs has been a player that attended Marian.
   Interestingly, the Bluejays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2019: Emily Bressman, Brittany Witt
2018: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2017: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2016: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2015: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen, Kelsey O'Connell
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch

Production Returns
Creighton returns 9-of-15 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters and libero Brittany Witt.
   From last year's team, only Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Kelsey O'Connell, Jaali Winters, Kari Zumach (transferred to Indiana and Alexa Roumeliotis (transferred to Colorado State) are not back.
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1485 (94.5%)   87 (5.5%)
Blocks   190 (67.7%)   90.5 (32.3%)
Aces   122 (59.8%)   82 (40.2%)
Matches Started   110 (53.9%)   94 (46.1%)
Digs   960 (49.9%)   963 (50.1%)
Points   927 (42.7%)   1246.5 (57.3%)
Kills   615 (36.4%)   1074 (63.6%)

Seven Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last seven seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008, and also reached seven straight NCAA Tournaments from 2010-16.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played 13 matches against 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 8-5 against such teams.
   This year's team is scheduled to play eight matches against teams that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, and currently is 4-3 in those contests.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 82-98 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994   0-4
1995   0-2
1996   0-2
1997   0-3
1998   0-5
1999   2-4
2000   0-4
2001   1-6
2002   0-5
2003   0-3
2004   2-2
2005   0-6
2006   4-6
2007   4-9
2008   6-8
2009   1-11
2010   4-7
2011   2-6
2012   8-3
2013   6-6
2014   4-5
2015   11-5
2016   10-7
2017   8-6
2018   8-5
2019   4-3
TOTAL   85-133
TOTAL Under Booth   82-98

The Great Eight
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has now directed her troops to eight NCAA Tournaments. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   Booth is the second head coach in Creighton history to lead eight different NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only former men's soccer coach Bob Warming.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6

Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up.
   Booth won her 300th match at CU on Sept. 24 vs. Villanova, and now owns 365 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history, through November 4th.
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   365*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   327*
*still active coaching at Creighton

You Dig?
They say that defense wins championships, and that's certainly proven true for Creighton.
   Creighton has won 91 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.
   All but four of Creighton's last 82 matches (against all foes) have been won by the team with more digs, which goes back to Sept. 15, 2017.

Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton collected eight non-conference wins in 2018 for the first time since the 2013 team went 9-3.
   Creighton is 6-9 against ranked non-conference foes over the last three seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year   Non-Con W-L   vs. Ranked Non-Con   Final W-L
2003   3-8   0-0   12-18
2004   8-2   0-1   18-11
2005   6-5   0-3   16-14
2006   8-3   0-1   21-10
2007   6-5   0-3   21-10
2008   3-5   0-3   18-9
2009   3-8   0-3   14-17
2010   5-5   0-1   21-12
2011   5-7   0-1   17-14
2012   9-2   0-1   29-4
2013   9-3   1-2   23-9
2014   7-6   0-5   25-9
2015   6-7   1-4   27-9
2016   6-6   0-4   29-7
2017   7-4   3-3   26-7
2018   8-4   1-3   29-5
2019   7-3   2-3   TBD

This and That
Amaze your friends and neighbors with these nuggets...
• Kirsten Bernthal Booth earned AVCA East Region Coach of the Year honors in 2018. It's the third time that Booth has been recognized (also 2015 and 2016) in the East Region. She is the nation's only coach to be honored three of the last four seasons.
• This year marks the fifth straight campaign Creighton has beaten multiple top-25 programs.
• Creighton finished last season ranked 11th nationally in average home attendance (2,802).
• Naomi Hickman is averaging 2.21 kills per set while hitting .447 in six matches this season against top-20 competition.
• Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 11-1 at the conference tournament. No other BIG EAST team has a winning record in league championship action in that time.
• Despite owning 31 kills at Marquette on Oct. 12, Keeley Davis had kills on back-to-back points just once in the entire match (3-2 and 4-2 in the fifth set).
• 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 9 regular-season league matches.

#9 Volleyball Travels to East Coast For Villanova/Georgetown Matches

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Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Samantha Bohnet

Emily Bressman

Madelyn Cole

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Erica Kostelac

Kelsey O'Connell

Alexa Roumeliotis

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman

Kari Zumach