Top 20 Showdowns Await Volleyball At Season-Opening Husker Invitational

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This Weekend -- Husker Invitational
Aug. 30   7:00 pm   #18 Creighton at #2 Nebraska (NET)   Lincoln, Neb. (Bob Devaney Sports Center) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE NU AUDIO
Aug. 31   4:30 pm   #18 Creighton vs. #20 Baylor    Lincoln, Neb. (Bob Devaney Sports Center) | LIVE STATS | LIVE BU AUDIO

This Weekend
No. 18 Creighton Volleyball (0-0) opens the 2019 season with two matches at the Husker Invitational on August 30-31.
   The season starts this Friday at 7:00 p.m. when it visits No. 2 Nebraska (0-0).
   On Saturday, the Bluejays close the weekend against the nation's 20th-ranked team, Baylor (0-0 before Friday's match vs. UCLA), at 4:30 p.m.
   Both matches will be played at Bob Devaney Sports Center (7,907) in Lincoln, Neb.

Webcast Information
Friday's match vs. Nebraska will be televised statewide on NET Television, with Larry Punteney and Kathi Wieskamp on the call.
   A link to Nebraska's audio stream for Friday night's match is on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page. The match can also be heard in Omaha on KKCD (105.9 FM).
   Friday's match vs. Nebraska will be video webcast on BTN+ at https://www.btnplus.com/schedule?date=2019-08-28&tid=27. A subscription may be required to watch.
   Saturday's match vs. Baylor will not be video webcast, but Baylor has a radio broadcast at https://baylorbears.com/watch/?Live=1239.

Live Stats Information
All matches at the Husker Invitational will have free live stats at Huskers.com.
   Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #18 Creighton
Creighton went 29-5 last season, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament, in a season that saw the Bluejays win the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth straight season.
   Three seniors with a wealth of experience will look to lead the Bluejays; middle hitter Megan Ballenger (2.53 kps., 0.87 bps.), setter Madelyn Cole (10.92 aps., 0.43 saps.) and libero Brittany Witt (4.32 dps.). All three women were named Preseason All-BIG EAST earlier this month.
   Gone are three starters, including All-American outside hitters Taryn Kloth (4.15 kps., .283%) and Jaali Winters (3.82 kps., 3.06 dps.).
   Four true freshmen (Emily Bressman, Makenna Krause, Kiana Schmitt, Ally Van Eekeren), plus redshirt freshman Keeley Davis and Cincinnati transfer Erica Kostelac, will also look to make an impact.
   Creighton has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference and was ranked 18th in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.

Scouting #2 Nebraska
Nebraska went 29-7 last season, reaching the NCAA title game for the third time in the last four seasons.
   Two-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player Mikaela Foecke (3.86 kps.) and star libero Kenzie Maloney (4.03 dps.) both graduated, but nearly everyone else is back.
   Lexi Sun (3.11 kps., 2.69 dps.) as well as All-Americans Lauren Stivrins (2.36 kps., .421%, 1.17 bps.) and Nicklin Hames (10.49 aps., 0.30 saps.) all return to lead the Cornhuskers, which also prepped for the season with a trip to Asia.
   NU is picked second in the Big Ten Conference in 2019, with Sun, Stivrins and Hames each named to the league's preseason all-conference team.

Scouting #20 Baylor
Baylor returns 12 letterwinners and four starters (plus its libero) from last year's team that went 20-9 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
   The Bears return a trio of All-Americans, Yossiana Pressley (4.70 kps., 2.18 dps.), Shelly Stafford (3.14 kps., 1.16 bps., .397%) and Hannah Lockin (8.91 aps.). Highlighting a strong freshman class is first-team high school All-American Kara McGhee.
   Baylor was picked to finish second in the Big 12 this season for the third straight season, trailing only perennial power Texas.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who enters her 17th season with a 346-165 record. 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. Nebraska
Since restarting its volleyball program in 1994, Creighton is 0-16 all-time against Nebraska in the fall. Ten of those 16 meetings have come in Lincoln.
   Nebraska has been ranked in the top-11 of every meeting, and ranked No. 1 nationally at match time on six occasions.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-12 all-time against the Huskers, and 0-12 against John Cook. Cook is 15-0 against Creighton.
   Creighton has won the first set in each of its last two road matches at Nebraska (2014, 2016), and owned a 2-0 lead in Omaha last year against the Cornhuskers as well.
   Creighton did defeat Nebraska on April 12, 2013 (25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-13) in a spring contest that was the final scheduled match at the NU Coliseum. Leah McNary had 15 kills to pace CU, while Katie Neisler had 13 kills in 48 swings to lead CU.

Series History vs. Baylor
Creighton and Baylor have never met, and Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced Baylor.

Exhibition Recap vs. Iowa State
Creighton won two of five sets last Friday in an exhibition match at Iowa State. The Bluejays led most of the first set before dropping a 26-264 decision. Trailing 3-0 in the match and 15-7 in the fourth set, CU rebounded to win the fourth frame, then never trailed in a fifth set triumph.

Last Year Summary
Creighton went 29-5 last fall, winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth straight season. The Bluejays earned the No. 9 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted for the second straight season, defeating South Dakota before falling to No. 22 Washington in the second round.
   Jaali Winters was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, BIG EAST Championship MVP and a Third Team All-American after finishing with 96 school records, including Creighton's career kill mark (1,843). Winters, along with Honorable Mention All-American Taryn Kloth, were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Joining them as First Team All-BIG EAST honorees was setter Madelyn Cole.
   Creighton ranked 11th nationally in average home attendance (2,802), including a record crowd of 14,022 in a five-set match vs. Nebraska.

Season Opening History
Creighton's win over No. 5 Kentucky last year improved the Jays to 16-9 in season-opening matches since restarting the program in 1994. Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-4 in season-opening matches.
   Booth is also 13-3 in Creighton's first match away from home, helping Creighton improve to 16-9 in such contests all-time.
   In five of the last seven years, the team to win the first set of Creighton's season-opener went on to lose the match.
   Creighton is 2-2 all-time against ranked teams in season-openers, including a 2013 triumph over No. 13 BYU and last season's victory vs. No. 5 Kentucky.

New Blood
Junior Naomi Hickman and senior Megan Ballenger are the only active Bluejays on the roster who have started the first match of the season for CU multiple times, having done so in both 2017 and 2018.
   Only 15 players in school history have started the initial match of the season four times, with Jaali Winters finishing off the feat last fall.
   Below is that list:
Four Opening Day Starts
Name   Years
JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
Shelly Kapler   1996-99
Erin Swanson   1998-01
Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Melissa Walsh   1998-01
Carolyn Decker   2004-06, 08
Korie Lebeda   2005-08
Jessica Houts   2006-09
Allie Oelke   2007-10
Heather Thorson   2009-12
Megan Bober   2009-12
Jess Bird   2013-16
Lauren Smith   2013-16
Jaali Winters   2015-18

Hello World!
Six Bluejays (Emily Bressman, Keeley Davis, Erica Kostelac, Makenna Krause, Kiana Schmitt and Ally Van Eekeren) could make their Creighton debuts this weekend at the Husker Invitational.
   Below is the current Creighton players and how they performed in their regular-season collegiate debuts (as well as at previous schools in the case of Madelyn Cole, Erica Kostelac, Grace Nelson and Megan Sharkey).
   Records for a Bluejay debut can be found at the bottom of page three. Interestingly, the career leaders for Creighton Volleyball in digs (Kate Elman), aces (Molly Moran), kills (Jaali Winters) and blocks (Kelli Browning) also own the CU record for that same category for a Bluejay debut.
Year   Name   SP   K   E   TA   Pct.   A   SA   DIG   TB
2017   Naomi Hickman•   3   5   2   8   .375   0   0   3   1
2017%   Erica Kostelac   3   4   2   9   .222   0   0   1   0
2016*   Madelyn Cole   3   1   1   4   .000   17   0   2   0
2018   Jaela Zimmerman   5   1   1   6   .000   0   0   6   0
2018   Annika Welty   3   1   1   6   .000   0   0   1   0
2018   Madelyn Cole•   5   1   2   3   -.333   53   0   13   2
2016   Brittany Witt   5   0   0   0   ---   5   2   21   0
2016   Megan Ballenger   1   0   0   0   ---   0   0   2   0
2017#   Grace Nelson•   3   0   0   0   ---   0   0   2   0
2018   Grace Nelson   1   0   0   0   ---   0   0   2   0
2018   Megan Sharkey   2   0   0   0   ---   9   0   1   0
2016$   Megan Sharkey•   3   0   1   2   -.500   11   2   3   0
#Nelson's stats from debut at Ball State
*Cole's stats from debut at Marshall
$Sharkey's stats from debut at Rutgers
%Kostelac's stats from debut at Cincinnati

Some Fab Freshmen
Creighton has started eight different true freshmen in its season opener over the previous nine years, and 14 such players since 2000.
   Since 2000, the only true freshmen to start CU's season-opener have been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005), Allie Oelke (2007), Brooke Boggs (2009), Heather Thorson (2009), Julianne Mandolfo (2010), Katie Neisler (2011), Michelle Sicner (2011), Melanie Jereb (2012), Ashley Jansen (2012), Jess Bird (2013), Jaali Winters (2015) and Naomi Hickman (2017). In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as transfers Maggie Baumert (2014), Lydia Dimke (2016) and Madelyn Cole (2018) in season-openers.
   Seven of those women (Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team (the BIG EAST has no such team). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, while Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016.

Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2019 roster boasts four players from the state of Nebraska, including Lincoln product Jaela Zimmerman.
   Bennington native Grace Nelson and Omaha residents Emily Bressman and Brittany Witt round out the in-state players on the CU roster.

Connections To Lincoln/Nebraska
Three members of Creighton's staff have ties to Lincoln or the University of Nebraska.
   Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth went to high school in Lincoln and is a member of the Lincoln East High School Hall of Fame.
   Creighton assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens was a four-year starter for the Huskers from 1997-2000, including Nebraska's unbeaten NCAA champion team in 2000 that was coached by John Cook. Among her teammates was Lindsay (Wischmeier) Peterson, NU's current Director of Operations.
   Creighton Director of Operations Micah Rhodes was a student manager at Nebraska from June of 2008 to May of 2011, during which time the Cornhuskers posted an overall mark of 86-13.
   Nebraska junior Lauren Stivrins is the daughter of former Creighton men's basketball player Alex Stivrins. Stivrins competed for the Bluejays from 1980-82, contributing 408 points and 309 rebounds in 55 games.
   In addition, Creighton sophomore Jaela Zimmerman hails from Lincoln and was named Nebraska's 2017 Gatorade State Player of the Year at Malcolm High School. While at Malcolm, she was a teammate of current Nebraska junior Hayley Densberger.

Experience Against Nebraska
Only two Creighton players have previously played a college match at Bob Devaney Sports Center, Megan Ballenger and Brittany Witt. Both did so as Bluejays in 2016, which won the first set and had three set point opportunities in the third set (to go up 2-1) against the then-No. 1 Cornhuskers.
   Witt, along with Jaela Zimmerman and Emily Bressman, also competed at Bob Devaney Sports Center while in high school during the NSAA Championships, with Bressman earning MVP honors in 2017 after leading Omaha Marian to a state title.
   Seven women on the 2019 Creighton team played in last year's match against Nebraska at CHI Health Center Omaha. Jaela Zimmerman had a season-best 10 kills in the match.
   In addition, Megan Sharkey played against the Cornhuskers twice as a member of Rutgers in 2016 and 2017, though both contests took place in New Jersey.

Against Final Four Teams
Friday night's showdown against 2018 runner-up Nebraska will mark the 11th time that CU has met a team coming off a Final Four trip.
   Creighton is 1-9 all-time against teams coming off a Final Four berth, defeating Kansas in Lawrence in 2016 to make the Sweet 16.
Creighton vs. Teams Coming Off Final Four Years
Final 4 Team   Date of Meeting   Result
Nebraska (Champ)   9/25/01   Nebraska, 3-0
Stanford (Champ)   9/10/05   Stanford, 3-0
Nebraska (Runner-Up)   9/24/06   Nebraska, 3-1
Nebraska (Champ)   8/31/07   Nebraska, 3-0
Nebraska (Semi)   9/1/09   Nebraska, 3-0
Nebraska (Champ)   9/17/16   Nebraska, 3-1
Kansas (Semi)   9/8/16   Kansas, 3-2
Kansas (Semi)   12/2/16   Creighton, 3-2
Texas (Runner-Up)   12/10/16   Texas, 3-0
Nebraska (Champ)   9/6/18   Nebraska, 3-2

Ranked vs. Ranked
Creighton is 10-14 all-time when playing in a match that involves two ranked teams.
   When No. 18 Creighton and No. 2 Nebraska meet on Friday, it'll be the second time the two schools have met on the volleyball court with both teams being ranked simultaneously. Last year Creighton was ranked 14th and Nebraska No. 7 when the teams faced off in Omaha.
   According to research from Creighton and Nebraska's Media Relations offices, it's just the seventh time that the two schools have met in any sport while both teams were ranked, and second time in any sport when both were in the top-20:
Date   Sport   NU Rank   CU Rank
4/14/05   Softball   #25 Nebraska   #21 Creighton@
5/10/05   Baseball   #3 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
6/4/05   Baseball   #4 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
6/5/05   Baseball   #4 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
4/4/06   Baseball   #8 Nebraska   #21 Creighton#
9/6/18   Volleyball   #7 Nebraska   #14 Creighton!
8/30/19   Volleyball   #2 Nebraska   #18 Creighton!
@ USA Softball/ESPN.com poll
% NCBWA ranking
# Baseball America ranking
!AVCA ranking

With A Win...
A victory over Nebraska would be the highest-ranked team that Creighton Volleyball has ever beaten, as the Jays are winless all-time against teams ranked first (0-6) or second (0-1).
   The current best victory was a road triumph over No. 3 Washington, which came on the opening weekend of the 2017 campaign.
   Creighton also knocked off a top-five team away from home on the opening weekend of the year in 2018, outlasting No. 5 Kentucky thanks to a 22-20 fifth set victory.

The Wins Keep Coming
Creighton has won eight consecutive road matches, tied for the second-longest streak in program history and one shy of the current mark of nine done in 2016 by CU's Elite Eight team.
Creighton's Longest Road Win Streaks
Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   9   Sept. 30-Dec. 2, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
   8   Sept. 29 - Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
   8   Sept. 28, 2018 - Present   TBD
   7   Sept. 21-Nov. 9, 2007   at #24 Wichita State, 3-0
   7   Nov. 21, 2009-Oct. 2, 2010   at Drake, 3-1

Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 16 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
   Creighton is one of 13 teams to win a match in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. That group includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is also one of 10 teams to be in the year-end AVCA poll in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. That list includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is one of 14 schools with seven straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-18). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky.
   Creighton is one of just seven schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the last seven seasons (2012-18). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas.

Top 20 Showdowns
Around the country, only six matches during the opening weekend of the 2019 season feature a pair of top-20 teams facing each other, and Creighton is involved in two of those.
   Besides No. 18 Creighton's matchups with No. 2 Nebraska and No. 20 Baylor, No. 16 Marquette will visit No. 9 BYU, No. 14 USC visits No. 4 Texas and No. 6 Illinois has a home-and-home series with No. 19 Tennessee this weekend.
Top-20 Pairings This Weekend
8/30   #18 Creighton at #2 Nebraska
8/30   #6 Illinois at #19 Tennessee
8/31   #18 Creighton vs. #20 Baylor
8/31   #16 Marquette at #9 BYU
9/1   #14 USC at #4 Texas
9/1   #19 Tennessee at #6 Illinois

The Gauntlet
Creighton plays five different non-conference teams that are in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the second-most of any team in the nation, and trails only preseason No. 1 Stanford's six. Among the other teams with five ranked non-conference foes are 2019 Bluejay opponents Kentucky, Northern Iowa, Washington and Wichita State.
   The Bluejays will meet up with 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.
   Creighton is the only volleyball team in the nation to start the season by playing three different ranked teams in 2019. Illinois also opens with three straight matches against ranked teams, but two of those are against Tennessee in back-to-back contests.
   Creighton men's soccer opens its season with three ranked teams as well, visiting No. 6 North Carolina and No. 4 Wake Forest before hosting No. 3 Akron.

Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton starts this season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It's the sixth time in the past seventh 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

Top 25 History
Creighton is 14-75 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 9-9 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 5-30 all-time against top-10 foes (5-23 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 5-36 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017) and No. 7 Kansas (2017) and No. 18 Marquette (2018).
   Creighton is 87-22 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 10-14 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, 29 of Creighton's 50 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 176-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 48 straight home matches over unranked teams.

Top 25 Jays
Creighton starts the 2019 campaign ranked 18th in the AVCA poll.
   This means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 39th straight week. That 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
   543   Stanford   1
   543   Nebraska   2
   460   Penn State   8
   433   Florida   10
   237   Texas   4
   92   Wisconsin   5
   91   BYU   9
   62   Minnesota   3
   43   Kentucky   6
   39   Creighton   18

Getting Closer...
Since hiring Kirsten Bernthal Booth in the spring of 2003, Creighton Volleyball has made huge strides to narrow the gap against Nebraska.
   Here's a chart that compares the percentage of points won by CU against the Cornhuskers in each meeting.
Date   CU Pts.   NU Pts.   Pct. of CU Points
09/01/98   6   45   11.76%
10/03/00   6   45   11.76%
09/25/01   58   90   39.19%
09/29/02   40   90   30.77%
10/10/04   61   90   40.40%
10/11/05   53   90   37.06%
09/24/06   85   117   42.08%
08/31/07   67   90   42.68%
10/05/08   67   90   42.68%
09/01/09   58   75   43.61%
08/31/10   57   76   42.86%
09/08/11   54   76   41.54%
09/17/14   87   96   47.54%
09/15/15   58   75   43.61%
09/17/16   81   100   44.75%
09/06/18   100   106   48.54%

Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 110-96 in the 70 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 53-27 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 90-63 in 55 regular-season tournaments, including 14 titles.
   Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.

Birthdays & Anniversary Week
Not only did Brittany Witt and Emily Bressman both attend Marian High School, but both will celebrate a birthday on Thursday, Aug. 29th.
   In addition this Wednesday (Aug. 28) marks the 10th anniversary of the first regular-season match at D.J. Sokol Arena history, a 3-0 win over Texas Tech.
   Creighton is 116-27 all-time in the facility, making the NCAA Tournament in eight of its first 10 years since moving in.
   By comparison, from 1994-2008 Creighton went 89-82 at home and did not make a single NCAA Tournament trip.

Aces Best Served Cole
Madelyn Cole authored 51 aces last fall, second-most in Creighton single-season history. She enters her senior season with an ace in 11 consecutive contests, tied for the second-longest streak in program history.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
   15   Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
   11   Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
   11   Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
   11   Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
   11   Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27, 2018 - Present
   9   Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995
   9   Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 - Sept. 21, 2018

Setting The Table
For just the second time in the last eight years, Creighton might start its 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.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the seven seasons (including 2018) ended in the NCAA Tournament, and six of them (including 2018) saw Creighton win conference titles. Creighton also won six of those seven season-opening matches.

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
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 346-2 under Booth when it reaches a math point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date   Opponent   MP(s) Faced   Final Set 5
08/30/03   vs. McNeese State   13-14, 15-16   18-16
10/10/03   Wichita State   13-14   16-14
10/13/06   at Wichita State   12-14, 13-14, 14-15   17-15
09/11/07   at Drake   13-14, 14-15   17-15
08/26/11   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

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 287-10 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 230-4 mark (.983) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 157-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets in 2017 won 97.0 percent of their matches.
   Conversely, the Jays are 14-194 (.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

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.
   Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 81-0 against BIG EAST teams (73-0 in the regular-season and 8-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.

Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 287-30 (.905) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 59-135 (.304) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2017 won just 20.8 percent of their matches last season.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 91-2 in its last 93 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.
   Creighton has won 64 straight matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Can You Dig It?
Senior Brittany Witt ranks second in Creighton history on the all-time digs chart as she continues her pursuit of predecessor Kate Elman's record of 2,054.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kate Elman   464   2,054   2012-15
   2.   Brittany Witt   364   1,534   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

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 55-29 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
   Creighton has won 13 of its last 17 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016, 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette and a 2018 win at Butler.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 12-3 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
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   0-0   0-0
Total   70-57   439-317

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%)

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.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 78-95 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   0-0
TOTAL   81-130
TOTAL Under Booth   78-95

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.

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.

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 346 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport   Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball   777*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Ed Servais, Baseball   558*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   445*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   346*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   327*
*still active coaching at Creighton

All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 111-28 record since the start of the 2015 season. On a national basis, the 111 wins are sixth-most, and CU's .799 win percentage is 10th-best.
Last Four Years (2015-18)
     Sorted By Wins         Sorted By Win Percentage
1.   124   Nebraska   1.   BYU   .901   118-13
2.   118   BYU   2.   Nebraska   .873   124-18
3.   114   Minnesota   3.   Texas   .870   107-16
   114   Stanford   4.   Stanford   .857   114-19
5.   113   Western Kentucky   5.   Minnesota   .851   114-20
6.   111   Creighton   6.   Florida   .844   108-20
   111   Penn State   7.   W. Kentucky   .843   113-21
8.   108   Florida   8.   Dayton   .811   103-24
9.   107   Texas   9.   Penn State   .810   111-26
10.   105   Washington   10.   Creighton   .799   111-28

Record Crowd
Creighton set an NCAA regular-season record for a volleyball-only crowd on Sept. 6, 2018 when it hosted 14,022 fans for its home match against Nebraska.
   The total eclipsed the previous NCAA mark of 13,870 that Nebraska hosted in 2009 for a match against UCLA, and also topped the previous record for a Creighton home match of 13,081 set in 2007 when the Bluejays entertained Cal Poly.
   Below is a list of the largest crowds (and home crowds) in Creighton and NCAA Volleyball history:
Largest Home Crowds
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU W-L   Facility
   14,022   #7 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   2,578   #13 Kentucky   09/01/17   W 3-0   Sokol Arena

Creighton's Largest Away/Neutral Crowds
   Att.   Site   Date   Result
   8,627   at #5 Nebraska   09/29/02   L 0-3
   8,277   vs. Montana State   09/16/16   W 3-0
   8,249   at #1 Nebraska   09/17/16   L 1-3
   8,060   at #9 Nebraska   09/17/14   L 1-3
   7,922   vs. Gonzaga   09/16/16   W 3-0

Largest Crowds (All Sites)
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   14,022   #7 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,627   at #5 Nebraska   09/29/02   L 0-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,277   vs. Montana St.   09/16/16   W 3-0   Devaney Ctr.

Largest Crowds
NCAA Volleyball-Only Regular-Season History
   Att.   Match   Date   Site
   14,022   Nebraska at Creighton   09/06/18   Omaha, Neb.
   13,870   UCLA at Nebraska   09/13/09   Lincoln, Neb.
   13,412   LSU at Nebraska   09/12/08   Lincoln, Neb.
   13,396   Hawaii at Nebraska   10/21/07   Lincoln, Neb.
   13,081   2 matches (CP@CU; PSU-NU)   09/02/07   Omaha, Neb.

More Attendance Notes
How many fans is 14,022? Consider these facts...
- In the five seasons (1998-02) before Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003, the Bluejays attracted a total of 13,670 fans in 51 home matches, an average of 268 fans per match.
- The other nine schools in the BIG EAST last fall attracted a total of 47,821 fans in 119 home dates (402 per match), compared to 47,632 fans in Omaha in 17 home matches (2,802 per match). Multiply 402 by 34 and you still don't get to 14,022.
- Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, no league peer has attracted as many as 18,000 fans in any season, nor averaged more than 1,100 fans per home match for a full season.
   Last year Creighton led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, baseball and men's basketball.
   Here's a look at the national leaders in average home attendance.
   Rank   Average   School
   1.   Nebraska   8,205
   2.   Wisconsin   6,595
   3.   Hawai'i   5,502
   4.   Minnesota   5,318
   5.   Texas   3,631
   6.   BYU   3,429
   7.   Penn State   3,346
   8.   Michigan State   3,069
   9.   Florida   2,951
   10.   Illinois   2,856
   11.   Creighton   2,802
   12.   Utah   2,638

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 4-6 against ranked non-conference foes over the last two 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   0-0   0-0   0-0

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.

Service Will Improve
Creighton had 23 service errors in last year's season-opening victory over No. 5 Kentucky, including nine errors in 20 attempts in the first set of the season.
   Creighton minimized such mistakes after that, with a total of just 215 service errors in the last 33 contests, including 94 aces and just 84 service errors in its final 13 matches of the season.
   Creighton finished last season with a school-record 204 aces, breaking the previous mark of 195 set in 2000, and Madelyn Cole's 51 aces ranked second-most in single-season history.
   As seen below in the list of the most service errors in a match in program history, three of the program's seven matches with 18 or more service errors have come in a season lid-lifter:
Most Team Service Errors in a match, Creighton history
SE   Opponent   Date   Aces   Result
25   at Wichita State   9/24/04   5   L 3-1
23   vs. #5 Kentucky*   8/24/18   5   W 3-2
21   San Francisco*   8/27/10   1   W 3-1
20   Drake   10/10/98   9   L 3-2
18   at Evansville   9/12/98   5   L 0-3
18   Drake   10/8/04   5   W 3-1
18   vs. Miami (Ohio)*   8/28/15   7   W 3-2
*season opener

You Dig?
They say that defense wins championships, and that's certainly proven true for Creighton.
   Creighton has won 79 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.
   All but two of Creighton's last 62 matches (against all foes) have been won by the team with more digs, which goes back to Sept. 15, 2017.

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 108 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 20 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   Seton Hall and Marquette are the only league foes to top the Bluejays three times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   11-1   -   11-1
DePaul   12-0   -   12-0
Georgetown   12-0   -   12-0
Marquette   10-2   3-1   13-3
Providence   10-0   -   10-0
Seton Hall   9-3   2-0   11-3
St. John's   11-1   -   11-1
Villanova   10-2   3-0   13-2
Xavier   12-0   3-0   15-0
Total   97-9   11-1   108-10

This and That
Amaze your friends and neighbors with this nugget...
• 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.

Top 20 Showdowns Await Volleyball At Season-Opening Husker Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Samantha Bohnet

Emily Bressman

Madelyn Cole

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Erica Kostelac

Makenna Krause

Grace Nelson

Kelsey O'Connell

Alexa Roumeliotis

Kiana Schmitt

Megan Sharkey

Ally Van Eekeren

Annika Welty

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman

Kari Zumach