#17 Volleyball To Host Bluejay Invitational

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This Weekend -- Bluejay Invitational Presented by Embassy Suites - Downtown/Old Market
Sept. 13   3:30 pm   #12 Washington vs. Drake   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Sept. 13   6 pm   Nebraska-Omaha at #17 Creighton   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Sept. 14   10 am   Nebraska-Omaha vs. #12 Washington   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Sept. 14   12 pm   Drake at #17 Creighton   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Sept. 14   5 pm   Drake vs. Nebraska-Omaha   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Sept. 14   7:30 pm   #12 Washington at #17 Creighton (COX)   Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

This Weekend
No. 17 Creighton (3-2) opens the home portion of its 2019 schedule when it hosts the Bluejay Invitational Presented by Embassy Suites - Downtown/Old Market.
   The tournament gets underway on Friday when No. 12 Washington (4-1) meets Drake (5-2) at 3:30 p.m. No. 17 Creighton (3-2) will then host Nebraska-Omaha (5-2) for the first time as Division I peers at 6 p.m.
   Four matches dot the schedule on Saturday, starting with Nebraska-Omaha's 10 a.m. contest against Washington, followed by Creighton's Noon start vs. Drake.
   The night session on Saturday wraps up with Drake facing Nebraska-Omaha before Washington and Creighton tangle in a battle of top-25 teams that's a rematch of a 2018 NCAA Tournament match-up.
   All matches will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) on the Creighton campus in Omaha, Neb.

Broadcast Information
Every match of the Bluejay Invitational Presented by Embassy Suites - Downtown/Old Market will be video webcast at no charge at http://GoCreighton.com/watch.
   Donny Baarns will handle play-by-play for each of the Creighton matches. He's joined by Shannon Smolinski on Friday, while Jon Schriner handles the analyst role for both Bluejay matches on Saturday.
   Saturday's match will also be televised locally by Cox/YurView (channel 1013 on Cox HD).

Live Stats Information
All matches at the Bluejay Invitational will have free live stats at http://creighton.statbroadcast.com.
   Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #17 Creighton
Creighton is 3-2 after two weekends of play against a grueling schedule that's featured four top-20 teams and a true road match against defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa.
   CU started 0-2 with losses to No. 2 Nebraska (3-1) and No. 20 Baylor (3-0) in Lincoln before bouncing back with three impressive victories last weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where the Jays took down No. 12 Kentucky (3-1), Northern Iowa (3-2) and No. 15 USC (3-1).
   Three seniors with a wealth of experience lead the Bluejays; middle blocker Megan Ballenger (2.50 kps., 0.70 bps., .327%), setter Madelyn Cole (10.40 aps., 3.05 dps.) and libero Brittany Witt (5.05 dps.). All three women were named Preseason All-BIG EAST last month, and Ballenger and Cole were named to the All-Tournament Team last weekend.
   The MVP of the UNI Tournament was Naomi Hickman (2.55 kps., .436%), who had a breakthrough weekend. The junior entered the weekend with a career-high of nine kills, then reached double-figures in all three contests, including 17 in a win vs. No. 12 Kentucky and 11 on .733 hitting in a triumph against No. 15 USC.
   Redshirt freshman Keeley Davis (2.60 kps.) and Cincinnati transfer Erica Kostelac (2.25 kps.) joined Hickman and Ballenger with 10+ kills in each match last week.
   Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference behind current No. 7 Marquette.
   Creighton averages 13.10 kills, 15.45 digs, 1.52 blocks and 1.10 aces per set on .210 hitting.
   The Bluejays 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. Gone are three starters, including All-American outside hitters Taryn Kloth (4.15 kps., .283%) and Jaali Winters (3.82 kps., 3.06 dps.).

Scouting Nebraska-Omaha
Nebraska-Omaha is 5-2 this season, with wins over Abilene Christian (3-0), Idaho State (3-0), Albany (3-2), Central Arkansas (3-1) and Clemson (3-0). The lone losses have come against Kansas (3-0) and Kansas State (3-2).
   Isabella Sade tops the Mavericks with 0.54 aces and 4.50 kills per set while accounting for nearly 37 percent of UNO's attack attempts.
   Sadie Limback (3.13 kps.), Claire Leonard (2.30 kps.) and Anna Blaschko (2.12 kps., 1.04 bps.) also average multiple kills per set.
   Claire Mountjoy (5.04 dps.) handles the libero duties, and Creighton transfer Jaclyn Taylor (10.15 aps.) sets the Maverick offense.
   UNO averages 12.62 kills, 2.19 aces, 16.23 digs and 2.10 blocks per set on .191 hitting.

Scouting Drake
Drake is 5-2 this season after going 2-1 the past two weekends, plus Tuesday's 3-1 win at Western Illinois. The Bulldogs own wins over South Dakota State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington, Saint Louis and Western Illinois, and have suffered losses to Memphis and Milwaukee.
   Haley Bush (3.64 kps., 2.61 dps.) and Emily Plock (3.36 kps.., 0.75 bps.) lead the offensive attack for Drake, while Kylee Macke (4.32 dps.) tops the defensive effort.
   Gillian Gergen (1.14 bps.) and Elle Tubbs (1.11 bps.) are part of a formidable blocking line-up, and Paige Aspinwall (6.11 aps.) and Caitlyn Smith (4.11 aps.) share setting duties.
   The Bulldogs average 12.61 kills, 1.36 aces, 14.43 digs and 2.45 blocks per set while hitting .255 as a team.
   Last year Drake went 21-15, reaching the postseason for the first time since 1995. This year's team was picked to finish sixth in the MVC.

Scouting #12 Washington
Washington is 4-1 on the season and ranked 12th nationally, including wins over No. 21 San Diego and No. 5 Illinois. The Huskies lone loss thus far was at Hawai'i in front of 6,673 fans.
   Kara Bajema leads Washington with 4.10 kills per set and ranks second on the team in aces (4), third in digs per set (2.00) and fourth in blocks per set (0.60).
   Avie Niece is a force in the middle, averaging 1.61 blocks per set and hitting .377 on 61 swings.
   Ella May Powell (9.85 aps.) handles the setter role, and Shayne McPherson (3.50 dps.) is the libero.
   All four women were key contributors last season on UW's team that won 20 matches and reached the Sweet 16.
   As a team, Washington averages 12.70 kills, 1.05 aces, 13.00 digs and 2.65 blocks per set on .226 hitting.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 349-167 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. Nebraska-Omaha
Creighton and Nebraska-Omaha have never met in the fall at the Division I level, though the teams have played each other regularly in the spring in recent seasons.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced the Mavericks.

Series History vs. Drake
Creighton owns a 25-15 all-time lead in the series with Drake, including a 13-7 mark in Omaha. The teams have not met since 2012, as Creighton moved to the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
   Creighton lost nine of the first 10 match-ups with the Bulldogs, but the tables turned after Kirsten Bernthal Booth arrived in Omaha in 2003, as Booth is 19-3 against Drake.
   Creighton has won six in a row in the series at all sites, and 11 in a row in Omaha dating to a five-set Bulldog win on Nov. 15, 2002.

Series History vs. Washington
Creighton and Washington have split match-ups the past two seasons, with the road team winning each time.
   Creighton won the Husky Invitational in Seattle with a four-set triumph in 2017 that was UW's first non-conference regular-season loss since 2008 and the Huskies first non-conference regular-season loss at home since 2001. The win over the then-No. 3 Huskies remains the highest-ranked team that Creighton has ever beaten.
   The Huskies exacted revenge last December in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sweeping the Jays to clinch a Sweet 16 berth.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-1 against Washington and Keegan Cook.

Another Loaded Field
This weekend's Bluejay Invitational field features two teams (No. 12 Washington and No. 17 Creighton) that are ranked in this week's AVCA poll.
   Below is a list of each team to enter play while being ranked or having received votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll the week of the Bluejay Invitational. Those previous 22 teams are a collective 40-20 with 10 titles.
   Each of the past seven (and 10 of 14) Bluejay Invitationals have been won by a team that entered the weekend in the top-25 or receiving votes.
Year   (Rank) Team   W-L at Bluejay Invite
2007   (RV) Middle Tennessee   3-0
2008   #16 Minnesota   3-0
2008   #21 LSU   2-1
2008   (RV) Texas A&M   0-3
2009   #10 Illinois   2-0
2012   #21 Kansas State   3-0
2013   #19 Creighton   2-1
2013   (RV) California   3-0
2014   (RV) Creighton   3-0
2015   (RV) Creighton   2-1
2015   (RV) Pacific   3-0
2015   (RV) Lipscomb   0-3
2016   #4 Kansas   2-0
2016   (RV) Creighton   2-1
2016   (RV) TCU   1-1
2017   #7 Creighton   2-1
2017   #13 Kentucky   2-1
2017   #18 USC   1-2
2017   (RV) Northern Iowa   1-2
2018   #14 Creighton   2-0
2018   (RV) Iowa State   1-1
2018   (RV) Wichita State   0-2
2019   #12 Washington   TBD
2019   #17 Creighton   TBD

Bluejay Invitational History
This will be the 15th edition of the Bluejay Invitational, where host Creighton is 24-15 all-time in the event. The Bluejays have never gone winless in the event, and have gone undefeated just twice (2014, 2018). CU boasts three titles, winning the Bluejay Invitational in 2014, 2017 and 2018.
   Champions, by year, include Iowa State (2005), Iowa (2006), Middle Tennessee (2007), Minnesota (2008), Illinois (2009), Kansas (2010), Northern Illinois (2011), Kansas State (2012), California (2013), Creighton (2014), Pacific (2015), Kansas (2016), Creighton (2017) and Creighton (2018).
   Between 14 previous Bluejay Invitationals, (2005-18), two Creighton First Serve Festivals (1996-97), three Creighton Classics (2011, 2014 and 2015), one MVC Tournament (2009) and three BIG EAST Tournaments (2013, 2015, 2018), Creighton has won just five of the 23 tournaments it has hosted since the program's 1994 restart.
   Those were the 2014 Bluejay Invitational, the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament, the 2017 Bluejay Invitational, the 2018 Bluejay Invitational and the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament.

More Bluejay Invitational History
There have been 34 previous schools (besides Creighton) to play in the Bluejay Invitational, including two appearances each by Kansas, Northern Colorado, Iowa State, Wichita State and Lipscomb.
   Creighton's 24 wins are most in Bluejay Invitational history, while Kansas' five wins are second-most.
   Creighton (3 titles) and Kansas (2) are the only schools in history to win the event more than once.
   Creighton is the only program to win consecutive Bluejay Invitational crowns (2017, 2018), and with a title this weekend can make it three in a row.
   This will be the first appearance for Nebraska-Omaha, Drake and Washington in the Bluejay Invitational.

Longitude Aptitude
Teams located west of Creighton/Omaha are a combined 18-32 all-time with three Bluejay Invitational titles, while teams to the east of Creighton/Omaha are 32-27 with eight titles. Creighton owns the other three titles, and is 24-15 in the event.
   Creighton has won two or more matches in every Bluejay Invitational since going 1-2 in 2011, and has never been winless in the event.
   Of this year's field, Drake is east of Omaha while Washington and Nebraska-Omaha are located west of Creighton's campus in Omaha.

Home Openers
Creighton enters Friday's match vs. Nebraska-Omaha with a 16-9 mark in home openers, including an 11-5 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Friday will mark the first time since 2015 that CU's opponent in a home opener is unranked.
   Creighton is 8-2 all-time in its first home match of the season at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Dance Partners
Creighton and Washington are two of 16 teams nationally that have appeared in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. That list includes BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
   Creighton and Washington are two of 13 teams nationally that have won a NCAA Tournament match each of the last four seasons (BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, USC, Washington and Wisconsin).
   Creighton and Washington have each been ranked in the year-end AVCA poll in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. That 10-team list consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton and Washington are two of 12 schools to be a national seed in at least three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, joining BYU, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Florida, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin.
   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.
   Creighton and Washington are two 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's 139 wins since the start of the 2014 season rank seventh nationally. That's one spot behind Washington, which has 140 wins to rank sixth nationally. BYU (153), Penn State (152), Nebraska (151), Stanford (151) and Western Kentucky (149) are the only programs with more.

(Now) Streakless In Seattle
Creighton's win at No. 3 Washington on August 26, 2017 was historic for a number of reasons.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play since Sept. 13, 2008, snapping a streak of 81 straight victories.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play at home since Sept. 1, 2001, snapping a streak of 45 straight victories.
   It was also Washington's first regular-season non-conference loss in fewer than five sets since Sept. 7, 2002, a stretch that covered 143 matches.
   Washington had never lost a home match in the month of August (going 16-0), and had not lost in the month of August since August 31, 2006.

Hickman Earns Two Honors
Naomi Hickman entered last weekend 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 week with a career-high 17 kills in CU's win over No. 12 Kentucky, 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.

Middles Lead The Way
Leading the Creighton offense last weekend was the middle blocker duo of Naomi Hickman and Megan Ballenger.
   Both women had 38 kills and hit over .435, as Hickman hit .465 and Ballenger connected at a .437 clip.
   Hickman had a career-high 17 kills in Friday's 3-1 win over No. 12 Kentucky, and Ballenger matched her career-best with 16 kills in Saturday's 3-1 win over No. 15 USC.
   Each woman also had nine block assists.

Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2019 roster boasts four players from the state of Nebraska, including Omaha-area products Grace Nelson, Emily Bressman and Brittany Witt.
   Bennington native Grace Nelson and Omaha residents Emily Bressman and Brittany Witt round out the in-state players on the CU roster.
   Nebraska-Omaha's roster is dotted with seven natives from the state. UNO's Claire Mountjoy was a high school classmate of Creighton's Grace Nelson at Elkhorn High School. The duo helped the Antlers to a 27-8 record as a senior and three trips to the state tournament.

Ranking
From 1994-2014, Creighton owned a total of two wins over top-25 foes all-time.
   Thanks to last weekend's victories over No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC, Creighton has now beaten multiple top-25 opponents in each of the last five campaigns.
   It marked the first time that Creighton has beaten top-25 teams on consecutive days, and also the first time knocking off multiple top-25 foes in the same regular-season tournament. The only other time Creighton beat two ranked teams in the same tournament was the 2016 NCAA Tournament that saw the Bluejays beat No. 4 Kansas and No. 17 Michigan.
   With a win over No. 12 Washington on Saturday, Creighton can win three consecutive matches over top-25 foes for the second time ever, joining last year when CU toppled Marquette on Sept. 23, Oct. 26 and Nov. 24.

Friday Night Fun?
Last Friday was a special one for the Creighton Volleyball and Men's Soccer programs, as both 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 plays five different non-conference teams that were in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the third-most of any team in the nation, and trails 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 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.
   Both teams to have beaten Creighton this season remain unbeaten and are currently ranked in the top-five.

Booth Seeks 350th Win at Creighton
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 349-167 record on the Creighton sideline, one win shy of her 350th victory.
   Booth has beaten 87 different schools while at Creighton, and could make it 88 with a win over Nebraska-Omaha on Friday evening.
   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

Offensive Parity
Creighton has five women with between 43 and 52 kills this season after five matches, yet another example of the program's offensive parity.
   En route to last week's title at the UNI Tournament, Megan Ballenger, Keeley Davis, Naomi Hickman and Erica Kostelac each had 10 or more kills in all three matches.
   Five Bluejays are currently averaging between 2.15 and 2.60 kills per set. CU hasn't had five players average at least 2.15 kills per set (minimum 5 matches played) for a full season since 2005 (Leah Ratzlaff, Kelly Goc, Jessica Houts, Carolyn Decker, Abby Baumann).

NCAA Rematch
Creighton will face Washington on Saturday night in a rematch of a 2018 NCAA Tournament contest won by the Huskies.
   The only previous times that Creighton faced a team the year after being eliminated by the same program in the NCAA Tournament came in 2014 and 2016.
   In 2014 Creighton lost a four-set match at Kansas after being beaten by the Jayhawks in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton also lost a five-set match in 2016 to USC after falling in four sets during the 2015 NCAA Tournament against the Trojans.

Hickman & Davis Honored by BIG EAST
Creighton Volleyball's Naomi Hickman and Keeley Davis have been honored by the BIG EAST Conference as Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
   The Bluejay duo helped Creighton to the UNI Tournament title last weekend in Cedar Falls in victories over No. 12 Kentucky, defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa and No. 15 USC.
   Hickman shared team-high honors with 38 kills in 13 sets (2.92 kps.) last weekend and hit .465 while earning MVP honors of the UNI Tournament. She 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. The Lawrence, Kan., native 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. Hickman added nine blocks (0.69 bps.), four digs (0.31 dps.) and an ace (0.08) on the weekend.
   It's the first time Hickman has earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors, though she was recognized on Sept. 4, 2018 as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week.
   Davis averaged 2.96 points, 2.62 kills, 0.85 digs, 0.38 blocks and 0.15 aces per set on .168 hitting over the weekend, owning double-figure kills in each contest. Her week started with 12 kills in a win over No. 12 Kentucky, as she added two blocks and a dig in the win over the Wildcats. The redshirt freshman then had 10 kills, three blocks and a season-high seven digs to help the Jays topple longtime nemesis Northern Iowa in five sets before closing the weekend with 12 kills, three blocks and an ace on .296 hitting in a victory over No. 15 USC. Davis' kill on match point against the Trojans clinched the tournament title. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., product now owns 10 or more kills in four of her first five career matches, including 3-of-4 contests against top-25 competition.
   It's the first on-court recognition from the BIG EAST for Davis.

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.) last weekend. 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.

Welcome Back, Jac & Maggie
You can't blame Nebraska-Omaha setter Jaclyn Taylor if she looks right at home this weekend inside D.J. Sokol Arena, as the junior setter spent the first two years of her college career at Creighton.
   Taylor redshirted in 2016 before playing in 20 matches for the Bluejays in 2017 in a reserve role. While with the Bluejays, Taylor amassed 24 assists, eight digs, six blocks, six kills and one ace.
   Taylor could become the first former Bluejay to face Creighton since Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival in 2003.
   One of Taylor's assistant coaches at Nebraska-Omaha is Maggie Baumert. Baumert was Creighton's setter in 2014 and 2015, helping the Jays to a pair of BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles. Baumert was named First Team All-BIG EAST in 2015 and accumulated 1,975 assists, 419 digs, 142 blocks and 148 kills in two years with the Bluejays after transferring in from the University of Georgia.
   Creighton's bench features Director of Operations Micah Rhodes. Rhodes served as an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha the previous two seasons.

Valley Rivalries Renewed
One week after renewing acquaintances with Northern Iowa, Creighton will meet another former Missouri Valley Conference rival when it squares off against Drake on Saturday.
   It will be the first meeting between the schools since 2012.
   Since leaving The Valley in 2013, Creighton is 8-3 against MVC schools. The Jays are 6-2 against Northern Iowa and was 2-1 against Wichita State before the Shockers joined the American Athletic Conference in 2017.

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 has already met No. 2 Nebraska and then-No. 20 (and now No. 17) Baylor before meeting then-No. 12 Kentucky last Friday.
   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

Top 25 Jays
Creighton is ranked 17th in this week's AVCA poll. That means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 41st 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
   545   Stanford   1
   545   Nebraska   2
   462   Penn State   4
   435   Florida   11
   239   Texas   3
   94   Wisconsin   9
   93   BYU   13
   64   Minnesota   8
   45   Kentucky   15
   41   Creighton   17

Witt Honored in Lincoln
Senior Brittany Witt was Creighton's lone representative on the Husker Invitational All-Tournament Team on Aug. 31st.
   A libero from Omaha, Neb., Witt had 16 digs over the course of four sets in CU's season-opener against No. 2 Nebraska, then added 15 more digs in three sets against No. 20 Baylor one night later.
   For the weekend Witt averaged 4.43 digs per set and also added a total of five assists in seven sets played against top-20 competition.
   The Husker Invitational marks the fifth different event that Witt has earned All-Tournament Team honors during her Bluejay career.
   Baylor's Yossiana Pressley took home MVP honors and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by fellow Bears Hannah Lockin and Shelly Stafford. Nebraska's Lauren Stivrins and Kenzie Knuckles joined Witt and UCLA's Mac May, as well.
   Baylor and Nebraska both went 2-0 in the event, as each team defeated Creighton and UCLA once each.

100 Starts For Ballenger
Senior middle blocker Megan Ballenger has made exactly 100 career starts, including each of Creighton's last 67 contests. The last time she didn't start came on Sept. 3, 2016 against USC.
   Ballenger 100 career starts is 11th in program history. The school record is 138 starts, set last year by Ballenger's former high school and college teammate, Jaali Winters.

JZ's Double-Double
Jaela Zimmerman had her first double-double as a Bluejay on Aug. 30 when she produced 12 kills and 10 digs against No. 2 Nebraska.
   She contributed another double-double last Saturday in the win vs. No. 15 USC, finishing with 10 kills and a career-high 13 digs.
   Zimmerman now owns three matches in her career with 10 or more kills, and all of them have taken place against top-15 competition.

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

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

Some Fab Freshmen
Creighton has started nine different true freshmen in its season opener over the previous 10 years, and 15 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), Naomi Hickman (2017) and Emily Bressman (2019). In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as transfers Maggie Baumert (2014), Lydia Dimke (2016), Madelyn Cole (2018) and Erica Kostelac (2019) 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.

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.

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

Top 25 History
Creighton is 16-77 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 11-11 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 5-31 all-time against top-10 foes (5-24 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 5-37 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 90-24 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 12-16 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, 31 of Creighton's 52 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 177-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 48 straight home matches over unranked teams.

Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 113-98 in the 72 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 56-29 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 93-65 in 57 regular-season tournaments, including 15 titles.
   Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.

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

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.

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 349-2 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 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 14-196 (.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.
   This year's team is 0-2 when losing the third set, and 3-0 when taking the third frame.
   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 288-30 (.906) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 61-137 (.308) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2018 won just 20.7 percent of their matches last season, and 20.2 percent of their matches in the previous 10 seasons.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 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.
   This year's team is 1-0 when winning the first set, but is 2-2 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   384   1,635   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 56-29 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 14 of its last 18 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 a Sept. 6 win at UNI 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   1-0   3-2
Total   71-57   442-319

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, and currently 3-2 in those contests.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 78-97 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   3-2
TOTAL   84-132
TOTAL Under Booth   81-97

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   349*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   327*
*still active coaching at Creighton

All They Do Is Win
Creighton entered 2018 with a 111-28 record since the start of the 2015 season. On a national basis, the 111 wins were sixth-most, and CU's .799 win percentage was 10th-best.
Previous 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

Attendance Notes
How many fans is 14,022 (a figure Creighton hosted in a match last year vs. Nebraska)? 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 2018 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

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.

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 three of Creighton's last 65 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 6-8 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   3-2   2-2   TBD

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.
• This year marks the fifth straight campaign Creighton has beaten multiple top-25 programs.
• Creighton ranked 11th last season in average home attendance (2,802).

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Samantha Bohnet

Emily Bressman

Madelyn Cole

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Erica Kostelac

Grace Nelson

Kelsey O'Connell

Alexa Roumeliotis

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman

Kari Zumach

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