Volleyball Handles Drake in Four Sets; No. 12 Washington Next

OMAHA, Neb. -- The No. 17 Creighton Volleyball team won its fifth straight match on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Drake in its second match of the Bluejay Invitational Presented by Embassy Suites - Downtown/Old Market.

Scores of the match were 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 25-9.

Junior Erica Kostelac had 15 kills and a career-high four aces to lead Creighton (5-2), which also got double-doubles from Jaela Zimmerman (13 kills, 10 digs) and Madelyn Cole (45 assists, 15 digs). Brittany Witt led CU's defense with 27 digs. The Bluejays had 63 kills, five aces, 73 digs and nine blocks on .340 hitting.

Drake (5-4) was paced by 14 kills and 11 digs by freshman Haley Bush, while Kylee Macke added 19 digs and a pair of aces. Drake had 32 kills, six aces, 55 digs and three blocks on .058 hitting.

Creighton trailed 4-3 early in the match before a 5-0 serving run by Kostelac started a 12-3 flurry for the home squad. Kostelac and Zimmerman each had four kills in the first set, and Cole and Witt combined for 13 assists and 11 digs in the initial frame to help set up a Bluejay offense that hit .448 in 29 swings.

Kostelac added six more kills in the second frame as Cole dished 15 more assists. CU trailed 4-2 before a 7-0 run on Zimmerman's serve that featured five Bluejay kills in a row and a solo stuff from Megan Ballenger. Drake narrowed the gap within one at 14-13 and 16-15 before CU pulled away for the 25-18 triumph.

Drake won its first set of the weekend in the third frame, holding off a late charge from the Jays to take a 25-23 contest and extend the match. CU was done in by five service errors and eight attack errors in the set. CU trailed 18-11 before narrowing the gap within one at 22-21, 23-22 and 24-23 before Emily Plock's fifth kill of the set pushed the match to a fourth game.

Creighton never trailed in the fourth set, hitting .531 with 17 kills and no errors in 32 swings to end any hopes of an upset by its old MVC rival. Seven different Bluejays collected a kill, including the first putaway of Kiana Schmitt's career, as the Jays cruised to the victory. Witt had 11 digs in the fourth set alone to spearhead a defense that held Drake to just five kills and -.029 hitting in 35 swings.

The Bluejay Invitational wraps up on Saturday night. Nebraska-Omaha faces Drake at 5 p.m. before CU hosts No. 12 Washington at 7:30 p.m. Washington defeated Nebraska-Omaha in four sets in the first match of the day on Saturday.

NOTES: Creighton is now 26-15 all-time against Drake, including a 20-3 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth ... Booth is 12-0 in Omaha against Drake ... Creighton improved to 26-15 all-time in the Bluejay Invitational. This is the 15th edition. CU can win a fourth title in the event, and third in a row, later tonight with a victory over No. 12 Washington ... Creighton has now won 50 straight home matches against unranked teams ... Creighton has also won 50 matches in a row when outdigging its opponent ... Creighton has won 66 straight matches over unranked teams when winning the first set ... Creighton has won 123 in a row when hitting .300 or better.

Volleyball Handles Drake in Four Sets; No. 12 Washington Next

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Team Stats

Erica Kostelac

Jaela Zimmerman

Keeley Davis

Megan Ballenger

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Madelyn Cole

Erica Kostelac

Kiana Schmitt

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Madelyn Cole

Erica Kostelac

Kiana Schmitt

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman