Friday, September 6
Cedar Falls, Iowa
10:30 AM
Creighton University
vs
Kentucky
Megan Ballenger
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
#23 Volleyball's Gauntlet Continues at UNI Tournament This Weekend
9/3/2019 3:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Jays take on #12 Kentucky, UNI and #15 USC
Download Notes as a PDF
This Weekend -- UNI Tournament
Sept. 6   10:30 am   #23 Creighton vs. #12 Kentucky (ESPN+)   Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($)
Sept. 6   7:30 pm   #23 Creighton at Northern Iowa (ESPN+)   Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO ($) | UNI AUDIO
Sept. 7   5 pm   #23 Creighton vs. #15 USC   Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center) | LIVE STATS
This Weekend
No. 23 Creighton (0-2) continues its non-conference gauntlet at the UNI Tournament with three more opponents who finished the 2018 season with top-25 RPI's.
   The weekend starts with a match against No. 12 Kentucky (2-1) on Friday at 10:30 a.m.
   Later that evening, Creighton takes on tournament host Northern Iowa (2-1) at 7:30 p.m.
   The Jays conclude play on Saturday at 5 p.m. with a match against No. 15 USC (1-1).
   McLeod Center (7,018) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, will host the action.
Broadcast Information
Both of Creighton's matches on Friday will be video webcast on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. Brad Wells will announce.
   UNI will have a free radio broadcast of its Friday night match vs. Creighton that can be heard at https://unipanthers.com/watch/?Live=695.
   Saturday's match will not be broadcast.
Live Stats Information
All matches at the UNI Tournament will have free live stats at
https://unipanthers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary.
   Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #23 Creighton
Creighton is 0-2 on the young season after losing to No. 2 Nebraska (3-1) and then-No. 20 Baylor (3-0) last weekend at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
   Three seniors with a wealth of experience lead the Bluejays; middle blocker Megan Ballenger (1.71 kps., 0.71 bps.), setter Madelyn Cole (7.86 aps., 3.14 dps.) and libero Brittany Witt (4.43 dps.). All three women were named Preseason All-BIG EAST last month.
   CU's top three offensive weapons last weekend included redshirt freshman Keeley Davis (2.57 kps.), sophomore Jaela Zimmerman (2.43 kps.) and junior Naomi Hickman (1.86 kps., .367%).
   Creighton was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference behind current No. 11 Marquette.
   Creighton averages 10.71 kills, 14.00 digs, 1.00 blocks and 1.14 aces per set on .107 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 #12 Kentucky
Kentucky went 2-1 last weekend at the 2019 Utah Classic. The Wildcats sandwiched 3-0 wins over No. 23 Cal Poly and Saint Mary's with a 3-0 loss to host Utah.
   2018 All-American and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Leah Edmond is one of the nation's most dynamic attackers and led the Wildcats with 3.67 kills per set last weekend on .371 hitting.
   Alli Stumler averaged 3.33 kills per set and Duke grad transfer Leah Meyer averaged 1.67 blocks per set while also hitting .389.
   Setter Madison Lilley (11.11 aps., 2.78 dps.) and libero Gabby Curry (3.44 dps., 0.44 saps.) are also All-SEC performers who earned All-America acclaim in 2018.
   UK averages 13.56 kills, 13.11 digs, 3.00 blocks and 1.56 aces per set on .238 hitting.
   Kentucky started last season 0-3 after losses to Creighton, USC and UNI, then went 26-1 before a season-ending Sweet 16 loss to eventual runner-up Nebraska. The Wildcats were picked to win the SEC on 11-of-13 ballots this season.
Scouting Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa went 2-1 last weekend, losing 3-1 at No. 4 Texas before bouncing back to defeat Liberty (3-1) and Texas State (3-0).
   Karlie Taylor (4.82 kps., 3.73 dps.), Kate Busswitz (3.64 kps., .326%), Inga Rotto (2.64 kps.) and Emily Holterhaus (2.45 kps.) combined for 149 of UNI's 162 kills last weekend, and 90.2 percent of UNI's offensive attacks.
   Abbi Staack (5.36 dps.) continues UNI's tradition of excellent liberos, and All-MVC setter Rachel Koop (10.82) runs the Panther offense.
   As a team, UNI averages 14.72 kills, 18.23 digs, 1.73 blocks and 0.64 aces per set while hitting .232.
   UNI was a unanimous selection to win the Missouri Valley Conference, with Koop and Taylor earning Preseason All-MVC accolades. The Panthers went 24-10 overall (16-2 MVC), losing a five-set match to Pepperdine in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting #15 USC
USC is 1-1 this season, beating Texas State (3-1) before falling at No. 4 Texas (3-1) last weekend.
   Khalia Lanier (4.12 kps., .260%) is a three-time All-American and former top recruit in the country. Brooke Botkin (2.62 kps., 2.50 dps.) and Kalen Owes (2.29 kps.) also average multiple kills per set.
   Jenna Adams (3.12 dps.) handles libero duties and Raquel Lázaro (10.50 aps.) directs the offense.
   USC averages 13.25 kills, 12.88 digs, 1.75 blocks and 1.88 aces per set on .236 hitting.
   The Women of Troy were picked to finish second in a preseason poll of Pac-12 coaches, with Lanier, Botkin and Lázaro earning preseason All-Conference honors.
   Last year USC went 22-11, losing in the NCAA Tournament Second Round to San Diego.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 346-167 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. Kentucky
Creighton is 3-2 all-time against Kentucky, including wins in 2017 (3-0 in Omaha) and 2018 (3-2 in Los Angeles). A 3-0 win in 2015 over the Wildcats in Cedar Falls marked Creighton's first top-10 victory ever.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-2 against Kentucky and also 3-2 against Craig Skinner.
Series History vs. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa owns a 42-10 record all-time against Creighton, including a 19-3 record in matches played in Cedar Falls.
   After winning just three of the first 43 meetings, Creighton has won seven of the last nine match-ups in the series.
   Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 10-23 vs. Northern Iowa and 10-23 vs. Bobbi Petersen. Petersen is 30-10 overall against Creighton.
   Five of CU's 10 wins against the Panthers have come in five sets. In 52 all-time meetings, Creighton has swept the Panthers just four times, but has done it once in each of the previous three seasons.
   The teams played twice last year, with UNI sweeping the Jays 3-0 in Los Angeles, Calif., before CU returned the favor three weeks later in Champaign, Ill.
   Creighton's last six victories over Northern Iowa have come in six different states (Iowa, Kentucky, California, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois).
Series History vs. USC
USC is 6-0 all-time against Creighton, with all six matches taking place in the previous five seasons. Creighton has won the opening set in three of those meetings, only to have USC rally each time.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-6 all-time against USC, and 0-1 against Brent Crouch.
   Two of the last three meetings have gone five sets. Last year's match-up was the closest to date, as the Women of Troy won 18-16 in the fifth set to clinch the Trojan Invitational title in a match that took more than three hours to complete.
Head To Head
This weekend's UNI Tournament marks the sixth straight season Creighton, UNI, USC and Kentucky have met in a tournament that has rotated sites.
   The Women of Troy are 13-2 with four titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2018). Creighton is 6-9 with one title (2017), Kentucky is 6-9, and UNI is 5-10.
   USC is 5-0 against Creighton and 4-1 against both UNI and Kentucky.
   Creighton is 3-2 against Northern Iowa, 3-2 against Kentucky and 0-5 against USC.
   Northern Iowa is 2-3 against Kentucky, 2-3 against Creighton and 1-4 against USC.
   Kentucky is 3-2 against Northern Iowa, 2-3 versus Creighton, and 1-4 against USC.
   The event host has gone 11-4 with three titles (USC in 2016; Creighton in 2017; USC in 2018).
Final Tournament Standings, Last Five Years
2014 @UKÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â UK 2-1Â Â Â CU 1-2Â Â Â UNI 0-3
2015 @UNIÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â CU 1-2Â Â Â UNI 1-2Â Â Â UK 1-2
2016 @USCÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â CU 1-2Â Â Â UK 1-2Â Â Â UNI 1-2
2017 @CUÂ Â Â CU 2-1Â Â Â UK 2-1Â Â Â UNI 1-2Â Â Â USC 1-2
2018 @USCÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â UNI 2-1Â Â Â CU 1-2Â Â Â UK 0-3
Tourney Results, Last Five Years
Match-up   2014   2015   2016   2017   2018
CU-UKÂ Â Â UK 3-0Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â UK 3-0Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 3-2
CU-USCÂ Â Â USC 3-1Â Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-2Â Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-2
CU-UNIÂ Â Â CU 3-2Â Â Â UNI 3-1Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â CU 3-0Â Â Â UNI 3-0
USC-UNIÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-1Â Â Â UNI 3-1Â Â Â USC 3-0
UK-UNIÂ Â Â UK 3-1Â Â Â UK 3-1Â Â Â UNI 3-0Â Â Â UK 3-2Â Â Â UNI 3-2
UK-USCÂ Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â USC 3-0Â Â Â UK 3-1Â Â Â USC 3-1
Familiar Foes
The field for this weekend's UNI Tournament is meeting for the sixth straight season, as the event started in 2014 in Lexington, went to Cedar Falls in 2015, was held in Los Angeles in 2016 moved to Omaha in 2017 and last year returned to Los Angeles. The four-year tourney was renewed prior to 2018, so this weekend marks the second year of the four-year cycle. The event is scheduled for Lexington in 2020 and in Omaha in 2021.
   The event features a nice mix not only geographically, but also of some traditional and upcoming powers in the college game.
   USC has made 28 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and been to the Regional Final (or beyond) in 12 of the last 18. The Trojans claim six national titles in program history. Saturday's showdown will be the seventh meeting between the Bluejays and the Women of Troy since September 6, 2014.
   Northern Iowa has won 20 or more matches in 17-of-19 seasons under Bobbi Petersen, during which time the Panthers have advanced to 14 NCAA Tournaments.
   Kentucky has made 14 straight NCAA Tournaments, a streak that coincides with the arrival of coach Craig Skinner. The Wildcats own 20 or more wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons and have five Sweet 16 trips in that span.
   Creighton has ascended onto the national stage in recent seasons. Since inheriting a 3-23 team in 2003, Kirsten Bernthal Booth has helped the Bluejays reach the NCAA Tournament in eight of the previous nine seasons, winning a match seven of those times. All 10 seasons of 20-plus wins in the program's modern history have come since 2006.
Digging Deeper
In the five previous versions of this rotating tournament, Creighton is 4-1 in its first match of the weekend.
   The Jays are 0-5 in its second match, and 2-3 in its third match.
Old MVC Rivals Get Reacquainted
Friday night's match-up with Northern Iowa will be Creighton's 53rd against the Panthers since the program's restart in 1994, the most of any opponent.
   The only other teams that Creighton has played more than 40 times are Wichita State (46) and Illinois State (43).
   UNI is the only opponent to defeat Creighton more than 30 times, something the Panthers have done 42 times.
   Creighton and Northern Iowa have played all but one season (2013) since the Bluejays restarted volleyball in 1994.
   The teams were Missouri Valley Conference rivals who played twice annually from 1994-2012, plus six more MVC Tournament meetings.
   The teams did not play in 2013, but have played each of the past five campaigns as part of a four-year tournament that also includes Kentucky and USC. The rivals also met in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, a match won by CU in five frames, and had a rematch in 2018 at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.
   Creighton is 5-2 against Northern Iowa since leaving the MVC, compared to a 5-40 mark when the two were Valley rivals.
Connections To UNI And The State of Iowa
Creighton and UNI have numerous connections between the two schools and states.
   Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth grew up during part of her childhood in the Cedar Falls suburb of Waterloo, and attended grad school at the University of Iowa. She got her first college head coaching job at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
   Creighton's McCormick Endowed Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen is a 1971 graduate of Northern Iowa. He has been at Creighton since 1980, ascending to the Athletic Director position in 1994.      Creighton men's basketball coach Greg McDermott played (1984-88) and served as a head coach (2001-06) at Northern Iowa.
   Northern Iowa women's basketball head coach Tanya Warren played at Creighton and has spent two stints as an assistant coach with the Bluejays. One of two players in program history with a retired number, Warren played for Rasmussen.
   Northern Iowa women's soccer head coach Bruce Erickson served as Creighton's head women's soccer coach from 1999-2014, where he won a program-record 163 games and led the Jays to five NCAA Tournaments.
   Creighton Sports Information Director and volleyball contact Rob Anderson worked as Northern Iowa's volleyball SID in 2000 and 2001.
   Creighton senior Megan Ballenger is from Ankeny, Iowa and classmate Megan Sharkey hails from Bettendorf, Iowa.
Pack A Snack
In this event last fall, Creighton played two of its longest matches in program history.
    Creighton's season-opening contest against Kentucky was 2:36 in length and featured the highest-scoring fifth set (22-20) in program history, as the Jays survived after staring down a pair of match points in the fifth set for the first time since 2011.
   One night later, Creighton and USC squared off in the longest match by time (3:04) in school history, which saw USC emerge with an 18-16 win in the fifth set. The match included 49 ties and 19 lead changers. By comparison, the Los Angeles Rams exhibition game against the Houston Texans that happened just down the street at the LA Coliseum earlier in the day lasted 3:02 to complete.
Friday Night Fun?
Creighton will meet No. 12 Kentucky in volleyball on Friday, the same day that Creighton men's soccer hosts No. 21 Akron.
   In school history, Creighton has picked up wins over ranked men's soccer and volleyball teams on the same day just twice previously. Both times happened in regular-season openers for both clubs, which wouldn't be the case in 2019.
   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.
   On Aug. 30, 2013, 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.
Top 25 x 3
Creighton is 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 No. 12 Kentucky on Friday.
   Illinois also opens 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 will come against top-25 competition.
Top 25 x 5
Per research by Liberty SID Joe Carmany and Texas SID Jocelyn VerVelde, Creighton is 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
Rare Air
Creighton has lost its first two matches of the season for the first time since the fall of 2008, which was also the last time CU played a pair of top-25 foes to start the year.
   On Friday Creighton will look to avoid a losing streak of three or longer to start the year for the first time since the 2002 team opened 0-9.
   CU's first win of a season has come against a top-25 foe twice previously, including last year's 3-2 win over No. 5 Kentucky...the same Kentucky program that the Jays face on Friday.
   Creighton also turned around its 2015 season with a win over a ranked Kentucky team. In 2015, Creighton opened 1-4 before beating a No. 10 Kentucky club in Cedar Falls, which is the site of this weekend's tournament.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton is ranked 23rd in this week's AVCA poll. That means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 40th 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
   544   Stanford   1
   544   Nebraska   2
   461   Penn State   6
   434   Florida   7
   238   Texas   3
   93   Wisconsin   4
   92   BYU   13
   63   Minnesota   8
   44   Kentucky   12
   40   Creighton   23
3 Of A Kind
Creighton's match last Saturday vs. Baylor consisted of three consecutive 25-20 scores.
   It marked the first time that Creighton's had a 3-0 match with all three set scores being identical since the Jays swept Villanova, 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 on Nov. 8, 2013.
Witt Honored in Lincoln
Senior Brittany Witt was Creighton's lone representative on the Husker Invitational All-Tournament Team last Saturday.
   A libero from Omaha, Neb., Witt had 16 digs over the course of four sets in Friday's season-opener against No. 2 Nebraska, then added 15 more digs in three sets against No. 20 Baylor on Saturday.
   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.
100th Start Looms For Ballenger
Senior middle blocker Megan Ballenger returns to her home state this weekend with 97 career starts, including each of Creighton's last 64 contests. The last time she didn't start came on Sept. 3, 2016 against USC.
   Ballenger 97 career starts is tied with Heather Thorson for 12th 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 last Friday when she produced 12 kills and 10 digs against No. 2 Nebraska.
   Zimmerman now owns two matches in her career with 10 or more kills, and both have taken place against the Cornhuskers.
   Last season Zimmerman had 10 kills in a five-set match vs. NU.
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.
Hello World!
Three Bluejay freshmen (Makenna Krause, Kiana Schmitt and Ally Van Eekeren) could make their Creighton debuts this weekend at the UNI Tournament, after three current women (Emily Bressman, Keeley Davis, Erica Kostelac) made their debuts last weekend.
   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
2019   Keeley Davis   4   13   7   47   .128   0   2   2   0
2017   Naomi Hickman•   3   5   2   8   .375   0   0   3   1
2019   Erica Kostelac•   4   5   2   15   .200   1   1   9   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
2019   Emily Bressman•   4   1   2   6   -.167   1   0   5   0
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
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 14-77 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 9-11 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 87-24 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 10-16 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 176-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 48 straight home matches over unranked teams.
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Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 110-98 in the 71 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 53-29 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 90-65 in 56 regular-season tournaments, including 14 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 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
08/26/11Â Â Â vs. UTSAÂ Â Â 12-14, 13-14Â Â Â 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 has not won a third set yet.
   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 59-137 (.301) 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 has not won a first set yet, but is 0-2 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   371   1,565   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
1994Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 5-20
1995Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 11-19
1996Â Â Â 2-6Â Â Â 9-19
1997Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 15-13
1998Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 7-18
1999Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 13-15
2000Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 16-12
2001Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 14-13
2002Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 3-23
2003Â Â Â 5-1Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 4-3Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 0-2
Total   70-57   439-319
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 0-2 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
1994Â Â Â 0-4
1995Â Â Â 0-2
1996Â Â Â 0-2
1997Â Â Â 0-3
1998Â Â Â 0-5
1999Â Â Â 2-4
2000Â Â Â 0-4
2001Â Â Â 1-6
2002Â Â Â 0-5
2003Â Â Â 0-3
2004Â Â Â 2-2
2005Â Â Â 0-6
2006Â Â Â 4-6
2007Â Â Â 4-9
2008Â Â Â 6-8
2009Â Â Â 1-11
2010Â Â Â 4-7
2011Â Â Â 2-6
2012Â Â Â 8-3
2013Â Â Â 6-6
2014Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 11-5
2016Â Â Â 10-7
2017Â Â Â 8-6
2018Â Â Â 8-5
2019Â Â Â 0-2
TOTALÂ Â Â 81-132
TOTAL Under Booth   78-97
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   346*
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
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
   8,450   at #2 Nebraska   08/30/19   L 1-3
   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
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.
   8,450   at #2 Nebraska   08/30/19   L 1-3   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 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 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.
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 4-8 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
2003Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 8-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 5-5Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-7Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 9-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 7-6Â Â Â 0-5Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 6-7Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 0-4Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 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.
• Creighton has beaten multiple top-25 teams in each of the previous four seasons.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballCreighton's Ava Martin Highlights - 9/22/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Postgame Press Conference vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Kansas, 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Press Conference - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
