#15 Volleyball Opens Season With UNO, UNI

This Weekend
Jan. 22    6:00 pm   Nebraska-Omaha at #15 Creighton              Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UNO NOTES

Jan. 24    2:00 pm   Northern Iowa at #15 Creighton             Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UNI NOTES

This Weekend
No. 15 Creighton (0-0) opens the 2020-21 season with a pair of home matches this weekend.
   The season starts this Friday at 6:00 p.m. when the Bluejays host Nebraska-Omaha (0-0).
   On Sunday, the Bluejays will host Northern Iowa in a contest that starts at 2 p.m.
   Both matches D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center in Omaha, Neb.

Webcast Information
Both matches this weekend will be video webcast at no charge. Friday's match can be seen at https://youtu.be/9xnPSgI9MKo.
   Sunday's broadcast will be broadcast at https://youtu.be/sPNZbZIR_1k.
   Donny Baarns and Shannon Smolinski will announce Friday's match, and Jon Schriner and Kate Elman will have the call on Sunday.

Live Stats Information
Both matches will have free live stats available at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
   Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #15 Creighton
Creighton went 25-6 in the fall of 2019, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament, in a season that saw the Bluejays win a sixth straight BIG EAST regular-season title.
   Leading the Bluejay returnees are Preseason All-BIG EAST outside hitters Jaela Zimmerman (3.13 kps., 2.35 dps.), Keeley Davis (3.35 kps., 0.31 saps.) and Erica Kostelac (2.86 kps., 0.39 saps.). Naomi Hickman (1.84 kps., 0.94 bps.) returns as a force in the middle, and Grace Nelson (1.45 dps.) and Emily Bressman (1.31 dps.) anchor the back row returnees.
   Four true freshmen (Ellie Bolton, Katie Maser, Kiara Reinhardt and Megan Skovsende) and Arizona transfer Mahina Pua'a will also look to make an impact. Pua'a will battle sophomore Ally Van Eekeren and freshman Katie Maser for the role of Creighton's setter.
   Gone are three seniors with a wealth of experience who each earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2019: middle hitter Megan Ballenger (2.07 kps., 0.97 bps.), setter Madelyn Cole (11.03 aps., 0.39 saps.) and libero Brittany Witt (5.09 dps.).
   Creighton has been picked to win the Midwest Division of the BIG EAST Conference and was ranked 15th in the spring edition of the AVCA's preseason Top 25 poll.

Scouting Nebraska-Omaha
Nebraska-Omaha went 19-14 last season and a year-end RPI of 127, marks that could have been even better if not for a 2-8 record in five-set matches. Ten of the 16 women to play for the Mavericks last season are back, including eight of the nine women who had 24 kills or more.
   Leading the returners are Sadie Limback (3.48 kps., .263), Anna Blaschko (2.79 kps., .390%), Claire Leonard (2.07 kps.) and Alexa Blase (1.86 kps.).
   Sami Clarkson (11.52 aps.) is back to direct the offense, and libero Claire Mountjoy (4.35 dps.) headlines the defensive returners.
   The Mavericks averaged 13.50 kills, 1.61 aces 14.26 digs and 1.86 blocks per set while hitting .231 last year.

Scouting Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa was 24-11 in 2019 and won the Missouri Valley Conference with a 17-1 league mark.
   All-American and MVC Player of the Year Karlie Taylor (4.56 kps., 3.55 dps.) and Kate Busswitz (2.85 kps.) are both gone, but Kaylissa Arndorfer (2.54 kps., .308%) and Inga Rotto (1.97 kps.) do return.
   UNI will be attempting to replace MVC Setter of the Year Rachel Koop (11.30 aps., 2.47 dps.) as well as libero Abbi Staack (4.98 dps.).
   The Panthers averaged 14.43 kills, 17.78 digs, 1.95 blocks and 1.28 aces per set while hitting .222 as a team last season.
   Prior to meeting Creighton on Sunday, the Panthers open the season with road matches on Friday (at Drake) and Saturday (at Nebraska-Omaha).

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 371-171 record entering her 18th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to six straight outright BIG EAST titles, and seven league crowns in the last eight 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. Booth was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the third time in 2019.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only nine NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last nine seasons, 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 was assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Craig Dyer and Justin Dueck.

Series History vs. Nebraska-Omaha
Creighton is 1-0 at the Division I level against Nebraska-Omaha, though the teams have played each other regularly in the spring in recent seasons.
   That meeting came last season Sept. 13, 2019 at D.J. Sokol Arena and was won by Creighton (25-15, 25-15, 25-22). Erica Kostelac led CU with 10 kills and Brittany Witt added 10 digs, while UNO was paced by nine kills from Claire Leonard.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-0 against the Mavericks and 1-0 against Matt Buttermore.

Series History vs. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa owns a 42-11 record all-time against Creighton, including an 18-3 record in matches played in Omaha.
   After winning just three of the first 43 meetings, Creighton has won eight of the last 10 match-ups in the series.
   Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 11-23 vs. Northern Iowa and 11-23 vs. Bobbi Petersen. Petersen is 30-11 overall against Creighton.
   Six of CU's 11 wins against the Panthers have come in five sets. In 53 all-time meetings, Creighton has swept the Panthers just four times.
   Creighton's last seven victories over Northern Iowa have come in six different states (twice in Iowa and once each in Kentucky, California, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois).

Last Season Summary
Creighton went 25-6 in a fall 2019 season that saw the Bluejays win a sixth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and one point away from a third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last five years.
   The Bluejays had five women earn All-BIG EAST honors. Libero Brittany Witt (5.09 dps.) was named Third Team All-American and earned her second BIG EAST Libero of the Year award. Setter Madelyn Cole (11.02 aps.) was tabbed Honorable-Mention All-American and AVCA East Region Player of the Year. Megan Ballenger (2.07 kps., 0.97 bps.) controlled the middle, and outside hitters Jaela Zimmerman (3.13 kps.) and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Keeley Davis (3.35 kps.) had breakthrough seasons.
   Creighton had four wins over teams ranked in the top-15 (No. 9 Marquette, No. 10 Marquette, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 USC) and finished 12-1 at home.

Season Opening History
Creighton is 16-10 in season-opening matches since restarting the program in 1994. Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-5 in season-opening matches.
   Creighton enters Friday's match vs. Nebraska-Omaha with a 17-9 mark in home openers, including a 12-5 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Creighton is 9-2 all-time in its first home match of the season at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   In five of the last eight years, the team to win the first set of Creighton's season-opener (at any site) went on to lose the match.

Familiar Face
Junior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past three years, and this weekend has a chance to become the 16th player to start four season openers.
   Jaali Winters (in 2018) was the last Bluejay to finish off the feat, 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

Hello World!
Four Bluejay freshmen (Ellie Bolton, Katie Maser, Kiara Reinhardt and Megan Skovsende), as well as senior transfer Mahina Pua'a, could make their Creighton debuts this 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 Erica Kostelac, Grace Nelson and Mahina Pua'a).
   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 or are second 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
2018   Jaela Zimmerman   5   1   1   6   .000   0   0   6   0
2018   Annika Welty   3   1   1   6   .000   0   0   1   0
2019   Emily Bressman•   4   1   2   6   -.167   1   0   5   0
2019$   Mahina Pua'a   4   0   0   0   ---   0   0   0   0
2019   Ally VanEekeren   3   0   0   0   ---   0   1   0   0
2017#   Grace Nelson•   3   0   0   0   ---   0   0   2   0
2018   Grace Nelson   1   0   0   0   ---   0   0   2   0
2019   Makenna Krause   1   0   0   0   ---   0   0   0   0
2019   Kiana Schmitt   1   0   0   0   ---   0   0   0   0
#Nelson's stats from debut at Ball State
%Kostelac's stats from debut at Cincinnati
$Pua'a stats from debut at Arizona

Some Fab Freshmen
Creighton has started 11 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, 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 Kosetelac (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, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016 and Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019.

Production Returns
Creighton returns 10-of-14 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters.
   From last year's team, only Megan Ballenger, Madlyn Cole, Megan Sharkey and Brittany Witt are not back.
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Kills   1193 (79.5%)   307 (20.5%)
Points   1437.0 (75.1%)   476.0 (24.9%)
Matches Started   124 (66.7%)   62 (33.3%)
Aces   110 (59.5%)   75 (40.5%)
Blocks   134 (58.8%)   94.0 (41.2%)
Digs   793 (47.7%)   868 (52.3%)
Assists   101 (7.2%)   1297 (92.8%)

Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 15 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments (2012-19). That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
   Creighton is one of 13 teams to win a match in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2015-19). 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, 2018 and 2019. That list includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is one of 13 schools with eight straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-19). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, 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 eight seasons (2012-19). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas.
   Creighton is one of just three schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in each of the previous six seasons (2014-19). That group consists of BYU, Creighton and Florida.
   Creighton is one of just nine programs to have spent at least one week in the AVCA Top 10 in each of the previous four seasons, (2016-19) a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.

Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton started this season ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It's the seventh time in the past eight campaigns that CU's been ranked in the preseason AVCA poll, and fifth straight season.
   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 seven of the last eight campaigns.
   Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the last 12 seasons, only 214-of-300 teams (71.3 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   Since 2008, all but 31 teams (of 300) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (89.7 percent).
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   25-6   16th
   2020   15th   TBA   TBA

Top 25 History
Creighton is 18-79 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 13-13 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 lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 6-38 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017), No. 7 Kansas (2017), No. 18 Marquette (2018) and No. 10 Marquette (2019).
   Creighton is 112-28 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 14-18 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.
   The Bluejays are also 7-32 all-time in all matches against top-10 foes (7-25 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 33 of Creighton's 56 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 197-23 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 59 straight home matches over unranked teams and all but two of its last 48 matches at all sites against unranked teams.

Top 25 Jays
Creighton was ranked 15th in the preseason AVCA poll. The Bluejays have now been ranked in 69 all-time polls, and every poll since Oct. 31, 2016.
   Creighton has spent 21 weeks in program history in the top 10, which includes 12 consecutive weeks in 2018. CU's all-time best ranking in program history is No. 7, which came in the poll released on Aug. 28, 2017.
   Creighton is one of just nine programs to have spent at least one week in the AVCA Top 10 in each of the previous four seasons, a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 55th 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
   559   Stanford   3
   559   Nebraska   5
   476   Penn State   7
   449   Florida   11
   253   Texas   2
   108   Wisconsin   1
   107   BYU   16
   78   Minnesota   7
   59   Kentucky   4
   55   Creighton   15

Welcome Back, Maggie
One of the 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.

Setting The Table
With Madelyn Cole having graduated, Creighton will start a different setter in its season-opening match for the seventh time in the past nine 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, while Cole started in 2018 and 2019.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous eight seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and six of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Creighton won six of those eight previous season-opening matches.

Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including its season-opening win over No. 5 Kentucky in 2018 and vs. UTSA in 2011. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 371-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
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

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Though it has won six straight BIG EAST regular-season titles, this year marks the first time since 2017 that Creighton Volleyball has been picked to win the BIG EAST.
   Last season CU was picked second and went 17-1 in league play en route to a sixth straight regular-season title.
   This spring, a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Creighton as the favorite in the Midwest Division with 3-of-5 first place votes, good for 15 points. That edged our Marquette (14 points, 2 first place votes) and also outdistanced DePaul (8), Xavier (7) and Butler (6).
   The East Division was headed by St. John's (16 points, 4 first place votes) and Villanova (13, 1) and rounded out by Connecticut (8), Seton Hall (7) and Providence (6).
   Creighton also had three women named to the 13 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Keeley Davis, Erica Kostelac and Jaela Zimmerman were all honored. Zimmerman was a unanimous selection.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 15 of 17 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   1st   #1
2020-21   1st   ???   ???

Old MVC Rivals Get Reacquainted
Sunday's match-up with Northern Iowa will be Creighton's 54th 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 (47) 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 previous six 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., before last season's meeting in Cedar Falls.
   Creighton is 6-2 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.

Ranked At Year's End, Again
The Creighton Volleyball team finished last season ranked 16th in the year-end American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
   It was the fifth straight season that Creighton was ranked in the year-end AVCA poll, something only 10 schools (BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin) can claim.
   Creighton has now been ranked in the year-end poll on six occasions. The Bluejays were No. 24 in 2012, No. 19 in 2015, No. 9 in 2016, No. 16 in 2017 and No. 13 in 2018 before the No. 16 ranking in 2019.

BIG EAST's Best
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton, Marquette and St. John's are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. CU won the 2019 regular-season crown, while St. John's upset nationally-ranked Creighton and Marquette to bring home the 2019 tournament title.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team (through 2019) since the league's reconfiguration in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (through 2019)
             BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)   W   L   W   L
Creighton (7)   114   10   184   52
Marquette (7)   100   23   173   59
Xavier   75   49   111   104
Butler   70   54   122   96
Villanova (1)   67   57   125   94
St. John's (1)   59   65   129   101
Seton Hall (1)   58   65   108   114
Georgetown   30   94   76   138
DePaul   25   99   75   135
Providence*   13   95   60   131
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.

Home Sweet Home
Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in six of the previous eight seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
   Creighton is 60-2 all-time (.968) in regular-season BIG EAST play at D.J. Sokol Arena, falling once each to St. John's (2013) and Seton Hall (2014).
   Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 91-7 (.929) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility, including 45 straight victories.
   Creighton has won all 13 regular-season meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, and all 12 encounters versus Seton Hall since dropping the home match in 2014.
   The Bluejays have had a winning record in conference home matches each of the previous 14 seasons. That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down three years ago and no longer exists.

Just A Few Streaks...
- Creighton has won 84 straight matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton has won 59 straight home matches against unranked teams and is 105-4 in its last 109 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton has also won 38 matches in a row against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.
- Creighton owns 10 straight home wins entering 2020-21.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 308-10 (.969) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 251-4 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 178-2 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 92-0 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when up 2-0 at the break.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets won 95.0 percent of their matches from 2009-18.
   Conversely, the Jays are 14-199 (.066) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 14 comebacks in program history from down 0-2 are listed below.
Date   Opponent   Sets 3-5 scores   Coach
09/19/97   at Bradley   15-11, 15-13, 15-8   Wallace
10/01/99   at Drake   15-6, 17-15, 15-11   Wallace
09/03/04   vs. Montana   30-20, 30-21, 15-11   Booth
10/15/04   at Bradley   30-22, 30-23, 15-11   Booth
10/15/05   at So. Illinois   30-25, 30-24, 15-8   Booth
09/21/07   at No. Iowa   31-29, 30-26, 15-12   Booth
11/16/12   at Wichita St.   25-16, 25-20, 16-14   Booth
09/05/14   vs. No. Iowa   25-16, 25-22, 15-5   Booth
11/08/14   at Butler   25-16, 25-20, 15-13   Booth
09/20/15   Kansas State   25-23, 26-24, 15-13   Booth
10/09/15   DePaul   25-21, 25-12, 15-11   Booth
11/20/15   at Georgetown   30-28, 26-24, 15-7   Booth
10/13/17   Butler   25-21, 25-23, 15-9   Booth
10/18/18   Xavier   25-17, 25-17, 15-13   Booth

Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 309-30 (.912) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 62-141 (.305) 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 that season, and 20.2 percent of their matches from 2009-18.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 102-2 in its last 104 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 22-0 when winning the first set, but was 3-6 when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has won 84 straight matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Third Set's A Charm
Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 95-0 against BIG EAST teams (87-0 in the regular-season and 8-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 57-30 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
   Creighton has won 15 of its last 20 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016, 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette, a 2018 win at Butler and wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette in 2019.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 12-3 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena..
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
1994   0-2   5-20
1995   0-2   11-19
1996   2-6   9-19
1997   3-5   15-13
1998   2-3   7-18
1999   3-3   13-15
2000   3-3   16-12
2001   1-1   14-13
2002   1-3   3-23
2003   5-1   12-18
2004   4-0   18-11
2005   3-1   16-14
2006   4-2   21-10
2007   2-0   21-10
2008   2-3   18-9
2009   1-4   14-17
2010   3-3   21-12
2011   5-2   17-14
2012   4-1   29-4
2013   3-2   23-9
2014   3-2   25-9
2015   5-2   27-9
2016   4-3   29-7
2017   4-1   26-7
2018   3-2   29-5
2019   2-1   25-6
2020-21   0-0   0-0
Total   72-58   464-323

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played nine matches against 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 5-4 against such teams.
   This year's team has five matches (four vs. Marquette, one vs. Northern Iowa) scheduled against teams that made the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 83-99 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   5-4
TOTAL   86-134
TOTAL Under Booth   83-99

Marian Pipeline
This is the 18th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as sophomore Emily Bressman keeps the streak alive. Believe it or not, this year marks the first time since 2011 that there hasn't been multiple Marian grads.
   Each of the last nine 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.
2020-21: Emily Bressman
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

Eight Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last eight seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008.
   Creighton is one of 15 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last eight NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
   Creighton is one of 13 teams to win a match in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2015-19). That group includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.

6 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2019 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win six straight outright regular-season titles.
   No team had won six straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005, though the Irish shared the title in 2003 (with Pittsburgh) and 2005 (with Louisville)
   The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win six or more consecutive league titles, breaking a tie it had held with the men's soccer program (1992-96).

Nine Is Divine
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to nine 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 nine 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   9
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 371 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history, through the end of the 2019-20 school year.
Coach, Sport   Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball   790*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Ed Servais, Baseball   563*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   462*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   371*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   349*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton

Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Despite annually facing one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules, Creighton has continued to excel againste elite competition.
   Creighton is 6-9 against ranked non-conference foes over the last three seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year   Non-Con W-L   vs. Ranked Non-Con   Final W-L
2003   3-8   0-0   12-18
2004   8-2   0-1   18-11
2005   6-5   0-3   16-14
2006   8-3   0-1   21-10
2007   6-5   0-3   21-10
2008   3-5   0-3   18-9
2009   3-8   0-3   14-17
2010   5-5   0-1   21-12
2011   5-7   0-1   17-14
2012   9-2   0-1   29-4
2013   9-3   1-2   23-9
2014   7-6   0-5   25-9
2015   6-7   1-4   27-9
2016   6-6   0-4   29-7
2017   7-4   3-3   26-7
2018   8-4   1-3   29-5
2019   7-3   2-3   25-6
2020-21   0-0   0-0   0-0

Up To Speed on Seeds
Though they weren't a seed in the fall of 2019, Creighton is one of 13 schools to be a national seed in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
   BYU, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas have been national seeds all five times.
   Florida, Washington and Wisconsin have been a national seed four of those five seasons.
   Creighton, Kentucky, UCLA, and USC 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 95 straight matches against BIG EAST teams when winning the dig battle, a streak that dates to Oct. 10, 2014 at Seton Hall.

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 125 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 22 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   CU still has not lost to five league foes (Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (3), Villanova (3) and St. John's (2) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   13-1   -   13-1
Connecticut   0-0   -   0-0
DePaul   14-0   -   14-0
Georgetown   14-0   -   14-0
Marquette   12-2   3-1   15-3
Providence   12-0   -   12-0
Seton Hall   11-3   2-0   13-3
St. John's   13-1   0-1   13-2
Villanova   11-3   3-0   14-3
Xavier   14-0   3-0   17-0
Total   114-10   11-2   125-12

Another 20 Win Season
Creighton went 25-6 in 2019. It was the 11th time in the program's modern history, and eighth straight season, of 20 or more victories.
   Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton's modern day single-season record for wins was 16, and the Bluejays were coming off a 3-23 campaign.
   Creighton is one of 13 schools with eight straight seasons (2012-19) of 20+ wins. That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Ellie Bolton

Emily Bressman

Madelyn Cole

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Erica Kostelac

Makenna Krause

Katie Maser

Grace Nelson

Mahina Pua'a

Kiara Reinhardt

Kiana Schmitt

Megan Sharkey

Megan Skovsende

Ally Van Eekeren

Annika Welty

Brittany Witt

Jaela Zimmerman