Volleyball Plays For BIG EAST Title Saturday at Marquette

BIG EAST Championship - Final
Nov. 27   1:00 pm   #22 Creighton at Marquette (FS2)   Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center)
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF)

- No. 22 Creighton (29-3) will meet Marquette (26-4) on Saturday, Nov. 27th at 1 p.m. in the title match of the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP.
   The match will take place at Al McGuire Center on the Marquette campus in Milwaukee, Wis.

- Saturday's championship match will be televised nationally on FS2 and can also be viewed on FoxSports.com/live. Bob Brainerd and Michelle Griffin Wenzel will call the action.
   Live stats will be available at https://gomarquette.com/sidearmstats/wvball.

- Creighton is 2-0 this fall against Marquette as the Bluejays handed MU its only league losses of the season.
   Creighton won the first match (25-20, 28-26, 19-25, 25-16) on Oct. 10 in Omaha in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 400th victory at CU. Norah Sis had a career-high 22 kills to go with 14 digs while Jaela Zimmerman added 20 kills with 15 digs. Those two, plus Kendra Wait (53 assists, 13 digs) and Abby Bottomley (19 digs, 10 assists) had double-doubles for a Bluejay squad that hit .316 on the afternoon. Marquette's Hope Werch had 16 kills and Taylor Wolf turned in a triple-double with 13 kills, 21 digs and 23 assists.
   The Bluejays also took the rematch on Oct. 29 in Milwaukee by a count of 25-23, 23-25, 25-12, 25-20). Zimmerman (16 kills, 17 digs), Sis (16 kills, 13 digs) and Wait (40 assists, 21 digs) all had their 11th double-doubles of the fall. Wolf had a triple-double for the second time this fall against CU with 19 assists, 19 digs and 13 kills and Savannah Rennie contributed 11 kills and six blocks.
   Sis led Creighton with 4.75 kills per set on .330 hitting and Zimmerman averaged 4.50 kills and 4.00 digs per set. In addition, Annika Welty hit a robust .433 on 30 swings and Wait averaged 11.75 assists, 4.25 digs and 0.38 aces per set.
   Wolf led MU with 3.25 kills, 5.38 assists and 5.00 digs per set on .426 hitting and Rennie contributed 2.62 kills and 1.00 blocks per set.
   Overall, Creighton had more kills (126-106), aces (12-10), digs (160-144) and blocks (18-14), in addition to an advantage in hitting percentage (.280 - .196).

- Creighton is 22-5 all-time against Marquette, and are 18-2 since the start of the 2014 season against MU.
   The Bluejays are 4-1 against the Golden Eagles in BIG EAST Tournament action, having defeated MU in the 2015 semifinal (3-2), the 2017 final (3-2), the 2018 final (3-1) and the 2020 final (3-1).
   Teams to win the first set are 22-5 in the history of the series, and Creighton has won all five match-ups to go five sets.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 22-5 against Marquette and 18-2 against Ryan Theis.

- Creighton seeks its seventh BIG EAST Tournament title, having won five in a row from 2014-18, in addition to the 2020 crown. All six of those titles came under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Marquette's lone tournament title in program history came against Creighton in 2013. The Golden Eagles are trying to avoid their fifth straight loss in the title match, which includes losses to Creighton in the finals of the 2017, 2018 and 2020 BIG EAST Championships.

- The winner of Saturday's BIG EAST Championship match earns itself an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will start on Thursday or Friday at 16 campus sites.
   The NCAA Volleyball Selection Show airs Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
- Should Creighton not win the BIG EAST Championship on Saturday, its case is still very strong for an at-large bid. Consider the following ...
- Creighton was 12th in the updated RPI listed on NCAA.com through matches of November 21st.
- Creighton has been ranked in the top-25 in 12-of-14 polls this season, and among the top two teams 'also receiving votes' in the two weeks it wasn't.
- Creighton is one of nine teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments (2012-20). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
- Creighton shares the national lead with 29 victories and 90 set victories and is in the top-five nationally with 11 road victories and 17 wins away from home.

- Six-time champion Kirsten Bernthal Booth is one of two volleyball coaches in league history to win five or more BIG EAST Championship titles. The only other coach with five or more was Notre Dame's Debbie Brown (9).

- Creighton is now 14-2 all-time in nine BIG EAST Championship appearances, including six titles (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020).
   Creighton is 8-1 in the semifinal round and 6-1 in the finals.

- This is the ninth time in Creighton's last 10 seasons that it has reached the conference tournament title match, a stretch that started in 2012 when the Bluejays were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The only exception came in 2019.

-   At 14-2, Creighton is the only team in this weekend's BIG EAST Championship with a winning record in the event all-time. UConn is 11-39, DePaul is 0-1 and Marquette is 12-12.

-   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 14-2 in BIG EAST Championship action with six titles. By comparison, the league's 10 other active coaches have a combined mark of 15-31 in the BIG EAST Championship with two titles.

- Entering this fall, Creighton had won seven conference tournament titles since 2012. That's tied for the most in the nation with Dayton and Western Kentucky, both of whom have already won their eighth title in that span last week.
Most Conference Titles, 2012-2020
League Tournament
7 Creighton
7 Dayton
7 Western Kentucky
6 American
6 Fairfield
6 LIU

- With a win on Saturday, Creighton would...
- Set a school-record with its 30th win of the year, improving to 30-3 with its 13th straight victory.
- Improve to 15-2 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship, including a 7-1 mark in the finals.
- Kirsten Bernthal Booth would improve to 15-2 at the BIG EAST Championship with seven titles, while the rest of the league's active coaches would be a combined 15-32 with two titles.
- Improve to 16-1 all-time in league tournament play as a top seed (14-1 in BIG EAST play).
- Clinch a 10th straight NCAA Tournament bid, and 11th in program history (2010, 2012-2021).
- Hand Marquette a fifth straight loss in the conference tournament final.

- Creighton Volleyball is seeking the school's eighth different BIG EAST Tournament title won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
   All but one of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.
Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament Titles (7)
Baseball: 2019
Volleyball: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020

- The BIG EAST Championship has been won by the top seed eight of the last nine years, and the No. 1 seed has also gone 18-1 in its last 19 matches in the event.

- Creighton enters the BIG EAST Championship title match with a nation-leading 29 victories. That ties the program's single-season school-record of 29 set in 2012 and matched in both 2016 and 2018.
Matches Won
       Year   MP   W   L   Pct.
   1.   2012   33   29   4   .879
       2018   34   29   5   .853
       2016   36   29   7   .806
       2021   32   29   3   .906
   5.   2015   36   27   9   .750

- Eleven members of Creighton's current team were on Creighton's team in the spring that won the 2020 BIG EAST Championship.
   Four of those women (Naomi Hickman, Jaela Zimmerman, Annika Welty and Keeley Davis) were also on the 2018 tournament champion squad.

- Jaela Zimmerman continues her march towards 1,000 career kills. Her six kills last night give her 976 in her career.
   Zimmerman owns three different matches of 20 or more kills this season and had 20 kills in CU's win in Omaha against Marquette earlier this fall.
Career Kills
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Jaali Winters   494   1,843   2015-18
   2.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   3.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   4.   Taryn Kloth   462   1,427   2015-18
   5.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   6.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   7.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   8.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   9.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   1,183   2014-17
   10.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   11.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   12.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   13.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   14.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
   15.   Jaela Zimmerman   337   976   2018-Pr.

- Jaela Zimmerman has played in 101 matches for Creighton, with nine of those coming vs. Marquette.
   Though those only account for 8.9 percent of her matches played, 119 of her 976 career kills (12.2 percent) have come against Marquette.
   Zimmerman owns 3.31 kills per set against Marquette compared to 2.85 kills per set against all other opponents.
   Zimmerman has averaged 4.50 kills and 4.00 digs per set in two wins vs. Marquette this fall, and also added a match-high 16 kills in the 2020 BIG EAST Championship finals match vs. MU earlier this spring.

- Abby Bottomley had a match-high 14 digs vs. DePaul on Friday and moved into sole possession of 10th place in NCAA history with 2,670 career digs.
   She is 12 away from ninth place, 24 shy of eighth place and 37 short of seventh place.
   Rk   Player, Team   Years   Digs
   1.   Lara Newberry, Chatanooga   2005-08   3,176
   2.   Rylee Cookerly, Valparaiso   2017-Pr.   3,105
   3.   Paula Gentil, Minnesota   2002-05   2,791
   4.   Kim Diehlmann,Hartford   1989-92   2,780
   5.   Courtney Pence, Illinois St.   2015-18   2,778
   6.   Taylor Root, Valparaiso   2009-12   2,752
   7.   Keellie Arneson, Clemson   2012-15   2,707
   8.   Raquel Miotto, UNC Asheville   2006-09   2,694
   9.   Allison Nieters, Iona   2007-10   2,682
   10.   Abby Bottomley, HPU/CU   2017-Pr.   2,670
   11.   Ellie Blankenship, UNI   2007-10   2,656

- If Naomi Hickman or Annika Welty are named to the All-Tournament Team, they'd join some select company in program history as players to be named to the BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament Team multiple times.
   Hickman (2018, 2020) is already one of six women in program history to be named to the All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championship multiple times, and could be the first with three such honors.
   CU's first six players with multiple honors are Taryn Kloth (2017, 2018), Lauren Smith (2013, 2014, 2016), Marysa Wilkinson (2014, 2017), Jaali Winters (2016, 2018), Brittany Witt (2017, 2019) and Hickman (2018, 2020).
   Welty was named to the All-Tournament Team in 2020.

- Keeley Davis entered Creighton's match at No. 10 Marquette on Oct. 12, 2019 with a season-best of 14 kills, only to go off for 31 kills in the 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles in her first career match inside Al McGuire Center.
   Ten of Davis' kills came in the third set and six came in the first 15 points of the fifth set. Overall, 23 of her kills came after intermission.
   Her 31 kills were one shy of the program record set by Michelle Prorock vs. Evansville in 1996.
   In seven career matches and 29 sets played vs. Marquette, Davis owns 95 kills (3.28 kps.).

- Naomi Hickman has been a force at the net throughout her career, but her game seems to step up a notch when she's playing against Marquette.
   In 46 career sets vs. Marquette, Hickman owns an astounding 69 blocks. That's good for a 1.50 blocks per set average, and it's coming against what has traditionally been one of the nation's best offenses.
   Hickman owns four career matches with 10 or more blocks, with three of those coming against Marquette. She's the only player in Creighton history to produce three matches of 10+ blocks against the same opponent.
Most Blocks In A Match - Naomi Hickman
   Blocks   Opponent, BA-BS, Sets   Date
   11   Hickman at #10 Marquette (1-10 in 5s)   10-12-19
   11   Hickman vs. #25 Marquette (0-11 in 5s)   02-05-21
   10   Hickman vs. #9 Marquette (0-10 in 4s)   11-22-19
   10   Hickman vs. DePaul (1-9 in 4s)   11-24-19

Matches With 10+ Blocks, Career
   10+ Blocks   Name   Years
   9   Kelli Browning   2011-14
   5   Laurel Sanford   2008-11
   4   Ashley Williams   2001-04
   4   Jessica Houts   2006-09
   4   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   4   Naomi Hickman   2017-Present
   3   JoDe Cieloha   1994-97

- Creighton has two players from the Badger State who will be looking to claim bragging rights with another win over Marquette this season.
   Kiana Schmitt hails from Waunakee, and Kiara Reinhardt is from the northern Milwaukee suburb of Cedarburg.
   One of Reinhardt's teammates at Cedarburg High School was current Villanova middle blocker Maddie Barber, who is the sister of former Marquette All-American and 2019 BIG EAST Player of the Year Allie Barber.

- Eleven of the last 14 teams to win the first set of the BIG EAST Championship title match have gone on to win the match, and are 31-8 all-time in the finals when taking a 1-0 lead.
   The recent exceptions came in 2017, 2018 and 2020, when Creighton lost the first set but won the match. All three of those victories came vs. Marquette.
   Only two teams in event history have dropped the first two sets of the title match and won (Pittsburgh in 1993, Louisville in 2006).
   Creighton is 29-0 this year when winning the first set, and 0-3 when it doesn't.

-    Creighton has gone 80-2 in its last 82 matches when winning the first set, compared to a 7-12 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 122-2 in its last 124 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

- Creighton is 348-32 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 64-146 (.305) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   All-time in BIG EAST Tournament play Creighton is 10-0 when it wins the first set. The Jays are 17-1 all-time (16-1 under Booth) when winning the first set in any league tournament with 16 straight wins since a 2003 setback.

- Creighton owned 14 blocks in three sets yesterday, including a whopping 10 rejections in the second set alone.
   Creighton is a perfect 28-0 this season when it outblocks the opposition, including 7-5 and 11-9 margins vs. Marquette this fall.

- Creighton held DePaul to .088 hitting yesterday and is now holding foes to .11781 hitting this year.
   That edges BYU (.11797) for the best defensive mark in the nation.
   Creighton is the only school in the nation to rank in the top-10 in digs per set, blocks per set and opponents hitting percentage,

- Keeley Davis served up her league-best 48th ace of the season on Friday, one more than injured Marquette star Hope Werch.
   Davis and her teammates have owned more aces than service errors in five of the last six matches.

- Creighton has won 36-of-38 sets during its current 12-match winning streak.
   In that time, Creighton has held foes to 9.71 kills per set on .082 hitting while averaging 3.24 blocks per set. Annika Welty alone has more blocks (53) than Creighton's opponents (52) in that time.
   Creighton owns 79 aces and 68 service errors in those 12 matches and is hitting at a .263 clip, including .311 hitting by Norah Sis at a 3.71 kills per set clip.

- Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous nine seasons. They are the only women's team in any sport at Creighton to make nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008.

- Creighton and Marquette ought to be quite familiar with each other by this point.
   Saturday will mark the fifth meeting between the school's since March 4th, and that doesn't include two other matches that were cancelled due to COVID protocols. Creighton has won three of those four contests.
   Saturday will also be the seventh meeting since Nov. 22, 2019 between the BIG EAST behemoths.

- Regardless of how it does in Saturday's title tilt, the Creighton Volleyball program will gather with its fans (and media) for Selection Sunday.
   The team will gather at D.J.'s Dugout (114th & Dodge) for the 7:30 p.m. show, which will air on ESPNU.

Volleyball Plays For BIG EAST Title Saturday at Marquette

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Players Mentioned

Abby Bottomley

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Kiara Reinhardt

Kiana Schmitt

Norah Sis

Kendra Wait

Annika Welty

Jaela Zimmerman