Creighton won its seventh straight BIG EAST title in 2020.
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
2020 Season Recap
5/14/2021 1:35:00 PM | Volleyball
A look back at Creighton's 2020-21 season
Season Recap (PDF)
   In a season with so much uncertainty, the success of Creighton Volleyball remained a constant during the 2020-21 academic year. The global COVID-19 pandemic moved CU's fall volleyball schedule to the spring, but in the end it was once again the Bluejays who emerged atop the BIG EAST Conference with a seventh straight league title and ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton's typical start date in late August was moved to late January, but the Bluejays still got off to a hot start with 3-0 victories at home vs. Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Iowa. The following weekend Creighton and South Dakota played a rare home-and-home series, with the road team overcoming an 0-2 deficit to win each match in five sets.
   The Bluejays were scheduled to open February with four straight matches against rival Marquette, with the first two contests planned as non-conference battles. CU won in five sets against the 25th-ranked Golden Eagles before MU earned a split the following night. The scheduled rematches in league play two weeks later in Milwaukee would be canceled following a positive COVID test within the Bluejay program, though on Feb. 25th the league informed CU that the Feb. 5-6 matches would now be counted as conference matches. The positive test result would also prevent the Bluejays from hosting Xavier to end February.
   After a rare four-week break without a match, CU returned to the court on March 5th vs. DePaul with a 3-2 win before sweeping the Blue Demons the following night.
   What turned out to be CU's lone BIG EAST road matches of the season came on March 12-13 in Indianapolis, where CU compiled consecutive 3-0 sweeps of Butler.
   Playing without outside hitters Keeley Davis and Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton stepped out of league play and suffered a four-set loss at Kansas State, before making up the Xavier series with a pair of victories to clinch the best record in the BIG EAST and a spot in the league championship.
   The Bluejays were all set to play Providence in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship before positive COVID tests within the Friar program forced them to withdraw and be replaced by Connecticut. Creighton swept the Huskies, setting the stage for a league tournament final with neither team guaranteed an at-large spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton and Marquette split the first two sets before the Bluejays overcame a 20-12 deficit in the third set, saving seven game points, with a 31-29 win to take a 2-1 lead. CU then rattled off the first five points of the fourth set and never looked back, clinching CU's sixth league tournament title in the past seven seasons with a 25-22 victory. Naomi Hickman was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, with Kiara Reinhardt and Annika Welty joining her on the All-Tournament Team.
   Creighton didn't have to go far for its ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, as the 48-team event was moved to Omaha, with matches played less than a mile from the CU campus at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton was unseeded and squared off against Ohio Valley Conference champion Morehead State, falling to the Eagles in five sets in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   The awards haul for CU was substantial. Davis, Hickman and Zimmerman were each named First Team All-BIG EAST and First Team All-East Region by the AVCA, with Zimmerman taking home East Region Player of the Year acclaim. Reinhardt landed a spot on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton was coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 383-175 record after her 18th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to seven straight outright BIG EAST titles, and eight league crowns in the last nine 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 10 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.
Creighton's NCAA Tournament History
Creighton made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 11 years after earning a ninth straight bid to the Big Dance. The Bluejays made their NCAA debut in 2010 and have been in every tournament since then with the exception of 2011.
   The Bluejays are 11-10 in its 10 NCAA appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010 and 2019), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015 and 2017), No. 23 North Carolina (2015), Northern Iowa (2016), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 17 Michigan (2016) and South Dakota (2018).
   Creighton is 8-2 in First Round play, 2-6 in the Second Round, 1-1 in the Regional semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional finals. The Bluejays are 2-2 at home, 7-3 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 11-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason.
7 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2020 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win seven straight outright regular-season titles.
   No team had won seven 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 seven or more consecutive league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
Seventh Heaven
Creighton Volleyball earned the school's seventh 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
NCAA Tourney Streak
A Sweet 16 run for Creighton Men's Basketball, in March as well as the inclusion of Creighton Volleyball into the 2020 NCAA Tournament in April, extended an impressive streak for Bluejay athletics.
   This year marked the 34th straight academic calendar year that Creighton has had at least one NCAA Tournament team.
   Only 12 schools made the NCAA Tournament in both women's volleyball and men's basketball this spring.
   That group included Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Morehead State, Ohio State, Purdue, Texas, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Nine Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons. They are the first 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 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.
The Big 10
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 10 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 10 different NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only former men's soccer coach Bob Warming (11).
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   10
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   6
10 Out Of 11
There are 15 schools that have appeared in 10 of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Colorado State, Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford and USC.
   Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 2010.
Against NCAA Tournament Teams
Creighton went 1-2 against teams in the field of 48 this season, losing to Morehead State and splitting a pair of matches vs. South Dakota. All three of those contests went five sets.
   In those three matches against NCAA Tournament teams this spring, Jaela Zimmerman averaged 3.40 kills per set, Keeley Davis averaged 3.27 kills and 3.53 digs per set, while Naomi Hickman averaged 1.00 blocks per set, Ellie Bolton averaged 4.67 digs per set and Ally Van Eekeren served up eight aces.
Bluejays Collect The Hardware
Creighton had quite a haul of honors as the BIG EAST named three Bluejays to its 18-woman All-Conference Team on April 1st.
   Naomi Hickman, Keeley Davis and Jaela Zimmerman were all among those recognized, with Hickman and Zimmerman being unanimous choices.
   This is the second All-Conference award for both Davis (2019, 2020) and Zimmerman (2019, 2020), and first such recognition for Hickman.
   In addition, Kiara Reinhardt was chosen to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team.
All Roads Lead to Omaha
When Creighton took the floor vs. Morehead State inside CHI Health Center Omaha's convention center (10th Street), it played just nine blocks from it's on-campus arena of D.J. Sokol Arena (19th Street).
   The Bluejays, who hosted more than 14,000 fans for a home match vs. Nebraska at CHI Health Center Omaha in September of 2018, typically fill the 2,500 seat D.J. Sokol Arena in non-pandemic times.
   CU has played five all-time volleyball matches at CHI Health Center Omaha, but had never played inside the convention center.
   Creighton men's basketball moved into CHI Health Center Omaha in the fall of 2003 and owns a 254-54 record (.825) in the facility since then.
   Creighton Volleyball is 0-5 when playing inside the CHI Health Center Omaha arena.
   Per the NCAA, Creighton's NCAA Tournament match was considered "neutral site" contests.
Comeback Artists
Creighton had a pair of clutch comebacks during the BIG EAST Tournament, overcoming huge deficits late to win sets against both UConn and Marquette.
   In the semifinals vs. UConn, Creighton trailed 22-17 in the second set before a 5-0 run tied the game. CU would win that set 25-23 en route to a 3-0 sweep of the Huskies.
   One day later, Creighton trailed 19-12 and 22-16 late in the third set of a match that was tied at one set apiece. The Bluejays rallied to tie the score at 24 and would eventually save seven set points before emerging with a 31-29 victory. CU then scored the first five points of the fourth set and never trailed the rest of the way while closing out the victory.
Stacking Chips
Here's a look at how experienced the current members of the Creighton Volleyball program are, both in Division I regular-season conference titles, conference tournament titles and NCAA Tournament matches played or coached in:
Name   Reg-Season   Tourney   NCAA Matches
Hickman   4   3   7
Kostelac   2   1   2
Nelson   3   2   2
Pua'a   1   1   1
Welty   3   2   3
Zimmerman   3   2   4
Bressman   2   1   0
Davis   3   2   3
Krause   2   1   2
Schmitt   2   1   1
Van Eekeren   2   1   2
Bolton   1   1   1
Maser   1   1   0
Reinhardt   1   1   1
Skovsende   1   1   0
Booth   8   7   21
Behrens   11   7   38
Dyer   4   2   16
Dueck   1   1   1
TOTALSÂ Â Â 55Â Â Â 38Â Â Â 105
More Than One Way To Lead
Naomi Hickman led the BIG EAST with 1.33 blocks per set, 40 total blocks and a .363 hitting percentage in league play.
   Since the 2013 realignment of the BIG EAST, the only other players besides Hickman to lead the league in both blocks per set and hitting percentage in conference action were Marquette's Jenna Rosenthal (in 2016) and Butler's Bri Lilly (in 2017).
   In all matches, Hickman ranked third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.18) and third in hitting percentage (.330).
Well, Well, Welty
Creighton went 7-2 in its last nine matches, and junior Annika Welty was crucial to that success.
   After owning a career-high of nine kills in her first 41 career matches, Welty averaged 9.67 kills per set in the past nine contests.
   Welty has averaged 2.64 kills on .281 hitting in that time while also contributing 0.82 blocks per set in that span.
Bressman Breakthrough
Emily Bressman 15 kills and two aces in 32 career matches before a coming out party on March 20 at Kansas State.
   Bressman had a breakout performance with 14 kills and an ace against the Wildcats.
   Though she's been used primarily as a defensive specialist since arriving on campus, Bressman did set the Omaha Marian High School career record with 1,412 kills while a prep.
Zimmerman Earns Defensive Honor
Jaela Zimmerman was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on March 31st after helping Creighton to a pair of victories last weekend that clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP.
   A junior from Lincoln, Neb., Zimmerman averaged 2.50 kills, 3.50 digs, 0.62 aces and 0.50 assists per set as Creighton won a pair of matches against second-place Xavier.
    Zimmerman tied her career-high with 19 kills and added 10 digs and three aces in Saturday's 3-2 win vs. Xavier that clinched a BIG EAST Tournament bid for the Bluejays.
    Playing libero for the first time in her career on Sunday, Zimmerman delivered a career-high 18 digs in addition to contributing two aces and a kill in CU's 3-0 sweep of the Musketeers. Xavier hit just .114.
   This is the fourth weekly honor of Zimmerman's season, and fifth of her career, but first time she's been named the Defensive Player of the Week. She has previously been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25, 2019 as well as Feb. 2, 2021, March 9, 2021 and March 16, 2021.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton had been ranked in 63 straight polls, the nation's ninth-longest active streak, before falling out on March 22nd when it placed second among those 'also receiving votes'. On March 29th CU was third among those 'also receiving votes', and in the final regular-season poll on April 5th the Jays were second among those 'also receiving votes'.
   It marked the first time that Creighton was unranked since the Oct. 31, 2016 poll was released.
   In program history, Creighton has been ranked 77 times, including 21 weeks in the top-10. CU's all-time best ranking in program history is No. 7, which came in the poll released on Aug. 28, 2017.
Players of the Week
Jaela Zimmerman and Ellie Bolton were recognized by the BIG EAST Conference after the duo helped Creighton to a pair of wins at Butler on March 12-13. Zimmerman was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this spring, while Bolton brought home Defensive Player of the Week acclaim.
   Bolton averaged 5.33 digs and 1.00 assists per set as Creighton picked up a pair of 3-0 road wins at Butler. The freshman libero from Shawnee, Kan., anchored a defense that limited Butler to just 8.83 kills per set and .062 hitting in six sets. In Friday's 3-0 blanking of Butler, Bolton had 14 digs and a pair of assists. Creighton held Butler to .096 hitting. Bolton concluded her week with 18 digs and four assists in Saturday's sweep. CU held Butler to .033 hitting. It was the first honor of her college career.
    Zimmerman averaged 4.17 kills and 3.50 digs per set while hitting .312 against Butler. On Friday, Zimmerman had 13 kills and nine digs while hitting .448 in a 3-0 sweep. The junior outside hitter from Lincoln, Neb., followed that up with 12 kills, 12 digs and an ace in CU's 3-0 victory on Saturday. It was Zimmerman's second consecutive and third overall Offensive Player of the Week honor this season, as she was previously recognized on Feb. 2 and March 9.
Biggest Block Wins
Creighton averaged 2.51 blocks per set, a figure that led the BIG EAST and ranked 33rd nationally. Creighton was 10-2 this season when it had as many or more blocks as its opponent.
   Leading the way for the Bluejays are Kiara Reinhardt (1.23 bps.) and Naomi Hickman (1.18 bps.). Reinhardt ranked 48th in the nation in blocks per set while Hickman was 65th.
   Reinhardt's block average led all BIG EAST freshmen and ranked ninth among all freshmen nationally in blocks per set.
   Hickman owns 335 career block assists, a figure that ranks in the top-10 in program history.
Block Assists, Career
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kelli Browning   424   547   2011-14
   2.   Jessica Houts   451   536   2005-09
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   499   2013-16
   4.   Megan Bober   480   380   2009-12
   5.   Laurel Sanford   369   376   2008-11
   6.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   374   2014-17
   7.   Ashley Williams   359   347   2001-04
   8.   Megan Ballenger   450   343   2016-19
   9.   Naomi Hickman   370   335   2017-Pr.
   10.   JoDe Cieloha   398   331   1994-97
Naomi Does It Twice
Naomi Hickman joined some select company as a two-time honoree on the All-BIG EAST Tournament team (she was first chosen in 2018).
   The only other five Bluejays in program history to be named to the All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championship multiple times are Taryn Kloth (2017, 2018), Lauren Smith (2013, 2014, 2016), Marysa Wilkinson (2014, 2017), Jaali Winters (2016, 2018) and Brittany Witt (2017, 2019).
   All five of those women earned AVCA Honorable-Mention All-America honors at some point in their career, something Hickman has yet to attain.
   Hickman had six kills and two blocks while hitting .455 on Friday vs. UConn, then had 12 kills and five blocks on .579 hitting vs. Marquette in the title match to help her bring home Most Outstanding Player accolades.
Keeley's 500
Keeley Davis finished the season with 533Â career kills, reaching the 500 kill milestone in her 43rd career match on March 28th.
   She's tied with JoDe Cieloha for the third-fastest Bluejay in program history to reach that milestone, trailing only program icons Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 500 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   34   12/04/15   vs. Coastal Carolina
Melissa Walsh   37   09/25/99   Indiana State
JoDe Cieloha   43   10/15/95   at Indiana State
Keeley Davis   43   03/28/21   Xavier
Amanda Cvejdlik   44   10/13/06   at Wichita State
Leah Ratzlaff   46   10/18/03   at Illinois State
On The Run
Every team has a rotation where it can feel confident to generate some separation based on who is serving.
   Creighton went on some serious runs this season, and each time it seemed like a different person is at the service line.
   Creighton ended its five-set win on Jan. 31 vs. South Dakota with a 7-0 run with Kiara Reinhardt serving.
   On Feb. 5th vs. Marquette, Keeley Davis authored a 12-0 run to establish some momentum and put the Jays ahead 17-5 in the first set.
   Also on Feb. 5th, Mahina Pua'a served up back-to-back aces to end the match vs. Marquette as part of a 4-0 run.
   Eight different women combined to serve 32 different 5-0 runs during the season.
5-Point Serving Runs This Season
   7   Ally Van Eekeren
   6   Keeley Davis
   6   Jaela Zimmerman
   5   Kiara Reinhardt
   3   Erica Kostelac
   2   Ellie Bolton
   2   Mahina Pua'a
   1   Emily Bressman
Let's Play Five
Creighton and South Dakota split a pair of five-set matches on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31.
   It was the first time Creighton played the same team in multiple five-set matches in the same season since going 2-0 in 2017 vs. Butler.
   It was the first time Creighton split five-set matches against the same team in the same season since Wichita State in 2010.
   It was the first time Creighton split five-set matches against the same team in the same season with the road team winning each time since Indiana State in 2000.
   Creighton followed the five-setters vs. South Dakota with a five-set match vs. Marquette. It was the first time since CU's memorable 2016 NCAA Tournament run that the program played in three consecutive five-setters.
Feb. 5-6 Now League Matches
The BIG EAST notified both Creighton and Marquette on Feb. 25th that the matches between the schools on Feb. 5-6 in Omaha will be counted as conference matches after all.
   The contests were scheduled as non-conference play, but the decision was made to change that after a COVID pause within the Bluejay program caused the Feb. 19-20 matches to be postponed.
League Opener Histories
The Feb. 5 win vs. Marquette improved Creighton to a 19-8 record all-time in conference openers, including a 16-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 7-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and seven straight wins.
   Each of the last eight times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title (or the Midwest Division), going a combined 126-8 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won seven of the conference tournament titles during those years, going 14-1 in league tournament play during those seasons.
   In the 18 seasons (including 2020) that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .759 (252-80) winning percentage in league matches.
   In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Jays have had a losing record five times and it owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
   In conference home openers, Creighton is 22-5 overall and 16-2 under Booth, with 10 straight wins.
   In league road openers, Creighton is 18-9 overall and 15-3 under Booth, with six straight wins.
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, 2018 and 2020. CU won the 2019 regular-season crown, while St. John's upset nationally-ranked Creighton and Marquette to bring home the 2019 tournament title. In 2020, Creighton won the Midwest Division regular-season title, while St. John's claimed the East Division crown.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since the league's realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (8)Â Â Â 121Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 196Â Â Â 56
Marquette (7)Â Â Â 104Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 183Â Â Â 63
Xavier   78   52   118   111
Butler   71   61   126   106
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 70Â Â Â 62Â Â Â 129Â Â Â 100
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 67Â Â Â 139Â Â Â 105
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 60Â Â Â 69Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 121
Georgetown   30   94   76   138
DePaul   28   104   81   140
Providence*Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 98Â Â Â 67Â Â Â 134
Connecticut#Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 7
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
#Connecticut rejoined the league in 2020 and
its record from 2013-19 (96-121) is not included above.
What's The Difference?
En route to its league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, Creighton compiled an 109-7 record in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Jays won those seven titles by a combined 14.5 games over their nearest competitors, meaning if you took the record for the best second-place club each year they'd be 94-21.
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Bouncing Back
Creighton is 138-12 (.920) in league play since the start of the 2012 campaign, a stat that includes CU's final season in the MVC.
   After all 12 occasions where it lost, Creighton responded with a victory in its next match.
   Creighton has not lost consecutive league matches since suffering a three-match skid in November of 2011.
Booth Chases Brown
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is one of two volleyball coaches in league history to win six or more BIG EAST Championship titles.
   The only other coach with five or more was Notre Dame's Debbie Brown (9).
   Booth is 13-2 in BIG EAST Championship action with six titles. By comparison, the league's 10 other active coaches have a combined mark of 14-29 in the BIG EAST Championship with two titles.
Davis Doubles Up
Keeley Davis had double-doubles in both matches vs. South Dakota on Jan. 29-31, as the sophomore had 14 kills and 19 digs on Friday before turning in 20 kills and 17 digs on Sunday.
   In 31 matches last season, Davis had a total of two double-doubles. Both of those came in her final four contests.
   Davis had 303 kills and 97 digs in her first 27 career matches, but since then has 230 kills and 206 digs in her past 19 contests.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Though it had won six straight BIG EAST regular-season titles entering the season, this year marked 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 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   1st   1st   - -
Top 25 History
Creighton is 19-80 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 14-14 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 7-32 all-time against top-10 foes (7-25 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   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 120-31 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 15-19 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, 34 of Creighton's 60 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 208-25 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but one of its past 69 home matches over unranked teams and all but five of its last 62 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
   After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton enters this season having earned multiple top-25 victories in every season since 2015. That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories last season.
Hickman For The Block
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 38 career sets vs. Marquette, Hickman owns an astounding 59 blocks. That's good for a 1.55 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
On The Double
Creighton had four players register a double-double on Feb. 5th in its five-set win vs. No. 25 Marquette, as Ally Van Eekeren (20 assists, 13 digs), Mahina Pua'a (20 assists, 11 digs), Keeley Davis (11 kills, 12 digs) and Jaela Zimmerman (19 kills, 15 digs) each had a double-dip.
   It was the first time Creighton had as much as three double-doubles in the same contest since Davis, Zimmerman and Madelyn Cole each did so at No. 7 Minnesota in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
   It was the first time Creighton had four double-doubles in the same match since Nov. 20, 2015, when Jaali Winters, Samantha Bohnet, Jess Bird and Lauren Smith did it at Georgetown.
   Pua'a (20) and Van Eekeren (24) had combined to play in 44 career Division I matches entering that match, but neither woman had ever attained a double-double. Both women had a double-double not only that evening, but also the following day as well vs. Marquette.
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Zimmerman Earns League Award
Creighton's Jaela Zimmerman was recognized as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 2. The recognition actually covered the first two weekends of the season since the majority of the league did not play on the opening weekend.
   Zimmerman averaged 3.50 kills, 2.25 digs, 0.81 blocks and 0.25 aces per set while hitting .252 to lead Creighton to a 3-1 start to the season. The Lincoln native had a pair of double-doubles in those contests.
    She had 11 kills, 12 digs and a career-best six blocks in CU's season-opening victory vs. Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 22. Two days later Zimmerman had 12 kills, four digs, three blocks and two aces on .320 hitting in a victory over defending MVC champion Northern Iowa.
    In a weekend home-and-home vs. South Dakota, the junior starred. She had a career-high 19 kills and added seven digs, two blocks and two aces on .259 hitting on Jan. 31, then contributed 14 kills, 13 digs and two blocks in the rematch on Sunday as the Jays rallied from an 0-2 hole.
   This is the second time Zimmerman has been recognized as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, having also been honored on Nov. 25, 2019 following wins vs. No. 9 Marquette and DePaul that helped Creighton clinch a sixth straight BIG EAST regular-season title.
   Zimmerman earned the third such honor of her career on March 9, 2021 and a fourth recognition on March 16, 2021.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has played eight seasons as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 72-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (65-3 in the regular-season, 7-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 56-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 50-1 league mark and a 6-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021) was played as a non-conference match, only to be flipped to a league contest 19 days later.
   Put another way, since enrolling at Creighton in 2017, Bluejay senior Naomi Hickman is 35-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, winning 105-of-126 sets played.
Reverse Sweeps A Trend
On Jan. 29, Creighton won the first two sets vs. South Dakota before losing the next three. On Jan. 31, it was just the opposite as the Coyotes won the first two sets before the Bluejays answered by winning the next three frames.
   A "reverse sweep" like that is rather uncommon in the college game. Since Creighton restarted its volleyball program in 1994, the Bluejays have gone 315-11 when leading a match 2-0 and 15-200 when trailing a match 2-0.
   Prior to South Dakota this spring, the only other time that Creighton has traded reverse sweeps against the same team in the same season was in 1999 against Drake, with the road team winning each contest.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 315-11 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 258-5 mark (.981) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 185-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 97-1 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 15-200 (.070) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 15 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
01/31/21   at So. Dakota   25-20, 25-23, 15-7   Booth
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 319-32 (.909) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 64-143 (.300) 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 110-3 in its last 113 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific, on Sept. 6, 2018 to No. 7 Nebraska and on Jan. 29, 2021 to South Dakota.
   Creighton has gone 51-2 in its last 53 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 7-9 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 94-2 in its last 96 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 101-0 against BIG EAST teams (91-0 in the regular-season and 10-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.
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 383-3 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
08/26/11Â 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
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 61-32 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 4-2 mark this season 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 16 of its last 21 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, wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette in 2019 and at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 15-4 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's back-to-back-to-back five-set matches vs. South Dakota (twice) and Marquette (Jan. 29-Feb. 5) were its first span of three consecutive five-setters since a stretch of three in a row (all wins) during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   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 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
Total   76-60   476-327
Familiar Face
Senior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past four years, becoming the 16th player to start four season openers.
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
Naomi Hickman   2017-20
Some Fab Freshmen
Including Kiara Reinhardt this season, Creighton has started 12 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, and 16 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), Emily Bressman (2019) and Kiara Reinhardt (2020). 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), Erica Kostelac (2019) and Mahina Pua'a (2020) 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. Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016, Keeley Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019, though Davis didn't start her debut, and Reinhardt was also named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020.
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, Madelyn 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%)
Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton started this season ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It was 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 13 seasons, only 234-of-325 teams (72.0 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   Since 2008, all but 35 teams (of 325) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (89.2 percent), including 2020.
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   12-4   NR
Setting The Table
Creighton started a different setter in its season-opening match for the seventh time in the past nine seasons when Mahina Pua'a got the nod vs. Nebraska-Omaha.
   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 Madelyn Cole started in 2018 and 2019.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the nine seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and seven of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Creighton has won seven of the nine previous season-opening matches.
Home Sweet Home
Including 2020, Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in six of the last nine seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
   Creighton is 65-3 all-time (.956) in regular-season BIG EAST play at D.J. Sokol Arena, falling once each to St. John's (2013), Seton Hall (2014) and Marquette (2020). MU's win on Feb. 6, 2021 snapped CU's 46-match home win streak in league play.
   Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 96-8 (.923) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility.
   Creighton has won all 13 regular-season meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, all 12 encounters versus Seton Hall since dropping the home match in 2014, and beaten Marquette in the lone meeting after this February's series split vs. MU.
   The Bluejays have had a winning record in conference home matches each of the last 15 seasons. That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down five years ago and no longer exists.
Coyotes Snap Some Streaks
South Dakota upset Creighton on Jan. 29th and are the lone blemish in some otherwise impressive streaks. After Jan. 29th, the following was true:
- Creighton was 86-1 in its last 87 matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton was 94-1 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when leading a match 2-0.
- Creighton was 61-1 in its last 62 home matches against unranked teams and was 108-5 in its last 113 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton was 40-1 in its last 41 matches against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.
- Creighton had gone 43-1 in its last 44 matches when winning the first set, compared to a 6-7 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
- Creighton was 12-1 in its last 13 home matches.
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 went 3-1 in three matches (2-1 vs. Marquette, 1-0 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 86-100 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 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
TOTALÂ Â Â 89-135
TOTAL Under Booth   86-100
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: 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
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 383 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport   Victories (as of 5/13//21)
Brent Vigness, Softball   804*
Ed Servais, Baseball   582*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   478*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   383*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   356*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
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 against 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
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 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
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 134 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 26 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 (4), 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   15-1   -   15-1
Connecticut   0-0   1-0   1-0
DePaul   16-0   -   16-0
Georgetown   14-0   -   14-0
Marquette   13-3   4-1   17-4
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   16-0   3-0   19-0
Total   121-11   13-2   134-13
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.
NOTE: Even though these matches were held in the spring of 2021, in these notes they are being referred to as the "2020" season, as to avoid future confusion with this fall's approaching season.
   In a season with so much uncertainty, the success of Creighton Volleyball remained a constant during the 2020-21 academic year. The global COVID-19 pandemic moved CU's fall volleyball schedule to the spring, but in the end it was once again the Bluejays who emerged atop the BIG EAST Conference with a seventh straight league title and ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton's typical start date in late August was moved to late January, but the Bluejays still got off to a hot start with 3-0 victories at home vs. Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Iowa. The following weekend Creighton and South Dakota played a rare home-and-home series, with the road team overcoming an 0-2 deficit to win each match in five sets.
   The Bluejays were scheduled to open February with four straight matches against rival Marquette, with the first two contests planned as non-conference battles. CU won in five sets against the 25th-ranked Golden Eagles before MU earned a split the following night. The scheduled rematches in league play two weeks later in Milwaukee would be canceled following a positive COVID test within the Bluejay program, though on Feb. 25th the league informed CU that the Feb. 5-6 matches would now be counted as conference matches. The positive test result would also prevent the Bluejays from hosting Xavier to end February.
   After a rare four-week break without a match, CU returned to the court on March 5th vs. DePaul with a 3-2 win before sweeping the Blue Demons the following night.
   What turned out to be CU's lone BIG EAST road matches of the season came on March 12-13 in Indianapolis, where CU compiled consecutive 3-0 sweeps of Butler.
   Playing without outside hitters Keeley Davis and Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton stepped out of league play and suffered a four-set loss at Kansas State, before making up the Xavier series with a pair of victories to clinch the best record in the BIG EAST and a spot in the league championship.
   The Bluejays were all set to play Providence in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship before positive COVID tests within the Friar program forced them to withdraw and be replaced by Connecticut. Creighton swept the Huskies, setting the stage for a league tournament final with neither team guaranteed an at-large spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton and Marquette split the first two sets before the Bluejays overcame a 20-12 deficit in the third set, saving seven game points, with a 31-29 win to take a 2-1 lead. CU then rattled off the first five points of the fourth set and never looked back, clinching CU's sixth league tournament title in the past seven seasons with a 25-22 victory. Naomi Hickman was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, with Kiara Reinhardt and Annika Welty joining her on the All-Tournament Team.
   Creighton didn't have to go far for its ninth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, as the 48-team event was moved to Omaha, with matches played less than a mile from the CU campus at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton was unseeded and squared off against Ohio Valley Conference champion Morehead State, falling to the Eagles in five sets in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   The awards haul for CU was substantial. Davis, Hickman and Zimmerman were each named First Team All-BIG EAST and First Team All-East Region by the AVCA, with Zimmerman taking home East Region Player of the Year acclaim. Reinhardt landed a spot on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton was coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 383-175 record after her 18th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to seven straight outright BIG EAST titles, and eight league crowns in the last nine 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 10 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.
Creighton's NCAA Tournament History
Creighton made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 11 years after earning a ninth straight bid to the Big Dance. The Bluejays made their NCAA debut in 2010 and have been in every tournament since then with the exception of 2011.
   The Bluejays are 11-10 in its 10 NCAA appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010 and 2019), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015 and 2017), No. 23 North Carolina (2015), Northern Iowa (2016), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 17 Michigan (2016) and South Dakota (2018).
   Creighton is 8-2 in First Round play, 2-6 in the Second Round, 1-1 in the Regional semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional finals. The Bluejays are 2-2 at home, 7-3 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 11-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason.
7 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2020 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win seven straight outright regular-season titles.
   No team had won seven 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 seven or more consecutive league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
Seventh Heaven
Creighton Volleyball earned the school's seventh 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
NCAA Tourney Streak
A Sweet 16 run for Creighton Men's Basketball, in March as well as the inclusion of Creighton Volleyball into the 2020 NCAA Tournament in April, extended an impressive streak for Bluejay athletics.
   This year marked the 34th straight academic calendar year that Creighton has had at least one NCAA Tournament team.
   Only 12 schools made the NCAA Tournament in both women's volleyball and men's basketball this spring.
   That group included Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Morehead State, Ohio State, Purdue, Texas, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Nine Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons. They are the first 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 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.
The Big 10
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 10 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 10 different NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only former men's soccer coach Bob Warming (11).
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   10
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   6
10 Out Of 11
There are 15 schools that have appeared in 10 of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Colorado State, Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford and USC.
   Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 2010.
Against NCAA Tournament Teams
Creighton went 1-2 against teams in the field of 48 this season, losing to Morehead State and splitting a pair of matches vs. South Dakota. All three of those contests went five sets.
   In those three matches against NCAA Tournament teams this spring, Jaela Zimmerman averaged 3.40 kills per set, Keeley Davis averaged 3.27 kills and 3.53 digs per set, while Naomi Hickman averaged 1.00 blocks per set, Ellie Bolton averaged 4.67 digs per set and Ally Van Eekeren served up eight aces.
Bluejays Collect The Hardware
Creighton had quite a haul of honors as the BIG EAST named three Bluejays to its 18-woman All-Conference Team on April 1st.
   Naomi Hickman, Keeley Davis and Jaela Zimmerman were all among those recognized, with Hickman and Zimmerman being unanimous choices.
   This is the second All-Conference award for both Davis (2019, 2020) and Zimmerman (2019, 2020), and first such recognition for Hickman.
   In addition, Kiara Reinhardt was chosen to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team.
All Roads Lead to Omaha
When Creighton took the floor vs. Morehead State inside CHI Health Center Omaha's convention center (10th Street), it played just nine blocks from it's on-campus arena of D.J. Sokol Arena (19th Street).
   The Bluejays, who hosted more than 14,000 fans for a home match vs. Nebraska at CHI Health Center Omaha in September of 2018, typically fill the 2,500 seat D.J. Sokol Arena in non-pandemic times.
   CU has played five all-time volleyball matches at CHI Health Center Omaha, but had never played inside the convention center.
   Creighton men's basketball moved into CHI Health Center Omaha in the fall of 2003 and owns a 254-54 record (.825) in the facility since then.
   Creighton Volleyball is 0-5 when playing inside the CHI Health Center Omaha arena.
   Per the NCAA, Creighton's NCAA Tournament match was considered "neutral site" contests.
Comeback Artists
Creighton had a pair of clutch comebacks during the BIG EAST Tournament, overcoming huge deficits late to win sets against both UConn and Marquette.
   In the semifinals vs. UConn, Creighton trailed 22-17 in the second set before a 5-0 run tied the game. CU would win that set 25-23 en route to a 3-0 sweep of the Huskies.
   One day later, Creighton trailed 19-12 and 22-16 late in the third set of a match that was tied at one set apiece. The Bluejays rallied to tie the score at 24 and would eventually save seven set points before emerging with a 31-29 victory. CU then scored the first five points of the fourth set and never trailed the rest of the way while closing out the victory.
Stacking Chips
Here's a look at how experienced the current members of the Creighton Volleyball program are, both in Division I regular-season conference titles, conference tournament titles and NCAA Tournament matches played or coached in:
Name   Reg-Season   Tourney   NCAA Matches
Hickman   4   3   7
Kostelac   2   1   2
Nelson   3   2   2
Pua'a   1   1   1
Welty   3   2   3
Zimmerman   3   2   4
Bressman   2   1   0
Davis   3   2   3
Krause   2   1   2
Schmitt   2   1   1
Van Eekeren   2   1   2
Bolton   1   1   1
Maser   1   1   0
Reinhardt   1   1   1
Skovsende   1   1   0
Booth   8   7   21
Behrens   11   7   38
Dyer   4   2   16
Dueck   1   1   1
TOTALSÂ Â Â 55Â Â Â 38Â Â Â 105
More Than One Way To Lead
Naomi Hickman led the BIG EAST with 1.33 blocks per set, 40 total blocks and a .363 hitting percentage in league play.
   Since the 2013 realignment of the BIG EAST, the only other players besides Hickman to lead the league in both blocks per set and hitting percentage in conference action were Marquette's Jenna Rosenthal (in 2016) and Butler's Bri Lilly (in 2017).
   In all matches, Hickman ranked third in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.18) and third in hitting percentage (.330).
Well, Well, Welty
Creighton went 7-2 in its last nine matches, and junior Annika Welty was crucial to that success.
   After owning a career-high of nine kills in her first 41 career matches, Welty averaged 9.67 kills per set in the past nine contests.
   Welty has averaged 2.64 kills on .281 hitting in that time while also contributing 0.82 blocks per set in that span.
Bressman Breakthrough
Emily Bressman 15 kills and two aces in 32 career matches before a coming out party on March 20 at Kansas State.
   Bressman had a breakout performance with 14 kills and an ace against the Wildcats.
   Though she's been used primarily as a defensive specialist since arriving on campus, Bressman did set the Omaha Marian High School career record with 1,412 kills while a prep.
Zimmerman Earns Defensive Honor
Jaela Zimmerman was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on March 31st after helping Creighton to a pair of victories last weekend that clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP.
   A junior from Lincoln, Neb., Zimmerman averaged 2.50 kills, 3.50 digs, 0.62 aces and 0.50 assists per set as Creighton won a pair of matches against second-place Xavier.
    Zimmerman tied her career-high with 19 kills and added 10 digs and three aces in Saturday's 3-2 win vs. Xavier that clinched a BIG EAST Tournament bid for the Bluejays.
    Playing libero for the first time in her career on Sunday, Zimmerman delivered a career-high 18 digs in addition to contributing two aces and a kill in CU's 3-0 sweep of the Musketeers. Xavier hit just .114.
   This is the fourth weekly honor of Zimmerman's season, and fifth of her career, but first time she's been named the Defensive Player of the Week. She has previously been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25, 2019 as well as Feb. 2, 2021, March 9, 2021 and March 16, 2021.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton had been ranked in 63 straight polls, the nation's ninth-longest active streak, before falling out on March 22nd when it placed second among those 'also receiving votes'. On March 29th CU was third among those 'also receiving votes', and in the final regular-season poll on April 5th the Jays were second among those 'also receiving votes'.
   It marked the first time that Creighton was unranked since the Oct. 31, 2016 poll was released.
   In program history, Creighton has been ranked 77 times, including 21 weeks in the top-10. CU's all-time best ranking in program history is No. 7, which came in the poll released on Aug. 28, 2017.
Players of the Week
Jaela Zimmerman and Ellie Bolton were recognized by the BIG EAST Conference after the duo helped Creighton to a pair of wins at Butler on March 12-13. Zimmerman was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this spring, while Bolton brought home Defensive Player of the Week acclaim.
   Bolton averaged 5.33 digs and 1.00 assists per set as Creighton picked up a pair of 3-0 road wins at Butler. The freshman libero from Shawnee, Kan., anchored a defense that limited Butler to just 8.83 kills per set and .062 hitting in six sets. In Friday's 3-0 blanking of Butler, Bolton had 14 digs and a pair of assists. Creighton held Butler to .096 hitting. Bolton concluded her week with 18 digs and four assists in Saturday's sweep. CU held Butler to .033 hitting. It was the first honor of her college career.
    Zimmerman averaged 4.17 kills and 3.50 digs per set while hitting .312 against Butler. On Friday, Zimmerman had 13 kills and nine digs while hitting .448 in a 3-0 sweep. The junior outside hitter from Lincoln, Neb., followed that up with 12 kills, 12 digs and an ace in CU's 3-0 victory on Saturday. It was Zimmerman's second consecutive and third overall Offensive Player of the Week honor this season, as she was previously recognized on Feb. 2 and March 9.
Biggest Block Wins
Creighton averaged 2.51 blocks per set, a figure that led the BIG EAST and ranked 33rd nationally. Creighton was 10-2 this season when it had as many or more blocks as its opponent.
   Leading the way for the Bluejays are Kiara Reinhardt (1.23 bps.) and Naomi Hickman (1.18 bps.). Reinhardt ranked 48th in the nation in blocks per set while Hickman was 65th.
   Reinhardt's block average led all BIG EAST freshmen and ranked ninth among all freshmen nationally in blocks per set.
   Hickman owns 335 career block assists, a figure that ranks in the top-10 in program history.
Block Assists, Career
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kelli Browning   424   547   2011-14
   2.   Jessica Houts   451   536   2005-09
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   499   2013-16
   4.   Megan Bober   480   380   2009-12
   5.   Laurel Sanford   369   376   2008-11
   6.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   374   2014-17
   7.   Ashley Williams   359   347   2001-04
   8.   Megan Ballenger   450   343   2016-19
   9.   Naomi Hickman   370   335   2017-Pr.
   10.   JoDe Cieloha   398   331   1994-97
Naomi Does It Twice
Naomi Hickman joined some select company as a two-time honoree on the All-BIG EAST Tournament team (she was first chosen in 2018).
   The only other five Bluejays in program history to be named to the All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championship multiple times are Taryn Kloth (2017, 2018), Lauren Smith (2013, 2014, 2016), Marysa Wilkinson (2014, 2017), Jaali Winters (2016, 2018) and Brittany Witt (2017, 2019).
   All five of those women earned AVCA Honorable-Mention All-America honors at some point in their career, something Hickman has yet to attain.
   Hickman had six kills and two blocks while hitting .455 on Friday vs. UConn, then had 12 kills and five blocks on .579 hitting vs. Marquette in the title match to help her bring home Most Outstanding Player accolades.
Keeley's 500
Keeley Davis finished the season with 533Â career kills, reaching the 500 kill milestone in her 43rd career match on March 28th.
   She's tied with JoDe Cieloha for the third-fastest Bluejay in program history to reach that milestone, trailing only program icons Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 500 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Jaali Winters   34   12/04/15   vs. Coastal Carolina
Melissa Walsh   37   09/25/99   Indiana State
JoDe Cieloha   43   10/15/95   at Indiana State
Keeley Davis   43   03/28/21   Xavier
Amanda Cvejdlik   44   10/13/06   at Wichita State
Leah Ratzlaff   46   10/18/03   at Illinois State
On The Run
Every team has a rotation where it can feel confident to generate some separation based on who is serving.
   Creighton went on some serious runs this season, and each time it seemed like a different person is at the service line.
   Creighton ended its five-set win on Jan. 31 vs. South Dakota with a 7-0 run with Kiara Reinhardt serving.
   On Feb. 5th vs. Marquette, Keeley Davis authored a 12-0 run to establish some momentum and put the Jays ahead 17-5 in the first set.
   Also on Feb. 5th, Mahina Pua'a served up back-to-back aces to end the match vs. Marquette as part of a 4-0 run.
   Eight different women combined to serve 32 different 5-0 runs during the season.
5-Point Serving Runs This Season
   7   Ally Van Eekeren
   6   Keeley Davis
   6   Jaela Zimmerman
   5   Kiara Reinhardt
   3   Erica Kostelac
   2   Ellie Bolton
   2   Mahina Pua'a
   1   Emily Bressman
Let's Play Five
Creighton and South Dakota split a pair of five-set matches on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31.
   It was the first time Creighton played the same team in multiple five-set matches in the same season since going 2-0 in 2017 vs. Butler.
   It was the first time Creighton split five-set matches against the same team in the same season since Wichita State in 2010.
   It was the first time Creighton split five-set matches against the same team in the same season with the road team winning each time since Indiana State in 2000.
   Creighton followed the five-setters vs. South Dakota with a five-set match vs. Marquette. It was the first time since CU's memorable 2016 NCAA Tournament run that the program played in three consecutive five-setters.
Feb. 5-6 Now League Matches
The BIG EAST notified both Creighton and Marquette on Feb. 25th that the matches between the schools on Feb. 5-6 in Omaha will be counted as conference matches after all.
   The contests were scheduled as non-conference play, but the decision was made to change that after a COVID pause within the Bluejay program caused the Feb. 19-20 matches to be postponed.
League Opener Histories
The Feb. 5 win vs. Marquette improved Creighton to a 19-8 record all-time in conference openers, including a 16-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 7-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and seven straight wins.
   Each of the last eight times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title (or the Midwest Division), going a combined 126-8 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won seven of the conference tournament titles during those years, going 14-1 in league tournament play during those seasons.
   In the 18 seasons (including 2020) that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .759 (252-80) winning percentage in league matches.
   In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Jays have had a losing record five times and it owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
   In conference home openers, Creighton is 22-5 overall and 16-2 under Booth, with 10 straight wins.
   In league road openers, Creighton is 18-9 overall and 15-3 under Booth, with six straight wins.
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, 2018 and 2020. CU won the 2019 regular-season crown, while St. John's upset nationally-ranked Creighton and Marquette to bring home the 2019 tournament title. In 2020, Creighton won the Midwest Division regular-season title, while St. John's claimed the East Division crown.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since the league's realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (8)Â Â Â 121Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 196Â Â Â 56
Marquette (7)Â Â Â 104Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 183Â Â Â 63
Xavier   78   52   118   111
Butler   71   61   126   106
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 70Â Â Â 62Â Â Â 129Â Â Â 100
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 67Â Â Â 139Â Â Â 105
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 60Â Â Â 69Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 121
Georgetown   30   94   76   138
DePaul   28   104   81   140
Providence*Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 98Â Â Â 67Â Â Â 134
Connecticut#Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 7
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
#Connecticut rejoined the league in 2020 and
its record from 2013-19 (96-121) is not included above.
What's The Difference?
En route to its league titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, Creighton compiled an 109-7 record in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Jays won those seven titles by a combined 14.5 games over their nearest competitors, meaning if you took the record for the best second-place club each year they'd be 94-21.
  Â
Bouncing Back
Creighton is 138-12 (.920) in league play since the start of the 2012 campaign, a stat that includes CU's final season in the MVC.
   After all 12 occasions where it lost, Creighton responded with a victory in its next match.
   Creighton has not lost consecutive league matches since suffering a three-match skid in November of 2011.
Booth Chases Brown
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is one of two volleyball coaches in league history to win six or more BIG EAST Championship titles.
   The only other coach with five or more was Notre Dame's Debbie Brown (9).
   Booth is 13-2 in BIG EAST Championship action with six titles. By comparison, the league's 10 other active coaches have a combined mark of 14-29 in the BIG EAST Championship with two titles.
Davis Doubles Up
Keeley Davis had double-doubles in both matches vs. South Dakota on Jan. 29-31, as the sophomore had 14 kills and 19 digs on Friday before turning in 20 kills and 17 digs on Sunday.
   In 31 matches last season, Davis had a total of two double-doubles. Both of those came in her final four contests.
   Davis had 303 kills and 97 digs in her first 27 career matches, but since then has 230 kills and 206 digs in her past 19 contests.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Though it had won six straight BIG EAST regular-season titles entering the season, this year marked 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 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   1st   1st   - -
Top 25 History
Creighton is 19-80 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 14-14 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 7-32 all-time against top-10 foes (7-25 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   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 120-31 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 15-19 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, 34 of Creighton's 60 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 208-25 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but one of its past 69 home matches over unranked teams and all but five of its last 62 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
   After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton enters this season having earned multiple top-25 victories in every season since 2015. That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories last season.
Hickman For The Block
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 38 career sets vs. Marquette, Hickman owns an astounding 59 blocks. That's good for a 1.55 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
On The Double
Creighton had four players register a double-double on Feb. 5th in its five-set win vs. No. 25 Marquette, as Ally Van Eekeren (20 assists, 13 digs), Mahina Pua'a (20 assists, 11 digs), Keeley Davis (11 kills, 12 digs) and Jaela Zimmerman (19 kills, 15 digs) each had a double-dip.
   It was the first time Creighton had as much as three double-doubles in the same contest since Davis, Zimmerman and Madelyn Cole each did so at No. 7 Minnesota in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
   It was the first time Creighton had four double-doubles in the same match since Nov. 20, 2015, when Jaali Winters, Samantha Bohnet, Jess Bird and Lauren Smith did it at Georgetown.
   Pua'a (20) and Van Eekeren (24) had combined to play in 44 career Division I matches entering that match, but neither woman had ever attained a double-double. Both women had a double-double not only that evening, but also the following day as well vs. Marquette.
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Zimmerman Earns League Award
Creighton's Jaela Zimmerman was recognized as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 2. The recognition actually covered the first two weekends of the season since the majority of the league did not play on the opening weekend.
   Zimmerman averaged 3.50 kills, 2.25 digs, 0.81 blocks and 0.25 aces per set while hitting .252 to lead Creighton to a 3-1 start to the season. The Lincoln native had a pair of double-doubles in those contests.
    She had 11 kills, 12 digs and a career-best six blocks in CU's season-opening victory vs. Nebraska-Omaha on Jan. 22. Two days later Zimmerman had 12 kills, four digs, three blocks and two aces on .320 hitting in a victory over defending MVC champion Northern Iowa.
    In a weekend home-and-home vs. South Dakota, the junior starred. She had a career-high 19 kills and added seven digs, two blocks and two aces on .259 hitting on Jan. 31, then contributed 14 kills, 13 digs and two blocks in the rematch on Sunday as the Jays rallied from an 0-2 hole.
   This is the second time Zimmerman has been recognized as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, having also been honored on Nov. 25, 2019 following wins vs. No. 9 Marquette and DePaul that helped Creighton clinch a sixth straight BIG EAST regular-season title.
   Zimmerman earned the third such honor of her career on March 9, 2021 and a fourth recognition on March 16, 2021.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has played eight seasons as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 72-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (65-3 in the regular-season, 7-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 56-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 50-1 league mark and a 6-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021) was played as a non-conference match, only to be flipped to a league contest 19 days later.
   Put another way, since enrolling at Creighton in 2017, Bluejay senior Naomi Hickman is 35-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, winning 105-of-126 sets played.
Reverse Sweeps A Trend
On Jan. 29, Creighton won the first two sets vs. South Dakota before losing the next three. On Jan. 31, it was just the opposite as the Coyotes won the first two sets before the Bluejays answered by winning the next three frames.
   A "reverse sweep" like that is rather uncommon in the college game. Since Creighton restarted its volleyball program in 1994, the Bluejays have gone 315-11 when leading a match 2-0 and 15-200 when trailing a match 2-0.
   Prior to South Dakota this spring, the only other time that Creighton has traded reverse sweeps against the same team in the same season was in 1999 against Drake, with the road team winning each contest.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 315-11 (.966) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 258-5 mark (.981) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 185-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 97-1 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 15-200 (.070) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 15 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
01/31/21   at So. Dakota   25-20, 25-23, 15-7   Booth
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 319-32 (.909) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 64-143 (.300) 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 110-3 in its last 113 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific, on Sept. 6, 2018 to No. 7 Nebraska and on Jan. 29, 2021 to South Dakota.
   Creighton has gone 51-2 in its last 53 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 7-9 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 94-2 in its last 96 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 101-0 against BIG EAST teams (91-0 in the regular-season and 10-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.
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 383-3 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
08/26/11Â 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
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 61-32 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 4-2 mark this season 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 16 of its last 21 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, wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette in 2019 and at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 15-4 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's back-to-back-to-back five-set matches vs. South Dakota (twice) and Marquette (Jan. 29-Feb. 5) were its first span of three consecutive five-setters since a stretch of three in a row (all wins) during the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   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 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
Total   76-60   476-327
Familiar Face
Senior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past four years, becoming the 16th player to start four season openers.
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
Naomi Hickman   2017-20
Some Fab Freshmen
Including Kiara Reinhardt this season, Creighton has started 12 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, and 16 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), Emily Bressman (2019) and Kiara Reinhardt (2020). 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), Erica Kostelac (2019) and Mahina Pua'a (2020) 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. Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016, Keeley Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019, though Davis didn't start her debut, and Reinhardt was also named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020.
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, Madelyn 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%)
Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton started this season ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It was 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 13 seasons, only 234-of-325 teams (72.0 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   Since 2008, all but 35 teams (of 325) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (89.2 percent), including 2020.
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   12-4   NR
Setting The Table
Creighton started a different setter in its season-opening match for the seventh time in the past nine seasons when Mahina Pua'a got the nod vs. Nebraska-Omaha.
   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 Madelyn Cole started in 2018 and 2019.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the nine seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and seven of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Creighton has won seven of the nine previous season-opening matches.
Home Sweet Home
Including 2020, Creighton has gone unbeaten at home in league play in six of the last nine seasons (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
   Creighton is 65-3 all-time (.956) in regular-season BIG EAST play at D.J. Sokol Arena, falling once each to St. John's (2013), Seton Hall (2014) and Marquette (2020). MU's win on Feb. 6, 2021 snapped CU's 46-match home win streak in league play.
   Since D.J. Sokol Arena opened in 2009, Creighton is 96-8 (.923) all-time in regular-season conference matches in the facility.
   Creighton has won all 13 regular-season meetings with St. John's since that 2013 upset, all 12 encounters versus Seton Hall since dropping the home match in 2014, and beaten Marquette in the lone meeting after this February's series split vs. MU.
   The Bluejays have had a winning record in conference home matches each of the last 15 seasons. That streak that dates back to its days at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, a site that was torn down five years ago and no longer exists.
Coyotes Snap Some Streaks
South Dakota upset Creighton on Jan. 29th and are the lone blemish in some otherwise impressive streaks. After Jan. 29th, the following was true:
- Creighton was 86-1 in its last 87 matches against unranked teams when winning set one.
- Creighton was 94-1 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when leading a match 2-0.
- Creighton was 61-1 in its last 62 home matches against unranked teams and was 108-5 in its last 113 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
- Creighton was 40-1 in its last 41 matches against teams that enter the match with a record below .500.
- Creighton had gone 43-1 in its last 44 matches when winning the first set, compared to a 6-7 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
- Creighton was 12-1 in its last 13 home matches.
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 went 3-1 in three matches (2-1 vs. Marquette, 1-0 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 86-100 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 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
TOTALÂ Â Â 89-135
TOTAL Under Booth   86-100
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: 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
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 383 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport   Victories (as of 5/13//21)
Brent Vigness, Softball   804*
Ed Servais, Baseball   582*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   478*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   383*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   356*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
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 against 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
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 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
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 134 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 26 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 (4), 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   15-1   -   15-1
Connecticut   0-0   1-0   1-0
DePaul   16-0   -   16-0
Georgetown   14-0   -   14-0
Marquette   13-3   4-1   17-4
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   16-0   3-0   19-0
Total   121-11   13-2   134-13
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.
Players Mentioned
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OH
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/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball - Annalea Maeder Highlights - 10/13/25
Monday, October 13
#13 Creighton Volleyball Highlights at Villanova - 10/11/25
Sunday, October 12
#13 Creighton Volleyball Highlights at Georgetown - 10-10-25
Saturday, October 11
Creighton Volleyball's Brian Rosen - Postmatch interview at Georgetown, 10/10/25
Saturday, October 11
