Volleyball's Zimmerman and Sis Take Home BIG EAST Awards

OMAHA, Neb. -- Jaela Zimmerman was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Norah Sis brought home BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Monday following a 3-0 week for Creighton Volleyball at the Bluegrass Battle in Lexington, Ky.

Zimmerman averaged 4.18 kills, 2.91 digs and 0.45 blocks per set on the weekend to land Bluegrass Battle Tournament MVP honors for the second time in her career (2019 Creighton Classic) as Creighton defeated USC (3-2), No. 3 Kentucky (3-0) and Northern Iowa (3-0) in one of the nation's top annual preseason tournaments.

Zimmerman had 16 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win vs. USC on Friday. The senior All-American had three kills and a block in the fifth set, and after Creighton fell behind 13-10 in the clincher she served up a match-ending 5-0 run to help the Bluejays remain unbeaten.

The 2020 AVCA East Region Player of the Year had a match-best 18 kills and added 11 digs and an ace on .304 hitting in a 3-0 sweep of third-ranked and defending national champion Kentucky. Zimmerman had seven kills in the second set and eight more kills in the third frame, and she once again served up match point. It snapped the nation's longest winning streak (12), was the first time UK was swept at home since 2017 (49 matches), and matched the highest-ranked team that the CU program had ever beaten. Zimmerman is now 3-0 in her career against the Wildcats, having also beaten them in 2018 and 2019.

The Lincoln native capped the weekend with 12 kills, five digs and three blocks on .250 hitting in a sweep vs. Northern Iowa. She set the tone and assured there'd be no hangover from the Kentucky win as she had seven kills and four digs in the first frame.

This is the fifth time in her career that Zimmerman has been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, having also done so once in 2019 (Nov. 25) and three times earlier this spring (Feb. 2, March 9, March 16).

Sis averaged 3.91 kills and 3.00 digs per set while hitting .291 to earn a spot on the Bluegrass Battle All-Tournament Team and pick up her first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor of the young season.

The freshman from Papillion had a season-best 20 kills while hitting .308 in a win vs. USC, adding seven digs. She had 13 kills without an error as CU raced to a 2-0 lead at intermission. After Creighton fell behind 13-10 in the fifth set, Sis had a kill to trim the deficit to 13-12 as part of a match-ending 5-0 run. Her 20 kills were the most by a Bluejay freshman since Keeley Davis in 2019, and she's just the second Bluejay (joining Carolyn Decker) to have 20 kills in one of the first 10 matches of her career.

Sis then had 16 kills and a season-best 17 digs on .341 hitting in a 3-0 sweep of third-ranked Kentucky, the defending national champions. She had seven kills in the first set and five kills and nine digs in the third frame, including a putaway on match point.

She closed out her weekend with seven kills and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep over Northern Iowa as the Bluejays limited the Panthers to .073 hitting and without an ace.

Sis became the first freshman in Creighton history to be named to the All-Tournament Team following each of the first two tournaments of her career with the her recognition.

Seton Hall's Anna Holland was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week.

Creighton returns to the court on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. when it hosts No. 4 Nebraska at CHI Health Center Omaha in a match that will be televised nationally on FS1.

Volleyball's Zimmerman and Sis Take Home BIG EAST Awards

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Players Mentioned

Keeley Davis

Norah Sis

Jaela Zimmerman

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