Wednesday, September 28
Omaha, Neb.
6:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Xavier
#21 Volleyball Faces Quick Turnaround For Xavier, Butler Matches
9/27/2022 1:50:00 PM | Volleyball
Bluejays stay at home for Wednesday and Friday contests
Match #14: Xavier at #21 Creighton • Wednesday, Sept. 28 • 6:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO ($) | FLOSPORTS INFO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | XU NOTES |
Match #15: Butler at #21 Creighton • Friday, Sept. 30 • 6:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO ($) | FLOSPORTS INFO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | BU NOTES |
This Week
Eight-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champion and 21st-ranked Creighton (10-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) plays a rare mid-week conference contest when it hosts Xavier (9-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, CU welcomes Butler (7-7, 1-1 BIG EAST) for another 6:30 p.m. contest.
Both matches will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) in Omaha, Neb.
Wednesday's Broad cast Information
Wednesday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service. Ryan Piers and Megan Ballenger will call the match, which will have the audio simulcast on News Talk 1290 AM (KOIL) in addition to being streamed at http://GoCreighton.com/listen1290.
More information about discounted subscriptions to FloSports programming can be found at http://GoCreighton.com/FloSports.
The webcast will also be televised on YurView, which is channel 13 in Omaha on Cox Cable.
Friday's Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service. Ryan Piers and Megan Ballenger will call the match, which will have the audio simulcast on 1180 The Zone (KZOT) in addition to being streamed at http://GoCreighton.com/listen1180.
More information about discounted subscriptions to FloSports programming can be found at http://GoCreighton.com/FloSports.
Live Stats Information
Both matches will have free live stats at
http://creighton.statbroadcast.com. A link is also on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #21 Creighton
Ranked 21st nationally, Creighton is 10-3 this season with the lone losses coming to then-No. 16 Kentucky (3-1 on Sept. 3), to No. 2 Nebraska (3-2 on Sept. 7), and at current No. 22 Rice (3-2 on Sept. 18).
Creighton owns wins over a boatload of NCAA Tournament regulars, including No. 25 USC, Iowa State, Kansas State, Florida State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
Sophomore OH Norah Sis (3.87 kps., 2.56 dps.) was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year after a standout season that saw her pick up National Freshman of the Year accolades from VolleyballMag.com. She leads the BIG EAST in kills per set this year.
Senior OH Keeley Davis is averaging 2.85 kills, 3.06 digs and 0.37 aces per set, and senior MB Kiana Schmitt owns 2.23 kills per set on .279 hitting.
As if that wasn't enough, last week freshman OH Ava Martin (1.88 kps.) led all BIG EAST players with 4.20 kills per set on .441 hitting.
Quarterbacking the Bluejay offense is sophomore S Kendra Wait (10.65 aps., 3.50 dps., .352%), while senior L Allison Whitten leads CU with 3.98 digs per set and owns 2,030 career digs.
Creighton returns four starters from last season's 31-4 squad that reached a 10th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win an eighth straight BIG EAST regular-season title. Having added four freshmen and three graduate transfers in the off-season, CU is favored by league coaches to win a ninth straight title in 2022.
Creighton averages 14.02 kills, 1.46 aces, 17.29 digs and 1.67 blocks per set while hitting .241 as a team.
Scouting Xavier
Winners of four straight matches, Xavier is 9-3 this season and 2-0 in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers 5-1 in five-set matches, including a Sept. 17 win over crosstown rival Cincinnati. Xavier's only losses have come to Virginia, Lipscomb and Purdue.
Missouri State transfer Brooklyn Cink (3.14 kps., .281%) leads the Musketeer offense, with Delaney Hogan (2.19 kps., .283%), Anna Taylor (2.08 kps., .260%) and Emma Grace (2.06 kps.) also averaging multiple kills per set.
All-BIG EAST setter Carrigan O'Reilly (7.35 aps., 2.61 dps., 1.71 kps.) owns four career triple-doubles, and Lucia Corsaro (4.14 dps.) owns the team lead in digs.
The Musketeers average 12.76 kills, 1.04 aces, 16.04 digs and 1.54 blocks per set on .234 hitting.
Scouting Butler
Butler is 7-7 this season and 1-1 in league play after splitting road matches last weekend with DePaul (W 3-1) and Marquette (L 3-1). The Bulldogs started the season 6-3 but have lost four of its last five matches in the last two weeks.
Mariah Grunze (3.34 kps.), Megan Sheridan (2.63 kps.) and Amina Shackelford (2.43 kps.) lead the team in kills per set.
Cora Taylor (9.16 aps.) tops the club in assists and 2021 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley (5.18 dps.) leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
The Bulldogs average 12.06 kills, 0.96 aces, 15.08 digs and 2.20 blocks per set on .183 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 424-182 record in her 20th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to eight straight BIG EAST titles (2014-21), and nine league crowns in the last 10 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 11 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 11 seasons (including 2022), another program first.
Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
Booth is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Brian Rosen and Elise Fulcher.
Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 21-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Twelve of the last 14 meetings have been 3-0 CU sweeps, but the two exceptions were 3-2 Creighton wins in Omaha in 2018 and the spring of 2021.
Thanks in part to a 3-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has more wins against Xavier (21) than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
Creighton's victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 21-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 15-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
Series History vs. Butler
Creighton is 17-1 all-time against Butler, including five-set victories in three of the past 10 meetings.
Butler ruined Creighton's BIG EAST debut on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all 17 meetings since then.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 17-1 vs. Butler and head coach Sharon Clark.
A Wednesday Match? Really?
Wednesday's match against Xavier will be just the ninth in the history of Creighton Volleyball since bringing the sport back in 1994.
Creighton has previously played just one league match in its history on a Wednesday, with that being a 3-2 loss at Wichita State on Sept. 20, 1995.
Overall, Creighton is 1-7 all-time in Wednesday matches. The lone win came on Sept. 8, 2004 vs. North Dakota State. Current Bluejay freshman Ava Martin was two weeks old when that match happened.
X Marks The Spot
Creighton owns 21 consecutive wins over Xavier, its best streak over any foe ever. CU's 17-match win streak over Butler and Georgetown is tied for fourth-best.
Three of CU's first four league matches come against Georgetown, Xavier and Butler.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
Wins Opponent Dates
21 Xavier 2013-Present
19 Southern Illinois 2003-11
19 DePaul 2013-Present
17 Butler 2013-Present
17 Georgetown 2013-Present
16 Indiana State 2005-Present
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin had 10 kills on Friday in just two sets vs. Georgetown, then added 11 more on Sunday vs. Villanova, helping her earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Week accolades on Sept. 26th.
She's the first Bluejay freshman to open her BIG EAST career with back-to-back matches of 10 or more kills since Jaali Winters did it in three straight matches in 2015.
Martin is just the 10th Creighton freshman since 1994 to have 10 or more kills in each of her first two conference matches. No one's done it in more than three straight since Allie Oelke in 2007, and the record is five by JoDe Cieloha in 1994.
CU Freshmen With 10+ Kills to Start League Play
Streak Name Year
5 JoDe Cieloha 1994
4 Allie Oelke 2007
3 Rachelle Von 1997
3 Melissa Walsh 1998
3 Jaali Winters 2015
2 Michelle Prorock 1994
2 Carolyn Decker 2004
2 Jessica Houts 2005
2 Melanie Jereb 2012
2 (so far) Ava Martin 2022
Strong Starts
The only two teams to not drop a set in league play, Creighton and Xavier, will meet on Wednesday in Omaha. Both teams swept home matches against Georgetown and Villanova last weekend.
Xavier is 2-0 in true road matches this season, while Creighton has won 14 straight home BIG EAST matches and is 21-0 all-time against the Musketeers at all sites.
Defense Delivers
Creighton has had its way in the BIG EAST thanks to dominant defense in recent times.
Each of CU's last six BIG EAST opponents have hit lower than .100, and nine of its past 11 league foes have hit under .100.
The best hitting percentage by a league opponent in that span is Xavier's .176 mark last Nov. 5th.
Over the past 11 matches versus league opposition, Creighton opponents are hitting .074 (318-227-1235 in 34 sets) and averaging just 9.35 kills per set.
Date Opponent (CU Result) K-E-TA Pct.
10/30/21 at DePaul (W 3-0) 35-25-127 .079
11/05/21 Xavier (W 3-0) 35-14-119 .176
11/07/21 Butler (W 3-1) 45-30-177 .085
11/12/21 at Georgetown (W 3-0) 24-22-116 .017
11/13/21 at Villanova (W 3-0) 24-13-94 .117
11/19/21 Seton Hall (W 3-0) 16-20-87 -.046
11/21/21 St. John's (W 3-0) 25-22-105 .029
11/26/21 vs. DePaul (W 3-0) 33-24-102 .088
11/27/21 at Marquette (W 3-0) 34-24-121 .083
09/23/22 Georgetown (W 3-0) 18-12-98 .061
09/25/22 Villanova (W 3-0) 29-21-89 .090
Down For The Count
Neither Georgetown nor Villanova scored more than 18 points in a set last weekend, but recent history would tell you that's nothing new.
Creighton has held Georgetown to fewer than 20 points in each of the last 11 sets it has played against the Hoyas.
Creighton has held Villanova to fewer than 20 points in each of the last nine sets it has played against the Wildcats.
Let's Get It Started
Creighton won its first two league matches last weekend and has now started 2-0 in league play in seven of the past eight seasons.
During four of the previous seven seasons, Creighton started BIG EAST play 11-0 or better.
Year League Wins Before First Loss Lost To
2013 0 at Butler
2014 5 at Seton Hall
2015 11 at Villanova
2016 18 --
2017 4 at Marquette
2018 18 --
2019 12 at Villanova
2020 1 #25 Marquette
2021 2 at St. John's
2022 2 (so far) --
Set Streaks
How often has Creighton won each of its first six sets of a BIG EAST season? Just once previously, and that came during the 2018 season where CU went 18-0 and dropped just 6-of-60 sets in league play all season.
In fact, in nine completed seasons of BIG EAST play, Creighton's first set loss has come to Butler on four occasions. Creighton hosts Butler on Friday.
The most league sets won in a row to start a season came in 2011, when Creighton won its first eight sets played. That team finished 12-6 in Missouri Valley Conference action.
Year Set Wins Before First Set Loss Set Lost To
2013 1 at Butler
2014 5 Butler
2015 1 Seton Hall
2016 4 DePaul
2017 2 Georgetown
2018 7 at Butler
2019 5 Georgetown
2020 1 #25 Marquette
2021 2 at Butler
2022 6 (and counting) --
League Opener Histories
Including last Friday's sweep of Georgetown, Creighton owns a 21-8 record all-time in conference openers, including an 18-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and nine straight wins.
Each of the previous nine times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 144-10 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won eight of the last nine conference tournament titles during those years, going 16-1 in those seasons.
In the 20 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .767 (273-83) winning percentage (entering 2022) in league matches.
In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
In conference home openers, Creighton is 24-5 overall and 18-2 under Booth, with 12 straight wins.
In league road openers, Creighton is 19-9 overall and 16-3 under Booth, with eight straight wins.
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won nine conference regular-season titles. All but one of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
Creighton has also won eight conference tournament titles since 2012, tied for the most in the nation with Dayton and Western Kentucky.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2021
Regular-Season League Tournament
9 (1 shared) Creighton 8 Creighton
9 (1) Texas 8 Dayton
9 (5) Western Kentucky 8 Western Kentucky
8 BYU 7 Fairfield
8 (1) Colorado State 6 LIU
8 Fairfield 6 American
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 10th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
Since then, the Bluejays are 82-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (75-3 in the regular-season, 7-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
Since November of 2014, Creighton is 66-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 60-1 league mark and a 6-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021 vs. Marquette) 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 2018, Bluejay fifth-year senior Jaela Zimmerman is 37-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 111-18 in sets played.
League Streak Continues
Creighton has won each of its last 13 regular-season BIG EAST matches. That's the program's fourth-longest win streak in league play.
During CU's 13-match league win streak, the Bluejays have dropped just two sets.
Since losing the third set to Butler on Nov. 7, 2021, Creighton has won its last 19 regular-season sets against league play. Add in two sweeps at the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament and the Jays have won 25 sets in a row against league foes.
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
31 Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST
28 Oct. 31, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2017 at Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
13 Oct. 17, 2021- Present TBD BIG EAST
12 Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015 at Villanova, 3-2 BIG EAST
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0 BIG EAST
11 Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball has been picked to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
Creighton earned 9-of-11 first place votes and 99 of a possible 100 points. That was just ahead of Marquette's 90 points and the other two votes for first place.
DePaul (72) was picked third, just ahead of UConn (71) and St. John's (66). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were Villanova (54), Butler (47), Xavier (42), Georgetown (25), Providence (25) and Seton Hall (14).
Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Jaela Zimmerman and Kendra Wait as well as unanimous selection Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 17 of 19 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including nine 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 (MW) 1st (MW) - -
2021 1st 1st - -
2022 1st ??? ???
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. In 2021, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tournament title.
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 (thru 9/25)
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (9) 139 13 237 63
Marquette (8) 122 27 220 70
Xavier 86 64 138 132
Butler 82 70 149 129
Villanova (1) 77 75 148 125
St. John's (1) 73 79 165 127
Seton Hall (1) 68 83 140 143
DePaul 40 112 104 162
Georgetown 33 111 84 172
Providence* 22 114 89 154
Connecticut# 17 11 34 25
*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.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a .500 record or better against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
The Bluejays own 154 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 27 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (4), Villanova (3) and St. John's (3) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent Reg. Season BE Tourney Total
Butler 17-1 - 17-1
Connecticut 0-1 1-0 1-1
DePaul 18-0 1-0 19-0
Georgetown 17-0 - 17-0
Marquette 15-3 5-1 20-4
Providence 13-0 - 13-0
Seton Hall 13-3 2-0 15-3
St. John's 14-2 0-1 14-3
Villanova 14-3 3-0 17-3
Xavier 18-0 3-0 21-0
Total 139-13 15-2 154-15
Whitten Honored by BIG EAST
Creighton Volleyball's Allison Whitten was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19th.
Whitten finished tied for second in the BIG EAST with 5.00 digs per set, surpassing a career milestone in the process. The senior had 21 digs in a four-set win over Kansas State on Sept. 17, adding three assists and a service ace. She followed that with 24 digs and seven assists in a five-set setback at RV Rice a day later.
Whitten surpassed the 2,000 career dig mark early in the fifth set against the Owls.
All That Jazz
Jazz Schmidt had just 25 kills in Creighton's first 10 matches of the season before she erupted for a season-high 17 kills on Sept. 18 at Rice.
Schmidt's 17 kills were the most by a left-handed Bluejay since Megan Bober owned 19 kills at Southern Illinois on Oct. 21, 2011.
Nationally Speaking
Creighton ranks fourth in the nation with 17.29 digs per set and fifth in the country with 37.81 attacks per set.
In those same categories last season, Creighton was eighth in digs per set and 22nd in attacks per set.
Wait, How Is That Possible?
Only 26 players in the nation average 10.50 assists per set.
Of those 26, only Creighton's Kendra Wait averages more than 3.15 digs per set.
Wait is averaging 3.50 digs per set this fall.
Wait Making History
Just nine days after she had 59 assists and 36 digs against Florida State, Kendra Wait had 56 assists and 24 digs on Sept. 18 at Rice.
Wait is the first Bluejay with a match of at least 50 assists and 20 digs in a match since Korie Lebeda in 2006, and first Bluejay since Kailey Reyes (in 1999) to post multiple matches of at least 50 assists and 20 digs in the same season.
No Creighton player has ever done it three times in the same season.
50 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match
A D Name Opp. Date
51 21 Melissa Weisensee at Wichita State (5s) 9/14/96
53 24 Melissa Weisensee at Indiana State (5s) 10/18/96
65 22 Melissa Weisensee at Evansville (5s) 11/8/97
55 28 Kailey Reyes Evansville (5s) 9/11/99
65 24 Kailey Reyes Illinois State (4s) 9/24/99
64 23 Kailey Reyes at Evansville (5s) 11/4/00
54 22 Brittany Coleman at Illinois State (4s) 10/18/03
62 21 Brittany Coleman at So. Illinois (4s) 10/29/04
71 20 Korie Lebeda at Evansville (5s) 11/18/06
59 36 Kendra Wait vs. Florida State (5s) 9/9/22
56 24 Kendra Wait at Rice (5s) 9/18/22
8 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2021 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win eight straight regular-season titles. The previous record had been seven by Notre Dame from 1999-2005.
The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win eight or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
Sis Swings Away
Norah Sis obliterated Creighton's school-record of 77 attack attempts in a match (held by Jaali Winters) when she had 93 swings in CU's 3-2 win vs. Florida State on Sept. 9.
Sis' 93 attacks are the most in the nation by a player this season.
More From Sept. 9
Creighton's 129 digs vs. Florida State were two shy of its school record and second-most in the nation this year for a single match. CU's only match with more was 131 vs. Illinois State on Oct. 13, 2000.
Creighton's 254 attack attempts rank as its second-most in program history. The only match with more came Oct. 14, 2000 vs. Indiana State (296).
Norah Sis' 28 kills vs. Florida State are tied for fourth-most in program history, and four away from Michelle Prorock's school record set in 1996.
Killing It
Creighton had 78 kills vs. Florida State, then added 70 more kills vs. Omaha a day later.
It's the first time since November of 2006 that Creighton has had consecutive matches of 70 or more kills, though that occurred when sets were played to 30 points.
After 55 kills vs. Kansas State on Sept. 17th, the Bluejays added 76 more at Rice on Sept. 18th.
Creighton has not had 70 or more kills in three straight matches since November of 2003, which was Kirsten Bernthal Booth's first season at CU.
Whitten Surpasses 2,000 Digs
Creighton libero Allison Whitten surpassed 2,000 career digs on Sept. 18 at Rice, as she had 24 digs on the afternoon.
The grad transfer had 1,823 digs in four seasons at Morehead State and leads CU with 207 digs this season, giving her 2,030 in her career.
By comparison, the top two women in digs at Creighton (only) are Brittany Witt (2,079 from 2016-19) and Kate Elman (2,054 from 2012-15).
Last year's Bluejay libero, Abby Bottomley, finished her career seventh in NCAA history with 2,711 career digs, though the first 2,158 digs came while at High Point from 2017-20.
Whitten has nine or more digs in all 13 contests this fall.
Double-Doubles On the Triple
Kendra Wait's streak of six straight double-doubles was snapped in Sunday's romp over Villanova, as she had 34 assists, five kills and three digs.
With a team-leading nine double-doubles this season, Wait owns 26 double-doubles in 48 career contests.
Below is a list of Creighton women to record five or more consecutive double-doubles.
Consecutive Matches, Double-Double
8 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24-Nov. 17, 2000
8 Michelle Sicner, Sept. 21-Oct. 20, 2013
7 Korie Lebeda, Nov. 4-24, 2006
7 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 23-Nov. 18, 1999
7 Megan Bober, Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 2012
6 Abby Baumann, Oct. 13-Nov. 4, 2006
6 Korie Lebeda, Sept. 6-Oct. 3, 2008
6 Megan Bober, Sept. 17-Oct. 7, 2011
6 Jaali Winters, Nov. 12-Dec. 1, 2017
6 Norah Sis, Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2021
6 Kendra Wait, Sept. 7-23, 2022
5 Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 17-23, 1995
5 Melissa Weisensee, Aug. 29-Sept. 5, 1997
5 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 3-17, 1998
5 Melissa Walsh, Sept. 4-14, 1999
5 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 22-Nov. 6, 1999
5 Melanie Keolanui, Oct. 28-Nov. 11, 2000
5 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 27-Nov. 10, 2000
5 Korie Lebeda, Sept. 1-9, 2006
5 Michelle Sicner, Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2013
5 Jaali Winters, Nov. 7-27, 2015
5 Norah Sis, Sept. 7-18, 2022
Wait's Defense Recognized By BIG EAST
Kendra Wait was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12th after posting double-doubles in all three matches in her week.
Wait averaged 10.87 assists, 4.40 digs, 0.80 blocks and 0.47 kills per set in a 2-1 week that featured three different five set matches.
Wait opened her week with 45 assists, 18 digs and an ace in a 3-2 loss to No. 2 Nebraska. It was the first two sets lost by the Cornhuskers all season, and CU hit .202 against an NU team that led the team in defensive hitting percentage.
In Friday's 3-2 win over a 7-1 Florida State team, Wait's career-highs with 59 assists and 36 digs made her the first Bluejay in history with at least 50 assists and 30 digs in the same match. The 36 digs were two shy of CU's school-record and are tied for the most by any player in the BIG EAST this season.
In Saturday's 3-2 win vs. Omaha, Wait had 58 assists, 12 digs and six blocks as Creighton hit .293.
Behind the setting efforts of Wait, Creighton posted back-to-back matches with 70 or more kills for the first time since November of 2006, when sets were played to 30 points.
It was the second time that Wait has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, having previously been honored on Nov. 1, 2021.
Attendance Update
Creighton enters the week ranked eighth nationally in total home attendance (23,544) and sixth in fans per home match (3,924).
Creighton has led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in every non-COVID year since joining the league.
Historically Speaking
No. 17 Creighton hosted 15,797 fans on Sept. 7 against No. 2 Nebraska, setting a record for the largest regular-season volleyball-only crowd in NCAA history. The mark stood for all of nine days before Wisconsin hosted 16,833 fans for a match vs. Florida.
Here's a look at the top volleyball-only regular-season crowds in NCAA history. Of note, 13 of the top 14 figures of 11,000 or more have been in the state of Nebraska.
Largest Regular-Season Volleyball-Only Crowds in NCAA History
Att. Opponent, Result Date Site
16,833 Florida def. Wisconsin 9/16/22 Madison, WI
15,797 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2 9/7/22 Omaha, NE
14,022 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2 9/6/18 Omaha, NE
13,870 UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-2 9/13/09 Lincoln, NE
13,412 Nebraska def. LSU, 3-0 9/12/08 Lincoln, NE
13,396 Nebraska def. Hawai'i, 3-0 10/21/07 Lincoln, NE
13,081 Cal Poly def. Creighton, 3-0 9/2/07 Omaha, NE
Nebraska def. Penn State, 3-0
12,504 Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0 11/4/00 Lincoln, NE
12,112 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-1 9/24/06 Omaha, NE
11,892 Dayton def. W. Michigan, 3-0 9/11/10 Lincoln, NE
Nebraska def. Illinois, 3-2
11,529 Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0 10/22/95 Lincoln, NE
11,279 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-0 09/08/21 Omaha, NE
11,076 Nebraska def. UCLA, 3-1 8/25/07 Omaha, NE
Tennessee def. Utah, 3-2
11,032 UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-1 9/14/91 Lincoln, NE
10,927 Minnesota def. Illinois, 3-1 10/16/04 Minneapolis, MN
10,645 Purdue def. W. Michigan, 3-1 10/29/85 W. Lafayette, IN
10,576 Penn St. def. Hawai'i, 3-0 8/27/05 Omaha, NE
Nebraska def. Stanford, 3-0
10,570 Purdue def. Wisconsin, 3-2 10/17/08 W. Lafayette, IN
MVP Sis Also Picks Up BIG EAST Honor
In addition to being named MVP of the Rumble in the Rockies, Norah Sis also brought home BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Aug. 29th.
The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year averaged 5.23 points, 4.91 kills, 2.27 digs and 0.36 blocks per set on .250 hitting.
The Papillion, Neb., product started her season with near-identical double-doubles on Friday in wins over Iowa State (17 kills, 10 digs, 1 assist) and Wichita State (15 kills, 10 digs, 1 block). The reigning VolleyballMag.com National Freshman of the Year then slammed 22 kills while adding five digs, three blocks and an ace in a 3-1 win at Wyoming to clinch the tournament title. Her 25.0 points against the Cowgirls were a career-best effort and helped her earned Tournament MVP honors for the second time in her young career.
Sis was honored as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times last season, when she was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, but this is her first BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
Sis Races Past 500
Sophomore Norah Sis reached 500 career kills in the Sept. 3 match vs. #16 Kentucky. It came in her 40th career match, and 132nd career set.
The only other players in CU history to reach 500 kills in fewer matches are Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh, both of whom graduated with the CU career record for kills. Winters reached 500 kills in 124 sets, while Walsh did so in 133 sets.
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
Norah Sis 40 09/03/22 #16 Kentucky
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
Sis Passes 600, too
Norah Sis raced past 600 career kills when she did so in her 45th career match (and 157th set) on Sept. 17 vs. Kansas State.
The sensational sophomore became the third-fastest Bluejay in program history to reach the milestone, trailing only Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh.
The three other women that currently lead that list, Winters, Walsh and Leah Ratzlaff, are the top three women who rank atop on Creighton's all-time career kills list. Winters got there in 150 sets and Walsh needed 153 sets.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 600 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Jaali Winters 41 09/03/16 at USC
Melissa Walsh 42 10/09/99 at Wichita State
Norah Sis 45 09/17/22 vs. Kansas State
Leah Ratzlaff 52 11/14/03 Illinois State
JoDe Cieloha 53 08/30/96 Murray State
Amanda Cvejdlik 53 11/17/06 at Southern Illinois
Top 25 History
Creighton is 155-38 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 16-22 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, 37 of Creighton's 67 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 247-30 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but two of its past 85 home matches over unranked teams and all but nine of its last 105 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
After a total of three total top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last eight seasons (2015-22). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
Eleven of Creighton's top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (6) or Kentucky (5).
The highest ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten at any site were No. 3 Washington (8/26/17 in Seattle) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21 in Lexington). CU's highest-ranked opponent it has defeated at home was a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 Marquette on Nov. 22, 2019.
Hall Call
Megan (Bober) Varasteh has been announced as part of the 2022 class for the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame, McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom announced on Friday, August 26th.
Varasteh is part of the 54th class of inductees (along with Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman and Carol Ketcham) and will give the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame 94 inductees, plus the 1991 Creighton Baseball Team. The Athletics Hall of Fame started in 1968 with the induction of Bluejay great Bob Gibson.
Varasteh starred as a member of the Creighton Volleyball program from 2008-12, becoming the program's first player in earn AVCA All-America honors multiple times. She became the volleyball program's first woman named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as well as MVC Tournament MVP, helping the Bluejays to their first regular-season and conference tournament titles and a then-record 29 victories. She closed her career with a school-record 15 triple-doubles (second in MVC history) and as the only player in league history with at least 4,000 assists, 1,000 digs, 800 kills and 400 blocks.
In addition to being named Creighton's Female Athlete of the Year, she was also recognized as the Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, repeated her spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team selection as a senior.
The 2022 Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame banquet will be held on Saturday, October 15 at Hilton Omaha.
Poll Road Ahead
Creighton has been ranked in each of the last 20 AVCA Top 25 polls. With little movement from week-to-week, however, CU is one of 19 teams to be ranked each of those polls, a group that includes Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Creighton has been ranked in all but six of the past 89 weeks the AVCA has put out a Top 25 poll.
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 8-12 against ranked non-conference foes over the last five seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Creighton owned 12 non-conference wins last season to set a program record for a regular-season. It's actually also the first season with 10 wins prior to league play.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year Non-Con W-L vs. Ranked Non-Con Final W-L
2003 3-8 0-0 12-18
2004 8-2 0-1 18-11
2005 6-5 0-3 16-14
2006 8-3 0-1 21-10
2007 6-5 0-3 21-10
2008 3-5 0-3 18-9
2009 3-8 0-3 14-17
2010 5-5 0-1 21-12
2011 5-7 0-1 17-14
2012 9-2 0-1 29-4
2013 9-3 1-2 23-9
2014 7-6 0-5 25-9
2015 6-7 1-4 27-9
2016 6-6 0-4 29-7
2017 7-4 3-3 26-7
2018 8-4 1-3 29-5
2019 7-3 2-3 25-6
2020 3-2 0-0 12-4
2021 12-1 1-1 31-4
2022 8-3 1-2 TBD
Schmitt A Ki Player
Kiana Schmitt entered the 2022 season with three career matches (of 60 played) with 10 or more kills, but the senior already has six matches in double-figures this fall.
Schmitt had 10 kills on Aug. 26 vs. Wichita State, then tied her career-high with 12 kills one night later win at Wyoming. She then had 10 kills vs. No. 2 Nebraska on Sept. 7, 12 kills vs. Florida State and 11 more against Omaha. Schmitt had exactly a dozen kills for the fifth time in her career on Sept. 18th at Rice.
Creighton is 28-4 all-time when Schmitt has six or more kills.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the eighth time in the past 10 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason.
The No. 18 slotting was tied for the fourth-best preseason ranking in program history.
Over the previous 14 seasons, 255-of-350 teams (72.9 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 318-of-350 teams (90.9 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament.
This year marks the 11th straight season that CU has been ranked at least one week, extending a program record.
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 16th 12-4 NR
2022 18th TBD TBD
Some Fab Freshmen
Including Sky McCune on Aug. 26 vs. Iowa State, Creighton has started 15 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, and 19 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), Kiara Reinhardt (2020), Kendra Wait (2021), Norah Sis (2021) and Sky McCune (2022), with Coleman, Lebeda and Wait the only freshmen to start at setter in the season-opener.
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.
Ten of those women (Sis, Wait, Reinhardt, Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC or BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team (though the BIG EAST had no such team from 2013-19). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016, Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019 and Sis recognized as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2022.
Last year marked the first time that Creighton started multiple true freshmen in a season-opener since 2012, when Ashley Jansen and Melanie Jereb both earning a starting nod. The 2012 and 2021 teams are the two winningest single-season teams in program history.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Morgan Colangelo, Ava Martin, Sky McCune and Ann Marie Remmes was recognized as the nation's No. 24 class by PrepVolleyball.
Martin was listed as the nation's No. 47 recruit, while McCune was tabbed 52nd-best. Creighton now owns eight players on its 2022 roster who were Top 100 recruits.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004)
Rank Year Player
68 2004 Carolyn Decker
55 2008 Laurel Sanford
60 2011 Michelle Sicner
73 2013 Jess Bird
50 2014 Lydia Dimke*
18 2015 Taryn Kloth
41 2015 Jaali Winters
77 2016 Erica Kostelac#
98 2017 Naomi Hickman
99 2017 Steph Gaston
49 2018 Jaela Zimmerman
42 2018 Keeley Davis
46 2020 Kiara Reinhardt
97 2020 Ellie Bolton
7 2021 Kendra Wait
28 2021 Norah Sis
31 2021 Eve Magill
47 2022 Ava Martin
52 2022 Sky McCune
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Rankings
(list started in 2004)
Year Rank Freshman Recruits
2004 Best of the Rest (Baumann, Decker, Goc, Lahm, Mehal)
2005 Honorable-Mention (Cvejdlik, Houts, Lebeda)
2006 None (Bloemke, Schulze, Workman)
2007 None (Feldman, Oelke, Vrbicky)
2008 Highest Honorable-Mention (Almgren, Bober, Sanford)
2009 Highest HM Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010 High HM (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011 Highest HM (Browning, McNary, Neisler, Sicner, Stivers)
2012 High Honorable-Mention (Elman, Jansen, Jereb, L. Smith)
2013 None (Bird, Crawford, Foje)
2014 Highest Honorable-Mention (Lawrence, Tupper, Wilkinson)
2015 11th (Ballenger, Bohnet, Kloth, O'Connell, Winters)
2016 High Honorable-Mention (Conlon, Taylor, Witt)
2017 25th (Gaston, Hickman, Roumeliotis)
2018 10th (Davis, Welty, Zimmerman, Zumach)
2019 Highest HM (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020 27th (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021 5th (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022 24th (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-16 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters
From last year's team, only Abby Bottomley, Naomi Hickman, Eve Magill, Ally Van Eekeren, Annika Welty are not back.
All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 511.8 of a possible 700% back (73.1 percent).
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1,331 (87.4%) 192 (12.6%)
Kills 1,307 (80.2%) 323 (19.8%)
Points 1,627.0 (75.6%) 526.0 (24.4%)
Matches Started 154 (73.3%) 56 (26.7%)
Digs 1,460 (70.6%) 607 (29.4%)
Aces 128 (66.7%) 64 (33.3%)
Blocks 192 (58.0%) 139.0 (42.0%)
Jae-Z Plays The Hits
Jaela Zimmerman owns 997 kills, good for 15th in Creighton history. She stands just three kills of becoming the 15th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone. Zimmerman has played in 103 career matches.
Career Kills
Name Sets No. Years
1. Jaali Winters 494 1,843 2015-18
2. Leah Ratzlaff 409 1,622 2002-05
3. Melissa Walsh 394 1,596 1998-01
4. Taryn Kloth 462 1,427 2015-18
5. Kelly Goc 394 1,414 2004-07
6. Jessica Houts 451 1,385 2005-09
7. JoDe Cieloha 398 1,375 1994-97
8. Leah McNary 458 1,257 2011-14
9. Marysa Wilkinson 499 1,183 2014-17
10. Lauren Smith 511 1,160 2013-16
11. Allie Oelke 445 1,126 2007-10
12. Kelli Browning 424 1,104 2011-14
13. Amanda Cvejdlik 343 1,029 2005-08
14. Shelly Kapler 388 1,000 1996-99
15. Jaela Zimmerman 342 997 2018-Pr.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Jaali Winters 73 08/25/17 vs. Saint Mary's
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri St.
Taryn Kloth 103 08/31/18 vs. NC State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
Kelli Browning 110 10/26/14 DePaul
Lauren Smith 119 10/07/16 at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson 120 09/30/17 at St. John's
10 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 10 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The only other sport in Creighton history to make 10 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 10 NCAA Tournaments (2012-21). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 11 of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford.
Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.
Dealing Up Aces
Keeley Davis had six aces on the opening weekend of the season, becoming the eighth player in CU history to reach century mark for her career.
Davis reached 100 career aces in her 82nd career contest, which ranks third-fastest in Bluejay history.
It's also worth noting that three of Davis' teammates entered the year having owned more than 100 career aces, though they've done so at other schools. Bethany Clapp owned 103 aces in 97 matches at Incarnate Word, Jazz Schmidt had 103 aces in 96 matches at Division II Palm Beach Atlantic and Allison Whitten had 103 aces in 115 contests at Morehead State.
Service Aces, Career
Name Sets No. Years
1. Molly Moran 341 145 1998-01
2. Melissa Weisensee 411 125 1994-97
3. Brittany Witt 471 122 2016-19
4. Keeley Davis 330 117 2019-Pr.
5. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 1994-97
6. Kate Elman 464 105 2012-15
7. Shelly Kapler 388 104 1996-99
8. Jaali Winters 494 101 2015-18
9. Madelyn Cole 225 93 2018-19
10. Carolyn Decker 300 89 2004-08
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Aces (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Molly Moran 73 08/31/01 vs. DePaul
Melissa Weisensee 77 11/01/96 Southern Illinois
Keeley Davis 82 08/26/22 vs. Wichita St.
JoDe Cieloha 85 09/06/97 at UNLV
Shelly Kapler 95 10/15/99 Bradley
Brittany Witt 107 10/05/19 Seton Hall
Kate Elman 120 11/15/15 Butler
Jaali Winters 135 11/17/18 Providence
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 358-33 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 66-149 (.307) 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 128-4 in its last 132 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 and on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky.
Creighton has gone 90-3 in its last 93 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 9-15 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
Creighton has gone 131-2 in its last 133 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 352-11 (.970) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 295-5 mark (.983) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 221-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 113-1 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 15-203 (.069) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 13-104 (.111) under Booth. 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
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including season-opening wins over No. 5 Kentucky in 2018 and vs. UTSA in 2011. Three of those other comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
On the other hand, Creighton is 424-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
09/20/15 Kansas State 23-24 (4th set) 15-13
11/20/15 at Georgetown 23-24, 26-27 (4th set) 15-7
08/24/18 vs. #5 Kentucky 16-15, 19-18 22-20
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 64-35 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won 17 of its last 24 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, at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign and at Omaha in 2022.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 15-4 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-4 14-17
2010 3-3 21-12
2011 5-2 17-14
2012 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 3-2 25-9
2015 5-2 27-9
2016 4-3 29-7
2017 4-1 26-7
2018 3-2 29-5
2019 2-1 25-6
2020 4-2 12-4
2021 1-1 31-4
2022 2-2 10-3
Total 79-63 517-334
Eleventh Heaven
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 11 NCAA Tournaments.
That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, as she's tied former men's soccer coach Bob Warming atop that list.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Elmar Bolowich Men's Soccer 6
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played four matches against 2020 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 3-1 against such teams.
This year's team owns eight matches (Iowa State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Florida State, Kansas State, Rice and Marquette) scheduled against teams that made the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and CU is 3-3 against those foes to date.
After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 92-104 since.
Year W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994 0-4
1995 0-2
1996 0-2
1997 0-3
1998 0-5
1999 2-4
2000 0-4
2001 1-6
2002 0-5
2003 0-3
2004 2-2
2005 0-6
2006 4-6
2007 4-9
2008 6-8
2009 1-11
2010 4-7
2011 2-6
2012 8-3
2013 6-6
2014 4-5
2015 11-5
2016 10-7
2017 8-6
2018 8-5
2019 5-4
2020 3-1
2021 3-1
2022 3-3 so far
TOTAL 95-139
TOTAL Under Booth 92-104
Marian Pipeline
This is the 20th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Emily Bressman keeps the streak alive.
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.
2022: Emily Bressman
2021: Emily Bressman
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 owns 424 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport Victories (thru 9/22)
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 618*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 498*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 424*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 387*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis 347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327
*still active coaching at Creighton
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 31-4 last season, won an eighth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and reached the Second Round while playing in its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Norah Sis was named a Third Team All-American by the AVCA and the National Freshman of the Year by VolleyballMag.com. Also named Honorable Mention All-American were Jaela Zimmerman and Kendra Wait.
CU's 31 victories were a school-record and included five tournament titles.
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Match #15: Butler at #21 Creighton • Friday, Sept. 30 • 6:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO ($) | FLOSPORTS INFO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | BU NOTES |
This Week
Eight-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champion and 21st-ranked Creighton (10-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) plays a rare mid-week conference contest when it hosts Xavier (9-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, CU welcomes Butler (7-7, 1-1 BIG EAST) for another 6:30 p.m. contest.
Both matches will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) in Omaha, Neb.
Wednesday's Broad cast Information
Wednesday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service. Ryan Piers and Megan Ballenger will call the match, which will have the audio simulcast on News Talk 1290 AM (KOIL) in addition to being streamed at http://GoCreighton.com/listen1290.
More information about discounted subscriptions to FloSports programming can be found at http://GoCreighton.com/FloSports.
The webcast will also be televised on YurView, which is channel 13 in Omaha on Cox Cable.
Friday's Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service. Ryan Piers and Megan Ballenger will call the match, which will have the audio simulcast on 1180 The Zone (KZOT) in addition to being streamed at http://GoCreighton.com/listen1180.
More information about discounted subscriptions to FloSports programming can be found at http://GoCreighton.com/FloSports.
Live Stats Information
Both matches will have free live stats at
http://creighton.statbroadcast.com. A link is also on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #21 Creighton
Ranked 21st nationally, Creighton is 10-3 this season with the lone losses coming to then-No. 16 Kentucky (3-1 on Sept. 3), to No. 2 Nebraska (3-2 on Sept. 7), and at current No. 22 Rice (3-2 on Sept. 18).
Creighton owns wins over a boatload of NCAA Tournament regulars, including No. 25 USC, Iowa State, Kansas State, Florida State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
Sophomore OH Norah Sis (3.87 kps., 2.56 dps.) was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year after a standout season that saw her pick up National Freshman of the Year accolades from VolleyballMag.com. She leads the BIG EAST in kills per set this year.
Senior OH Keeley Davis is averaging 2.85 kills, 3.06 digs and 0.37 aces per set, and senior MB Kiana Schmitt owns 2.23 kills per set on .279 hitting.
As if that wasn't enough, last week freshman OH Ava Martin (1.88 kps.) led all BIG EAST players with 4.20 kills per set on .441 hitting.
Quarterbacking the Bluejay offense is sophomore S Kendra Wait (10.65 aps., 3.50 dps., .352%), while senior L Allison Whitten leads CU with 3.98 digs per set and owns 2,030 career digs.
Creighton returns four starters from last season's 31-4 squad that reached a 10th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win an eighth straight BIG EAST regular-season title. Having added four freshmen and three graduate transfers in the off-season, CU is favored by league coaches to win a ninth straight title in 2022.
Creighton averages 14.02 kills, 1.46 aces, 17.29 digs and 1.67 blocks per set while hitting .241 as a team.
Scouting Xavier
Winners of four straight matches, Xavier is 9-3 this season and 2-0 in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers 5-1 in five-set matches, including a Sept. 17 win over crosstown rival Cincinnati. Xavier's only losses have come to Virginia, Lipscomb and Purdue.
Missouri State transfer Brooklyn Cink (3.14 kps., .281%) leads the Musketeer offense, with Delaney Hogan (2.19 kps., .283%), Anna Taylor (2.08 kps., .260%) and Emma Grace (2.06 kps.) also averaging multiple kills per set.
All-BIG EAST setter Carrigan O'Reilly (7.35 aps., 2.61 dps., 1.71 kps.) owns four career triple-doubles, and Lucia Corsaro (4.14 dps.) owns the team lead in digs.
The Musketeers average 12.76 kills, 1.04 aces, 16.04 digs and 1.54 blocks per set on .234 hitting.
Scouting Butler
Butler is 7-7 this season and 1-1 in league play after splitting road matches last weekend with DePaul (W 3-1) and Marquette (L 3-1). The Bulldogs started the season 6-3 but have lost four of its last five matches in the last two weeks.
Mariah Grunze (3.34 kps.), Megan Sheridan (2.63 kps.) and Amina Shackelford (2.43 kps.) lead the team in kills per set.
Cora Taylor (9.16 aps.) tops the club in assists and 2021 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley (5.18 dps.) leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
The Bulldogs average 12.06 kills, 0.96 aces, 15.08 digs and 2.20 blocks per set on .183 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 424-182 record in her 20th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to eight straight BIG EAST titles (2014-21), and nine league crowns in the last 10 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 11 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 11 seasons (including 2022), another program first.
Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
Booth is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Brian Rosen and Elise Fulcher.
Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 21-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Twelve of the last 14 meetings have been 3-0 CU sweeps, but the two exceptions were 3-2 Creighton wins in Omaha in 2018 and the spring of 2021.
Thanks in part to a 3-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has more wins against Xavier (21) than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
Creighton's victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 21-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 15-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
Series History vs. Butler
Creighton is 17-1 all-time against Butler, including five-set victories in three of the past 10 meetings.
Butler ruined Creighton's BIG EAST debut on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all 17 meetings since then.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 17-1 vs. Butler and head coach Sharon Clark.
A Wednesday Match? Really?
Wednesday's match against Xavier will be just the ninth in the history of Creighton Volleyball since bringing the sport back in 1994.
Creighton has previously played just one league match in its history on a Wednesday, with that being a 3-2 loss at Wichita State on Sept. 20, 1995.
Overall, Creighton is 1-7 all-time in Wednesday matches. The lone win came on Sept. 8, 2004 vs. North Dakota State. Current Bluejay freshman Ava Martin was two weeks old when that match happened.
X Marks The Spot
Creighton owns 21 consecutive wins over Xavier, its best streak over any foe ever. CU's 17-match win streak over Butler and Georgetown is tied for fourth-best.
Three of CU's first four league matches come against Georgetown, Xavier and Butler.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
Wins Opponent Dates
21 Xavier 2013-Present
19 Southern Illinois 2003-11
19 DePaul 2013-Present
17 Butler 2013-Present
17 Georgetown 2013-Present
16 Indiana State 2005-Present
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin had 10 kills on Friday in just two sets vs. Georgetown, then added 11 more on Sunday vs. Villanova, helping her earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Week accolades on Sept. 26th.
She's the first Bluejay freshman to open her BIG EAST career with back-to-back matches of 10 or more kills since Jaali Winters did it in three straight matches in 2015.
Martin is just the 10th Creighton freshman since 1994 to have 10 or more kills in each of her first two conference matches. No one's done it in more than three straight since Allie Oelke in 2007, and the record is five by JoDe Cieloha in 1994.
CU Freshmen With 10+ Kills to Start League Play
Streak Name Year
5 JoDe Cieloha 1994
4 Allie Oelke 2007
3 Rachelle Von 1997
3 Melissa Walsh 1998
3 Jaali Winters 2015
2 Michelle Prorock 1994
2 Carolyn Decker 2004
2 Jessica Houts 2005
2 Melanie Jereb 2012
2 (so far) Ava Martin 2022
Strong Starts
The only two teams to not drop a set in league play, Creighton and Xavier, will meet on Wednesday in Omaha. Both teams swept home matches against Georgetown and Villanova last weekend.
Xavier is 2-0 in true road matches this season, while Creighton has won 14 straight home BIG EAST matches and is 21-0 all-time against the Musketeers at all sites.
Defense Delivers
Creighton has had its way in the BIG EAST thanks to dominant defense in recent times.
Each of CU's last six BIG EAST opponents have hit lower than .100, and nine of its past 11 league foes have hit under .100.
The best hitting percentage by a league opponent in that span is Xavier's .176 mark last Nov. 5th.
Over the past 11 matches versus league opposition, Creighton opponents are hitting .074 (318-227-1235 in 34 sets) and averaging just 9.35 kills per set.
Date Opponent (CU Result) K-E-TA Pct.
10/30/21 at DePaul (W 3-0) 35-25-127 .079
11/05/21 Xavier (W 3-0) 35-14-119 .176
11/07/21 Butler (W 3-1) 45-30-177 .085
11/12/21 at Georgetown (W 3-0) 24-22-116 .017
11/13/21 at Villanova (W 3-0) 24-13-94 .117
11/19/21 Seton Hall (W 3-0) 16-20-87 -.046
11/21/21 St. John's (W 3-0) 25-22-105 .029
11/26/21 vs. DePaul (W 3-0) 33-24-102 .088
11/27/21 at Marquette (W 3-0) 34-24-121 .083
09/23/22 Georgetown (W 3-0) 18-12-98 .061
09/25/22 Villanova (W 3-0) 29-21-89 .090
Down For The Count
Neither Georgetown nor Villanova scored more than 18 points in a set last weekend, but recent history would tell you that's nothing new.
Creighton has held Georgetown to fewer than 20 points in each of the last 11 sets it has played against the Hoyas.
Creighton has held Villanova to fewer than 20 points in each of the last nine sets it has played against the Wildcats.
Let's Get It Started
Creighton won its first two league matches last weekend and has now started 2-0 in league play in seven of the past eight seasons.
During four of the previous seven seasons, Creighton started BIG EAST play 11-0 or better.
Year League Wins Before First Loss Lost To
2013 0 at Butler
2014 5 at Seton Hall
2015 11 at Villanova
2016 18 --
2017 4 at Marquette
2018 18 --
2019 12 at Villanova
2020 1 #25 Marquette
2021 2 at St. John's
2022 2 (so far) --
Set Streaks
How often has Creighton won each of its first six sets of a BIG EAST season? Just once previously, and that came during the 2018 season where CU went 18-0 and dropped just 6-of-60 sets in league play all season.
In fact, in nine completed seasons of BIG EAST play, Creighton's first set loss has come to Butler on four occasions. Creighton hosts Butler on Friday.
The most league sets won in a row to start a season came in 2011, when Creighton won its first eight sets played. That team finished 12-6 in Missouri Valley Conference action.
Year Set Wins Before First Set Loss Set Lost To
2013 1 at Butler
2014 5 Butler
2015 1 Seton Hall
2016 4 DePaul
2017 2 Georgetown
2018 7 at Butler
2019 5 Georgetown
2020 1 #25 Marquette
2021 2 at Butler
2022 6 (and counting) --
League Opener Histories
Including last Friday's sweep of Georgetown, Creighton owns a 21-8 record all-time in conference openers, including an 18-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and nine straight wins.
Each of the previous nine times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 144-10 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won eight of the last nine conference tournament titles during those years, going 16-1 in those seasons.
In the 20 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .767 (273-83) winning percentage (entering 2022) in league matches.
In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
In conference home openers, Creighton is 24-5 overall and 18-2 under Booth, with 12 straight wins.
In league road openers, Creighton is 19-9 overall and 16-3 under Booth, with eight straight wins.
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won nine conference regular-season titles. All but one of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
Creighton has also won eight conference tournament titles since 2012, tied for the most in the nation with Dayton and Western Kentucky.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2021
Regular-Season League Tournament
9 (1 shared) Creighton 8 Creighton
9 (1) Texas 8 Dayton
9 (5) Western Kentucky 8 Western Kentucky
8 BYU 7 Fairfield
8 (1) Colorado State 6 LIU
8 Fairfield 6 American
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 10th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
Since then, the Bluejays are 82-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (75-3 in the regular-season, 7-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
Since November of 2014, Creighton is 66-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 60-1 league mark and a 6-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021 vs. Marquette) 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 2018, Bluejay fifth-year senior Jaela Zimmerman is 37-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 111-18 in sets played.
League Streak Continues
Creighton has won each of its last 13 regular-season BIG EAST matches. That's the program's fourth-longest win streak in league play.
During CU's 13-match league win streak, the Bluejays have dropped just two sets.
Since losing the third set to Butler on Nov. 7, 2021, Creighton has won its last 19 regular-season sets against league play. Add in two sweeps at the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament and the Jays have won 25 sets in a row against league foes.
Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
Wins Dates Snapped By League
31 Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST
28 Oct. 31, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2017 at Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST
14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC
13 Oct. 17, 2021- Present TBD BIG EAST
12 Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015 at Villanova, 3-2 BIG EAST
11 Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014 Seton Hall, 3-0 BIG EAST
11 Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST
9 Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006 Northern Iowa, 3-2 MVC
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball has been picked to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
Creighton earned 9-of-11 first place votes and 99 of a possible 100 points. That was just ahead of Marquette's 90 points and the other two votes for first place.
DePaul (72) was picked third, just ahead of UConn (71) and St. John's (66). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were Villanova (54), Butler (47), Xavier (42), Georgetown (25), Providence (25) and Seton Hall (14).
Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Jaela Zimmerman and Kendra Wait as well as unanimous selection Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 17 of 19 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including nine 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 (MW) 1st (MW) - -
2021 1st 1st - -
2022 1st ??? ???
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. In 2021, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tournament title.
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 (thru 9/25)
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (9) 139 13 237 63
Marquette (8) 122 27 220 70
Xavier 86 64 138 132
Butler 82 70 149 129
Villanova (1) 77 75 148 125
St. John's (1) 73 79 165 127
Seton Hall (1) 68 83 140 143
DePaul 40 112 104 162
Georgetown 33 111 84 172
Providence* 22 114 89 154
Connecticut# 17 11 34 25
*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.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a .500 record or better against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
The Bluejays own 154 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 27 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (4), Villanova (3) and St. John's (3) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent Reg. Season BE Tourney Total
Butler 17-1 - 17-1
Connecticut 0-1 1-0 1-1
DePaul 18-0 1-0 19-0
Georgetown 17-0 - 17-0
Marquette 15-3 5-1 20-4
Providence 13-0 - 13-0
Seton Hall 13-3 2-0 15-3
St. John's 14-2 0-1 14-3
Villanova 14-3 3-0 17-3
Xavier 18-0 3-0 21-0
Total 139-13 15-2 154-15
Whitten Honored by BIG EAST
Creighton Volleyball's Allison Whitten was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19th.
Whitten finished tied for second in the BIG EAST with 5.00 digs per set, surpassing a career milestone in the process. The senior had 21 digs in a four-set win over Kansas State on Sept. 17, adding three assists and a service ace. She followed that with 24 digs and seven assists in a five-set setback at RV Rice a day later.
Whitten surpassed the 2,000 career dig mark early in the fifth set against the Owls.
All That Jazz
Jazz Schmidt had just 25 kills in Creighton's first 10 matches of the season before she erupted for a season-high 17 kills on Sept. 18 at Rice.
Schmidt's 17 kills were the most by a left-handed Bluejay since Megan Bober owned 19 kills at Southern Illinois on Oct. 21, 2011.
Nationally Speaking
Creighton ranks fourth in the nation with 17.29 digs per set and fifth in the country with 37.81 attacks per set.
In those same categories last season, Creighton was eighth in digs per set and 22nd in attacks per set.
Wait, How Is That Possible?
Only 26 players in the nation average 10.50 assists per set.
Of those 26, only Creighton's Kendra Wait averages more than 3.15 digs per set.
Wait is averaging 3.50 digs per set this fall.
Wait Making History
Just nine days after she had 59 assists and 36 digs against Florida State, Kendra Wait had 56 assists and 24 digs on Sept. 18 at Rice.
Wait is the first Bluejay with a match of at least 50 assists and 20 digs in a match since Korie Lebeda in 2006, and first Bluejay since Kailey Reyes (in 1999) to post multiple matches of at least 50 assists and 20 digs in the same season.
No Creighton player has ever done it three times in the same season.
50 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match
A D Name Opp. Date
51 21 Melissa Weisensee at Wichita State (5s) 9/14/96
53 24 Melissa Weisensee at Indiana State (5s) 10/18/96
65 22 Melissa Weisensee at Evansville (5s) 11/8/97
55 28 Kailey Reyes Evansville (5s) 9/11/99
65 24 Kailey Reyes Illinois State (4s) 9/24/99
64 23 Kailey Reyes at Evansville (5s) 11/4/00
54 22 Brittany Coleman at Illinois State (4s) 10/18/03
62 21 Brittany Coleman at So. Illinois (4s) 10/29/04
71 20 Korie Lebeda at Evansville (5s) 11/18/06
59 36 Kendra Wait vs. Florida State (5s) 9/9/22
56 24 Kendra Wait at Rice (5s) 9/18/22
8 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2021 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win eight straight regular-season titles. The previous record had been seven by Notre Dame from 1999-2005.
The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win eight or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
Sis Swings Away
Norah Sis obliterated Creighton's school-record of 77 attack attempts in a match (held by Jaali Winters) when she had 93 swings in CU's 3-2 win vs. Florida State on Sept. 9.
Sis' 93 attacks are the most in the nation by a player this season.
More From Sept. 9
Creighton's 129 digs vs. Florida State were two shy of its school record and second-most in the nation this year for a single match. CU's only match with more was 131 vs. Illinois State on Oct. 13, 2000.
Creighton's 254 attack attempts rank as its second-most in program history. The only match with more came Oct. 14, 2000 vs. Indiana State (296).
Norah Sis' 28 kills vs. Florida State are tied for fourth-most in program history, and four away from Michelle Prorock's school record set in 1996.
Killing It
Creighton had 78 kills vs. Florida State, then added 70 more kills vs. Omaha a day later.
It's the first time since November of 2006 that Creighton has had consecutive matches of 70 or more kills, though that occurred when sets were played to 30 points.
After 55 kills vs. Kansas State on Sept. 17th, the Bluejays added 76 more at Rice on Sept. 18th.
Creighton has not had 70 or more kills in three straight matches since November of 2003, which was Kirsten Bernthal Booth's first season at CU.
Whitten Surpasses 2,000 Digs
Creighton libero Allison Whitten surpassed 2,000 career digs on Sept. 18 at Rice, as she had 24 digs on the afternoon.
The grad transfer had 1,823 digs in four seasons at Morehead State and leads CU with 207 digs this season, giving her 2,030 in her career.
By comparison, the top two women in digs at Creighton (only) are Brittany Witt (2,079 from 2016-19) and Kate Elman (2,054 from 2012-15).
Last year's Bluejay libero, Abby Bottomley, finished her career seventh in NCAA history with 2,711 career digs, though the first 2,158 digs came while at High Point from 2017-20.
Whitten has nine or more digs in all 13 contests this fall.
Double-Doubles On the Triple
Kendra Wait's streak of six straight double-doubles was snapped in Sunday's romp over Villanova, as she had 34 assists, five kills and three digs.
With a team-leading nine double-doubles this season, Wait owns 26 double-doubles in 48 career contests.
Below is a list of Creighton women to record five or more consecutive double-doubles.
Consecutive Matches, Double-Double
8 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24-Nov. 17, 2000
8 Michelle Sicner, Sept. 21-Oct. 20, 2013
7 Korie Lebeda, Nov. 4-24, 2006
7 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 23-Nov. 18, 1999
7 Megan Bober, Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 2012
6 Abby Baumann, Oct. 13-Nov. 4, 2006
6 Korie Lebeda, Sept. 6-Oct. 3, 2008
6 Megan Bober, Sept. 17-Oct. 7, 2011
6 Jaali Winters, Nov. 12-Dec. 1, 2017
6 Norah Sis, Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2021
6 Kendra Wait, Sept. 7-23, 2022
5 Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 17-23, 1995
5 Melissa Weisensee, Aug. 29-Sept. 5, 1997
5 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 3-17, 1998
5 Melissa Walsh, Sept. 4-14, 1999
5 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 22-Nov. 6, 1999
5 Melanie Keolanui, Oct. 28-Nov. 11, 2000
5 Kailey Reyes, Oct. 27-Nov. 10, 2000
5 Korie Lebeda, Sept. 1-9, 2006
5 Michelle Sicner, Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2013
5 Jaali Winters, Nov. 7-27, 2015
5 Norah Sis, Sept. 7-18, 2022
Wait's Defense Recognized By BIG EAST
Kendra Wait was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12th after posting double-doubles in all three matches in her week.
Wait averaged 10.87 assists, 4.40 digs, 0.80 blocks and 0.47 kills per set in a 2-1 week that featured three different five set matches.
Wait opened her week with 45 assists, 18 digs and an ace in a 3-2 loss to No. 2 Nebraska. It was the first two sets lost by the Cornhuskers all season, and CU hit .202 against an NU team that led the team in defensive hitting percentage.
In Friday's 3-2 win over a 7-1 Florida State team, Wait's career-highs with 59 assists and 36 digs made her the first Bluejay in history with at least 50 assists and 30 digs in the same match. The 36 digs were two shy of CU's school-record and are tied for the most by any player in the BIG EAST this season.
In Saturday's 3-2 win vs. Omaha, Wait had 58 assists, 12 digs and six blocks as Creighton hit .293.
Behind the setting efforts of Wait, Creighton posted back-to-back matches with 70 or more kills for the first time since November of 2006, when sets were played to 30 points.
It was the second time that Wait has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, having previously been honored on Nov. 1, 2021.
Attendance Update
Creighton enters the week ranked eighth nationally in total home attendance (23,544) and sixth in fans per home match (3,924).
Creighton has led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in every non-COVID year since joining the league.
Historically Speaking
No. 17 Creighton hosted 15,797 fans on Sept. 7 against No. 2 Nebraska, setting a record for the largest regular-season volleyball-only crowd in NCAA history. The mark stood for all of nine days before Wisconsin hosted 16,833 fans for a match vs. Florida.
Here's a look at the top volleyball-only regular-season crowds in NCAA history. Of note, 13 of the top 14 figures of 11,000 or more have been in the state of Nebraska.
Largest Regular-Season Volleyball-Only Crowds in NCAA History
Att. Opponent, Result Date Site
16,833 Florida def. Wisconsin 9/16/22 Madison, WI
15,797 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2 9/7/22 Omaha, NE
14,022 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2 9/6/18 Omaha, NE
13,870 UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-2 9/13/09 Lincoln, NE
13,412 Nebraska def. LSU, 3-0 9/12/08 Lincoln, NE
13,396 Nebraska def. Hawai'i, 3-0 10/21/07 Lincoln, NE
13,081 Cal Poly def. Creighton, 3-0 9/2/07 Omaha, NE
Nebraska def. Penn State, 3-0
12,504 Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0 11/4/00 Lincoln, NE
12,112 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-1 9/24/06 Omaha, NE
11,892 Dayton def. W. Michigan, 3-0 9/11/10 Lincoln, NE
Nebraska def. Illinois, 3-2
11,529 Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0 10/22/95 Lincoln, NE
11,279 Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-0 09/08/21 Omaha, NE
11,076 Nebraska def. UCLA, 3-1 8/25/07 Omaha, NE
Tennessee def. Utah, 3-2
11,032 UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-1 9/14/91 Lincoln, NE
10,927 Minnesota def. Illinois, 3-1 10/16/04 Minneapolis, MN
10,645 Purdue def. W. Michigan, 3-1 10/29/85 W. Lafayette, IN
10,576 Penn St. def. Hawai'i, 3-0 8/27/05 Omaha, NE
Nebraska def. Stanford, 3-0
10,570 Purdue def. Wisconsin, 3-2 10/17/08 W. Lafayette, IN
MVP Sis Also Picks Up BIG EAST Honor
In addition to being named MVP of the Rumble in the Rockies, Norah Sis also brought home BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Aug. 29th.
The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year averaged 5.23 points, 4.91 kills, 2.27 digs and 0.36 blocks per set on .250 hitting.
The Papillion, Neb., product started her season with near-identical double-doubles on Friday in wins over Iowa State (17 kills, 10 digs, 1 assist) and Wichita State (15 kills, 10 digs, 1 block). The reigning VolleyballMag.com National Freshman of the Year then slammed 22 kills while adding five digs, three blocks and an ace in a 3-1 win at Wyoming to clinch the tournament title. Her 25.0 points against the Cowgirls were a career-best effort and helped her earned Tournament MVP honors for the second time in her young career.
Sis was honored as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times last season, when she was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, but this is her first BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
Sis Races Past 500
Sophomore Norah Sis reached 500 career kills in the Sept. 3 match vs. #16 Kentucky. It came in her 40th career match, and 132nd career set.
The only other players in CU history to reach 500 kills in fewer matches are Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh, both of whom graduated with the CU career record for kills. Winters reached 500 kills in 124 sets, while Walsh did so in 133 sets.
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
Norah Sis 40 09/03/22 #16 Kentucky
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
Sis Passes 600, too
Norah Sis raced past 600 career kills when she did so in her 45th career match (and 157th set) on Sept. 17 vs. Kansas State.
The sensational sophomore became the third-fastest Bluejay in program history to reach the milestone, trailing only Jaali Winters and Melissa Walsh.
The three other women that currently lead that list, Winters, Walsh and Leah Ratzlaff, are the top three women who rank atop on Creighton's all-time career kills list. Winters got there in 150 sets and Walsh needed 153 sets.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 600 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Jaali Winters 41 09/03/16 at USC
Melissa Walsh 42 10/09/99 at Wichita State
Norah Sis 45 09/17/22 vs. Kansas State
Leah Ratzlaff 52 11/14/03 Illinois State
JoDe Cieloha 53 08/30/96 Murray State
Amanda Cvejdlik 53 11/17/06 at Southern Illinois
Top 25 History
Creighton is 155-38 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 16-22 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, 37 of Creighton's 67 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 247-30 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but two of its past 85 home matches over unranked teams and all but nine of its last 105 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
After a total of three total top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last eight seasons (2015-22). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
Eleven of Creighton's top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (6) or Kentucky (5).
The highest ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten at any site were No. 3 Washington (8/26/17 in Seattle) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21 in Lexington). CU's highest-ranked opponent it has defeated at home was a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 Marquette on Nov. 22, 2019.
Hall Call
Megan (Bober) Varasteh has been announced as part of the 2022 class for the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame, McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom announced on Friday, August 26th.
Varasteh is part of the 54th class of inductees (along with Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman and Carol Ketcham) and will give the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame 94 inductees, plus the 1991 Creighton Baseball Team. The Athletics Hall of Fame started in 1968 with the induction of Bluejay great Bob Gibson.
Varasteh starred as a member of the Creighton Volleyball program from 2008-12, becoming the program's first player in earn AVCA All-America honors multiple times. She became the volleyball program's first woman named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as well as MVC Tournament MVP, helping the Bluejays to their first regular-season and conference tournament titles and a then-record 29 victories. She closed her career with a school-record 15 triple-doubles (second in MVC history) and as the only player in league history with at least 4,000 assists, 1,000 digs, 800 kills and 400 blocks.
In addition to being named Creighton's Female Athlete of the Year, she was also recognized as the Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, repeated her spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team selection as a senior.
The 2022 Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame banquet will be held on Saturday, October 15 at Hilton Omaha.
Poll Road Ahead
Creighton has been ranked in each of the last 20 AVCA Top 25 polls. With little movement from week-to-week, however, CU is one of 19 teams to be ranked each of those polls, a group that includes Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Washington, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Creighton has been ranked in all but six of the past 89 weeks the AVCA has put out a Top 25 poll.
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 8-12 against ranked non-conference foes over the last five seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Creighton owned 12 non-conference wins last season to set a program record for a regular-season. It's actually also the first season with 10 wins prior to league play.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year Non-Con W-L vs. Ranked Non-Con Final W-L
2003 3-8 0-0 12-18
2004 8-2 0-1 18-11
2005 6-5 0-3 16-14
2006 8-3 0-1 21-10
2007 6-5 0-3 21-10
2008 3-5 0-3 18-9
2009 3-8 0-3 14-17
2010 5-5 0-1 21-12
2011 5-7 0-1 17-14
2012 9-2 0-1 29-4
2013 9-3 1-2 23-9
2014 7-6 0-5 25-9
2015 6-7 1-4 27-9
2016 6-6 0-4 29-7
2017 7-4 3-3 26-7
2018 8-4 1-3 29-5
2019 7-3 2-3 25-6
2020 3-2 0-0 12-4
2021 12-1 1-1 31-4
2022 8-3 1-2 TBD
Schmitt A Ki Player
Kiana Schmitt entered the 2022 season with three career matches (of 60 played) with 10 or more kills, but the senior already has six matches in double-figures this fall.
Schmitt had 10 kills on Aug. 26 vs. Wichita State, then tied her career-high with 12 kills one night later win at Wyoming. She then had 10 kills vs. No. 2 Nebraska on Sept. 7, 12 kills vs. Florida State and 11 more against Omaha. Schmitt had exactly a dozen kills for the fifth time in her career on Sept. 18th at Rice.
Creighton is 28-4 all-time when Schmitt has six or more kills.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the eighth time in the past 10 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason.
The No. 18 slotting was tied for the fourth-best preseason ranking in program history.
Over the previous 14 seasons, 255-of-350 teams (72.9 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 318-of-350 teams (90.9 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament.
This year marks the 11th straight season that CU has been ranked at least one week, extending a program record.
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 16th 12-4 NR
2022 18th TBD TBD
Some Fab Freshmen
Including Sky McCune on Aug. 26 vs. Iowa State, Creighton has started 15 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, and 19 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), Kiara Reinhardt (2020), Kendra Wait (2021), Norah Sis (2021) and Sky McCune (2022), with Coleman, Lebeda and Wait the only freshmen to start at setter in the season-opener.
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.
Ten of those women (Sis, Wait, Reinhardt, Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC or BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team (though the BIG EAST had no such team from 2013-19). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016, Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019 and Sis recognized as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2022.
Last year marked the first time that Creighton started multiple true freshmen in a season-opener since 2012, when Ashley Jansen and Melanie Jereb both earning a starting nod. The 2012 and 2021 teams are the two winningest single-season teams in program history.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Morgan Colangelo, Ava Martin, Sky McCune and Ann Marie Remmes was recognized as the nation's No. 24 class by PrepVolleyball.
Martin was listed as the nation's No. 47 recruit, while McCune was tabbed 52nd-best. Creighton now owns eight players on its 2022 roster who were Top 100 recruits.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004)
Rank Year Player
68 2004 Carolyn Decker
55 2008 Laurel Sanford
60 2011 Michelle Sicner
73 2013 Jess Bird
50 2014 Lydia Dimke*
18 2015 Taryn Kloth
41 2015 Jaali Winters
77 2016 Erica Kostelac#
98 2017 Naomi Hickman
99 2017 Steph Gaston
49 2018 Jaela Zimmerman
42 2018 Keeley Davis
46 2020 Kiara Reinhardt
97 2020 Ellie Bolton
7 2021 Kendra Wait
28 2021 Norah Sis
31 2021 Eve Magill
47 2022 Ava Martin
52 2022 Sky McCune
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Rankings
(list started in 2004)
Year Rank Freshman Recruits
2004 Best of the Rest (Baumann, Decker, Goc, Lahm, Mehal)
2005 Honorable-Mention (Cvejdlik, Houts, Lebeda)
2006 None (Bloemke, Schulze, Workman)
2007 None (Feldman, Oelke, Vrbicky)
2008 Highest Honorable-Mention (Almgren, Bober, Sanford)
2009 Highest HM Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010 High HM (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011 Highest HM (Browning, McNary, Neisler, Sicner, Stivers)
2012 High Honorable-Mention (Elman, Jansen, Jereb, L. Smith)
2013 None (Bird, Crawford, Foje)
2014 Highest Honorable-Mention (Lawrence, Tupper, Wilkinson)
2015 11th (Ballenger, Bohnet, Kloth, O'Connell, Winters)
2016 High Honorable-Mention (Conlon, Taylor, Witt)
2017 25th (Gaston, Hickman, Roumeliotis)
2018 10th (Davis, Welty, Zimmerman, Zumach)
2019 Highest HM (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020 27th (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021 5th (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022 24th (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-16 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters
From last year's team, only Abby Bottomley, Naomi Hickman, Eve Magill, Ally Van Eekeren, Annika Welty are not back.
All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 511.8 of a possible 700% back (73.1 percent).
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 1,331 (87.4%) 192 (12.6%)
Kills 1,307 (80.2%) 323 (19.8%)
Points 1,627.0 (75.6%) 526.0 (24.4%)
Matches Started 154 (73.3%) 56 (26.7%)
Digs 1,460 (70.6%) 607 (29.4%)
Aces 128 (66.7%) 64 (33.3%)
Blocks 192 (58.0%) 139.0 (42.0%)
Jae-Z Plays The Hits
Jaela Zimmerman owns 997 kills, good for 15th in Creighton history. She stands just three kills of becoming the 15th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone. Zimmerman has played in 103 career matches.
Career Kills
Name Sets No. Years
1. Jaali Winters 494 1,843 2015-18
2. Leah Ratzlaff 409 1,622 2002-05
3. Melissa Walsh 394 1,596 1998-01
4. Taryn Kloth 462 1,427 2015-18
5. Kelly Goc 394 1,414 2004-07
6. Jessica Houts 451 1,385 2005-09
7. JoDe Cieloha 398 1,375 1994-97
8. Leah McNary 458 1,257 2011-14
9. Marysa Wilkinson 499 1,183 2014-17
10. Lauren Smith 511 1,160 2013-16
11. Allie Oelke 445 1,126 2007-10
12. Kelli Browning 424 1,104 2011-14
13. Amanda Cvejdlik 343 1,029 2005-08
14. Shelly Kapler 388 1,000 1996-99
15. Jaela Zimmerman 342 997 2018-Pr.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Jaali Winters 73 08/25/17 vs. Saint Mary's
Leah Ratzlaff 76 10/22/04 Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha 83 09/13/97 at Drake
Kelly Goc 87 11/24/06 vs Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts 90 11/08/08 Illinois State
Leah McNary 96 09/12/14 Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik 99 11/15/08 at Evansville
Shelly Kapler 103 11/18/99 vs. Missouri St.
Taryn Kloth 103 08/31/18 vs. NC State
Allie Oelke 107 10/09/10 Wichita State
Kelli Browning 110 10/26/14 DePaul
Lauren Smith 119 10/07/16 at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson 120 09/30/17 at St. John's
10 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 10 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The only other sport in Creighton history to make 10 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 10 NCAA Tournaments (2012-21). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 11 of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford.
Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.
Dealing Up Aces
Keeley Davis had six aces on the opening weekend of the season, becoming the eighth player in CU history to reach century mark for her career.
Davis reached 100 career aces in her 82nd career contest, which ranks third-fastest in Bluejay history.
It's also worth noting that three of Davis' teammates entered the year having owned more than 100 career aces, though they've done so at other schools. Bethany Clapp owned 103 aces in 97 matches at Incarnate Word, Jazz Schmidt had 103 aces in 96 matches at Division II Palm Beach Atlantic and Allison Whitten had 103 aces in 115 contests at Morehead State.
Service Aces, Career
Name Sets No. Years
1. Molly Moran 341 145 1998-01
2. Melissa Weisensee 411 125 1994-97
3. Brittany Witt 471 122 2016-19
4. Keeley Davis 330 117 2019-Pr.
5. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 1994-97
6. Kate Elman 464 105 2012-15
7. Shelly Kapler 388 104 1996-99
8. Jaali Winters 494 101 2015-18
9. Madelyn Cole 225 93 2018-19
10. Carolyn Decker 300 89 2004-08
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Aces (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Molly Moran 73 08/31/01 vs. DePaul
Melissa Weisensee 77 11/01/96 Southern Illinois
Keeley Davis 82 08/26/22 vs. Wichita St.
JoDe Cieloha 85 09/06/97 at UNLV
Shelly Kapler 95 10/15/99 Bradley
Brittany Witt 107 10/05/19 Seton Hall
Kate Elman 120 11/15/15 Butler
Jaali Winters 135 11/17/18 Providence
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 358-33 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 66-149 (.307) 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 128-4 in its last 132 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 and on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky.
Creighton has gone 90-3 in its last 93 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 9-15 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
Creighton has gone 131-2 in its last 133 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 352-11 (.970) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 295-5 mark (.983) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 221-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 113-1 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 15-203 (.069) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 13-104 (.111) under Booth. 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
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including season-opening wins over No. 5 Kentucky in 2018 and vs. UTSA in 2011. Three of those other comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
On the other hand, Creighton is 424-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
08/26/11 vs. UTSA 12-14, 13-14 16-14
11/16/12 at Wichita State 13-14 16-14
09/20/15 Kansas State 23-24 (4th set) 15-13
11/20/15 at Georgetown 23-24, 26-27 (4th set) 15-7
08/24/18 vs. #5 Kentucky 16-15, 19-18 22-20
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 64-35 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
Creighton has won 17 of its last 24 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, at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign and at Omaha in 2022.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 15-4 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-4 14-17
2010 3-3 21-12
2011 5-2 17-14
2012 4-1 29-4
2013 3-2 23-9
2014 3-2 25-9
2015 5-2 27-9
2016 4-3 29-7
2017 4-1 26-7
2018 3-2 29-5
2019 2-1 25-6
2020 4-2 12-4
2021 1-1 31-4
2022 2-2 10-3
Total 79-63 517-334
Eleventh Heaven
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 11 NCAA Tournaments.
That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, as she's tied former men's soccer coach Bob Warming atop that list.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Elmar Bolowich Men's Soccer 6
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played four matches against 2020 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 3-1 against such teams.
This year's team owns eight matches (Iowa State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Florida State, Kansas State, Rice and Marquette) scheduled against teams that made the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and CU is 3-3 against those foes to date.
After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 92-104 since.
Year W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994 0-4
1995 0-2
1996 0-2
1997 0-3
1998 0-5
1999 2-4
2000 0-4
2001 1-6
2002 0-5
2003 0-3
2004 2-2
2005 0-6
2006 4-6
2007 4-9
2008 6-8
2009 1-11
2010 4-7
2011 2-6
2012 8-3
2013 6-6
2014 4-5
2015 11-5
2016 10-7
2017 8-6
2018 8-5
2019 5-4
2020 3-1
2021 3-1
2022 3-3 so far
TOTAL 95-139
TOTAL Under Booth 92-104
Marian Pipeline
This is the 20th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Emily Bressman keeps the streak alive.
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.
2022: Emily Bressman
2021: Emily Bressman
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 owns 424 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport Victories (thru 9/22)
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 618*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 498*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 424*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 387*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis 347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327
*still active coaching at Creighton
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 31-4 last season, won an eighth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and reached the Second Round while playing in its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Norah Sis was named a Third Team All-American by the AVCA and the National Freshman of the Year by VolleyballMag.com. Also named Honorable Mention All-American were Jaela Zimmerman and Kendra Wait.
CU's 31 victories were a school-record and included five tournament titles.
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball
RS/S
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Trailer
Wednesday, May 27
Creighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Part 1
Tuesday, May 26
Creighton Volleyball vs Nebraska Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
Nebraska Volleyball vs Creighton Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
