Friday, November 3
Omaha, Neb.
11:30 AM
Creighton University
vs
DePaul
Photo by: Curtiss Shore
#17 Volleyball Hosts DePaul & #25 Marquette This Weekend
11/1/2023 9:50:00 AM | Volleyball
Bluejays look to stay unbeaten at home
Match #24: DePaul at #17 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Friday, Nov. 3 • 11:30 a.m.
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | DPU NOTES (PDF) | PROGRAM | TICKETS |
Match #25: #25 Marquette at #17 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Sunday, Nov. 5 • 1 p.m.
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | MU NOTES (PDF) |Â PROGRAM | TICKETS |
Next Up
No. 17 Creighton (19-4, 10-2 BIG EAST) starts the final month of the regular-season at home against the other two teams from the league in the Central Time Zone.
   On Friday morning at 11:30 a.m., the Bluejays host DePaul (13-10, 6-6 BIG EAST before Wednesday's match vs. No. 25 Marquette). The contest is part of a Cox Kids Day promotion, with more than 450 school kids scheduled to attend.
   On Sunday at 1 p.m., Creighton hosts league-leading No. 25 Marquette (15-8, 11-1 BIG EAST before Wednesday's match at DePaul). Prior to the match Bluejay junior Kendra Wait will be honored in recognition of her earning her 1,000th career dig last weekend.
   D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) in Omaha, Neb,. will host both contests.
Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service at
https://flosports.link/3ORAgp5. Audio from the webcast will be simulcast on KZOT (1180 The Zone). Nicholas Badders and Megan Epperson will announce the match.
   Sunday's showdown will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service at https://flosports.link/3QyMyUI. Audio from the webcast will be simulcast on KOIL (News Talk 1290), as well as on television on YurView. Jon Schriner and Kate Elman will announce the match.
   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 #17 Creighton
Winners of the last nine BIG EAST regular-season titles, Creighton returns four All-BIG EAST selections from a year ago. That's helped CU start 19-4, including wins away from home over No. 16 Purdue, No. 9 Minnesota and Iowa State.
   Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin (3.72 kps.) is third in the BIG EAST in kills per set and has had at least seven kills in each of her last 25 matches.
   Also back are senior Kiana Schmitt (2.62 kps., .357%, 1.09 bps.) and junior Kendra Wait (9.77 aps., 3.54 dps., 1.15 kps., 0.86 bps.).
   After missing five weeks and 11 matches due to injury, 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.54 kps., 2.88 dps.) has returned to the front row the past two weekends, hitting .368 while averaging 4.17 kills per set in four wins.
   While spending much of the past month with a limited line-up due to a rash of injuries, the Bluejays gotten a huge boost from veterans Kiara Reinhardt (1.36 kps., .329%, 0.80 bps.) and Ellie Bichelmeyer (1.48 kps.).
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (14.16), digs per set (16.46), assists per set (13.01), opponent hitting percentage (.141) and hitting percentage (.266) and also averages 2.26 blocks and 1.48 aces per set.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul entered Wednesday's match vs. Marquette with a 13-10 overall record. The Blue Demons are 6-6 in league play.
   Jill Pressly (4.61 kps., 3.10 dps.) leads the BIG EAST in kills per set and has been an absolute workhorse thus far, accounting for 34 percent of DePaul's kills to date.
   When it's not Pressly, Audrey Klemp (3.13 kps.) and Bailey Nelson (2.06 kps.) have also been worth offensive options.
   Ashley Cudiamat (6.55 aps.) and Maggie Jones (6.94 aps.) have both seen extensive time at setter, and Rachel Krasowski (5.24 dps.)leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
   As a team the Blue Demons have averaged 13.06 kills, 16.28 digs, 2.36 blocks and 0.92 aces per set on .189 hitting.
Scouting #25 Marquette
No. 25 Marquette entered Wednesday's match at DePaul with a 15-8 overall record and is alone in first place with an 11-1 BIG EAST mark. MU has won all 12 sets since dropping a 3-2 match at St. John's, which was also the last time 2022 BIG EAST Setter of the Year Yadhira Anchante (9.54 aps., 2.90 dps.) played.
   The Golden Eagles went 1-7 against eight non-conference teams who have spent time in the Top 25 this fall, only to regroup to dominate in league play other than a 3-2 loss at St. John's.
   The Golden Eagles placed four women on the BIG EAST's Preseason All-Conference team, a quartet including Anchante, Aubrey Hamilton (3.80 kps., .287%), Carsen Murray (1.58 kps., .356%) and Hattie Bray (2.26 kps.). With Anchante sidelined the past two weekends due to injury, Ella Foti has averaged 9.83 assists per set while helping MU sweep all four matches.
   Sarah Kushner (3.96 dps.) has taken over the libero role after the transfer of Carly Skrabak, the biggest personnel change from last year's Sweet 16 squad.
   As a team, the Golden Eagles are averaging 12.80 kills, 15.58 digs, 2.09 blocks and 1.60 aces per set on .233 hitting. Against the eight ranked non-conference teams mentioned earlier, however, MU averaged 11.10 kills, 13.74 digs, 1.71 blocks and 1.42 aces per set on .146 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 460-188 record in her 21st season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to nine straight BIG EAST titles (2014-22), and 10 league crowns in the last 11 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 12 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 12 seasons (including 2023), 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 Adam Kessenich.
Series History vs. DePaul
Creighton has won 22 of 23 previous meetings with DePaul, and is 22-0 vs. the Blue Demons since the two schools became BIG EAST rivals.
   DePaul swept the first meeting in 2001 in DeKalb, Ill., before Creighton's recent run, which has included three five-set wins (in Omaha in 2015, spring 2021 and 2022), six different four-set wins and 13 sweeps.
   Creighton has won its last 20 sets played in Chicago dating to DePaul's second set win on Nov. 7, 2015.
   Creighton has swept 12 of the last 15 meetings at all sites, and will enter Friday having won 47 of its past 52 sets played against the Blue Demons.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 22-0 against DePaul and 12-0 versus Marie Zidek.
Series History vs. Marquette
Creighton is 25-7 all-time against Marquette, and are 21-4 since the start of the 2014 season against MU.
   The Bluejays are 6-1 against the Golden Eagles in BIG EAST Tournament action, and 5-1 in the final, including title match victories each of the previous three seasons.
   Teams to win the first set are 25-7 in the history of the series, and Creighton has won all seven match-ups to go five sets.
   Creighton is 25-1 all-time against the Golden Eagles when winning at least one set, including the last 21 such matches since a setback in the 2013 BIG EAST Tournament final.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 25-7 against Marquette and 21-4 against Ryan Theis.
Sponsored By The Number 20
Currently 19-4, here's a few facts about Creighton Volleyball and the 20-win milestone it is trying to reach this weekend.
• Since restarting its program in 1994 Creighton has reached 20 or more wins 13 times previously, all under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
• The only time in the previous 11 seasons that Creighton didn't win 20 matches was the COVID-affected 2020 season (played in the Spring of 2021), when it finished 12-4.
• The quickest that Creighton has reached 20 victories is 23 matches, done in 2012, 2021 and 2022.
• Entering 2023, the only teams to win 20 or more matches each of the last 11 seasons (2012-2022) has been Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky. The only teams to do it 10 times in that span have been BYU, Creighton, Marquette, Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State.
Clean Sweeps
Creighton has won 21 straight sets, sweeping each of its past seven matches, since losing 3-0 at Marquette on Oct. 6th. That's the fifth-longest set win streak in program history.
   Two of Creighton's streaks that were longer were snapped by Marquette, who happens to be Creighton's opponent on Sunday.
   Marquette enters Wednesday's match at DePaul having won 12 sets in a row.
Creighton's Most Consecutive Sets Won
   Set Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   29   Oct. 16-Nov. 18, 2022   at #16 Marquette
   25   Oct. 22-Nov. 20, 2016   Villanova
   25   Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 2018   #16 Marquette
   22   Nov. 7-Dec. 2, 2021   Kansas
   21   Oct.7, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?
   19   Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019   at Villanova
Head to Head
Creighton and Marquette have shared the BIG EAST regular-season title in each of the last two years.
   Creighton is 47-5 against conference teams since the fall of 2021 began, losing once each to Xavier, St. John's and UConn and twice to Marquette. Meanwhile, Marquette is 46-6, with five losses coming against the Bluejays compared to a 44-1 mark against everyone else, with the lone loss coming at St. John's.
Thorn In Their Side
Marquette is 253-81 since the start of the 2013 season, but just 6-22 in that time against Creighton.
   In other words, the Golden Eagles own a .214 winning percentage against Creighton (6-22) compared to a .807 mark (247-59) against everyone else since 2013.
   No other team has beaten Marquette more times than Creighton in the past decade (2013-23), with in-state rival Wisconsin (6) next-closest. Among BIG EAST teams, Xavier owns four wins to top those schools not named Creighton.
   If you wanted to break it down to just the previous five seasons (2018-22), Marquette was 2-12 against Creighton (.143) and 119-15 (.888) against everyone else.
BIG EAST Behemoths
Creighton and Marquette ought to be quite familiar with each other by this point.
   Sunday will mark the 11th meeting between the schools since February 4, 2021, and that doesn't include two other matches that were cancelled due to COVID protocols. Creighton has won seven of those 10 recent contests.
   Sunday will also be the 19th meeting since Oct. 17, 2017 between the BIG EAST behemoths. CU is 14-4 in the last 18 encounters.
Tale of The Tape
No matter how you slice it, Creighton and Marquette have dominated BIG EAST Volleyball since 2013.
Stat   CU   MU   Everyone Else
BIG EAST Reg.-Season Titles#Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0
BIG EAST Reg-Season W-LÂ Â Â 164-16Â Â Â 148-29Â Â Â 612-879
BIG EAST Play Win Percentage   .911   .836   .410
BIG EAST Tourney Titles   8   1   1
BIG EAST Player of the Year   3   5   3
BIG EAST Libero of the Year   2   0   8
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year   4   3   4
BIG EAST Coach of the Year   3   2   5
AVCA All-Americans*Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0
AVCA H.M. All-Americans   16   8   14
AVCA Region Freshman of Year   3   1   2
AVCA Region Coach of Year   3   0   2
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans   6   3   0
# includes ties
*First/Second/Third Teams only
Feelin' Good In The Neighborhood
Creighton has two players from the Badger State who will be looking to claim bragging rights with a win over Marquette.
   Kiana Schmitt hails from Waunakee, and Kiara Reinhardt is from the northern Milwaukee suburb of Cedarburg.
   One of Reinhardt's teammates at Cedarburg High School was current Villanova middle blocker Maddie Barber, who is the sister of former Marquette All-American and 2019 BIG EAST Player of the Year Allie Barber.
   Likewise, Ann Marie Remmes will have a point to prove when the Lisle, Ill,. native meets DePaul, which is based out of Chicago.
   The familiarity doesn't end there. DePaul opposite Audrey Klemp was a high school teammate of Creighton libero Ellie Bolton at St. James (Kan.) Academy.
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 both 2021 and 2022, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tourney title.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - Oct. 30, 2023
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (10)Â Â Â 164Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 273Â Â Â 69
Marquette (9)Â Â Â 148Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 253Â Â Â 81
Xavier   104   74   165   149
Butler   95   85   168   150
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 91Â Â Â 89Â Â Â 192Â Â Â 143
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 89Â Â Â 91Â Â Â 169Â Â Â 144
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 102Â Â Â 152Â Â Â 166
DePaul   52   128   123   182
Georgetown   38   134   98   198
Connecticut#Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 27Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 49
Providence*Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 103Â Â Â 183
*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.
9 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-22, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win nine 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 nine or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
   The only other teams nationally with an active streak of more than four straight regular-season league titles are Texas (Big 12) and Kentucky (SEC), both with six.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a record better than .500 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 181 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 three league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence) since joining the BIG EAST, and Marquette (6), Villanova (3), Seton Hall (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   19-1   -   19-1
Connecticut   3-1   1-0   4-1
DePaul   21-0   1-0   22-0
Georgetown   20-0   -   20-0
Marquette   16-5   6-1   22-6
Providence   16-0   -   16-0
Seton Hall   16-3   2-0   18-3
St. John's   17-2   0-1   17-3
Villanova   17-3   3-0   20-3
Xavier   19-1   4-0   23-1
Total   164-16   17-2   181-18
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 10 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
   Creighton has also won nine conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2022
Regular-Season   League Tournament
10 (3 shared) Creighton   9 Creighton
10 (1) Texas   8 Dayton
10 (5) Western Kentucky   8 Western Kentucky
9 Fairfield   7 Fairfield
8 BYUÂ Â Â 6 American
8 (1) Colorado State   6 LIU
No Losers Here
Creighton and Marquette have been nearly as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
   Creighton, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Texas, Towson, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin were the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
   If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
What's A Poll Really Mean?
This year marks the third time in the last 11 years that Creighton was picked second in the BIG EAST behind Marquette.
   In 2018 Creighton went 20-0 against BIG EAST teams, including a 3-0 mark over Marquette.
   In 2019 Creighton went 17-2 against BIG EAST teams, including a 2-0 record vs. Marquette.
One At A Time
As tempting as it may seem, Creighton hasn't been caught looking ahead to Marquette in past seasons.
   Entering the weekend, Creighton owns 20 straight 3-0 wins against BIG EAST teams in the match before facing Marquette, a stretch that began in October of 2015.
Straight Sets
Creighton is 16-0 this season when winning the second set.
   DePaul is 11-1 this year when winning the first set, 11-0 when winning the third set and 6-1 when winning the fourth set this season. The Blue Demons are 6-0 in matches to last exactly four sets.
   Creighton owns 21 straight victories against Marquette when winning at least one set, and is 25-1 in that scenario all-time.
Best In The BIG EAST
Creighton ranks first and DePaul ranks second in the BIG EAST in digs per set, kills per set and assists per set. It's flipped in blocks per set, where DePaul is first and Creighton is second.
   Individually, Creighton's Kiana Schmitt leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage, just ahead of Marquette's Carsen Murray.
   When it comes to blocking, DePaul's Katelynn Oxley leads the way, just ahead of CU's Schmitt.
   In addition, DePaul's Jill Pressly leads the BIG EAST in kills per set, and Marquette's Aubrey Hamilton is second, just ahead of Creighton's Ava Martin.
   The top four players in points per set will also be at D.J. Sokol Arena this weekend. Pressly is first, Hamilton second, CU's Norah Sis third and CU's Martin fourth.
All Or Nothing
Incredibly, Creighton has played 38 straight contests against BIG EAST competition since last playing a match to end in exactly four sets.
   This year's schedule has featured 11 league sweeps and one 3-2 contest.
   Last year's schedule featured 16 sweeps and four matches against league teams to go five sets.
   And looking back at 2021, CU's final six matches against the BIG EAST were 3-0 sweeps.
   Creighton's last four-set contest against a league play foe on Nov. 7, 2021, a 3-1 home win vs. Butler.
Against Ranked Foes
After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (2015-23). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
   Creighton is 25-85 all-time against ranked teams and 13 of those top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (8) 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.
   Sunday's contest vs. No. 25 Marquette will mark Creighton's first home match this fall against a top-25 team, and first since beating then-No. 14 (Nov. 26) and then-No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) last year, both in five sets.
   This year is the seventh season that CU owns multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017 and 2022, and a record four in 2018 and 2019.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 191-44 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 20-24 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, 39 of Creighton's 73 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 279-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 101 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 141 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 20-24)
Home: 8-9Â Â Â Away: 7-9 Â Â Â Neutral: 5-6
Date   Winner   Loser   CU Score
11/19/12   #11 Minnesota   #21 Creighton   1-3
08/30/13   #25 Creighton   #13 BYU   3-1
09/14/13   #11 UCLA   #24 Creighton   1-3
09/16/13   #7 Hawaii   #23 Creighton   2-3
08/30/14   #22 Kansas   #23 Creighton   1-3
09/03/16   #23 Kentucky   #22 Creighton   0-3
12/02/16   #21 Creighton   #4 Kansas   3-2
12/09/16   #21 Creighton   #17 Michigan   3-2
12/10/16   #5 Texas   #21 Creighton   0-3
08/26/17   #9 Creighton   #3 Washington   3-1
09/01/17   #7 Creighton   #13 Kentucky   3-0
09/02/17   #18 USC   #7 Creighton   0-3
09/08/17   #17 Purdue   #9 Creighton   1-3
09/09/17   #9 Creighton   #7 Kansas   3-0
09/16/17   #19 Iowa State   #8 Creighton   2-3
12/12/17   #12 Michigan St.   #15 Creighton   1-3
08/24/18   #13 Creighton   #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/25/18   #10 USC   #13 Creighton   2-3
09/06/18   #7 Nebraska   #14 Creighton   2-3
09/15/18   #8 Illinois   #10 Creighton   1-3
09/23/18   #10 Creighton   #21 Marquette   3-0
10/26/18   #10 Creighton   #18 Marquette   3-1
11/24/18   #9 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-1
12/01/18   #22 Washington   #9 Creighton   0-3
08/30/19   #2 Nebraska   #18 Creighton   1-3
08/31/19   #20 Baylor   #18 Creighton   0-3
09/06/19   #23 Creighton   #12 Kentucky   3-1
09/07/19   #23 Creighton   #15 USC   3-1
09/14/19   #12 Washington   #17 Creighton   1-3
10/12/19   #13 Creighton   #10 Marquette   3-2
11/22/19   #12 Creighton   #9 Marquette   3-1
12/07/19   #7 Minnesota   #15 Creighton   2-3
02/05/21   #19 Creighton   #25 Marquette   3-2
02/06/21   #25 Marquette   #19 Creighton   0-3
09/08/21   #3 Nebraska   #19 Creighton   0-3
09/02/22   #17 Creighton   #25 USC   3-1
09/03/22   #16 Kentucky   #17 Creighton   1-3
09/07/22   #2 Nebraska   #17 Creighton   2-3
10/14/22   #21 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-2
11/19/22   #16 Marquette   #11 Creighton   0-3
11/26/22   #15 Creighton   #14 Marquette   3-2
08/26/23   #18 Creighton   #16 Purdue   3-0
09/06/23   #4 Nebraska   #16 Creighton   1-3
09/16/23   #14 Creighton   #9 Minnesota   3-2
11/05/23   #17 Creighton   #25 Marquette   1 pm
Wait Reaches 1,000 Digs
Kendra Wait became the fifth player in program history to reach 3,000 career assists on Sept. 29th vs. St. John's. On Oct. 28 at Georgetown, she became the 16th player to reach 1,000 career digs. It came in her 89th career contest.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Bianca Rivera   53   11/08/08   Illinois State
Julianne Mandolfo   56   10/22/11   Evansville
Kate Elman   59   11/16/13   at Seton Hall
Nayka Benitez   60   11/27/10   at Northern Iowa
Brittany Witt   68   12/01/17   Coastal Carolina
Kailey Reyes   77   09/01/01   vs. Texas-San Antonio
Janeen Piller   80   09/25/04   at Missouri State
Melissa Walsh   85   09/08/01   at #24 Santa Clara
Kendra Wait   89   10/28/23   at Georgetown
Allie Oelke   95   09/04/10   vs. Iowa
Melissa Weisensee   97   10/04/97   at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze   101   11/13/09   Southern Illinois
Jaali Winters   103   11/25/17   at Marquette
Melanie Jereb   105   09/12/15   CSU Bakersfield
Korie Lebeda   108   10/17/08   Evansville
Megan Bober   118   10/27/12   Southern Illinois
Digs
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Brittany Witt   471   2,079   2016-19
   2.   Kate Elman   464   2,054   2012-15
   3.   Janeen Piller   336   1,392   2001-04
   4.   Jaali Winters   494   1,386   2015-18
   5.   Allie Oelke   445   1,382   2007-10
   6.   Kailey Reyes   368   1,258   1998-01
   7.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,240   1998-01
   8.   Julianne Mandolfo   241   1,224   2010-11
   9.   Melissa Weisensee   411   1,223   1994-97
   10.   Melanie Jereb   471   1,218   2012-15
   11.   Korie Lebeda   428   1,130   2005-08
   12.   Megan Bober   480   1,123   2009-12
   13.   Bianca Rivera   207   1,118   2007-08
   14.   Sarah Schulze   398   1,056   2006-09
   15.   Nayka Benitez   233   1,053   2009-10
   16.   Kendra Wait   310   1,012   2021-23
   17.   Abby Baumann   375   935   2004-07
      Jess Bird   377   935   2013-16
Libero Roles Change
Creighton has used a different libero during each of the past three weekends, but hasn't lost a set during that time.
   Ellie Bolton served as CU's libero the first 19 matches of the season before suffering an injury.
   She was replaced by sophomore Sky McCune, who handled the role on Oct. 20-21.
   Last weekend, Sydney Breissinger returned to the floor after missing six matches due to injury and donned the alternate jersey. Breissinger became CU's first freshman to wear the libero jersey since Bolton did in the 2020 (Spring 2021) campaign.
   This year marks the first time that the Bluejays have utilized three different women as a libero in the same season since the 2020 (Spring 2021) season, when Bolton (14 matches), Grace Nelson (3 matches) and Jaela Zimmerman (1 match) all did so.
   This is just the third time since the libero was introduced to the college game in 2002 that Creighton has played three ore more women at libero in the same season, having done so in 2020 (see the above paragraph) as well as 2005, when five different women (Mallory Lahm, Brittany Coleman, Emily Greisch, Katie Mehal and Molly Lahr) all shared the role.
They Say Defense Wins Championships
Creighton has held opponents to .141 hitting, a figure that ranks third-best nationally and behind only Nebraska (.125) and Pittsburgh (.133). In league play, foes hit an even smaller .109.
   Friday's foe, DePaul, ranks 11th (last) in the BIG EAST with a .182 hitting percentage.
   Including 2023, Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in opponent's hitting percentage each of the last eight seasons.
Sis Plays All Six
Junior Norah Sis made her long-awaited return to the front row on Oct. 20th, playing all six rotations for the first time in seven weeks (Sept. 1-3).
   In the four matches she's played since, she's led all players in kills three times and also hit .400 or better three times.
   Since returning, Sis ranks second in the BIG EAST in kills per set (4.17), second in points per set (4.88). and seventh in hitting percentage (.368).
   Creighton is 12-0 in those sets, with all of those contests taking place on the road. Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, kills per set, digs per set and assists per set in that time.
That's Why She's The MVP
Junior Norah Sis is a two-time BIG EAST Tournament MVP as well as the 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year, so it should come as little surprise that Creighton's a better team when she's on the floor. The numbers show that to be true, as well.
Category   With Sis   Without Sis
Team Match Record   11-1   8-3
Team Set Record   35-6   27-12
Team's Set 1 Record   12-0   9-2
Percent of Points Won   56.5%   53.1%
Kills Per Set   15.27   13.00
Hitting Percentage   .304   .224
Aces Per Set   1.78   1.15
Digs Per Set   16.80   16.10
Blocks Per Set   2.45   2.05
Opponents Blocks Per Set   1.29   1.88
Martin Kills Per Set   3.85   3.59
Martin Hitting Percentage   .313   .210
Reinhardt Kills Per Set   1.71   1.10
Reinhardt Hitting Percentage   .484   .220
Offensive Parity Works Wonders
Creighton has hit .391 over the course of its last six matches, and its parity has been a big reason why.
   In that time seven different women own 18 kills or more,and all of those women are also hitting .325 or higher in that span.
Last Six Matches
Name   K   E   TA   Pct.
Ava Martin   55   11   128   .344
Norah Sis   50   11   107   .364
Kiana Schmitt   42   8   82   .415
Ellie Bichelmeyer   36   8   72   .389
Kiara Reinhardt   35   3   60   .533
Kendra Wait   26   3   50   .460
Destiny Ndam-Simpson   18   5   40   .325
TEAMÂ Â Â 267Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 552Â Â Â .391
Offense Settles In
Creighton's offense has been on an absolute tear during the past six matches, a stretch that started after the last time CU played Marquette and DePaul.
   During that span Creighton has hit .300 or better in 16 of the 18 sets and had 12 or more kills in all 18 sets.
   The Bluejays have hit an insane .465 in the first set of those six matches (90-11-170), surpassing the .600 mark while going without an attack error in three of the six contests.
Opponent   K   E   ATK   PCT.
Georgetown   45   5   82   .488
Villanova   46   11   103   .340
at UConn   49   9   101   .396
at Providence   45   8   86   .430
at Villanova   41   5   73   .493
at Georgetown   41   13   107   .262
Total   287   51   552   .428
Maser Steps Up
Katie Maser entered Oct. 20th with eight assists, seven digs and one ace in 32 career sets played over the previous three-plus seasons.
   Normally a setter but pressed into defensive specialist's role after injuries to four key teammates, Maser proved she was more than up to the task. The Grand Island, Neb., native had six assists, eight digs and two aces while playing in all six sets.
Schmitt Joins Century Club
Senior Kiana Schmitt has played in 100 victories during her career, becoming the 10th Bluejay to appear in 100 triumphs.
   Schmitt's current .870 winning percentage (100-15) in matches appeared in is easily the best, far outpacing the .820 win percentage for Taryn Kloth (109-24 from 2015-18).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   W-L   Pct.   Name   Years
   116-26   .817   Naomi Hickman   2017-21
   111-28   .799   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   109-24   .820   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   109-25   .813   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   107-25   .811   Megan Ballenger   2016-19
   106-32   .768   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-17
   104-34   .754   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   102-31   .767   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   101-31   .765   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   100-15   .870   Kiana Schmitt   2019-Pres.
   98-16   .860   Jaela Zimmerman   2018-22
Best Sets
Creighton has only had 10 sets in program history in which it has hit .654 or better, but two of those have come in the last six matches.
   Creighton hit .667 in the first set vs. Georgetown on Oct. 13 and .737 at Providence on Oct. 21st, also in the first set.
Best Team Hitting Percentage in a Set
   %   K-E-TA   Opponent (Set #)   Date
   .818   18-0-22   at DePaul (1)   10/6/17
   .737   14-0-19   at Providence (1)   10/21/23
.722Â Â Â 13-0-18Â Â Â at Georgetown (5)Â Â Â 11/20/15
   .714   10-0-14   vs. Northern Iowa (5)   9/5/14
   .714   15-0-21   at DePaul (3)   10/11/19
   .684   13-0-19   Eastern Illinois (2)   10/15/00
   .682   15-0-22   Tulsa (3)   10/27/95
.667Â Â Â 18-2-24Â Â Â Xavier (1)Â Â Â 9/28/22
   .667   14-0-21   Georgetown (1)   10/13/23
   .654   18-1-26   Bradley (3)   9/25/10
The Streak
Currently 10-2 in league play, Creighton has not lost three conference matches in the same season since 2013, when it finished 12-4 in its inaugural BIG EAST campaign.
(More Than) Halfway Home
Creighton has now played 12 of its 18 league matches on the docket.
   The Bluejays have suffered one league loss or fewer in the second half of conference play during each of the previous nine seasons.
League Record by Year
Year   1st Half   2nd Half   Place
1994Â Â Â 2-8Â Â Â 1-9Â Â Â T-9th MVC
1995Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â T-7th MVC
1996Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â T-6th MVC
1997Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-3rd MVC
1998Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â 8th MVC
1999Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 5th MVC
2000Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2001Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2002Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â T-9th MVC
2003Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-5th MVC
2004Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5th MVC
2005Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 5th MVC
2006Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2007Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â T-2nd MVC
2008Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 2nd MVC
2009Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2010Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 3rd MVC
2011Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4th MVC
2012Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st MVC
2013Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â T-2nd BIG EAST
2014Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2020Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST (Midwest)
2021Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â T-1st BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â T-1st BIG EAST
2023   7-2    3-0 so far   TBD
Total   177-89   171-89   --
On A Roll
Creighton owns 22 straight victories vs. DePaul, its second-longest win streak ever against any team. In September, CU's record streak of 23 straight wins over Xavier was snapped.
   Last Saturday the Bluejays picked up a 20th consecutive win over Georgetown, its third-longest streak against another team.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   23   Xavier   2013-22
   22   DePaul   2013-Present
   20   Georgetown   2013-Present
   19   Southern Illinois   2003-11
   19   Butler   2013-Present
   17   Seton Hall   2014-Present
   16   Indiana State   2005-Present
   16   Providence   2014-Present
Hall Mark
Including its 3-0 victory on Oct. 1st, Creighton has swept Seton Hall each of the last 15 meetings, and won each of the last 47 sets against the Pirates.
   The 47 straight set victories over the Pirates is easily the longest in program history over one opponent.
Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   47   Seton Hall   2015-Present
   29   Providence   2017-Present
   25   Indiana State   2005-09
   24   Xavier   2015-18
   23   Indiana State   2009-Present
   22   Georgetown   2019-Present
   19   Providence   2014-17
   19   Butler   2018-21
Better and Better
Kiana Schmitt has established herself as one of the best middle blockers in the BIG EAST and beyond.
   Schmitt had 10 kills and two blocks her entire freshman year in 2019, only seeing action in 18 sets. Schmitt has upped her numbers all five seasons and is currently posting career-high numbers across the board.
Year   STARTS   KPS   PCT%   BPS   PPS
2019Â Â Â 0Â Â Â .56Â Â Â .409Â Â Â .11Â Â Â .61
2020Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1.46Â Â Â .299Â Â Â .60Â Â Â 1.76
2021Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 1.64Â Â Â .274Â Â Â .84Â Â Â 2.09
2022Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 2.27Â Â Â .317Â Â Â .98Â Â Â 2.78
2023Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 2.62Â Â Â .357Â Â Â 1.09Â Â Â 3.19
TOTALÂ Â Â 78Â Â Â 1.99Â Â Â .318Â Â Â .87Â Â Â 2.45
Following In Their Footsteps
Destiny Ndam-Simpson has led Creighton in kills in three of the last eight matches she's played in as the Westside High School product is developing into one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the conference.
   Seeking to become CU's fourth BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in the last five seasons, Ndam-Simpson's stats compare similar to how CU's previous BIG EAST Freshmen of the Year performed.
After 23 Team Matches
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
D. Ndam-Simpson, 2023Â Â Â 2.44Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
A. Martin, 2022Â Â Â 2.18Â Â Â .64Â Â Â .27Â Â Â 2.34
N. Sis, 2021Â Â Â 3.66Â Â Â 2.96Â Â Â .56Â Â Â 4.16
K. Davis, 2019Â Â Â 3.13Â Â Â .92Â Â Â .39Â Â Â 3.65
J. Winters, 2015Â Â Â 3.89Â Â Â 2.18Â Â Â .46Â Â Â 4.29
Full Season Stats
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
D. Ndam-Simpson, 2023Â Â Â 2.44Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
A. Martin, 2022Â Â Â 2.49Â Â Â .71Â Â Â .25Â Â Â 2.65
N. Sis, 2021Â Â Â 3.75Â Â Â 2.96Â Â Â .60Â Â Â 4.24
K. Davis, 2019Â Â Â 3.35Â Â Â 1.37Â Â Â .41Â Â Â 3.89
J. Winters, 2015Â Â Â 4.07Â Â Â 2.49Â Â Â .44Â Â Â 4.44
Freshmen Phenoms
Creighton's Destiny Ndam-Simpson ranks fifth among BIG EAST freshmen in kills per set.
Full Season Stats
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
A. Harrell, VUÂ Â Â 3.38Â Â Â 2.11Â Â Â .35Â Â Â 3.90
E. Ward, BUÂ Â Â 2.58Â Â Â 2.38Â Â Â .29Â Â Â 2.99
M. Taylor, PCÂ Â Â 2.45Â Â Â 1.70Â Â Â .22Â Â Â 2.90
M. Ayro, UConn   2.444   .67   .21   2.60
D. Ndam-Simpson, CUÂ Â Â 2.438Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
Sans Sis, Ndam-Simpson & Schmitt Shined
Creighton went 8-3 in the 11 matches without two-time All-American Norah Sis, and the play of Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Kiana Schmitt was a key reason why.
   Ndam-Simpson averaged 2.72 kills per set while Schmitt's averaged 2.69 kills per set on .351 hitting without Sis.
   Helping to replace Sis' defensive production was setter Kendra Wait, averaged 3.79 digs per set in that span.
It Doesn't Seem Possible
Creighton is off to a 7-0 start at home this season and remains the only BIG EAST program that has yet to lose a home contest in 2023.
   Believe it or not, this is the first time that Creighton has ever started 4-0 or better at home.
   The previous best? Both the 2001 and 2014 Bluejay teams started 3-0 at home.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 11th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 96-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (87-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 80-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 72-1 league mark and a 8-0 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 Kiana Schmitt is 39-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (with 30 straight wins), and 117-22 in sets.
All They Do Is Win
Creighton has ranked as one of the nation's most successful programs since the start of the 2015 season.
   Through matches of Oct. 29, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 225 wins and eighth-best with an .815 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 10/29)
   Rk.   Wins   Team
   1.   247   Western Kentucky
   2.   241   Nebraska
   3.   234   Pittsburgh
   4.   231   BYU
   5.   228   Texas
   6.   225   Creighton
   7.   223   Wisconsin
   8.   219   Stephen F. Austin
   9.   217   Florida
   10.   211   Washington
      211   Minnesota
      211   Florida Gulf Coast
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 10/29)
   Rk.   Pct.   Team   W-L
   1.   .891   Texas   228-28
   2.   .879   Western Kentucky   247-34
   3.   .872   BYU   231-34
   4.   .858   Nebraska   241-40
   5.   .839   Pittsburgh   234-45
   6.   .832   Wisconsin   223-45
   7.   .816   Florida   217-49
   8.   .815   Creighton   225-51
   9.   .808   Stanford   210-50
   10.   .796   Towson   203-52
Putting The 0 In October And November
Creighton is 73-6 in the 10th month of the year since Oct. 1, 2016.
   Creighton's been awfully good in the month of November too. Since Nov. 1, 2014, CU is 53-4 in the 11th month of the year..
   Creighton has won 40 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 27 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14).
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton owned 58 wins during the previous two seasons, fourth-most in the nation in that span and trailing only Final Four qualifiers Louisville (63), Pitt (61) and Wisconsin (59).
   The only teams with 27 or more wins each of the past two campaigns are Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCF, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has at least 11 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Minnesota and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 8-2 against that group.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 102-107 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994Â Â Â 0-4
1995Â Â Â 0-2
1996Â Â Â 0-2
1997Â Â Â 0-3
1998Â Â Â 0-5
1999Â Â Â 2-4
2000Â Â Â 0-4
2001Â Â Â 1-6
2002Â Â Â 0-5
2003Â Â Â 0-3
2004Â Â Â 2-2
2005Â Â Â 0-6
2006Â Â Â 4-6
2007Â Â Â 4-9
2008Â Â Â 6-8
2009Â Â Â 1-11
2010Â Â Â 4-7
2011Â Â Â 2-6
2012Â Â Â 8-3
2013Â Â Â 6-6
2014Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 11-5
2016Â Â Â 10-7
2017Â Â Â 8-6
2018Â Â Â 8-5
2019Â Â Â 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
2021Â Â Â 3-1
2022Â Â Â 5-4
2023Â Â Â 8-2 so far
TOTALÂ Â Â 105-142
TOTAL Under Booth   102-107
Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last decade has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
   The Bluejays have won their last 22 contests immediately following a loss and have not dropped consecutive matches since opening the season 0-2 to begin the 2019 campaign with back-to-back losses to No. 2 Nebraska and No. 20 Baylor in Lincoln, Neb.
   By comparison, every other team in the BIG EAST has had a multi-match losing streak this season alone.
   And if that's not enough, EVERY SINGLE OTHER TEAM in the country (all 343 of them) has had a multi-match losing streak since Creighton's last skid.
   Creighton has not lost back-to-back matches against conference teams since a three-match losing streak in November of 2011.
   Creighton has also won its last 14 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
Dishing 3,000
Junior setter Kendra Wait became the fifth player in Bluejay history to reach 3,000 assists in her career when she reached the milestone in the first set vs. St. John's on Sept. 29th.
   Wait got there in 80 career matches, the third-fastest Bluejay player to that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 3,000 Assists (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   65   08/28/07   at Iowa State
Kailey Reyes   72   11/17/00   at Wichita State
Kendra Wait   80   09/29/23   St. John's
Melissa Weisensee   88   09/05/97   vs. UTSA
Megan Bober   90   11/04/11   Wichita State
The BIG EAST Beasts
The latest unofficial RPI has the BIG EAST as the nation's sixth-best conference, trailing only the Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC.
Hitting Pretty
Creighton owns four 3-0 wins in the last seven weeks in which it has hit .430 or better, including a .488 mark vs. Georgetown on Oct. 13th and a .493 mark at Villanova on Oct. 27th that both rank top-four in program history.
Best Attack Percentage, Creighton History
   .536   vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s)   10-27-95
   .495   vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s)   9-2-05
   .493   at Villanova (41-5-73)   10-27-23
   .488   vs. Georgetown (45-5-82)   10-13-23
   .476   at DePaul (46-6-84) (3s)   10-6-17
   .471   vs. Providence (36-4-68) (3s)   10-19-14
   .467   vs. Seton Hall (48-5-92) (3s)   11-3-19
   .4463   vs. Georgetown (62-8-121) (4s)   9-22-17
   .4459   vs. Belmont (38-5-74) (3s)   9-8-17
   .442   vs. High Point (48-10-86) (3s)   9-15-23
What's Your Twenty?
Sophomore Ava Martin has had 20 or more kills in four different matches this season, something only five other sophomores in program history have ever done.
   Martin's five career efforts of 20 or more kills is already tied for eighth-most in program history.
Matches With 20+ Kills, Season
   20+K   Name   Year
   11   Leah Ratzlaff, So.   2003
   9   Leah Ratzlaff, Jr.   2004
   9   Jaali Winters, Fr.   2015
   9   Norah Sis, So.   2022
   8   Melissa Walsh, Jr.   2000
   7   Melissa Walsh, So.   1999
   7   Leah Ratzlaff, Sr.   2005
   6   Kelly Goc, Jr.   2006
   6   Jaali Winters, So.   2016
   5   Kelly Goc, Sr.   2007
   5   Taryn Kloth, Sr.   2018
   4   Melissa Walsh, Fr.   1998
   4   Melissa Walsh, Sr.   2001
   4   Jessica Houts, So.   2006
   4   Norah Sis, Fr.   2021
   4   Ava Martin, So.   2023
Matches With 20+ Kills, Career
   20+K   Name   Years
   27   Leah Ratzlaff   2002-05
   23   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   18   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   14   Norah Sis   2021-Present
   13   Kelly Goc   2004-07
   10   JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
   7   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   5   Jessica Houts   2005-09
   5   Leah McNary   2011-14
   5   Ava Martin   2022-Present
This Is 20/20
Junior Kendra Wait became the first player in Creighton history with three different matches in the same month with at least 20 assists and 20 digs when she did it in September.
   Her seven such matches in her career are tied for the most in CU history with Melissa Weisensee and Kailey Reyes.
Most 20 Assist, 20 Dig Matches in a Season
   4   Melissa Weisensee   1997
   4   Kailey Reyes   2000
   3   Kailey Reyes   1999
   3   Kendra Wait   2022
   3   Kendra Wait   2023
Most 20 Assist, 20 Dig Matches in a Career
   7   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
   7   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
   7   Kendra Wait   2021-Pres.
   2   Brittany Coleman   2003-05
   2   Michelle Sicner   2011-14
   1   Korie Lebeda   2005-08
   1   Lydia Dimke   2016-17
20 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match
A   D   Name   Opp.   Date
47   22   Melissa Weisensee   Bradley (4s)   9/9/94
51   21   Melissa Weisensee   at Wichita State (5s)   9/14/96
53   24   Melissa Weisensee   at Indiana State (5s)   10/18/96
40   23   Melissa Weisensee   at Drake (5s)   9/13/97
46   38   Melissa Weisensee   Evansville (4s)   10/10/97
46   21   Melissa Weisensee   Missouri State (4s)   10/31/97
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
40   21   Kailey Reyes   Missouri State (4s)   11/6/99
49   28   Kailey Reyes   at Illinois State (4s)   10/13/00
44   23   Kailey Reyes   Bradley (4s)   10/28/00
64   23   Kailey Reyes   at Evansville (5s)   11/4/00
45   20   Kailey Reyes   vs. Evansville (4s)   11/24/00
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
27   20   Michelle Sicner   Illinois State (4s)   9/30/11
44   21   Michelle Sicner   Xavier (4s)   11/29/13
41   20   Lydia Dimke   vs. Wichita State (5s)   8/27/16
40   21   Kendra Wait   at Marquette (4s)   10/29/21
59   36   Kendra Wait   vs. Florida State (5s)   9/9/22
56   24   Kendra Wait   at Rice (5s)   9/18/22
60   20   Kendra Wait   #14 Marquette (5s)   11/26/22
43   22   Kendra Wait   Northern Iowa (4s)   9/3/23
42   22   Kendra Wait   at #9 Minnesota (5s)   9/16/23
45   26   Kendra Wait   at Xavier (5s)   9/23/23
Bolting Down The Defense
After doing it five total times in the first three years of her career, senior Ellie Bolton already owns six matches of 20 or more digs this season.
   Only six players in program history have more than 11 career matches with 20+ digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-15
   32   Julianne Mandolfo    2010-11
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   27   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   20   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   19   Nayka Benitez   2009-10
   11   Katie Mehal   2004-07
   11   Ellie Bolton   2020-Pres.
   9   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Bolton One Of A Kind
Ellie Bolton has been doing damage of late behind the service line and in the back row. Not only has the senior libero had an ace in 17 of the last 18 matches she's played in, but she's also had 10 or more digs in 16 of her last 18 appearances as well.
   Bolton's streak of 12 straight matches with an ace, the second-longest mark in team history, was snapped on Sept. 29 vs. St. John's.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
   15   Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
   12   Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27, 2018-Aug. 30, 2019
   12   Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14-Oct. 25, 2019
   12   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26 - Sept. 23, 2023
   11   Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
   11   Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
   11   Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
   43   Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
   32   Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
   30   Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
   27   Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
   23   Julianne Mandolfo, Sept. 9-Nov. 24, 2011
   21   Brittany Witt, Nov. 25, 2017 - Oct. 7, 2018
   19   Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
   18   Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009-Aug. 28, 2010
   16   Abby Bottomley, Aug. 27-Oct. 1, 2021
   15   Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
   15   Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
   15   Nayka Benitez, Nov. 13, 2009-Sept. 10, 2010
   15   Allie Oelke, Sept. 3-Oct. 16, 2010
   14   Mallory Lahm, Oct. 4-Nov. 25, 2005
   13   Nayka Benitez, Sept. 12-Oct. 23, 2009
   12   Melanie Jereb, Oct. 12-Dec. 5, 2014
   12   Kate Elman, Oct. 25-Dec, 11, 2015
   12   Brittany Witt, Oct. 5-Nov. 12, 2017
   11   Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24, 2000-Aug. 31, 2001
   10   Kate Elman, Sept. 20-Oct. 17, 2015
   10   Brittany Witt, Oct. 26 - Nov. 24, 2018
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, Sept. 16, 2023
Booth Earns 450th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 460-188 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 97 different schools while at Creighton.
   Coaching alongside Booth for each of those wins is assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens, who is also in her 21st season at CU.
   Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-1   vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)   08/30/03
50-43   Jacksonville State   09/01/06
100-71   at Drake   10/31/08
150-108   Illinois State   09/30/11
200-123   Xavier   10/18/13
250-144   at Xavier   10/17/15
300-157   Villanova   09/24/17
350-167   Nebraska-Omaha   09/13/19
400-178   Marquette   10/10/21
450-186   at #9 Minnesota   09/16/23
Poll Votes Creighton 17th
Creighton held steady at 17th in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25 poll.
   Creighton started the season 18th in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 and has reached as high as 11th (Sept. 18th poll) this fall. It had been the highest ranking in the month of September for the program since it was 10th the final three weeks in September of 2018.
    Creighton's best ranking ever is No. 7, done on Aug. 28, 2017. CU was last ranked in the top 10 on Nov. 25, 2019 when it was No. 10.
118 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked in the most recent AVCA poll for the 118th time in program history. That's tied for 38th-most of all programs in NCAA history, with Northern Iowa (118).
   All 118 rankings have occurred since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   The Bluejays are one of 15 schools (along with Baylor, BYU, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 41 polls.
Handful Named To All-Tournament Team
Creighton had five different student-athletes named to the All-Tournament Team at the Diet Coke Classic, which recognized players who were the best at each position.
   Outside hitter Ava Martin was named Tournament MVP and joined on the list by middle blockers Ann Marie Remmes and Kiana Schmitt, libero Ellie Bolton and setter Kendra Wait.
   En route to winning four preseason tournaments, Creighton's Ellie Bolton (Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier), Norah Sis (Bluejay Invitational) and Ava Martin (Diet Coke Classic) each picked up Tournament MVP accolades. It would have almost certainly been more, but the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge did not recognize an All-Tournament Team.
Bouncing Back
The Creighton staff is quick to credit athletic performance coach Brad Schmidt for helping the team get stronger during the off-season and maintaining that strength during the season.
   Need evidence of that? Since Aug. 25, 2018, Creighton is 20-2 in the match following a five-setter.
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Hunting The Top 10
Including its Sept. 16th win at No. 9 Minnesota, Creighton is 9-35 all-time against top-10 teams, including a 9-28 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Eight of the nine victories came away from home, including three sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
   The list of top-10 wins is below. Notably, Creighton is also 7-2 in the match after a top-10 victory, falling only after the win at Kansas in 2017 and vs. Kentucky in 2018.
Date   Opponent   Score
09/05/15Â Â Â vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)Â Â Â W 3-0
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   W 3-2
08/26/17   at #3 Washington   W 3-1
09/09/17   at #7 Kansas   W 3-0
08/24/18Â Â Â vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)Â Â Â W 3-2
10/12/19   at #10 Marquette   W 3-2
11/22/19   #9 Marquette   W 3-1
09/04/21   at #3 Kentucky   W 3-0
09/16/23   at #9 Minnesota   W 3-2
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 18 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 13 of them.
   The only events that CU has not won were the '2020 NCAA Tournament (won by Kentucky) , the 2022 Bluejay Invitational (won by Kentucky), the 2021 NCAA Tournament (won by Wisconsin), the 2022 NCAA Tournament (won by Texas) and the 2022 Rice adidas Invitational (won by Rice). Kentucky, Wisconsin and Texas are the last three NCAA champions.
   Let's take a closer look:
Creighton Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021
Year   Event   CU Record (Place)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-25th)
2021   Mizzou Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluegrass Battle   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Shocker Volleyball Classic   3-0 (1st)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   1-1 (T-17th)
2022   Rumble in the Rockies   3-0 (1st)
2022   Bluejay Invitational   2-1 (2nd)
2022   Omaha Invitational   2-0 (1st)
2022   Rice adidas Invitational   1-1 (2nd)
2022   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2022   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-33rd)
2023   Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier   2-1 (1st)
2023   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2023   MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge   2-0 (1st)
2023   Diet Coke Challenge   2-0 (1st)
Collecting Hardware
Creighton won each of its first four tournaments of a season for the second time (2021, 2023) in the last three seasons after having never done it from 1994-2020.
   Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton had been 17-33 in 15 regular-season tournaments all-time, with just one tournament title (the 2000 Iowa State Heritage Classic).
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has opened the season by winning the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier at Purdue on Aug. 25-27, followed by the Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 1-3, the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge on Sept. 8-10 and then the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 15-16.
   It's the 12th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that started in 2012. During that span, the Bluejays have won 29 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year   Titles Won   Tourney Hosts
2012Â Â Â 3Â Â Â USF, UNC, MVC
2013Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BGSU
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â CU, BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 4Â Â Â WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 3Â Â Â SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 2Â Â Â UNI, CU
2020Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2021Â Â Â 5Â Â Â MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 3Â Â Â WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN
Destined For Greatness?
Destiny Ndam-Simpson led Creighton with 13 kills in her first start on Sept. 6 at No. 4 Nebraska.
   It was the most kills by a Bluejay in their first career start since sixth-year senior transfer Jazz Schmidt had 17 vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 28, 2015.
   Creighton's last freshman with 13 or more kills in their first career start was the woman that Ndam-Simpson replaced in the starting line-up that day, Norah Sis. Sis had 13 kills vs. Kansas City in her collegiate debut on Aug. 27, 2021.
   Ndam-Simpson's 13 kills were the second-most ever against a ranked team by a Bluejay in their first career start, trailing only the 14 by Jess Bird in 2013 against No. 13 BYU.
Most Kills, First Career Start
   K   Name   Opponent   Date
   17   Jaali Winters   vs. Miami (Ohio)   8/28/15
   17   Jazz Schmidt   at Rice   9/18/22
   15   Shannon Scrutton   UW-Green Bay   8/31/96
   15   Jessica Houts   at Colorado   9/9/05
   14   Jess Bird   vs. #13 BYU   8/30/13
   13   JoDe Cieloha   vs. Chattanooga   9/2/94
   13   Norah Sis   vs. UMKC   8/27/21
   13   Destiny Ndam-Simpson   at #4 Nebraska   9/6/23
Simpson Starts Strong
Destiny Ndam-Simpson had double-figure kills in each of her first four career starts until it was snapped on Sept. 22 at Butler.
   She's just the second player in program history with 10 or more kills in each of her first four starts, joining JoDe Cieloha (8 straight in 1994).
Higher & Higher
Creighton has had no shortage of pressure-packed situations thus far, as 16 of its 80 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 11-5). That doesn't include four drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-2).
   Creighton is also 7-4 this year in sets that require more than 25 points for a winner to emerge.
   On Sept. 3rd vs. Northern Iowa, Creighton played in a 36-34 set that was its second-highest scoring set in program history. The only one with more points was a 38-36 second set win at Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
   The match vs. Northern Iowa featured 44 ties and 20 lead changes. That was the most ties since there were 46 on Oct. 12, 2019 at Marquette and the most lead changes since there were 23 vs. Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
The Gauntlet Continues
Creighton faced another challenging non-conference schedule this fall.
   All told, nine of Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents owned 20 or more wins last season, combining to go 240-112 (.682). Just four of the 11 non-conference matches were at home.
   All 11 of the foes owned a top-85 RPI, 10 appeared in the postseason and four won a conference title last season. Creighton went 4-0 against league champs and 9-1 against the postseason qualifiers.
   Three of the teams that Creighton faced in non-conference play still have not lost a league contest this fall (Nebraska, Northern Iowa, High Point).
Sis Ties Record At 1,000 Kill Milestone
Norah Sis became the 16th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone when she did it on Sept. 2 vs. LSU.
   Sis achieved the milestone in her 70th career match, tying Melissa Walsh for reaching 1,000 kills the fastest in program history.
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.   Norah Sis   270   1,069   2021-Pr.
   14.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   15.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
      Jaela Zimmerman   357   1,000   2018-22
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Norah Sis   70   09/02/23   LSU
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
Jaela Zimmerman   111   11/13/22   Seton Hall
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson   120   09/30/17   at St. John's
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin started her sophomore season with matches of 14 (Loyola), 15 (Purdue), 20 (Duke), 16 (Ball State), 16 (LSU) and 22 (UNI) kills. Martin also finished her freshman season last fall with matches of 22 (Marquette) and 14 (Auburn) kills.
   Both those items put her in select company.
   Martin is the first Bluejay ever with four (or more...she ended at six) straight matches of 14 or more kills to start the season.
   She's also the first Bluejay with eight straight matches of 14 or more kills in program history.
   In those eight matches, Martin averaged 4.21 kills per set while hitting .287. Seven of the eight opponents were in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the ninth time in the past 11 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 last 15 seasons, 275-of-375 teams (73.3 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 340-of-375 teams (90.7 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois and No. 22 Utah reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
   This year marks the 12th 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   27-5   21st
   2023   18th   TBD   TBD
A Head Start
Creighton got a leg up on the competition thanks to having 10 extra practices in May and a trip to Italy and Slovenia from May 31 - June 11th.
   Every member of the current team except Emma Ziegler was on the trip, which also included four matches.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Sydney Breissinger, Audrey Clark, Jaya Johnson, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Ava TeStrake was recognized as the nation's No. 22 class by PrepVolleyball.
   Ndam-Simpson was listed as the nation's No. 21 recruit, TeStrake was tabbed 37th-best and Breissinger No. 139. Creighton now owns nine players on its 2023 roster who were Top 150 recruits by PrepVolleyball.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004; expanded to 150 in 2021)
   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
   41   2022   Ava Martin
   55   2022   Sky McCune
   21   2023   Destiny Ndam-Simpson
   37   2023   Ava TeStrake
   139   2023   Sydney Breissinger
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
current Bluejays in bold italic
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)
2009Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010Â Â Â High HMÂ Â Â (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (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)
2019Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022   24th   (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
2023   22nd   (Breissinger, Clark, Johnson, Ndam-Simpson, TeStrake)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters.
   From last year's team, only Emily Bressman, Bethany Clapp, Keeley Davis, Jazz Schmidt, Megan Skovsende, Allison Whitten and Jaela Zimmerman are not back.
   All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 524.3 of a possible 700% back (74.9 percent).
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1,384 (86.2%)   221 (13.8%)
Blocks   204 (84.3%)   38 (15.7%)
Matches Started   154 (80.2%)   192 (19.8%)
Kills   1,329 (77.6%)   383 (22.4%)
Points   1648 (76.9%)   494 (23.1%)
Aces   115 (61.2%)   73 (38.8%)
Digs   1142 (57.9%)   830 (42.1%)
11 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 11 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make 11 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 previous 11 NCAA Tournaments (2012-22). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
   There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 12 of the last 13 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.
Setting The Table
Two-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 89 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 77-12 in those contests.
   Against Loyola (Chicago), Wait became the first Bluejay setter to start three straight season-openers since Megan Bober did so all four years of her career from 2009-12.
   Besides Wait and Bober, the only other women to start three or more season-openers at setter have been Korie Lebeda (2005-08), Kailey Reyes (1998-2001) and Melissa Weisensee (1994-97).
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 381-11 (.972) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 322-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 247-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 125-1 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 17-206 (.076) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-107 (.123) under Booth. Those 17 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
10/07/22   at UConn   25-15, 25-12, 15-13   Booth
10/14/22   #16 Marquette   25-19, 25-16, 15-8   Booth
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 391-36 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 69-152 (.312) 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 143-5 in its last 148 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, on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky and on Dec. 2, 2022 to Auburn.
   Creighton has gone 123-6 in its last 129 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 12-18 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 163-4 in its last 167 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
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 460-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date   Opponent   MP(s) Faced   Final Set 5
08/30/03   vs. McNeese State   13-14, 15-16   18-16
10/10/03   Wichita State   13-14   16-14
10/13/06   at Wichita State   12-14, 13-14, 14-15   17-15
09/11/07   at Drake   13-14, 14-15   17-15
08/26/11Â Â Â vs. UTSAÂ Â Â 12-14, 13-14Â Â Â 16-14
11/16/12   at Wichita State   13-14   16-14
09/20/15   Kansas State   23-24 (4th set)   15-13
11/20/15   at Georgetown   23-24, 26-27 (4th set)   15-7
08/24/18   vs. #5 Kentucky   16-15, 19-18   22-20
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 70-38 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 19 of its last 27 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, at Omaha and UConn in 2022 and at No. 9 Minnesota in 2023.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 19-5 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's six victories in five-set matches last season broke the program record of five previously done in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The nine five-set matches in 2022 was also a record.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
1994Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 5-20
1995Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 11-19
1996Â Â Â 2-6Â Â Â 9-19
1997Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 15-13
1998Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 7-18
1999Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 13-15
2000Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 16-12
2001Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 14-13
2002Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 3-23
2003Â Â Â 5-1Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 4-3Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 2-2Â Â Â 19-4
Total   85-66   553-340
A Dozen, Cousin
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 12 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Jim Flanery   Women's Basketball   6
Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up. Booth owns 460 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories (thru 11/2/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball   819
Ed Servais, Baseball   643*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   460*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   401*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women's tennis coach
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Creighton earned 4-of-11 first place votes and 94 of a possible 100 points. That was just behind of Marquette's 97 points and the other seven votes for first place.
   Xavier (78) was picked third, just ahead of St. John's (64) and Connecticut (63). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were DePaul (59), Villanova (46), Butler (40), Seton Hall (30), Providence (18) and Georgetown (16).
   Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Ava Martin as well as unanimous selections Kendra Wait and Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight fall.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 18 of 20 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including 10 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
2020Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â - -
2021   1st   1st   - -
2022   1st   1st   - -
2023   2nd   ???   ???
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 10-13 against ranked non-conference foes over the last seven seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year   Non-Con W-L   vs. Ranked Non-Con   Final W-L
2003Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 8-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 5-5Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-7Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 9-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 7-6Â Â Â 0-5Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 6-7Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 0-4Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 12-1Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â TBD
President Elect Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President-Elect of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
   Booth began her service on January 1, 2023, and will become AVCA President in 2024. She is part of the 17-member AVCA Board of Directors, which includes elected representatives, appointed voting members for Diversity Development and Legislation, and non-voting members for Education and Awards.
   She will finish out her term as Past President in 2026.
   Booth is in her 21st season as the head women's volleyball coach at Creighton.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 27-5 last season, won a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title, won its eight BIG EAST Tournament in the past nine seasons, and played in its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
   Norah Sis was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-BIG EAST squad by Kiana Schmitt, Kendra Wait and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin.
   CU posted three top-25 victories in the season, topping No. 25 USC (Sept. 2), No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) and No. 14 Marquette (Nov. 26).
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | DPU NOTES (PDF) | PROGRAM | TICKETS |
Match #25: #25 Marquette at #17 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Sunday, Nov. 5 • 1 p.m.
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | MU NOTES (PDF) |Â PROGRAM | TICKETS |
Next Up
No. 17 Creighton (19-4, 10-2 BIG EAST) starts the final month of the regular-season at home against the other two teams from the league in the Central Time Zone.
   On Friday morning at 11:30 a.m., the Bluejays host DePaul (13-10, 6-6 BIG EAST before Wednesday's match vs. No. 25 Marquette). The contest is part of a Cox Kids Day promotion, with more than 450 school kids scheduled to attend.
   On Sunday at 1 p.m., Creighton hosts league-leading No. 25 Marquette (15-8, 11-1 BIG EAST before Wednesday's match at DePaul). Prior to the match Bluejay junior Kendra Wait will be honored in recognition of her earning her 1,000th career dig last weekend.
   D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) in Omaha, Neb,. will host both contests.
Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service at
https://flosports.link/3ORAgp5. Audio from the webcast will be simulcast on KZOT (1180 The Zone). Nicholas Badders and Megan Epperson will announce the match.
   Sunday's showdown will be video webcast on FloSports, a subscription-based service at https://flosports.link/3QyMyUI. Audio from the webcast will be simulcast on KOIL (News Talk 1290), as well as on television on YurView. Jon Schriner and Kate Elman will announce the match.
   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 #17 Creighton
Winners of the last nine BIG EAST regular-season titles, Creighton returns four All-BIG EAST selections from a year ago. That's helped CU start 19-4, including wins away from home over No. 16 Purdue, No. 9 Minnesota and Iowa State.
   Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin (3.72 kps.) is third in the BIG EAST in kills per set and has had at least seven kills in each of her last 25 matches.
   Also back are senior Kiana Schmitt (2.62 kps., .357%, 1.09 bps.) and junior Kendra Wait (9.77 aps., 3.54 dps., 1.15 kps., 0.86 bps.).
   After missing five weeks and 11 matches due to injury, 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.54 kps., 2.88 dps.) has returned to the front row the past two weekends, hitting .368 while averaging 4.17 kills per set in four wins.
   While spending much of the past month with a limited line-up due to a rash of injuries, the Bluejays gotten a huge boost from veterans Kiara Reinhardt (1.36 kps., .329%, 0.80 bps.) and Ellie Bichelmeyer (1.48 kps.).
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (14.16), digs per set (16.46), assists per set (13.01), opponent hitting percentage (.141) and hitting percentage (.266) and also averages 2.26 blocks and 1.48 aces per set.
Scouting DePaul
DePaul entered Wednesday's match vs. Marquette with a 13-10 overall record. The Blue Demons are 6-6 in league play.
   Jill Pressly (4.61 kps., 3.10 dps.) leads the BIG EAST in kills per set and has been an absolute workhorse thus far, accounting for 34 percent of DePaul's kills to date.
   When it's not Pressly, Audrey Klemp (3.13 kps.) and Bailey Nelson (2.06 kps.) have also been worth offensive options.
   Ashley Cudiamat (6.55 aps.) and Maggie Jones (6.94 aps.) have both seen extensive time at setter, and Rachel Krasowski (5.24 dps.)leads the BIG EAST in digs per set.
   As a team the Blue Demons have averaged 13.06 kills, 16.28 digs, 2.36 blocks and 0.92 aces per set on .189 hitting.
Scouting #25 Marquette
No. 25 Marquette entered Wednesday's match at DePaul with a 15-8 overall record and is alone in first place with an 11-1 BIG EAST mark. MU has won all 12 sets since dropping a 3-2 match at St. John's, which was also the last time 2022 BIG EAST Setter of the Year Yadhira Anchante (9.54 aps., 2.90 dps.) played.
   The Golden Eagles went 1-7 against eight non-conference teams who have spent time in the Top 25 this fall, only to regroup to dominate in league play other than a 3-2 loss at St. John's.
   The Golden Eagles placed four women on the BIG EAST's Preseason All-Conference team, a quartet including Anchante, Aubrey Hamilton (3.80 kps., .287%), Carsen Murray (1.58 kps., .356%) and Hattie Bray (2.26 kps.). With Anchante sidelined the past two weekends due to injury, Ella Foti has averaged 9.83 assists per set while helping MU sweep all four matches.
   Sarah Kushner (3.96 dps.) has taken over the libero role after the transfer of Carly Skrabak, the biggest personnel change from last year's Sweet 16 squad.
   As a team, the Golden Eagles are averaging 12.80 kills, 15.58 digs, 2.09 blocks and 1.60 aces per set on .233 hitting. Against the eight ranked non-conference teams mentioned earlier, however, MU averaged 11.10 kills, 13.74 digs, 1.71 blocks and 1.42 aces per set on .146 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 460-188 record in her 21st season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to nine straight BIG EAST titles (2014-22), and 10 league crowns in the last 11 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 12 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 12 seasons (including 2023), 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 Adam Kessenich.
Series History vs. DePaul
Creighton has won 22 of 23 previous meetings with DePaul, and is 22-0 vs. the Blue Demons since the two schools became BIG EAST rivals.
   DePaul swept the first meeting in 2001 in DeKalb, Ill., before Creighton's recent run, which has included three five-set wins (in Omaha in 2015, spring 2021 and 2022), six different four-set wins and 13 sweeps.
   Creighton has won its last 20 sets played in Chicago dating to DePaul's second set win on Nov. 7, 2015.
   Creighton has swept 12 of the last 15 meetings at all sites, and will enter Friday having won 47 of its past 52 sets played against the Blue Demons.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 22-0 against DePaul and 12-0 versus Marie Zidek.
Series History vs. Marquette
Creighton is 25-7 all-time against Marquette, and are 21-4 since the start of the 2014 season against MU.
   The Bluejays are 6-1 against the Golden Eagles in BIG EAST Tournament action, and 5-1 in the final, including title match victories each of the previous three seasons.
   Teams to win the first set are 25-7 in the history of the series, and Creighton has won all seven match-ups to go five sets.
   Creighton is 25-1 all-time against the Golden Eagles when winning at least one set, including the last 21 such matches since a setback in the 2013 BIG EAST Tournament final.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 25-7 against Marquette and 21-4 against Ryan Theis.
Sponsored By The Number 20
Currently 19-4, here's a few facts about Creighton Volleyball and the 20-win milestone it is trying to reach this weekend.
• Since restarting its program in 1994 Creighton has reached 20 or more wins 13 times previously, all under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
• The only time in the previous 11 seasons that Creighton didn't win 20 matches was the COVID-affected 2020 season (played in the Spring of 2021), when it finished 12-4.
• The quickest that Creighton has reached 20 victories is 23 matches, done in 2012, 2021 and 2022.
• Entering 2023, the only teams to win 20 or more matches each of the last 11 seasons (2012-2022) has been Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky. The only teams to do it 10 times in that span have been BYU, Creighton, Marquette, Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State.
Clean Sweeps
Creighton has won 21 straight sets, sweeping each of its past seven matches, since losing 3-0 at Marquette on Oct. 6th. That's the fifth-longest set win streak in program history.
   Two of Creighton's streaks that were longer were snapped by Marquette, who happens to be Creighton's opponent on Sunday.
   Marquette enters Wednesday's match at DePaul having won 12 sets in a row.
Creighton's Most Consecutive Sets Won
   Set Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   29   Oct. 16-Nov. 18, 2022   at #16 Marquette
   25   Oct. 22-Nov. 20, 2016   Villanova
   25   Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 2018   #16 Marquette
   22   Nov. 7-Dec. 2, 2021   Kansas
   21   Oct.7, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?
   19   Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019   at Villanova
Head to Head
Creighton and Marquette have shared the BIG EAST regular-season title in each of the last two years.
   Creighton is 47-5 against conference teams since the fall of 2021 began, losing once each to Xavier, St. John's and UConn and twice to Marquette. Meanwhile, Marquette is 46-6, with five losses coming against the Bluejays compared to a 44-1 mark against everyone else, with the lone loss coming at St. John's.
Thorn In Their Side
Marquette is 253-81 since the start of the 2013 season, but just 6-22 in that time against Creighton.
   In other words, the Golden Eagles own a .214 winning percentage against Creighton (6-22) compared to a .807 mark (247-59) against everyone else since 2013.
   No other team has beaten Marquette more times than Creighton in the past decade (2013-23), with in-state rival Wisconsin (6) next-closest. Among BIG EAST teams, Xavier owns four wins to top those schools not named Creighton.
   If you wanted to break it down to just the previous five seasons (2018-22), Marquette was 2-12 against Creighton (.143) and 119-15 (.888) against everyone else.
BIG EAST Behemoths
Creighton and Marquette ought to be quite familiar with each other by this point.
   Sunday will mark the 11th meeting between the schools since February 4, 2021, and that doesn't include two other matches that were cancelled due to COVID protocols. Creighton has won seven of those 10 recent contests.
   Sunday will also be the 19th meeting since Oct. 17, 2017 between the BIG EAST behemoths. CU is 14-4 in the last 18 encounters.
Tale of The Tape
No matter how you slice it, Creighton and Marquette have dominated BIG EAST Volleyball since 2013.
Stat   CU   MU   Everyone Else
BIG EAST Reg.-Season Titles#Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0
BIG EAST Reg-Season W-LÂ Â Â 164-16Â Â Â 148-29Â Â Â 612-879
BIG EAST Play Win Percentage   .911   .836   .410
BIG EAST Tourney Titles   8   1   1
BIG EAST Player of the Year   3   5   3
BIG EAST Libero of the Year   2   0   8
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year   4   3   4
BIG EAST Coach of the Year   3   2   5
AVCA All-Americans*Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0
AVCA H.M. All-Americans   16   8   14
AVCA Region Freshman of Year   3   1   2
AVCA Region Coach of Year   3   0   2
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans   6   3   0
# includes ties
*First/Second/Third Teams only
Feelin' Good In The Neighborhood
Creighton has two players from the Badger State who will be looking to claim bragging rights with a win over Marquette.
   Kiana Schmitt hails from Waunakee, and Kiara Reinhardt is from the northern Milwaukee suburb of Cedarburg.
   One of Reinhardt's teammates at Cedarburg High School was current Villanova middle blocker Maddie Barber, who is the sister of former Marquette All-American and 2019 BIG EAST Player of the Year Allie Barber.
   Likewise, Ann Marie Remmes will have a point to prove when the Lisle, Ill,. native meets DePaul, which is based out of Chicago.
   The familiarity doesn't end there. DePaul opposite Audrey Klemp was a high school teammate of Creighton libero Ellie Bolton at St. James (Kan.) Academy.
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 both 2021 and 2022, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tourney title.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - Oct. 30, 2023
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (10)Â Â Â 164Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 273Â Â Â 69
Marquette (9)Â Â Â 148Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 253Â Â Â 81
Xavier   104   74   165   149
Butler   95   85   168   150
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 91Â Â Â 89Â Â Â 192Â Â Â 143
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 89Â Â Â 91Â Â Â 169Â Â Â 144
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 102Â Â Â 152Â Â Â 166
DePaul   52   128   123   182
Georgetown   38   134   98   198
Connecticut#Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 27Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 49
Providence*Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 103Â Â Â 183
*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.
9 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-22, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win nine 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 nine or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
   The only other teams nationally with an active streak of more than four straight regular-season league titles are Texas (Big 12) and Kentucky (SEC), both with six.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a record better than .500 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 181 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 three league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence) since joining the BIG EAST, and Marquette (6), Villanova (3), Seton Hall (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   19-1   -   19-1
Connecticut   3-1   1-0   4-1
DePaul   21-0   1-0   22-0
Georgetown   20-0   -   20-0
Marquette   16-5   6-1   22-6
Providence   16-0   -   16-0
Seton Hall   16-3   2-0   18-3
St. John's   17-2   0-1   17-3
Villanova   17-3   3-0   20-3
Xavier   19-1   4-0   23-1
Total   164-16   17-2   181-18
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 10 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
   Creighton has also won nine conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2022
Regular-Season   League Tournament
10 (3 shared) Creighton   9 Creighton
10 (1) Texas   8 Dayton
10 (5) Western Kentucky   8 Western Kentucky
9 Fairfield   7 Fairfield
8 BYUÂ Â Â 6 American
8 (1) Colorado State   6 LIU
No Losers Here
Creighton and Marquette have been nearly as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
   Creighton, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Texas, Towson, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin were the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
   If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
What's A Poll Really Mean?
This year marks the third time in the last 11 years that Creighton was picked second in the BIG EAST behind Marquette.
   In 2018 Creighton went 20-0 against BIG EAST teams, including a 3-0 mark over Marquette.
   In 2019 Creighton went 17-2 against BIG EAST teams, including a 2-0 record vs. Marquette.
One At A Time
As tempting as it may seem, Creighton hasn't been caught looking ahead to Marquette in past seasons.
   Entering the weekend, Creighton owns 20 straight 3-0 wins against BIG EAST teams in the match before facing Marquette, a stretch that began in October of 2015.
Straight Sets
Creighton is 16-0 this season when winning the second set.
   DePaul is 11-1 this year when winning the first set, 11-0 when winning the third set and 6-1 when winning the fourth set this season. The Blue Demons are 6-0 in matches to last exactly four sets.
   Creighton owns 21 straight victories against Marquette when winning at least one set, and is 25-1 in that scenario all-time.
Best In The BIG EAST
Creighton ranks first and DePaul ranks second in the BIG EAST in digs per set, kills per set and assists per set. It's flipped in blocks per set, where DePaul is first and Creighton is second.
   Individually, Creighton's Kiana Schmitt leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage, just ahead of Marquette's Carsen Murray.
   When it comes to blocking, DePaul's Katelynn Oxley leads the way, just ahead of CU's Schmitt.
   In addition, DePaul's Jill Pressly leads the BIG EAST in kills per set, and Marquette's Aubrey Hamilton is second, just ahead of Creighton's Ava Martin.
   The top four players in points per set will also be at D.J. Sokol Arena this weekend. Pressly is first, Hamilton second, CU's Norah Sis third and CU's Martin fourth.
All Or Nothing
Incredibly, Creighton has played 38 straight contests against BIG EAST competition since last playing a match to end in exactly four sets.
   This year's schedule has featured 11 league sweeps and one 3-2 contest.
   Last year's schedule featured 16 sweeps and four matches against league teams to go five sets.
   And looking back at 2021, CU's final six matches against the BIG EAST were 3-0 sweeps.
   Creighton's last four-set contest against a league play foe on Nov. 7, 2021, a 3-1 home win vs. Butler.
Against Ranked Foes
After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (2015-23). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
   Creighton is 25-85 all-time against ranked teams and 13 of those top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (8) 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.
   Sunday's contest vs. No. 25 Marquette will mark Creighton's first home match this fall against a top-25 team, and first since beating then-No. 14 (Nov. 26) and then-No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) last year, both in five sets.
   This year is the seventh season that CU owns multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017 and 2022, and a record four in 2018 and 2019.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 191-44 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 20-24 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, 39 of Creighton's 73 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 279-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 101 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 141 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 20-24)
Home: 8-9Â Â Â Away: 7-9 Â Â Â Neutral: 5-6
Date   Winner   Loser   CU Score
11/19/12   #11 Minnesota   #21 Creighton   1-3
08/30/13   #25 Creighton   #13 BYU   3-1
09/14/13   #11 UCLA   #24 Creighton   1-3
09/16/13   #7 Hawaii   #23 Creighton   2-3
08/30/14   #22 Kansas   #23 Creighton   1-3
09/03/16   #23 Kentucky   #22 Creighton   0-3
12/02/16   #21 Creighton   #4 Kansas   3-2
12/09/16   #21 Creighton   #17 Michigan   3-2
12/10/16   #5 Texas   #21 Creighton   0-3
08/26/17   #9 Creighton   #3 Washington   3-1
09/01/17   #7 Creighton   #13 Kentucky   3-0
09/02/17   #18 USC   #7 Creighton   0-3
09/08/17   #17 Purdue   #9 Creighton   1-3
09/09/17   #9 Creighton   #7 Kansas   3-0
09/16/17   #19 Iowa State   #8 Creighton   2-3
12/12/17   #12 Michigan St.   #15 Creighton   1-3
08/24/18   #13 Creighton   #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/25/18   #10 USC   #13 Creighton   2-3
09/06/18   #7 Nebraska   #14 Creighton   2-3
09/15/18   #8 Illinois   #10 Creighton   1-3
09/23/18   #10 Creighton   #21 Marquette   3-0
10/26/18   #10 Creighton   #18 Marquette   3-1
11/24/18   #9 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-1
12/01/18   #22 Washington   #9 Creighton   0-3
08/30/19   #2 Nebraska   #18 Creighton   1-3
08/31/19   #20 Baylor   #18 Creighton   0-3
09/06/19   #23 Creighton   #12 Kentucky   3-1
09/07/19   #23 Creighton   #15 USC   3-1
09/14/19   #12 Washington   #17 Creighton   1-3
10/12/19   #13 Creighton   #10 Marquette   3-2
11/22/19   #12 Creighton   #9 Marquette   3-1
12/07/19   #7 Minnesota   #15 Creighton   2-3
02/05/21   #19 Creighton   #25 Marquette   3-2
02/06/21   #25 Marquette   #19 Creighton   0-3
09/08/21   #3 Nebraska   #19 Creighton   0-3
09/02/22   #17 Creighton   #25 USC   3-1
09/03/22   #16 Kentucky   #17 Creighton   1-3
09/07/22   #2 Nebraska   #17 Creighton   2-3
10/14/22   #21 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-2
11/19/22   #16 Marquette   #11 Creighton   0-3
11/26/22   #15 Creighton   #14 Marquette   3-2
08/26/23   #18 Creighton   #16 Purdue   3-0
09/06/23   #4 Nebraska   #16 Creighton   1-3
09/16/23   #14 Creighton   #9 Minnesota   3-2
11/05/23   #17 Creighton   #25 Marquette   1 pm
Wait Reaches 1,000 Digs
Kendra Wait became the fifth player in program history to reach 3,000 career assists on Sept. 29th vs. St. John's. On Oct. 28 at Georgetown, she became the 16th player to reach 1,000 career digs. It came in her 89th career contest.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Bianca Rivera   53   11/08/08   Illinois State
Julianne Mandolfo   56   10/22/11   Evansville
Kate Elman   59   11/16/13   at Seton Hall
Nayka Benitez   60   11/27/10   at Northern Iowa
Brittany Witt   68   12/01/17   Coastal Carolina
Kailey Reyes   77   09/01/01   vs. Texas-San Antonio
Janeen Piller   80   09/25/04   at Missouri State
Melissa Walsh   85   09/08/01   at #24 Santa Clara
Kendra Wait   89   10/28/23   at Georgetown
Allie Oelke   95   09/04/10   vs. Iowa
Melissa Weisensee   97   10/04/97   at Missouri State
Sarah Schulze   101   11/13/09   Southern Illinois
Jaali Winters   103   11/25/17   at Marquette
Melanie Jereb   105   09/12/15   CSU Bakersfield
Korie Lebeda   108   10/17/08   Evansville
Megan Bober   118   10/27/12   Southern Illinois
Digs
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Brittany Witt   471   2,079   2016-19
   2.   Kate Elman   464   2,054   2012-15
   3.   Janeen Piller   336   1,392   2001-04
   4.   Jaali Winters   494   1,386   2015-18
   5.   Allie Oelke   445   1,382   2007-10
   6.   Kailey Reyes   368   1,258   1998-01
   7.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,240   1998-01
   8.   Julianne Mandolfo   241   1,224   2010-11
   9.   Melissa Weisensee   411   1,223   1994-97
   10.   Melanie Jereb   471   1,218   2012-15
   11.   Korie Lebeda   428   1,130   2005-08
   12.   Megan Bober   480   1,123   2009-12
   13.   Bianca Rivera   207   1,118   2007-08
   14.   Sarah Schulze   398   1,056   2006-09
   15.   Nayka Benitez   233   1,053   2009-10
   16.   Kendra Wait   310   1,012   2021-23
   17.   Abby Baumann   375   935   2004-07
      Jess Bird   377   935   2013-16
Libero Roles Change
Creighton has used a different libero during each of the past three weekends, but hasn't lost a set during that time.
   Ellie Bolton served as CU's libero the first 19 matches of the season before suffering an injury.
   She was replaced by sophomore Sky McCune, who handled the role on Oct. 20-21.
   Last weekend, Sydney Breissinger returned to the floor after missing six matches due to injury and donned the alternate jersey. Breissinger became CU's first freshman to wear the libero jersey since Bolton did in the 2020 (Spring 2021) campaign.
   This year marks the first time that the Bluejays have utilized three different women as a libero in the same season since the 2020 (Spring 2021) season, when Bolton (14 matches), Grace Nelson (3 matches) and Jaela Zimmerman (1 match) all did so.
   This is just the third time since the libero was introduced to the college game in 2002 that Creighton has played three ore more women at libero in the same season, having done so in 2020 (see the above paragraph) as well as 2005, when five different women (Mallory Lahm, Brittany Coleman, Emily Greisch, Katie Mehal and Molly Lahr) all shared the role.
They Say Defense Wins Championships
Creighton has held opponents to .141 hitting, a figure that ranks third-best nationally and behind only Nebraska (.125) and Pittsburgh (.133). In league play, foes hit an even smaller .109.
   Friday's foe, DePaul, ranks 11th (last) in the BIG EAST with a .182 hitting percentage.
   Including 2023, Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in opponent's hitting percentage each of the last eight seasons.
Sis Plays All Six
Junior Norah Sis made her long-awaited return to the front row on Oct. 20th, playing all six rotations for the first time in seven weeks (Sept. 1-3).
   In the four matches she's played since, she's led all players in kills three times and also hit .400 or better three times.
   Since returning, Sis ranks second in the BIG EAST in kills per set (4.17), second in points per set (4.88). and seventh in hitting percentage (.368).
   Creighton is 12-0 in those sets, with all of those contests taking place on the road. Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, kills per set, digs per set and assists per set in that time.
That's Why She's The MVP
Junior Norah Sis is a two-time BIG EAST Tournament MVP as well as the 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year, so it should come as little surprise that Creighton's a better team when she's on the floor. The numbers show that to be true, as well.
Category   With Sis   Without Sis
Team Match Record   11-1   8-3
Team Set Record   35-6   27-12
Team's Set 1 Record   12-0   9-2
Percent of Points Won   56.5%   53.1%
Kills Per Set   15.27   13.00
Hitting Percentage   .304   .224
Aces Per Set   1.78   1.15
Digs Per Set   16.80   16.10
Blocks Per Set   2.45   2.05
Opponents Blocks Per Set   1.29   1.88
Martin Kills Per Set   3.85   3.59
Martin Hitting Percentage   .313   .210
Reinhardt Kills Per Set   1.71   1.10
Reinhardt Hitting Percentage   .484   .220
Offensive Parity Works Wonders
Creighton has hit .391 over the course of its last six matches, and its parity has been a big reason why.
   In that time seven different women own 18 kills or more,and all of those women are also hitting .325 or higher in that span.
Last Six Matches
Name   K   E   TA   Pct.
Ava Martin   55   11   128   .344
Norah Sis   50   11   107   .364
Kiana Schmitt   42   8   82   .415
Ellie Bichelmeyer   36   8   72   .389
Kiara Reinhardt   35   3   60   .533
Kendra Wait   26   3   50   .460
Destiny Ndam-Simpson   18   5   40   .325
TEAMÂ Â Â 267Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 552Â Â Â .391
Offense Settles In
Creighton's offense has been on an absolute tear during the past six matches, a stretch that started after the last time CU played Marquette and DePaul.
   During that span Creighton has hit .300 or better in 16 of the 18 sets and had 12 or more kills in all 18 sets.
   The Bluejays have hit an insane .465 in the first set of those six matches (90-11-170), surpassing the .600 mark while going without an attack error in three of the six contests.
Opponent   K   E   ATK   PCT.
Georgetown   45   5   82   .488
Villanova   46   11   103   .340
at UConn   49   9   101   .396
at Providence   45   8   86   .430
at Villanova   41   5   73   .493
at Georgetown   41   13   107   .262
Total   287   51   552   .428
Maser Steps Up
Katie Maser entered Oct. 20th with eight assists, seven digs and one ace in 32 career sets played over the previous three-plus seasons.
   Normally a setter but pressed into defensive specialist's role after injuries to four key teammates, Maser proved she was more than up to the task. The Grand Island, Neb., native had six assists, eight digs and two aces while playing in all six sets.
Schmitt Joins Century Club
Senior Kiana Schmitt has played in 100 victories during her career, becoming the 10th Bluejay to appear in 100 triumphs.
   Schmitt's current .870 winning percentage (100-15) in matches appeared in is easily the best, far outpacing the .820 win percentage for Taryn Kloth (109-24 from 2015-18).
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   W-L   Pct.   Name   Years
   116-26   .817   Naomi Hickman   2017-21
   111-28   .799   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   109-24   .820   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   109-25   .813   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   107-25   .811   Megan Ballenger   2016-19
   106-32   .768   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-17
   104-34   .754   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   102-31   .767   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   101-31   .765   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   100-15   .870   Kiana Schmitt   2019-Pres.
   98-16   .860   Jaela Zimmerman   2018-22
Best Sets
Creighton has only had 10 sets in program history in which it has hit .654 or better, but two of those have come in the last six matches.
   Creighton hit .667 in the first set vs. Georgetown on Oct. 13 and .737 at Providence on Oct. 21st, also in the first set.
Best Team Hitting Percentage in a Set
   %   K-E-TA   Opponent (Set #)   Date
   .818   18-0-22   at DePaul (1)   10/6/17
   .737   14-0-19   at Providence (1)   10/21/23
.722Â Â Â 13-0-18Â Â Â at Georgetown (5)Â Â Â 11/20/15
   .714   10-0-14   vs. Northern Iowa (5)   9/5/14
   .714   15-0-21   at DePaul (3)   10/11/19
   .684   13-0-19   Eastern Illinois (2)   10/15/00
   .682   15-0-22   Tulsa (3)   10/27/95
.667Â Â Â 18-2-24Â Â Â Xavier (1)Â Â Â 9/28/22
   .667   14-0-21   Georgetown (1)   10/13/23
   .654   18-1-26   Bradley (3)   9/25/10
The Streak
Currently 10-2 in league play, Creighton has not lost three conference matches in the same season since 2013, when it finished 12-4 in its inaugural BIG EAST campaign.
(More Than) Halfway Home
Creighton has now played 12 of its 18 league matches on the docket.
   The Bluejays have suffered one league loss or fewer in the second half of conference play during each of the previous nine seasons.
League Record by Year
Year   1st Half   2nd Half   Place
1994Â Â Â 2-8Â Â Â 1-9Â Â Â T-9th MVC
1995Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â 3-7Â Â Â T-7th MVC
1996Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â T-6th MVC
1997Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-3rd MVC
1998Â Â Â 2-7Â Â Â 3-6Â Â Â 8th MVC
1999Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 5th MVC
2000Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2001Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2002Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â T-9th MVC
2003Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â T-5th MVC
2004Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5th MVC
2005Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 5th MVC
2006Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4th MVC
2007Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â T-2nd MVC
2008Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 2nd MVC
2009Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â T-4th MVC
2010Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 3rd MVC
2011Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4th MVC
2012Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st MVC
2013Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â 6-2Â Â Â T-2nd BIG EAST
2014Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST
2020Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 1st BIG EAST (Midwest)
2021Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â T-1st BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 9-0Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â T-1st BIG EAST
2023   7-2    3-0 so far   TBD
Total   177-89   171-89   --
On A Roll
Creighton owns 22 straight victories vs. DePaul, its second-longest win streak ever against any team. In September, CU's record streak of 23 straight wins over Xavier was snapped.
   Last Saturday the Bluejays picked up a 20th consecutive win over Georgetown, its third-longest streak against another team.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   23   Xavier   2013-22
   22   DePaul   2013-Present
   20   Georgetown   2013-Present
   19   Southern Illinois   2003-11
   19   Butler   2013-Present
   17   Seton Hall   2014-Present
   16   Indiana State   2005-Present
   16   Providence   2014-Present
Hall Mark
Including its 3-0 victory on Oct. 1st, Creighton has swept Seton Hall each of the last 15 meetings, and won each of the last 47 sets against the Pirates.
   The 47 straight set victories over the Pirates is easily the longest in program history over one opponent.
Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   47   Seton Hall   2015-Present
   29   Providence   2017-Present
   25   Indiana State   2005-09
   24   Xavier   2015-18
   23   Indiana State   2009-Present
   22   Georgetown   2019-Present
   19   Providence   2014-17
   19   Butler   2018-21
Better and Better
Kiana Schmitt has established herself as one of the best middle blockers in the BIG EAST and beyond.
   Schmitt had 10 kills and two blocks her entire freshman year in 2019, only seeing action in 18 sets. Schmitt has upped her numbers all five seasons and is currently posting career-high numbers across the board.
Year   STARTS   KPS   PCT%   BPS   PPS
2019Â Â Â 0Â Â Â .56Â Â Â .409Â Â Â .11Â Â Â .61
2020Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1.46Â Â Â .299Â Â Â .60Â Â Â 1.76
2021Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 1.64Â Â Â .274Â Â Â .84Â Â Â 2.09
2022Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 2.27Â Â Â .317Â Â Â .98Â Â Â 2.78
2023Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 2.62Â Â Â .357Â Â Â 1.09Â Â Â 3.19
TOTALÂ Â Â 78Â Â Â 1.99Â Â Â .318Â Â Â .87Â Â Â 2.45
Following In Their Footsteps
Destiny Ndam-Simpson has led Creighton in kills in three of the last eight matches she's played in as the Westside High School product is developing into one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the conference.
   Seeking to become CU's fourth BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in the last five seasons, Ndam-Simpson's stats compare similar to how CU's previous BIG EAST Freshmen of the Year performed.
After 23 Team Matches
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
D. Ndam-Simpson, 2023Â Â Â 2.44Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
A. Martin, 2022Â Â Â 2.18Â Â Â .64Â Â Â .27Â Â Â 2.34
N. Sis, 2021Â Â Â 3.66Â Â Â 2.96Â Â Â .56Â Â Â 4.16
K. Davis, 2019Â Â Â 3.13Â Â Â .92Â Â Â .39Â Â Â 3.65
J. Winters, 2015Â Â Â 3.89Â Â Â 2.18Â Â Â .46Â Â Â 4.29
Full Season Stats
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
D. Ndam-Simpson, 2023Â Â Â 2.44Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
A. Martin, 2022Â Â Â 2.49Â Â Â .71Â Â Â .25Â Â Â 2.65
N. Sis, 2021Â Â Â 3.75Â Â Â 2.96Â Â Â .60Â Â Â 4.24
K. Davis, 2019Â Â Â 3.35Â Â Â 1.37Â Â Â .41Â Â Â 3.89
J. Winters, 2015Â Â Â 4.07Â Â Â 2.49Â Â Â .44Â Â Â 4.44
Freshmen Phenoms
Creighton's Destiny Ndam-Simpson ranks fifth among BIG EAST freshmen in kills per set.
Full Season Stats
Name,Year   KPS   DPS   BPS   PPS
A. Harrell, VUÂ Â Â 3.38Â Â Â 2.11Â Â Â .35Â Â Â 3.90
E. Ward, BUÂ Â Â 2.58Â Â Â 2.38Â Â Â .29Â Â Â 2.99
M. Taylor, PCÂ Â Â 2.45Â Â Â 1.70Â Â Â .22Â Â Â 2.90
M. Ayro, UConn   2.444   .67   .21   2.60
D. Ndam-Simpson, CUÂ Â Â 2.438Â Â Â .65Â Â Â .42Â Â Â 2.68
Sans Sis, Ndam-Simpson & Schmitt Shined
Creighton went 8-3 in the 11 matches without two-time All-American Norah Sis, and the play of Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Kiana Schmitt was a key reason why.
   Ndam-Simpson averaged 2.72 kills per set while Schmitt's averaged 2.69 kills per set on .351 hitting without Sis.
   Helping to replace Sis' defensive production was setter Kendra Wait, averaged 3.79 digs per set in that span.
It Doesn't Seem Possible
Creighton is off to a 7-0 start at home this season and remains the only BIG EAST program that has yet to lose a home contest in 2023.
   Believe it or not, this is the first time that Creighton has ever started 4-0 or better at home.
   The previous best? Both the 2001 and 2014 Bluejay teams started 3-0 at home.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 11th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 96-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (87-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 80-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 72-1 league mark and a 8-0 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 Kiana Schmitt is 39-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (with 30 straight wins), and 117-22 in sets.
All They Do Is Win
Creighton has ranked as one of the nation's most successful programs since the start of the 2015 season.
   Through matches of Oct. 29, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 225 wins and eighth-best with an .815 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 10/29)
   Rk.   Wins   Team
   1.   247   Western Kentucky
   2.   241   Nebraska
   3.   234   Pittsburgh
   4.   231   BYU
   5.   228   Texas
   6.   225   Creighton
   7.   223   Wisconsin
   8.   219   Stephen F. Austin
   9.   217   Florida
   10.   211   Washington
      211   Minnesota
      211   Florida Gulf Coast
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 10/29)
   Rk.   Pct.   Team   W-L
   1.   .891   Texas   228-28
   2.   .879   Western Kentucky   247-34
   3.   .872   BYU   231-34
   4.   .858   Nebraska   241-40
   5.   .839   Pittsburgh   234-45
   6.   .832   Wisconsin   223-45
   7.   .816   Florida   217-49
   8.   .815   Creighton   225-51
   9.   .808   Stanford   210-50
   10.   .796   Towson   203-52
Putting The 0 In October And November
Creighton is 73-6 in the 10th month of the year since Oct. 1, 2016.
   Creighton's been awfully good in the month of November too. Since Nov. 1, 2014, CU is 53-4 in the 11th month of the year..
   Creighton has won 40 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 27 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14).
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton owned 58 wins during the previous two seasons, fourth-most in the nation in that span and trailing only Final Four qualifiers Louisville (63), Pitt (61) and Wisconsin (59).
   The only teams with 27 or more wins each of the past two campaigns are Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCF, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has at least 11 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Minnesota and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 8-2 against that group.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 102-107 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994Â Â Â 0-4
1995Â Â Â 0-2
1996Â Â Â 0-2
1997Â Â Â 0-3
1998Â Â Â 0-5
1999Â Â Â 2-4
2000Â Â Â 0-4
2001Â Â Â 1-6
2002Â Â Â 0-5
2003Â Â Â 0-3
2004Â Â Â 2-2
2005Â Â Â 0-6
2006Â Â Â 4-6
2007Â Â Â 4-9
2008Â Â Â 6-8
2009Â Â Â 1-11
2010Â Â Â 4-7
2011Â Â Â 2-6
2012Â Â Â 8-3
2013Â Â Â 6-6
2014Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 11-5
2016Â Â Â 10-7
2017Â Â Â 8-6
2018Â Â Â 8-5
2019Â Â Â 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
2021Â Â Â 3-1
2022Â Â Â 5-4
2023Â Â Â 8-2 so far
TOTALÂ Â Â 105-142
TOTAL Under Booth   102-107
Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last decade has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
   The Bluejays have won their last 22 contests immediately following a loss and have not dropped consecutive matches since opening the season 0-2 to begin the 2019 campaign with back-to-back losses to No. 2 Nebraska and No. 20 Baylor in Lincoln, Neb.
   By comparison, every other team in the BIG EAST has had a multi-match losing streak this season alone.
   And if that's not enough, EVERY SINGLE OTHER TEAM in the country (all 343 of them) has had a multi-match losing streak since Creighton's last skid.
   Creighton has not lost back-to-back matches against conference teams since a three-match losing streak in November of 2011.
   Creighton has also won its last 14 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
Dishing 3,000
Junior setter Kendra Wait became the fifth player in Bluejay history to reach 3,000 assists in her career when she reached the milestone in the first set vs. St. John's on Sept. 29th.
   Wait got there in 80 career matches, the third-fastest Bluejay player to that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 3,000 Assists (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   65   08/28/07   at Iowa State
Kailey Reyes   72   11/17/00   at Wichita State
Kendra Wait   80   09/29/23   St. John's
Melissa Weisensee   88   09/05/97   vs. UTSA
Megan Bober   90   11/04/11   Wichita State
The BIG EAST Beasts
The latest unofficial RPI has the BIG EAST as the nation's sixth-best conference, trailing only the Pac-12, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC.
Hitting Pretty
Creighton owns four 3-0 wins in the last seven weeks in which it has hit .430 or better, including a .488 mark vs. Georgetown on Oct. 13th and a .493 mark at Villanova on Oct. 27th that both rank top-four in program history.
Best Attack Percentage, Creighton History
   .536   vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s)   10-27-95
   .495   vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s)   9-2-05
   .493   at Villanova (41-5-73)   10-27-23
   .488   vs. Georgetown (45-5-82)   10-13-23
   .476   at DePaul (46-6-84) (3s)   10-6-17
   .471   vs. Providence (36-4-68) (3s)   10-19-14
   .467   vs. Seton Hall (48-5-92) (3s)   11-3-19
   .4463   vs. Georgetown (62-8-121) (4s)   9-22-17
   .4459   vs. Belmont (38-5-74) (3s)   9-8-17
   .442   vs. High Point (48-10-86) (3s)   9-15-23
What's Your Twenty?
Sophomore Ava Martin has had 20 or more kills in four different matches this season, something only five other sophomores in program history have ever done.
   Martin's five career efforts of 20 or more kills is already tied for eighth-most in program history.
Matches With 20+ Kills, Season
   20+K   Name   Year
   11   Leah Ratzlaff, So.   2003
   9   Leah Ratzlaff, Jr.   2004
   9   Jaali Winters, Fr.   2015
   9   Norah Sis, So.   2022
   8   Melissa Walsh, Jr.   2000
   7   Melissa Walsh, So.   1999
   7   Leah Ratzlaff, Sr.   2005
   6   Kelly Goc, Jr.   2006
   6   Jaali Winters, So.   2016
   5   Kelly Goc, Sr.   2007
   5   Taryn Kloth, Sr.   2018
   4   Melissa Walsh, Fr.   1998
   4   Melissa Walsh, Sr.   2001
   4   Jessica Houts, So.   2006
   4   Norah Sis, Fr.   2021
   4   Ava Martin, So.   2023
Matches With 20+ Kills, Career
   20+K   Name   Years
   27   Leah Ratzlaff   2002-05
   23   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   18   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   14   Norah Sis   2021-Present
   13   Kelly Goc   2004-07
   10   JoDe Cieloha   1994-97
   7   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   5   Jessica Houts   2005-09
   5   Leah McNary   2011-14
   5   Ava Martin   2022-Present
This Is 20/20
Junior Kendra Wait became the first player in Creighton history with three different matches in the same month with at least 20 assists and 20 digs when she did it in September.
   Her seven such matches in her career are tied for the most in CU history with Melissa Weisensee and Kailey Reyes.
Most 20 Assist, 20 Dig Matches in a Season
   4   Melissa Weisensee   1997
   4   Kailey Reyes   2000
   3   Kailey Reyes   1999
   3   Kendra Wait   2022
   3   Kendra Wait   2023
Most 20 Assist, 20 Dig Matches in a Career
   7   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
   7   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
   7   Kendra Wait   2021-Pres.
   2   Brittany Coleman   2003-05
   2   Michelle Sicner   2011-14
   1   Korie Lebeda   2005-08
   1   Lydia Dimke   2016-17
20 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match
A   D   Name   Opp.   Date
47   22   Melissa Weisensee   Bradley (4s)   9/9/94
51   21   Melissa Weisensee   at Wichita State (5s)   9/14/96
53   24   Melissa Weisensee   at Indiana State (5s)   10/18/96
40   23   Melissa Weisensee   at Drake (5s)   9/13/97
46   38   Melissa Weisensee   Evansville (4s)   10/10/97
46   21   Melissa Weisensee   Missouri State (4s)   10/31/97
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
40   21   Kailey Reyes   Missouri State (4s)   11/6/99
49   28   Kailey Reyes   at Illinois State (4s)   10/13/00
44   23   Kailey Reyes   Bradley (4s)   10/28/00
64   23   Kailey Reyes   at Evansville (5s)   11/4/00
45   20   Kailey Reyes   vs. Evansville (4s)   11/24/00
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
27   20   Michelle Sicner   Illinois State (4s)   9/30/11
44   21   Michelle Sicner   Xavier (4s)   11/29/13
41   20   Lydia Dimke   vs. Wichita State (5s)   8/27/16
40   21   Kendra Wait   at Marquette (4s)   10/29/21
59   36   Kendra Wait   vs. Florida State (5s)   9/9/22
56   24   Kendra Wait   at Rice (5s)   9/18/22
60   20   Kendra Wait   #14 Marquette (5s)   11/26/22
43   22   Kendra Wait   Northern Iowa (4s)   9/3/23
42   22   Kendra Wait   at #9 Minnesota (5s)   9/16/23
45   26   Kendra Wait   at Xavier (5s)   9/23/23
Bolting Down The Defense
After doing it five total times in the first three years of her career, senior Ellie Bolton already owns six matches of 20 or more digs this season.
   Only six players in program history have more than 11 career matches with 20+ digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-15
   32   Julianne Mandolfo    2010-11
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   27   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   20   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   19   Nayka Benitez   2009-10
   11   Katie Mehal   2004-07
   11   Ellie Bolton   2020-Pres.
   9   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Bolton One Of A Kind
Ellie Bolton has been doing damage of late behind the service line and in the back row. Not only has the senior libero had an ace in 17 of the last 18 matches she's played in, but she's also had 10 or more digs in 16 of her last 18 appearances as well.
   Bolton's streak of 12 straight matches with an ace, the second-longest mark in team history, was snapped on Sept. 29 vs. St. John's.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
   15   Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
   12   Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27, 2018-Aug. 30, 2019
   12   Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14-Oct. 25, 2019
   12   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26 - Sept. 23, 2023
   11   Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
   11   Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
   11   Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
   43   Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
   32   Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
   30   Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
   27   Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
   23   Julianne Mandolfo, Sept. 9-Nov. 24, 2011
   21   Brittany Witt, Nov. 25, 2017 - Oct. 7, 2018
   19   Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
   18   Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009-Aug. 28, 2010
   16   Abby Bottomley, Aug. 27-Oct. 1, 2021
   15   Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
   15   Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
   15   Nayka Benitez, Nov. 13, 2009-Sept. 10, 2010
   15   Allie Oelke, Sept. 3-Oct. 16, 2010
   14   Mallory Lahm, Oct. 4-Nov. 25, 2005
   13   Nayka Benitez, Sept. 12-Oct. 23, 2009
   12   Melanie Jereb, Oct. 12-Dec. 5, 2014
   12   Kate Elman, Oct. 25-Dec, 11, 2015
   12   Brittany Witt, Oct. 5-Nov. 12, 2017
   11   Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24, 2000-Aug. 31, 2001
   10   Kate Elman, Sept. 20-Oct. 17, 2015
   10   Brittany Witt, Oct. 26 - Nov. 24, 2018
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, Sept. 16, 2023
Booth Earns 450th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 460-188 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 97 different schools while at Creighton.
   Coaching alongside Booth for each of those wins is assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens, who is also in her 21st season at CU.
   Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-1   vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)   08/30/03
50-43   Jacksonville State   09/01/06
100-71   at Drake   10/31/08
150-108   Illinois State   09/30/11
200-123   Xavier   10/18/13
250-144   at Xavier   10/17/15
300-157   Villanova   09/24/17
350-167   Nebraska-Omaha   09/13/19
400-178   Marquette   10/10/21
450-186   at #9 Minnesota   09/16/23
Poll Votes Creighton 17th
Creighton held steady at 17th in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25 poll.
   Creighton started the season 18th in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 and has reached as high as 11th (Sept. 18th poll) this fall. It had been the highest ranking in the month of September for the program since it was 10th the final three weeks in September of 2018.
    Creighton's best ranking ever is No. 7, done on Aug. 28, 2017. CU was last ranked in the top 10 on Nov. 25, 2019 when it was No. 10.
118 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked in the most recent AVCA poll for the 118th time in program history. That's tied for 38th-most of all programs in NCAA history, with Northern Iowa (118).
   All 118 rankings have occurred since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   The Bluejays are one of 15 schools (along with Baylor, BYU, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 41 polls.
Handful Named To All-Tournament Team
Creighton had five different student-athletes named to the All-Tournament Team at the Diet Coke Classic, which recognized players who were the best at each position.
   Outside hitter Ava Martin was named Tournament MVP and joined on the list by middle blockers Ann Marie Remmes and Kiana Schmitt, libero Ellie Bolton and setter Kendra Wait.
   En route to winning four preseason tournaments, Creighton's Ellie Bolton (Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier), Norah Sis (Bluejay Invitational) and Ava Martin (Diet Coke Classic) each picked up Tournament MVP accolades. It would have almost certainly been more, but the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge did not recognize an All-Tournament Team.
Bouncing Back
The Creighton staff is quick to credit athletic performance coach Brad Schmidt for helping the team get stronger during the off-season and maintaining that strength during the season.
   Need evidence of that? Since Aug. 25, 2018, Creighton is 20-2 in the match following a five-setter.
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Hunting The Top 10
Including its Sept. 16th win at No. 9 Minnesota, Creighton is 9-35 all-time against top-10 teams, including a 9-28 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Eight of the nine victories came away from home, including three sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
   The list of top-10 wins is below. Notably, Creighton is also 7-2 in the match after a top-10 victory, falling only after the win at Kansas in 2017 and vs. Kentucky in 2018.
Date   Opponent   Score
09/05/15Â Â Â vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)Â Â Â W 3-0
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   W 3-2
08/26/17   at #3 Washington   W 3-1
09/09/17   at #7 Kansas   W 3-0
08/24/18Â Â Â vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)Â Â Â W 3-2
10/12/19   at #10 Marquette   W 3-2
11/22/19   #9 Marquette   W 3-1
09/04/21   at #3 Kentucky   W 3-0
09/16/23   at #9 Minnesota   W 3-2
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 18 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 13 of them.
   The only events that CU has not won were the '2020 NCAA Tournament (won by Kentucky) , the 2022 Bluejay Invitational (won by Kentucky), the 2021 NCAA Tournament (won by Wisconsin), the 2022 NCAA Tournament (won by Texas) and the 2022 Rice adidas Invitational (won by Rice). Kentucky, Wisconsin and Texas are the last three NCAA champions.
   Let's take a closer look:
Creighton Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021
Year   Event   CU Record (Place)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-25th)
2021   Mizzou Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluegrass Battle   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Shocker Volleyball Classic   3-0 (1st)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   1-1 (T-17th)
2022   Rumble in the Rockies   3-0 (1st)
2022   Bluejay Invitational   2-1 (2nd)
2022   Omaha Invitational   2-0 (1st)
2022   Rice adidas Invitational   1-1 (2nd)
2022   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2022   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-33rd)
2023   Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier   2-1 (1st)
2023   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2023   MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge   2-0 (1st)
2023   Diet Coke Challenge   2-0 (1st)
Collecting Hardware
Creighton won each of its first four tournaments of a season for the second time (2021, 2023) in the last three seasons after having never done it from 1994-2020.
   Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton had been 17-33 in 15 regular-season tournaments all-time, with just one tournament title (the 2000 Iowa State Heritage Classic).
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has opened the season by winning the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier at Purdue on Aug. 25-27, followed by the Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 1-3, the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge on Sept. 8-10 and then the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 15-16.
   It's the 12th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that started in 2012. During that span, the Bluejays have won 29 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year   Titles Won   Tourney Hosts
2012Â Â Â 3Â Â Â USF, UNC, MVC
2013Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BGSU
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â CU, BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 4Â Â Â WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 3Â Â Â SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 2Â Â Â UNI, CU
2020Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2021Â Â Â 5Â Â Â MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 3Â Â Â WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN
Destined For Greatness?
Destiny Ndam-Simpson led Creighton with 13 kills in her first start on Sept. 6 at No. 4 Nebraska.
   It was the most kills by a Bluejay in their first career start since sixth-year senior transfer Jazz Schmidt had 17 vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 28, 2015.
   Creighton's last freshman with 13 or more kills in their first career start was the woman that Ndam-Simpson replaced in the starting line-up that day, Norah Sis. Sis had 13 kills vs. Kansas City in her collegiate debut on Aug. 27, 2021.
   Ndam-Simpson's 13 kills were the second-most ever against a ranked team by a Bluejay in their first career start, trailing only the 14 by Jess Bird in 2013 against No. 13 BYU.
Most Kills, First Career Start
   K   Name   Opponent   Date
   17   Jaali Winters   vs. Miami (Ohio)   8/28/15
   17   Jazz Schmidt   at Rice   9/18/22
   15   Shannon Scrutton   UW-Green Bay   8/31/96
   15   Jessica Houts   at Colorado   9/9/05
   14   Jess Bird   vs. #13 BYU   8/30/13
   13   JoDe Cieloha   vs. Chattanooga   9/2/94
   13   Norah Sis   vs. UMKC   8/27/21
   13   Destiny Ndam-Simpson   at #4 Nebraska   9/6/23
Simpson Starts Strong
Destiny Ndam-Simpson had double-figure kills in each of her first four career starts until it was snapped on Sept. 22 at Butler.
   She's just the second player in program history with 10 or more kills in each of her first four starts, joining JoDe Cieloha (8 straight in 1994).
Higher & Higher
Creighton has had no shortage of pressure-packed situations thus far, as 16 of its 80 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 11-5). That doesn't include four drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-2).
   Creighton is also 7-4 this year in sets that require more than 25 points for a winner to emerge.
   On Sept. 3rd vs. Northern Iowa, Creighton played in a 36-34 set that was its second-highest scoring set in program history. The only one with more points was a 38-36 second set win at Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
   The match vs. Northern Iowa featured 44 ties and 20 lead changes. That was the most ties since there were 46 on Oct. 12, 2019 at Marquette and the most lead changes since there were 23 vs. Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
The Gauntlet Continues
Creighton faced another challenging non-conference schedule this fall.
   All told, nine of Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents owned 20 or more wins last season, combining to go 240-112 (.682). Just four of the 11 non-conference matches were at home.
   All 11 of the foes owned a top-85 RPI, 10 appeared in the postseason and four won a conference title last season. Creighton went 4-0 against league champs and 9-1 against the postseason qualifiers.
   Three of the teams that Creighton faced in non-conference play still have not lost a league contest this fall (Nebraska, Northern Iowa, High Point).
Sis Ties Record At 1,000 Kill Milestone
Norah Sis became the 16th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone when she did it on Sept. 2 vs. LSU.
   Sis achieved the milestone in her 70th career match, tying Melissa Walsh for reaching 1,000 kills the fastest in program history.
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.   Norah Sis   270   1,069   2021-Pr.
   14.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   15.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
      Jaela Zimmerman   357   1,000   2018-22
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Norah Sis   70   09/02/23   LSU
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
Jaela Zimmerman   111   11/13/22   Seton Hall
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson   120   09/30/17   at St. John's
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin started her sophomore season with matches of 14 (Loyola), 15 (Purdue), 20 (Duke), 16 (Ball State), 16 (LSU) and 22 (UNI) kills. Martin also finished her freshman season last fall with matches of 22 (Marquette) and 14 (Auburn) kills.
   Both those items put her in select company.
   Martin is the first Bluejay ever with four (or more...she ended at six) straight matches of 14 or more kills to start the season.
   She's also the first Bluejay with eight straight matches of 14 or more kills in program history.
   In those eight matches, Martin averaged 4.21 kills per set while hitting .287. Seven of the eight opponents were in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the ninth time in the past 11 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 last 15 seasons, 275-of-375 teams (73.3 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 340-of-375 teams (90.7 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois and No. 22 Utah reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
   This year marks the 12th 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   27-5   21st
   2023   18th   TBD   TBD
A Head Start
Creighton got a leg up on the competition thanks to having 10 extra practices in May and a trip to Italy and Slovenia from May 31 - June 11th.
   Every member of the current team except Emma Ziegler was on the trip, which also included four matches.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Sydney Breissinger, Audrey Clark, Jaya Johnson, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Ava TeStrake was recognized as the nation's No. 22 class by PrepVolleyball.
   Ndam-Simpson was listed as the nation's No. 21 recruit, TeStrake was tabbed 37th-best and Breissinger No. 139. Creighton now owns nine players on its 2023 roster who were Top 150 recruits by PrepVolleyball.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004; expanded to 150 in 2021)
   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
   41   2022   Ava Martin
   55   2022   Sky McCune
   21   2023   Destiny Ndam-Simpson
   37   2023   Ava TeStrake
   139   2023   Sydney Breissinger
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
current Bluejays in bold italic
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)
2009Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010Â Â Â High HMÂ Â Â (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (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)
2019Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022   24th   (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
2023   22nd   (Breissinger, Clark, Johnson, Ndam-Simpson, TeStrake)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters.
   From last year's team, only Emily Bressman, Bethany Clapp, Keeley Davis, Jazz Schmidt, Megan Skovsende, Allison Whitten and Jaela Zimmerman are not back.
   All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 524.3 of a possible 700% back (74.9 percent).
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1,384 (86.2%)   221 (13.8%)
Blocks   204 (84.3%)   38 (15.7%)
Matches Started   154 (80.2%)   192 (19.8%)
Kills   1,329 (77.6%)   383 (22.4%)
Points   1648 (76.9%)   494 (23.1%)
Aces   115 (61.2%)   73 (38.8%)
Digs   1142 (57.9%)   830 (42.1%)
11 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 11 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make 11 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 previous 11 NCAA Tournaments (2012-22). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
   There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 12 of the last 13 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.
Setting The Table
Two-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 89 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 77-12 in those contests.
   Against Loyola (Chicago), Wait became the first Bluejay setter to start three straight season-openers since Megan Bober did so all four years of her career from 2009-12.
   Besides Wait and Bober, the only other women to start three or more season-openers at setter have been Korie Lebeda (2005-08), Kailey Reyes (1998-2001) and Melissa Weisensee (1994-97).
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 381-11 (.972) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 322-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 247-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 125-1 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 17-206 (.076) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-107 (.123) under Booth. Those 17 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
10/07/22   at UConn   25-15, 25-12, 15-13   Booth
10/14/22   #16 Marquette   25-19, 25-16, 15-8   Booth
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 391-36 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 69-152 (.312) 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 143-5 in its last 148 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, on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky and on Dec. 2, 2022 to Auburn.
   Creighton has gone 123-6 in its last 129 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 12-18 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 163-4 in its last 167 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
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 460-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date   Opponent   MP(s) Faced   Final Set 5
08/30/03   vs. McNeese State   13-14, 15-16   18-16
10/10/03   Wichita State   13-14   16-14
10/13/06   at Wichita State   12-14, 13-14, 14-15   17-15
09/11/07   at Drake   13-14, 14-15   17-15
08/26/11Â Â Â vs. UTSAÂ Â Â 12-14, 13-14Â Â Â 16-14
11/16/12   at Wichita State   13-14   16-14
09/20/15   Kansas State   23-24 (4th set)   15-13
11/20/15   at Georgetown   23-24, 26-27 (4th set)   15-7
08/24/18   vs. #5 Kentucky   16-15, 19-18   22-20
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 70-38 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 19 of its last 27 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, at Omaha and UConn in 2022 and at No. 9 Minnesota in 2023.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 19-5 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's six victories in five-set matches last season broke the program record of five previously done in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The nine five-set matches in 2022 was also a record.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
1994Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 5-20
1995Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 11-19
1996Â Â Â 2-6Â Â Â 9-19
1997Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 15-13
1998Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 7-18
1999Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 13-15
2000Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 16-12
2001Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 14-13
2002Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 3-23
2003Â Â Â 5-1Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 4-3Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 2-2Â Â Â 19-4
Total   85-66   553-340
A Dozen, Cousin
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 12 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Jim Flanery   Women's Basketball   6
Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up. Booth owns 460 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories (thru 11/2/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball   819
Ed Servais, Baseball   643*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   460*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   401*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women's tennis coach
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Creighton earned 4-of-11 first place votes and 94 of a possible 100 points. That was just behind of Marquette's 97 points and the other seven votes for first place.
   Xavier (78) was picked third, just ahead of St. John's (64) and Connecticut (63). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were DePaul (59), Villanova (46), Butler (40), Seton Hall (30), Providence (18) and Georgetown (16).
   Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Ava Martin as well as unanimous selections Kendra Wait and Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight fall.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 18 of 20 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including 10 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
2020Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â - -
2021   1st   1st   - -
2022   1st   1st   - -
2023   2nd   ???   ???
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 10-13 against ranked non-conference foes over the last seven seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year   Non-Con W-L   vs. Ranked Non-Con   Final W-L
2003Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 8-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 5-5Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-7Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 9-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 7-6Â Â Â 0-5Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 6-7Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 0-4Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 12-1Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â TBD
President Elect Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President-Elect of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
   Booth began her service on January 1, 2023, and will become AVCA President in 2024. She is part of the 17-member AVCA Board of Directors, which includes elected representatives, appointed voting members for Diversity Development and Legislation, and non-voting members for Education and Awards.
   She will finish out her term as Past President in 2026.
   Booth is in her 21st season as the head women's volleyball coach at Creighton.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 27-5 last season, won a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title, won its eight BIG EAST Tournament in the past nine seasons, and played in its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
   Norah Sis was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-BIG EAST squad by Kiana Schmitt, Kendra Wait and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin.
   CU posted three top-25 victories in the season, topping No. 25 USC (Sept. 2), No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) and No. 14 Marquette (Nov. 26).
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball Postgame Press Conference vs. Kansas - 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Kansas, 9/21/25
Monday, September 22
Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Press Conference - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
#18 Creighton Volleyball vs. South Florida Highlights - 9/20/25
Saturday, September 20
