#17 Volleyball Ready For NCAA Opener vs. Colgate

2023 NCAA Tournament First Round
Match #32: Colgate Raiders (22-7) at #17 Creighton Bluejays (27-4)
Omaha, Neb. • D.J. Sokol Arena • Friday, December 1 • 6:30 p.m.
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | COLGATE NOTES |

This Week
It's NCAA Tournament time for No. 17 Creighton as the 10-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champion Bluejays will once again host a four-team pod at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   The action begins at 4 p.m. on Friday when Utah State (24-6) squares off against Minnesota (16-12).
   The second match on Friday will see No. 17 Creighton (27-4) host Colgate (22-7) at 6:30 p.m.
   The Second Round, featuring Friday's two winning teams, will be played on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
   D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500) in Omaha, Neb., will host the action.

Broadcast Information
All the NCAA Tournament matches from Omaha will be broadcast on ESPN+.
   Jon Schriner and Shannon Smolinski will call the action with Ana Bellinghausen serving as sideline reporter.
   To access ESPN+ programming, visit WatchESPN.com. A subscription fee and/or cable authorization may be required.

Live Stats Information
All matches of the NCAA Tournament will have free live stats at http://www.ncaa/mediastats.

Scouting #17 Creighton
Finally healthy, Creighton has won 15 straight matches to improve to 27-4 on the season. The Bluejays tied for first place in the BIG EAST with a 16-2 league mark, earning its unprecedented 10th consecutive regular-season title. The Bluejays flexed their muscle at last weekend's BIG EAST Tournament in Milwaukee, dominating both DePaul and St. John's without dropping a set, to win its ninth league tournament title since 2014.
   Creighton is ranked 17th in the AVCA poll and ninth in the RPI, and boast road wins over No.9 Minnesota and No. 16 Purdue in addition to a home victory over No. 25 Marquette to highlight its tourney résumé .
   Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.82 kps., 2.74 dps.) missed 11 matches with an injury, but the Jays have won 42-of-43 sets since she returned and are 19-1 overall in matches with her in the line-up.
   Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin (3.62 kps., .279%) is fourth in the BIG EAST in kills per set and gives CU one of the best pin pairs in the league.
   Senior Kiana Schmitt (2.68 kps., 1.08 bps., .387%) leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage and blocks per set, while fellow middle Kiara Reinhardt hit a robust .394 in league play. Schmitt was named MVP of last week's BIG EAST Tournament.
   BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year Kendra Wait (10.27 aps., 3.37 dps., 1.12 kps., 0.79 bps., .368%) directs the Bluejay offense, while Ellie Bolton (3.72 dps.), Sydney Breissinger (2.86 dps., 0.34 saps.) and Sky McCune (2.04 dps.) have all seen time at libero.
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (14.50, assists per set (13.37), blocks per set (2.24), opponent hitting percentage (.134), digs per set (16.30) and hitting percentage (.286) and also averages 1.56 aces per set.

Scouting Colgate
Colgate is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance after capturing the Patriot League Tournament title on Nov. 19 with a 3-0 sweep of American.
   The win improved the Raiders to 22-7 overall including 20 wins in its last 23 outings. Among Colgate's top wins this season have been triumphs over Illinois State, West Virginia and Syracuse.
   Milan Bayless (2.59 kps.), Gillian Hauschild (2.50 kps.), , Abby Shadwick (2.43 kps.), Libby Overmyer (2.34 kps.) and Carlie Rzeszotarski (2.13 kps.) all average multiple kills per set, but from that grouping only Hauschild has played more than 27 matches.
   Sydney Jones (5.85 aps.) and Claire Dewine (4.80 aps.) split time running Colgate's 6-2 offense, Rachael Martinez (3.42 dps. 0.32 saps.) leads the club in digs and Sophie Thompson (1.55 bps.) ranks among the national leaders in blocks per set. At the Patriot League Tournament, libero Taylor Cigna had 33 digs in seven sets to earn MVP honors.
   Hauschild and Shadwick were named to the All-Patriot League First Team, while Thompson and Jones garnered All-Patriot League Second Team laurels.
   As a team, Colgate averages 12.77 kills, 1.44 aces, 14.22 digs and 2.62 blocks per set on .239 hitting.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 468-188 record in her 21st season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to 10 straight BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014-23), and 11 league crowns in the last 12 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 fourth time in 2023.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only 13 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. Colgate
Creighton and Colgate have never met.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced Colgate nor coach Ryan Baker.

With a Win...
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
- Improve to 28-4 on the season, the fifth-most single-season wins in team history.
-Improve to 13-2 all-time at the NCAA Tournament, including a 10-3 mark in the First Round.
- Improve to 4-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament.
- Creighton would win its 200th match as a top-25 team, as it is currently 199-44.
- Creighton would improve to 12-0 at home this season.
- Kirsten Bernthal Booth would earn a victory over a 98th different school.
- Earn itself a Second Round home match against either Utah State or Minnesota, to be held on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.

Creighton's NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 14 years after earning a 12th straight bid to the Big Dance. The Bluejays made their NCAA debut in 2010 and have been in every tournament since then with the exception of 2011.
   The Bluejays are 12-12 in its first 11 appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010 and 2019), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015 and 2017), No. 23 North Carolina (2015), Northern Iowa (2016), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 17 Michigan (2016), South Dakota (2018) and Ole Miss (2021).
   Creighton is 9-3 in First Round play, 2-7 in the Second Round, 1-1 in the Regional Semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional Finals. The Bluejays are 3-4 at home, 7-3 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason. Booth will be making her 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as Creighton's coach, more than any other coach in any other Bluejay sport ever.

NCAA Tourney Streak
The inclusion of Creighton Volleyball into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, extended an impressive streak for Bluejay athletics.
   This year marks the 37th straight academic calendar year that Creighton has had at least one NCAA Tournament team.

12 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 12 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008.
   Creighton is one of seven teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments (2012-23). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.
   There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 13 of the last 14 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue, San Diego, Stanford and Washington. Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, and Texas have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.

Against NCAA Tournament Teams
Creighton is 7-2 so far this fall against teams in the field of 64, including one victory each against Iowa State, Northern Iowa, High Point, Marquette, Minnesota, Purdue and Omaha.
   Colgate went 0-4 against NCAA-bound squads, including losses to Missouri, Western Kentucky, James Madison and Penn State.
   In nine matches this fall against NCAA Tournament teams, Norah Sis averaged 4.10 kills and 3.30 digs per set, Ava Martin averaged 3.91 kills per set, Kiana Schmitt hit .315 and averaged 2.62 kills per set, Kendra Wait averaged 10.22 assists and 3.81 digs per set and Ellie Bolton averaged 4.90 digs per set. The Jays hit .237 and averaged 14.25 kills, 1.12 aces, 16.97 digs and 2.11 blocks per set.
vs. NCAA Tournament Teams
Opponent   CU Score   Colgate Score
Purdue   W 3-0   -
Northern Iowa   W 3-1   -
Nebraska   L 1-3   -
Omaha   W 3-0   -
Iowa State   W 3-1   -
High Point   W 3-0   -
Minnesota   W 3-2   -
Marquette   L 0-3   -
Marquette   W 3-0   -
Missouri   -   L 2-3
Western Kentucky   -   L 1-3
James Madison    -   L 1-3
Penn State   -   L 0-3

Common Opponents
Creighton and Colgate share no common opponents this year.

Seed Value
Creighton is a top 16 national seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the past nine seasons. Only 11 schools in the country can say that, as seen below:
   Rk.   School   Top 16 Seeds Since 2015
   1.   Nebraska   9
       Texas   9
   3.   BYU   8
       Florida   8
       Minnesota   8
       Wisconsin   8
   7.   Kentucky   7
       Penn State   7
       Stanford   7
   .10.   Creighton   6
       Washington   6

Tourney Veterans
Nine members on this year's Creighton team have previously played for the Bluejays in the NCAA Tournament. Kiana Schmitt and Ellie Bolton have played in three tournaments, Kiara Reinhardt and Norah Sis in two tournaments, and Kendra Wait, Ava Martin, Ann Marie Remmes, Abbey Milner and Sky McCune in one each.
   Additionally, Ellie Bichelmeyer was on three NCAA Tournament teams at Rice, playing in matches in both 2021 and 2022.

Home Court Advantage
Creighton is 11-0 at home this season and has been dominant inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
   The Bluejays have won 26 consecutive sets at home, and haven't dropped a set there since dropping the second set (36-34) on Sept. 3 vs. Northern Iowa.
   Of the 36 sets that CU has played at home this season, it has scored 25 points or more in 35 of them and actually averages 25.08 points per set. That figure climbs to 25.37 if you throw out the fifth set vs. Ball State that was played to just 15.

Come On Down
Large crowds are expected at D.J. Sokol Arena this weekend. While the top seven home crowds in program history have occurred at CHI Health Center Omaha, D.J. Sokol Arena has also attracted 21 crowds of 2,200 or more.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton History
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   15,797   #2 Nebraska   09/07/22   L 2-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   14,022   #7 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   11,279   #3 Nebraska   f09/08/21   L 0-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CHI Health Center Omaha
   2,653   Auburn   12/02/22   L 2-3   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,578   #13 Kentucky   09/01/17   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,552   South Dakota   11/30/18   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,517   Coastal Carolina   12/01/17   W 3-1   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,514   #7 Nebraska   08/31/10   L 0-3   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,509   #22 Washington   12/01/18   L 0-3   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,504   #9 Marquette   11/22/19   W 3-1   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,496   Butler   11/19/23   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,415   #12 Michigan St.   12/02/17   L 1-3   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,413   Xavier   11/17/23   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,396   #25 Marquette   11/05/23   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,389   Kansas   12/03/21   L 1-3   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,351   Ole Miss   12/02/21   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,325   Northern Iowa   10/05/12   W 3-1   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,290   Iowa State   09.07/18   W 3-1   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,285   Texas Tech   08/28/09   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,242   #16 Marquette   11/24/18   W 3-1   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,241   #21 Marquette   09/23/18   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,225   Georgetown   11/09/18   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,222   Marquette   11/04/17   W 3-0   D.J. Sokol Arena
   2,206   Xavier   10/18/18   W 3-2   D.J. Sokol Arena

Attendance Update
Creighton ended the regular-season ranked 42nd nationally in total home attendance (22,958) and 31st in average fans per home match (2,087).
   Creighton has led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in every non-COVID year since joining the league, though it won't catch Marquette this season.
   Creighton's 22,958 home fans so far this fall put CU to rank in the top five in program history. The 2,087 fans per home match so far are also fourth-most ever so far.
Most Home Fans, Season
   Rk.   Fans   Dates   Year
   1.   47,632   17   2018
   2.   41,805   17   2022
   3.   30,211   14   2021
   4.   29,905   18   2015
   5.   25,615   13   2019

Highest Home Attendance Average, Season
   Average Rk.   Fans   Dates   Year
   1.   2,802   47,632   17   2018
   2.   2,459   41,805   17   2022
   3.   2,158   30,211   14   2021
   4.   2,087   22,958   11   2023
   5.   1,970   25,615   13   2019

NCAA Crowds
Creighton attracted 4,803 fans on the opening weekend of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. That figure ranked 11th-best among the 16 host sites nationally.
NCAA Round 1/2 Attendance
Rk.   Host   Rd. 1   Rd. 2   Total
1.   Nebraska   8062   8235   16297
2.   Wisconsin   7229   7229   14458
3.   Minnesota   4489   4671   9160
4.   Texas   4172   4812   8984
5.   Oregon   3474   3014   6488
6.   Ohio State   3492   2874   6366
7.   Stanford   2866   2797   5663
8.   Florida   2563   2936   5499
9.   Pittsburgh   2667   2814   5481
10.   San Diego   2667   2228   4895
11.   Creighton   2653   2150   4803
12.   Penn State   2403   2389   4792
13.   Kentucky   2293   2387   4680
14.   Marquette   2064   2066   4130
15.   Baylor   1402   1007   2409
16.   Louisville   933   984   1917

Milwaukee's Best
Creighton had three players named to the All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championships.
   Ava Martin hit .333 and averaged 3.17 kills per set.
   Kendra Wait averaged 10.17 kills, 2.33 digs, 1.33 kills and 0.83 blocks per set while hitting .615 and directing a CU attack that hit .344.
   Kiana Schmitt hit .452 and averaged 3.00 kills and 1.50 blocks per set while earning MVP honors.

BIG EAST Awards Haul
Kendra Wait was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year, while Creighton shared BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, it was announced on Nov. 21.
   Overall, Creighton had four women earn All-BIG EAST acclaim while a fifth was named to the All-Freshman Team.
   Wait was named Player of the Year and Setter of the Year for the first time as the junior picked up All-BIG EAST acclaim for the third time.
   Also earning All-BIG EAST recognition for a third time was junior Norah Sis, the 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year.
   Additionally, both Kiana Schmitt and Ava Martin brought home All-BIG EAST honors for the second straight season, while Destiny Ndam-Simpson was a member of the All-Freshman Team.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth and her staff shared BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors with St. John's. It's the fourth time that Booth has been recognized by the BIG EAST, having also won the honor in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
   This year marks the 11th time in as many years as a member of the BIG EAST that Creighton has had multiple all-conference selections, and ninth straight season with three or more First Team selections.

Seed History
No fewer than 10-of-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the last 22 seasons.
   On average in that time, 12.91 of the 16 seeds have advanced each year, or roughly 80.7 percent.
   The only times that all 16 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 was in both 2001 and 2023.
Year   Seeds to Sweet 16?
2022   15/16
2021   14/16
2020   14/16
2019   13/16
2018   12/16
2017   11/16
2016   12/16
2015   13/16
2014   13/16
2013   11/16
2012   12/15
2011   11/16
2010   11/16
2009   12/16
2008   13/16
2007   10/16
2006   15/16
2005   13/16
2004   14/16
2003   16/16
2002   13/16
2001   16/16

Booth's Decade of Dominance
Kirsten Bernthal Booth has won nine BIG EAST Tournament titles, tied with former Notre Dame coach Debbie Brown for most in league history.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton's final campaign in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton has won 11 regular-season titles and 10 league tournament crowns.

Tourney Champs!
Creighton and its First Round opponent, Colgate, are no stranger to tournament success.
   Creighton has won four straight BIG EAST Tournaments, while Colgate has won three consecutive Patriot League Tournament titles.
   Nationally, only Creighton (4), Florida Gulf Coast (4), Colgate (3) and UMBC (3) have won three or more straight league tournaments.
   With a win last Saturday, Creighton became the fourth different team to win four straight BIG EAST tournament titles, but first program to do it twice.
4 Straight BIG EAST Tourney Titles
   1988-94   Pittsburgh
   1995-98   Notre Dame
   2014-18   Creighton
   2020-22   Creighton

BIG EAST Tournament Champions
Creighton Volleyball earned the school's 11th different BIG EAST Tournament title won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
   All but two of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.
Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament Titles (11)
Baseball (1): 2019
Men's Soccer (1): 2022
Volleyball (8): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Creigh10 Is Your CHAMP10N!
Regular-season champions from 2014-23, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 10 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 10 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 seven.

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 10 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2023
Regular-Season   League Tournament
10 (3 shared) Creighton   10 Creighton
10 (1) Texas   9 Dayton
10 (5) Western Kentucky   9 Western Kentucky
9 Fairfield   8 Fairfield
8 BYU   7 LIU
8 (1) Colorado State

BIG EAST'S Best
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton, Marquette and St. John's are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. CU won the 2019 regular-season crown, while St. John's upset nationally-ranked Creighton and Marquette to bring home the 2019 tournament title. In 2020, Creighton won the Midwest Division regular-season title, while St. John's claimed the East Division crown. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, 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 - Nov. 26, 2023
             BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)   W   L   W   L
Creighton (10)   170   16   281   69
Marquette (9)   153   30   258   83
Xavier   108   76   169   152
Butler   98   88   171   153
St. John's (1)   94   92   197   147
Villanova (1)   91   95   171   149
Seton Hall (1)   80   105   155   169
DePaul   55   131   127   186
Georgetown   40   138   100   202
Connecticut#   30   32   53   54
Providence*   29   141   104   188
*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.

Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 19 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 14 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)
2023   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)

Collecting Hardware
Creighton won each of its first five 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 30 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year   Titles Won   Tourney Hosts
2012   3   USF, UNC, MVC
2013   1   BGSU
2014   1   CU, BIG EAST
2015   1   BIG EAST
2016   1   BIG EAST
2017   4   WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018   3   SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019   2   UNI, CU
2020   1   BIG EAST
2021   5   MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022   3   WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023   5   Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN, BIG EAST

Volleyball State
It's been another impressive year of volleyball in the state of Nebraska.
   Creighton won a share of its 10th straight BIG EAST regular-season title, then won its fourth straight BIG EAST Tournament title.
   Omaha owned a share of the Summit League regular-season title, then won its first Summit League Tournament title.
   An hour down the road, top-ranked Nebraska has clinched its first Big Ten title since 2017 and is the top overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

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 100-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (91-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 84-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 76-1 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 43-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (with 34 straight wins), and 129-22 in sets.
   Creighton has won 34 straight regular-season sets against BIG EAST opponents inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

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 59-4 in the 11th month of the year.
   Creighton has won 40 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 37 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14). Incredibly, Creighton is 111-10 in sets in those home November contests.

Decade of Dominance
Eleven years in the BIG EAST gives Creighton a pretty good set of data to compare its yearly performance in league matches.
   Here's how the 2023 campaign compared to previous seasons:
Creighton's Year-By-Year BIG EAST Stats
Year   W-L   KPS   HIT%   SAPS   DPS   BPS
2013   12-4   13.75   .213   1.00   16.20   3.13
2014#   16-2   14.89   .242   1.30   17.09   2.86
2015#   17-1   15.02   .271   1.33   16.97   2.47
2016#   18-0   15.37   .317   1.69   16.08   2.41
2017#   16-2   14.81   .302   1.31   16.62   2.05
2018#   18-0   14.45   .294   2.13   15.67   2.38
2019#   17-1   14.61   .269   2.07   15.80   2.25
2020#   7-1   12.93   .249   1.30   14.17   2.75
2021#   16-2   13.95   .242   1.82   18.02   2.86
2022#   17-1   14.80   .299   1.85   16.10   2.33
2023#   16-2   14.40   .313   1.89   15.91   2.30
#won league's regular-season title

Didn't Have To Wait Long
Creighton junior Kendra Wait owns 1,078 assists this season, reaching her 1,000th helper on Nov. 19 vs. Butler.
   Wait joined Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Korie Lebeda (2005-08) as the second player in program history to reach 1,000 assists as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Kailey Reyes (1998-2001) reached 1,000 assists each of her final three campaigns, while Megan Bober (2009-12) did it as a freshman, sophomore and senior.
Single-Season Matches to 1,000 Assists
   Name   MP   Opponent   Year
Korie Lebeda   21   at Drake   2006
Brittany Coleman   22   at Southern Illinois   2004
Korie Lebeda   23   Missouri State   2005
Brittany Coleman   23   Northern Iowa   2003
Kailey Reyes   23   at Southern Illinois   1999
Melissa Weisensee   23   at Evansville   1996
Kailey Reyes   24   at Wichita State   2000
Melissa Weisensee   24   at Evansville   1997
Kendra Wait   24   Providence   2022
Kailey Reyes   25   Wichita State   2001
Korie Lebeda   25   Southern Illinois   2007
Korie Lebeda   26   Bradley   2008
Lydia Dimke   26   Xavier   2016
Madelyn Cole   26   at Seton Hall   2018
Megan Bober   27   Evansville   2010
Lydia Dimke   27   Georgetown   2017
Madelyn Cole   27   #9 Marquette   2019
Megan Bober   28   at Northern Iowa   2009
Megan Bober   28   at Wichita State   2012
Michelle Sicner   28   Xavier   2013
Kendra Wait   29   at Villanova   2021
Kendra Wait   29   Butler   2023
Maggie Baumert   32   vs. Seton Hall   2014

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. Compared to the national leaders this year, Creighton's .950 winning percentage with Sis would rank second, its 15.38 kills per set with Sis would rank first and its .323 hitting percentage with Sis would rank first.
Category   With Sis   Without Sis
Team Match Record   19-1   8-3
Team Set Record   59-7   27-12
Team Record vs Top 25   2-0   1-1
Team Set Record vs Top 25   6-0   4-5
Team's Set 1 Record   19-1   9-2
Percent of Points Won   57.8%   53.1%
Kills Per Set   15.38   13.00
Hitting Percentage   .323   .224
Aces Per Set   1.80   1.15
Digs Per Set   16.41   16.10
Blocks Per Set   2.36   2.05
Opponents Blocks Per Set   1.14   1.88
Martin Kills Per Set   3.64   3.59
Martin Hitting Percentage   .329   .210
Reinhardt Kills Per Set   1.54   1.10
Reinhardt Hitting Percentage   .404   .220

Hall Mark
Including its 3-0 victory on Nov. 10th, Creighton has swept Seton Hall each of the last 16 meetings, and won each of the last 50 sets against the Pirates.
   The 50 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
   50   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

A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 27 victories entering the week are tied for eighth-most in the nation and its .871 win percentage is tied for 12th-best.
   Creighton also ranks fifth nationally in fewest sets lost (19). Here's that list:
Fewest Sets Lost (through 11/26)
Rk.   Sets Lost   Team
1.   17   Dayton
2.   18   Nebraska
   18   Pittsburgh
   18   Wisconsin
5.   19   Creighton

It's Awfully Clean Around Here
Creighton's record streak of 30 straight sets won came to an end on Nov. 11th when St. John's took the first set over the Bluejays. Since then, CU has won 15 straight sets.
   That streak broke the previous mark of 29 straight sets won, accomplished last year.
Creighton's Most Consecutive Sets Won
   Set Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   30   Oct.7 - Nov. 10, 2023   at St. John's
   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
   19   Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019   at Villanova

They Say Defense Wins Championships
Creighton has held opponents to .134 hitting, a figure that ranks as the nation's best mark.
   In league play, CU foes hit an even smaller .115, the best mark since the BIG EAST's reconfiguration in 2013.
   Including 2023, Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in opponent's hitting percentage each of the last eight seasons.

Straight Sets
Creighton is 24-0 this season when winning the second set.
   Colgate is 18-0 when winning the second set this season.

Going Streaking
Creighton has won 15 consecutive matches, the nation's eighth-longest active streak through contests of Nov. 26th.
   That's one of many active streaks for the Bluejays right now. Here's a look at a bunch of them:
Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (11/26)
   Rk.   Streak   Team
   1.   26   Dayton
   2.   24   Western Kentucky
   3.   22   Southeastern Louisiana
   4.   21   Northern Iowa
   5.   20   Western Michigan
   6.   17   Yale
   7.   16   Kentucky
   8.   15   Creighton
       15   Delaware
       15   SMU

Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks (11/26)
   Rk.   Streak   Team
   1.   28   Stephen F. Austin
   2.   24   Yale
   3.   19   Nebraska*
   4.   17   Western Michigan
   5.   16   High Point
   6.   14   Kansas*
   7.   13   Wisconsin*
   8.   12   UC Santa Barbara
       12   Western Kentucky
       12   James Madison
       12   Pittsburgh*
       12   Lipscomb
       12   Dayton
       12   FGCU
   15.   11   Creighton*
       11   Fairfield
       11   Florida State
* NCAA Tournament host

   Creighton's Most Consecutive Wins
       Wins   Dates   Snapped By
       23   Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
       21   Sept. 21 - Nov. 30, 2018   #22 Washington, 3-0
       17   Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
       17   Sept. 23-Nov. 18, 2022   at #16 Marquette, 3-0
       15   Oct. 7, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?
       14   Sept. 19-Nov. 3, 2019   at Villanova, 3-0
       14   Oct. 17-Dec. 2, 2021   Kansas, 3-1

CU's Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
       Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
       31   Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019    at Villanova, 3-0   BIG EAST
       28   Oct. 31, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2017   at Marquette, 3-0   BIG EAST
       28   Oct. 17, 2021- Nov. 18, 2022   at #16 Marquette, 3-0     BIG EAST
       14   Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012   Never (left MVC)   MVC
       13   Oct. 7, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?   BIG EAST
       12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2   BIG EAST
       11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0   BIG EAST
       11   Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017   at Villanova, 3-0   BIG EAST

Creighton's Longest Road Win Streaks
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By
       9   Sept. 30-Dec. 2, 2016   at #5 Texas, 3-0
       8   Sept. 29 - Nov. 30, 2012   at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
       8   Sept. 28 - Nov. 3, 2018   at #2 Nebraska, 3-1
       8   Oct. 2, 2021 - Sept. 10, 2022   at Rice, 3-2
       7   Sept. 21-Nov. 9, 2007   at #24 Wichita State, 3-0
       7   Nov. 21, 2009-Oct. 2, 2010   at Drake, 3-1
       7   Sept. 6-Oct. 26, 2018   at Villanova, 3-0
       7   Oct. 7-Nov. 18, 2022   at #16 Marquette, 3-0
       7   Oct. 7, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?

Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By
       15   Sept. 7 - Nov. 30, 2018   #22 Washington, 3-0
       13   Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013   California, 3-0
       13   Sept. 9, 2016-Sept. 1, 2017   #18 USC, 3-0
       12   Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2015   #4 Kansas, 3-2
       12   Sept. 19, 2019 - Jan. 29, 2021   South Dakota, 3-2
       12   Sept. 10-Dec. 2, 2021   Kansas, 3-1
       12   Sept. 23-Nov. 26, 2022   Auburn, 3-2
       11   Sept. 1, 2023 - Present   ? ? ?
       10   Sept. 2-Dec. 1, 2017   #12 Michigan State, 3-1

A Shot In The Arm
Ellie Bichelmeyer's role has changed throughout the season. She's started 16 times, but also had four matches where she never saw the floor, but the fifth-year senior has stayed the course and it's paying off now
   Since receiving a cortisone injection prior to CU's Oct. 13 match vs. Georgetown, she's literally given the Bluejay offense a shot in the arm.
   During that stretch she's averaged 2.24 kills and 0.63 blocks per set while hitting .402, a huge uptick compared to her 1.19 kills and 0.31 blocks per set on .138 hitting prior to that point.

Wait Wait, There's More
Junior Kendra Wait owns 51 double-doubles in 97 matches as a Bluejay. That ranks seventh-most in program history.
   Wait joins Kailey Reyes (4) and Melissa Weisensee (3) as one of three Bluejays with three different seasons of 15 or more double-dips.
Matches With a Double-Double, Career
   D-D   Name   Years
   65   Melissa Weisensee   1994-97
   64   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
   60   Melissa Walsh   1998-01
   58   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   57   Megan Bober   2009-12
   56   Korie Lebeda   2005-08
   51   Kendra Wait   2021-Present

Matches With a Double-Double, Season
   D-D   Name   Year
   24   Megan Bober   2012
   21   Korie Lebeda   2006
   20   Melissa Weisensee   1997
   19   Melissa Walsh   1998
   19   Megan Bober   2011
   18   Melissa Walsh   1999
   18   Korie Lebeda   2008
   18   Kendra Wait   2022
   17   Melissa Weisensee   1995
   17   Kailey Reyes   1999
   17   Melissa Weisensee   1996
   17   Kailey Reyes   2001
   17   Michelle Sicner   2013
   17   Lydia Dimke   2016
   17   Kendra Wait   2021
   16   Michelle Prorock   1996
   16   Abby Baumann   2006
   16   Jaali Winters   2015
   16   Jaali Winters   2018
   16   Kendra Wait   2023

Good Start = Better Finish
Creighton has won the first point of a set 59.0 percent of the time (62/105), and when that occurs, good things happen.
   Creighton is 56-6 (.893) in sets this season when winning the opening point of a set, including 37 victories in a row.
   On the other hand Creighton is still a pretty healthy 30-13 (.698) when the opponent takes a 1-0 lead in a set.

Sponsored By The Number 20
Currently 27-4, here's a few facts about Creighton Volleyball and the 20-win milestone it reached on Nov. 3rd:
• Since restarting its program in 1994 Creighton has reached 20 or more wins 14 times, all of which have happened in the 21 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
• The only time in the last 12 seasons (including 2023) 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. This year's team did it in 24 matches.
• 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.

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 189 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 30 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   20-1   -   20-1
Connecticut   3-1   1-0   4-1
DePaul   22-0   2-0   24-0
Georgetown   20-0   -   20-0
Marquette   17-5   6-1   23-6
Providence   16-0   -   16-0
Seton Hall   17-3   2-0   19-3
St. John's   18-2   1-1   19-3
Villanova   17-3   3-0   20-3
Xavier   20-1   4-0   24-1
Total   170-16   19-2   189-18

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. After this year, that list will be trimmed down to Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin
   If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
   Creighton is one of just three schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-22 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year). That group consists of BYU, Creighton and Florida. BYU enters the week with 24 wins, Creighton has 27 wins and Florida owns 18 victories.

What's A Poll Really Mean?
This year marked 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.
   This year Creighton has gone 16-2 when playing BIG EAST teams, including a 1-1 mark vs. Marquette.
   Creighton won the regular-season BIG EAST title in 2018, 2019 and 2023, and won the tournament in both 2018 and 2023.

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 26-85 all-time against ranked teams and 14 of those top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (9) 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.
   This year is the seventh season that CU owns multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022 and 2023, and a record four in 2018 and 2019.

Top 25 History
Creighton is 199-44 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 21-24 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 286-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 104 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 148 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 21-24)
Home: 9-9   Away: 7-9    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   3-0

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.   Kendra Wait   335   1,083   2021-23
   15.   Sarah Schulze   398   1,056   2006-09

Libero Roles Change
Creighton has used three different liberos during the last two months, but has lost just one 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.
   Sydney Breissinger returned to the floor after missing six matches due to injury and has donned the alternate jersey the past five weekends. 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.

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 12 matches she's played since, she's led all players in kills eight times and also hit .400 or better four times.
   Since returning to the front row, Sis ranks second in the BIG EAST in kills per set (4.24), second in points per set (4.86) and ninth in aces per set (0.38).
   Since Sis returned overall (she played back row her first two matches after returning), Creighton is 42-1 in those sets. Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, kills per set, blocks per set and assists per set in that time. That's every team category except digs per set (4th), aces per set (2nd).

Offensive Parity Works Wonders
Creighton has hit .358 over the course of its last 15 matches, winning 45-of-46 sets, and its parity has been a big reason why.
   In that time seven different women own 44 kills or more and all of those women are also hitting .281 or higher in that span.
Last 15 Matches
Name   K   E   TA   Pct.
Norah Sis   157   46   372   .298
Ava Martin   146   32   353   .322
Kiana Schmitt   123   22   220   .459
Ellie Bichelmeyer   92   20   179   .402
Kiara Reinhardt   76   13   150   .420
Kendra Wait   54   5   112   .438
Destiny Ndam-Simpson   44   17   96   .281
TEAM   700   161   1514   .356

Offense Settles In
Creighton's offense has been on an absolute tear during the past 14 matches.
   During that span Creighton has hit .300 or better in 33 of the 43 sets and had 11 or more kills in all 43 sets.
   The Bluejays have hit an insane .404 in the first set of those matches (223-38-458), surpassing the .600 mark and going without an attack error in three of the 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
DePaul   46   9   115   .322
#25 Marquette   54   11   111   .387
at Seton Hall   57   10   101   .465
at St. John's   51   17   120   .283
Xavier   46   12   100   .340
Butler   47   8   105   .371
DePaul   45   11   102   .333
St. John's   43   10   93   .355
Total   656   139   1,499   .370

Schmitt Joins Century Club
Senior Kiana Schmitt has played in 108 victories during her career, becoming the 10th Bluejay to appear in 100 triumphs.
   Schmitt's current .878 winning percentage (108-15) 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
   108-15   .878   Kiana Schmitt   2019-Pres.
   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
   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 14 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
.722   13-0-18   at Georgetown (5)   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
.667   18-2-24   Xavier (1)   9/28/22
   .667   14-0-21   Georgetown (1)   10/13/23
   .654   18-1-26   Bradley (3)   9/25/10

The Streak
Creighton has not lost three conference matches in the same season since 2013, when it finished 12-4 in its inaugural BIG EAST campaign.
   The Bluejays have suffered one league loss or fewer in the second half of conference play during each of the last 10 seasons.
League Record by Year
Year   1st Half   2nd Half   Place
1994   2-8   1-9   T-9th MVC
1995   3-7   3-7   T-7th MVC
1996   2-7   3-6   T-6th MVC
1997   6-3   4-5   T-3rd MVC
1998   2-7   3-6   8th MVC
1999   5-4   4-5   5th MVC
2000   5-4   5-4   T-4th MVC
2001   7-2   5-4   4th MVC
2002   1-8   1-8   T-9th MVC
2003   5-4   4-5   T-5th MVC
2004   5-4   5-4   5th MVC
2005   4-5   6-3   5th MVC
2006   7-2   5-4   4th MVC
2007   7-2   7-2   T-2nd MVC
2008   7-2   8-1   2nd MVC
2009   4-5   6-3   T-4th MVC
2010   7-2   6-3   3rd MVC
2011   6-3   6-3   4th MVC
2012   8-1   9-0   1st MVC
2013   6-2   6-2   T-2nd BIG EAST
2014   8-1   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2015   9-0   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2016   9-0   9-0   1st BIG EAST
2017   8-1   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2018   9-0   9-0   1st BIG EAST
2019   9-0   8-1   1st BIG EAST
2020   3-1   4-0   1st BIG EAST (Midwest)
2021   7-2   9-0   T-1st BIG EAST
2022   9-0   8-1   T-1st BIG EAST
2023   7-2    9-0   T-1st BIG EAST
Total   177-89   177-89   --

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
2019   0   .56   .409   .11   .61
2020   4   1.46   .299   .60   1.76
2021   19   1.64   .274   .84   2.09
2022   32   2.27   .317   .98   2.78
2023   31   2.68   .387   1.08   3.25
TOTAL   86   2.05   .331   .88   2.51

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, who averaged 3.79 digs per set in that span.

It Doesn't Seem Possible
Creighton is 11-0 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.
   This year marked Creighton's first unbeaten home regular-season in program history.

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 Nov. 26, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 233 wins and seventh-best with an .820 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 11/26)
   Rk.   Wins   Team
   1.   254   Western Kentucky
   2.   248   Nebraska
   3.   239   Pittsburgh
   4.   237   BYU
   5.   234   Texas
   6.   233   Creighton
   7.   229   Wisconsin
   8.   226   Stephen F. Austin
   9.   221   Florida
   10.   218   Stanford

Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 11/26)
   Rk.   Pct.   Team   W-L
   1.   .890   Texas   234-29
   2.   .882   Western Kentucky   254-34
   3.   .871   BYU   237-35
   4.   .858   Nebraska   248-41
   5.   .839   Pittsburgh   239-46
   6.   .830   Wisconsin   229-47
   7.   .820   Creighton   233-51
   9.   .813   Stanford   218-50
   8.   .807   Florida   221-53
   10.   .797   Towson   208-53

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 previous two campaigns are Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCF, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
   So far this year, Western Kentucky (29) and Creighton (27) have picked up 27 wins, while Wisconsin (26), Pittsburgh (25), Louisville (24), Texas (22) and UCF (17) are still trying to get there.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has played 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 9-2 against that group heading into Friday's match vs. Colgate.
   Each of the previous two times that Creighton had nine wins against teams coming off NCAA Tourney appearances (2015, 2016), it reached the Sweet 16 or beyond.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 103-107 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994   0-4
1995   0-2
1996   0-2
1997   0-3
1998   0-5
1999   2-4
2000   0-4
2001   1-6
2002   0-5
2003   0-3
2004   2-2
2005   0-6
2006   4-6
2007   4-9
2008   6-8
2009   1-11
2010   4-7
2011   2-6
2012   8-3
2013   6-6
2014   4-5
2015   11-5
2016   10-7
2017   8-6
2018   8-5
2019   5-4
2020   3-1
2021   3-1
2022   5-4
2023   9-2 so far
TOTAL   106-142
TOTAL Under Booth   103-107

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, ACC and Big Ten.

Hitting Pretty
Creighton owns five 3-0 wins in the last 10 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) (3s)   10-27-23
   .488   vs. Georgetown (45-5-82) (3s)   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
   .465   at Seton Hall (57-10-101) (3s)   11-10-23
   .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

Booth Earns 450th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 468-188 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 remained 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.

122 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked in the most recent AVCA poll for the 122nd time in program history. That's 38th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
   All 122 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 45 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.

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
09/05/15   vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)   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
08/24/18   vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)   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

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 20 of its 105 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 14-6). That doesn't include four drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-2).
   Creighton is also 8-4 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.
   Two of the teams that Creighton faced in non-conference play did not lose a league contest this fall (Northern Iowa and 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.   Norah Sis   295   1,176   2021-Pr.
   11.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16

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 362-of-400 teams (90.5 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but No. 13 San Diego, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 23 Rice reached the 2023 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)
2009   Highest HM   Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010   High HM   (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011   Highest HM   (Browning, McNary, Neisler, Sicner, Stivers)
2012   High Honorable-Mention   (Elman, Jansen, Jereb, L. Smith)
2013   None   (Bird, Crawford, Foje)
2014   Highest Honorable-Mention   (Lawrence, Tupper, Wilkinson)
2015   11th   (Ballenger, Bohnet, Kloth, O'Connell, Winters)
2016   High Honorable-Mention   (Conlon, Taylor, Witt)
2017   25th   (Gaston, Hickman, Roumeliotis)
2018   10th   (Davis, Welty, Zimmerman, Zumach)
2019   Highest HM   (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022   24th   (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
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%)

Setting The Table
Three-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 97 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 85-12 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 388-11 (.972) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 331-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 254-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 129-1 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 398-36 (.917) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 70-152 (.315) 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 147-5 in its last 152 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 130-6 in its last 136 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 13-18 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 169-4 in its last 173 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 468-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date   Opponent   MP(s) Faced   Final Set 5
08/30/03   vs. McNeese State   13-14, 15-16   18-16
10/10/03   Wichita State   13-14   16-14
10/13/06   at Wichita State   12-14, 13-14, 14-15   17-15
09/11/07   at Drake   13-14, 14-15   17-15
08/26/11   vs. UTSA   12-14, 13-14   16-14
11/16/12   at Wichita State   13-14   16-14
09/20/15   Kansas State   23-24 (4th set)   15-13
11/20/15   at Georgetown   23-24, 26-27 (4th set)   15-7
08/24/18   vs. #5 Kentucky   16-15, 19-18   22-20

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 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
1994   0-2   5-20
1995   0-2   11-19
1996   2-6   9-19
1997   3-5   15-13
1998   2-3   7-18
1999   3-3   13-15
2000   3-3   16-12
2001   1-1   14-13
2002   1-3   3-23
2003   5-1   12-18
2004   4-0   18-11
2005   3-1   16-14
2006   4-2   21-10
2007   2-0   21-10
2008   2-3   18-9
2009   1-4   14-17
2010   3-3   21-12
2011   5-2   17-14
2012   4-1   29-4
2013   3-2   23-9
2014   3-2   25-9
2015   5-2   27-9
2016   4-3   29-7
2017   4-1   26-7
2018   3-2   29-5
2019   2-1   25-6
2020   4-2   12-4
2021   1-1   31-4
2022   6-3   27-5
2023   2-2   27-4
Total   85-66   561-340

A Baker's Dozen, Cousin
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 13 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   13
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 468 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories (thru 11/26/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball   819
Ed Servais, Baseball   643*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   468*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   406*
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.
   Including 2023, Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 19 of 21 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
2020   1st (MW)   1st (MW)   - -
2021   1st   T-1st   - -
2022   1st   T-1st   - -
2023   2nd   T-1st   #1

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
2003   3-8   0-0   12-18
2004   8-2   0-1   18-11
2005   6-5   0-3   16-14
2006   8-3   0-1   21-10
2007   6-5   0-3   21-10
2008   3-5   0-3   18-9
2009   3-8   0-3   14-17
2010   5-5   0-1   21-12
2011   5-7   0-1   17-14
2012   9-2   0-1   29-4
2013   9-3   1-2   23-9
2014   7-6   0-5   25-9
2015   6-7   1-4   27-9
2016   6-6   0-4   29-7
2017   7-4   3-3   26-7
2018   8-4   1-3   29-5
2019   7-3   2-3   25-6
2020   3-2   0-0   12-4
2021   12-1   1-1   31-4
2022   8-3   1-2   27-5
2023   9-2   2-1   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).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ellie Bichelmeyer

Ellie Bolton

Sydney Breissinger

Emily Bressman

Bethany Clapp

Audrey Clark

Keeley Davis

Jaya Johnson

Ava Martin

Sky McCune

Abbey Milner

Destiny Ndam-Simpson

Kiara Reinhardt

Ann Marie Remmes

Jazz Schmidt

Kiana Schmitt

Norah Sis

Megan Skovsende

Ava TeStrake

Kendra Wait

Allison Whitten

Emma Ziegler

Jaela Zimmerman