Thursday, December 7
Pittsburgh, Pa.
11:00 AM
Creighton University
vs
Louisville
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
#17 Volleyball Gears Up For Sweet 16 Duel vs. #7 Louisville
12/4/2023 9:12:00 PM | Volleyball
Bluejays and Cardinals will square off in Pittsburgh
2023 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal
Match #34: #17 Creighton Bluejays (29-4) vs. #7 Louisville Cardinals (26-4)
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Fitzgerald Field House • Thursday, December 7, 2023 • 11:00 a.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | LOUISVILLE NOTES |
This Week
The Sweet 16 looms next for No. 17 Creighton (29-4) as the 10-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champion Bluejays continue their NCAA Tournament run with a contest against No. 7 Louisville (26-4) in Regional Semifinal action in the Pittsburgh Region on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. Central.
Fitzgerald Field House (4,122) in Pittsburgh, Pa., will host the action.
Broadcast Information
Thursday's Regional Semifinal will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Paul Sunderland and Jennifer Hoffman will call the action.
The match will also be video webcast on http://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
Creighton has dropped just one set while winning its last 17 straight matches to improve to 29-4 on the season. The Jays are making their third overall Sweet 16 appearance, but first since 2016.
The Bluejays tied for first place in the BIG EAST with a 16-2 league mark, earning its unprecedented 10th consecutive regular-season title.
CU then flexed its muscle at the 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. Last weekend it was more of the same as Creighton swept both Colgate and Minnesota in front of sellout crowds to open the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton is ranked 17th in the AVCA poll and finished the regular-season ninth in the RPI, with road wins over No. 9 Minnesota and No. 16 Purdue in addition to a home victory over No. 25 Marquette to highlight its regular-season résumé.
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.89 kps., 2.75 dps.) missed 11 matches with an injury, but the Jays have won 48-of-49 sets since she returned and are 21-1 overall in matches with her in the lineup.
Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin (3.6 kps., .278%) 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 (2.66 kps., 1.09 bps., .384%) leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage and is second in blocks per set, and earned BIG EAST Tournament MVP honors. Fellow middle Kiara Reinhardt hit a robust .394 in league play and has become CU's most dangerous server.
BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year Kendra Wait (10.43 aps., 3.42 dps., 1.15 kps., 0.78 bps., .364%) directs the Bluejay offense, while Ellie Bolton (3.69 dps.), Sydney Breissinger (2.91 dps., 0.33 saps.) and Sky McCune (2.11 dps.) have all seen time at libero for a defense that ranks second nationally in opponent hitting percentage.
Creighton leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (14.65), assists per set (13.55), blocks per set (2.24), opponent hitting percentage (.139), digs per set (16.37) and hitting percentage (.286) and also averages 1.56 aces per set.
Scouting #7 Louisville
Louisville is 26-4 on the season and ranked seventh nationally. The Cardinals, who have made back-to-back Final Four appearances and were swept in last year's championship match by Texas, are the No. 2 seed in the Pittsburgh Region.
ACC Player of the Year Anna DeBeer (3.40 kps.) and Charitie Luper (3.01 kps.) lead a balanced Cardinals attack that features five women with 186 kills or more.
Wahoo, Neb., native Ellie Glock (10.12 aps.) directs the offense, and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Elena Scott (4.54 dps.) is one of the nation's top liberos.
Louisville averages 13.67 kills, 13.69 digs, 2.38 blocks and 1.79 aces per set while hitting .281.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 470-188 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. Louisville
Louisville won the only previous meeting against Creighton in five sets (25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11) on Aug. 29, 2015 at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.
In that match Jaali Winters had 18 kills and 15 digs while Kenzie Crawford recorded her first career triple-double with 51 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills. Louisville was paced by 21 kills from Erin Fairs.
Creighton hit .259 in the loss, one of just nine setbacks in 226 matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better.
Booth is 0-1 all-time against Louisville and has never coached against Dani Busboom Kelly.
With a Win...
With a win on Thursday, Creighton would...
- Improve to 30-4 on the season, the second-most single-season wins in team history.
-Improve to 15-12 all-time at the NCAA Tournament, including a 2-1 mark in the Regional Semifinals, to clinch its first Elite Eight trip since 2016.
- Improve to 8-3 in neutral site matches in the NCAA Tournament.
-Improve to 18-1 on neutral floors during the last three seasons.
- Improve to 3-6 against Top 16 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament
- Kirsten Bernthal Booth would earn a victory over a 99th different school.
- Earn itself a spot in Saturday's 3 p.m. Central Regional Final against the winner of Thursday afternoon's Washington State/Pittsburgh victor. That match would air on ESPNU.
- Tie a school-record with its fourth Top 25 win of the season, improving to 27-85 all-time against the Top 25 and 10-35 against Top 10 foes.
- Stretch its win streak to 18 in a row, its third-longest win streak in program history.
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 14-12 in those 13 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), Ole Miss (2021), Colgate (2023) and Minnesota (2023).
Creighton is 10-3 in First Round play, 3-7 in the Second Round, 1-1 in the Regional Semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional Finals. The Bluejays are 5-4 at home, 7-3 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
Creighton is making its third trip to the Sweet 16, reaching the Regional Semifinal in San Diego, Calif., in 2015 before advancing to the Regional Final in 2016 in Austin, Texas.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 14-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason. Booth is 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, extends 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 9-2 so far this fall against teams in the field of 64, including two wins over Minnesota and one victory each against Colgate, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, High Point, Marquette, Purdue and Omaha.
In 11 matches this fall against NCAA Tournament teams, Norah Sis averaged 4.31 kills and 3.12 digs per set, Ava Martin averaged 3.92 kills per set, Kiana Schmitt hit .316 and averaged 2.58 kills per set, Kendra Wait averaged 10.71 assists and 3.89 digs per set and Ellie Bolton averaged 4.77 digs per set. The Jays hit .246 and averaged 14.74 kills, 1.18 aces, 17.08 digs and 2.12 blocks per set.
vs. NCAA Tournament Teams
Opponent CU 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
Colgate W 3-0
Minnesota W 3-0
Common Opponents
Creighton and Louisville share just one common opponent, Duke.
Creighton lost to Duke in five sets on the opening weekend in West Lafayette, Ind., while Louisville swept the Blue Devils in both Louisville and Durham this fall.
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
Prior to last weekend, 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.
Looking At The Regional
The Pittsburgh Regional is the only one of the four in the NCAA Tournament that still has all four top seeds still alive. All four teams in Pittsburgh have a top-12 RPI.
Creighton, however, is the only one of the teams in Pittsburgh that has not yet dropped a set in the NCAA Tournament. There are seven teams still in the tournament that are still alive that haven't dropped a set in the tournament (Arizona State, Creighton, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Wisconsin).
This year marks the first time that Creighton has posted multiple 3-0 victories in the same NCAA Tournament.
Saving The Best For Last
Creighton clinched its first Sweet 16 appearance in dramatic fashion, saving three set points against a Minnesota team that was desperate to extend its season.
It was the fourth time this season that Creighton has won a set after surviving a set point.
On the other hand, Creighton is 92-4 when owning a set point itself, including 77 straight victories.
How Sweet It Is
While it's been a couple years since the Creighton Volleyball team has played in the Sweet 16, it's nothing new for the Creighton Athletic Department.
The Creighton women's basketball team played in the Elite Eight in 2022, the Bluejay men's soccer team appeared in the College Cup in 2022 and the men's basketball team reached the Elite Eight in 2023.
Besides Creighton, the only other school nationally to reach the Sweet 16 in those four sports since the start of the 2021-22 academic year is UCLA.
With a win on Thursday, CU can be the only school to reach the Elite Eight in all four sports in that span.
Who Needs Football?
With a pair of wins this weekend, Creighton could become the rare team to reach the Volleyball Final Four despite not having football.
No University without football has reached the Volleyball Final Four since Santa Clara in 2005, and no team without football has reached the Finals since Long Beach State in 2001.
The last team without football to win the volleyball title was Long Beach State in 1998. The Beach also won its in 1993.
Connections to Louisville
Creighton and Louisville boast a few connections in the volleyball world.
Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly is a Nebraska native who played for and was later an assistant coach at Nebraska.
Since 2015, both Dani Busboom Kelly (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022) and Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth (2015, 2016, 2018) have combined to win AVCA East Region Coach of the Year seven times in the previous eight years (before 2023). The only exception came in 2019, when Towson's Don Metil won it.
Louisville associate head coach Dan Meske is married to former Creighton Volleyball student-athlete Laurel Sanford, who played for the Bluejays from 2008-11 and still ranks ninth in program history with 419 career blocks. Sanford played on CU's first NCAA Tournament team in 2010, sharing team-high honors with 21 kills during that postseason run.
Louisville has a pair of players from the state of Nebraska on its roster in freshman Alanna Bankston (Omaha, Neb./Millard West HS) and sophomore Elle Glock (Wahoo, Neb./Wahoo HS).
Creighton's men's basketball team reached its first Elite Eight since 1941 last season and played its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center.
Louisville's Volleyball team made last year's Final Four, played in Omaha.
Bright Lights
Creighton will be making its ninth appearance of the season on television on Thursday, going 7-1 to date with just a loss to Nebraska (on BTN) separating it from perfection.
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 36-23 when playing on television.
Though the Bluejays have appeared on FS1 and ESPNU a few times, Thursday will mark CU's debut on ESPN2.
Put It In Neutral
Creighton is 5-1 on neutral floors this season, continuing a trend of playing well at neutral sites.
The Bluejays are 17-1 the past three years on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021 and a 4-0 record last season.
Included in that stretch are neutral-site wins over USC (2021), Northern Iowa (2021), Iowa State (2022 & 2023), Florida State (2022), Kansas State (2022), Loyola Chicago (2023), High Point (2023) and St. John's (2023).
Looking For History
Kirsten Bernthal Booth and Dani Busboom Kelly are considered two of the best coaches in the country, but only one will advance to the Elite Eight after they square off on Thursday.
Unbelievable as it may seem, no female coach has ever led her team to the NCAA Women's Volleyball title.
Including Bernthal Booth and Busboom Kelly, there are six female coaches still active in the Tournament, as Georgia Tech, Penn State, Tennessee and Washington State are also looking to make history.
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.
A win on Thursday would be CU's fourth top-25 victory this fall to tie the record.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 201-44 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 288-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 106 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 150 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
Going Streaking
Creighton has won 17 consecutive matches, the nation's second-longest active streak through contests of Dec. 2nd.
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 (12/5)
Rk. Streak Team
1. 18 Kentucky
2. 17 Creighton
3. 10 Stanford
4. 9 Purdue
5. 8 Penn State
Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks (12/2)
Rk. Streak Team
1. 28 Stephen F. Austin
2. 24 Yale
3. 21 Nebraska*
4. 17 Western Michigan
5. 16 High Point
6. 15 Wisconsin*
7. 14 Pittsburgh*
8. 13 Creighton
9. 12 Stanford*
12 UTEP
12 Dayton
12 Western Kentucky
12 FGCU
12 Lipscomb
12 UC Santa Barbara
12 James Madison
* NCAA Tournament Regional 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
17 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
13 Sept. 1, 2023 - Present ? ? ?
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
10 Sept. 2-Dec. 1, 2017 #12 Michigan State, 3-1
Home Court Advantage
Creighton finished 13-0 at home this season, where it was dominant inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
The Bluejays won their final 32 sets at home, and didn't drop a set there since dropping the second set (36-34) on Sept. 3 vs. Northern Iowa.
Of the 42 sets that CU played at home this season, it has scored 25 points or more in 41 of them and actually averaged 25.17 points per set. That figure climbs to 25.41 if you throw out the fifth set vs. Ball State that was played to just 15.
Attendance Update
Creighton enters this week ranked 32nd nationally in total home attendance (28,089) and 30th in average fans per home match (2,161).
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 28,089 home fans this fall rank in fifth-most in program history. The 2,161 fans per home match are also its third-most ever.
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. 28,089 13 2023
6. 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. 2,161 28,089 13 2023
4. 2,158 30,211 14 2021
5. 1,970 25,615 13 2019
NCAA Crowds
Last weekend Creighton hosted its third and fourth-largest crowds in D.J. Sokol Arena history, selling out the venue both days.
All told, Creighton attracted 5,131 fans on the opening weekend of the 2023 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 8599 8640 17239
2) Wisconsin 7229 7229 14458
3) Louisville 5035 5529 10564
4) Pitt 4936 4936 9872
5) Texas 4122 3978 8100
6) Arkansas 3847 3557 7404
7) BYU 3504 3427 6931
8) Stanford 2729 2885 5614
9) Washington State 2976 2463 5439
10) Oregon 3022 2342 5364
11) Creighton 2563 2568 5131
12) Purdue 2415 2415 4830
13) Kentucky 2180 2573 4753
14) Tennessee 2304 1958 4262
15) Florida 2102 2104 4206
16) Kansas 1662 n/a 1662*
*Friday's Kansas/Penn State match not known
Packing Them In
Large crowds filled D.J. Sokol Arena last weekend. While the top seven home crowds in program history have occurred at CHI Health Center Omaha, D.J. Sokol Arena has also attracted nine crowds of 2,500 or more, including a pair last weekend.
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
2,568 Minnesota 12/02/23 W 3-0 D.J. Sokol Arena
2,563 Colgate 12/01/23 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
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 23 seasons, including 2023.
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?
2023 13/16
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 has won four straight BIG EAST Tournaments. Nationally, only Creighton (4), Florida Gulf Coast (4), Colgate (3) and UMBC (3) have won three or more straight league tournaments.
With a win on Nov. 25th, 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
2020-23 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 10 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 - Dec. 6, 2023
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (10) 170 16 283 69
Marquette (9) 153 30 259 84
Xavier 108 76 169 152
Butler 98 88 171 153
St. John's (1) 94 92 198 148
Villanova (1) 91 95 171 149
Seton Hall (1) 80 105 155 169
DePaul 55 131 128 187
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 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, and has advanced to the Sweet 16.
Omaha owned a share of the Summit League regular-season title, then won its first Summit League Tournament title, to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level.
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. The Cornhuskers are hosting the NCAA Regionals this weekend.
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 1,158 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 .954 winning percentage with Sis would rank second, its 15.54 kills per set with Sis would rank first and its .319 hitting percentage with Sis would rank second.
Category With Sis Without Sis
Team Match Record 21-1 8-3
Team Set Record 65-7 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 21-1 9-2
Percent of Points Won 57.5% 53.1%
Kills Per Set 15.54 13.00
Hitting Percentage .319 .224
Aces Per Set 1.78 1.15
Digs Per Set 16.51 16.10
Blocks Per Set 2.34 2.05
Opponents Blocks Per Set 1.25 1.88
Martin Kills Per Set 3.67 3.59
Martin Hitting Percentage .324 .210
Reinhardt Kills Per Set 1.52 1.10
Reinhardt Hitting Percentage .399 .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 29 victories entering the week are tied for fifth-most in the nation and its .879 win percentage is tied for sixth-best.
Creighton also ranks tied for third nationally in fewest sets lost (19). Here's that list:
Fewest Sets Lost (through 12/6)
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 18 Nebraska
18 Wisconsin
5. 19 Creighton
18 Pittsburgh
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. That streak broke the previous mark of 29 straight sets won, accomplished last year.
Since then, CU has won 21 straight sets, which is the sixth-longest streak in history.
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
21 Nov. 11, 2023 - Present ? ? ?
19 Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova
They Say Defense Wins Championships
Creighton has held opponents to .139 hitting, a figure that ranks as the nation's second-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.
All but one of Creighton's matches this year has been won by the team with the better hitting percentage. In Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 21 years on the Bluejay sideline, Creighton is 454-18 (.962) when it owns a better hitting percentage, compared to a 16-170 mark (.086) when it doesn't.
Straight Sets
Creighton is 26-0 this season when winning the second set.
Louisville is 8-0 when winning the fourth set this fall.
A Shot In The Arm
Ellie Bichelmeyer's role has changed throughout the season. She's started 18 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 2.34 kills and 0.64 blocks per set while hitting .378, 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 52 double-doubles in 99 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
52 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
17 Kendra Wait 2023
Good Start = Better Finish
Creighton has won the first point of a set 58.6 percent of the time (65/111), and when that occurs, good things happen.
Creighton is 59-6 (.908) in sets this season when winning the opening point of a set, including 40 victories in a row.
On the other hand Creighton is still a pretty healthy 33-13 (.717) when the opponent takes a 1-0 lead in a set.
Sponsored By The Number 20
Currently 29-4, 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 two schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-23 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year). That group consists of BYU and Creighton.
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.
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 341 1,109 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 14 matches she's played since, she's led all players in kills 10 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 (4.30) and second in points per set (4.87).
Since Sis returned overall (she played back row her first two matches after returning), Creighton is 48-1 in those sets. Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, kills per set, and assists per set in that time. That's every team category except digs per set (4th), aces per set (2nd) and blocks per set (2nd).
Offensive Parity Works Wonders
Creighton has hit .346 over the course of its last 17 matches, winning 51-of-52 sets, and its parity has been a big reason why.
In that time seven different women own 46 kills or more and all of those women are also hitting .288 or higher in that span.
Last 17 Matches
Name K E TA Pct.
Norah Sis 185 53 459 .288
Ava Martin 170 40 412 .316
Kiana Schmitt 137 28 245 .445
Ellie Bichelmeyer 110 26 222 .378
Kiara Reinhardt 84 15 167 .413
Kendra Wait 64 6 140 .414
Destiny Ndam-Simpson 46 17 98 .296
TEAM 804 191 1774 .346
Offense Settles In
Creighton's offense has been on an absolute tear during the past 16 matches.
During that span Creighton has hit .300 or better in 35 of the 49 sets and had 11 or more kills in all 49 sets.
The Bluejays have hit an insane .389 in the first set of those matches (258-47-543), 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
Colgate 48 10 119 .319
Minnesota 56 20 141 .255
Total 760 169 1,659 .356
Setting The Table
Three-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 99 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 87-12 in those contests. Thursday figures to be the 100th match of her career and 100th career start.
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).
Schmitt Joins Century Club
Senior Kiana Schmitt has played in 110 victories during her career, becoming the 10th Bluejay to appear in 100 triumphs.
Schmitt's current .880 winning percentage (110-15) 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
110-15 .880 Kiana Schmitt 2019-Pres.
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
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 16 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 33 2.66 .384 1.09 3.23
TOTAL 88 2.05 .331 .89 2.52
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 went 13-0 at home this season and was the only BIG EAST program that did not lose a home contest in 2023.
Believe it or not, this was 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 Dec. 6, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 235 wins and seventh-best with an .822 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 12/6)
Rk. Wins Team
1. 255 Western Kentucky
2. 250 Nebraska
3. 241 Pittsburgh
4. 238 BYU
5. 236 Texas
6. 235 Creighton
7. 231 Wisconsin
8. 226 Stephen F. Austin
9. 222 Florida
10. 220 Stanford
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 12/6)
Rk. Pct. Team W-L
1. .891 Texas 236-29
2. .879 Western Kentucky 255-35
3. .869 BYU 238-36
4. .859 Nebraska 250-41
5. .840 Pittsburgh 241-46
6. .831 Wisconsin 231-47
7. .822 Creighton 235-51
9. .815 Stanford 220-50
8. .804 Florida 222-54
10. .797 Kentucky 216-55
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 (30), Creighton (29), Wisconsin (28) and Pittsburgh (27) have picked up 27 wins, while Louisville (26) and Texas (24) are still trying to get there.
Here's a list of the teams with the most wins since the start of the Fall 2021 season:
Most Wins Nationally, Since 2021
Wins School
89 Louisville*
88 Pittsburgh*
87 Creighton*
87 Wisconsin
87 Western Kentucky
*playing in the Pittsburgh Regional
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has played 13 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Colgate, Minnesota 2x and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 11-2 against that group heading into Thursday's match vs. Louisville.
All three times that Creighton had nine wins against teams coming off NCAA Tourney appearances (2015, 2016, 2023), 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 105-107 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 11-2 so far
TOTAL 108-142
TOTAL Under Booth 105-107
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.
Creighton is the only remaining team that is not from one of the Power 5 Conferences, though that's a term typically associated in the football landscape.
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 470-188 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 98 different schools while at Creighton, and could make it 99 on Thursday with a victory over Louisville.
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 the final TARAFLEX Top 25 poll of the regular-season.
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 22 of its 105 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 16-6). That doesn't include four drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-2).
Creighton is also 9-4 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. Norah Sis 301 1,204 2021-Pr.
10. Marysa Wilkinson 499 1,183 2014-17
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%)
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 390-11 (.973) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 333-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 256-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 131-1 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 400-36 (.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 149-5 in its last 154 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 132-6 in its last 138 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 171-4 in its last 175 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 470-3 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 29-4
Total 85-66 563-340
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 470 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport Victories (thru 12/06/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 643*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 470*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 407*
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).
Looking Ahead
Should Creighton advance, it would play either No. 10 Washington State or No. 4 Pittsburgh on Saturday at 3 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Pitt, sweeping the Panthers in 2017 in Seattle, Wash., at the Husky Invitational.
Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Washington State, getting swept in Pullman at the Cougar Challenge in 1999.
Match #34: #17 Creighton Bluejays (29-4) vs. #7 Louisville Cardinals (26-4)
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Fitzgerald Field House • Thursday, December 7, 2023 • 11:00 a.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | LOUISVILLE NOTES |
This Week
The Sweet 16 looms next for No. 17 Creighton (29-4) as the 10-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champion Bluejays continue their NCAA Tournament run with a contest against No. 7 Louisville (26-4) in Regional Semifinal action in the Pittsburgh Region on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. Central.
Fitzgerald Field House (4,122) in Pittsburgh, Pa., will host the action.
Broadcast Information
Thursday's Regional Semifinal will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Paul Sunderland and Jennifer Hoffman will call the action.
The match will also be video webcast on http://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
Creighton has dropped just one set while winning its last 17 straight matches to improve to 29-4 on the season. The Jays are making their third overall Sweet 16 appearance, but first since 2016.
The Bluejays tied for first place in the BIG EAST with a 16-2 league mark, earning its unprecedented 10th consecutive regular-season title.
CU then flexed its muscle at the 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. Last weekend it was more of the same as Creighton swept both Colgate and Minnesota in front of sellout crowds to open the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton is ranked 17th in the AVCA poll and finished the regular-season ninth in the RPI, with road wins over No. 9 Minnesota and No. 16 Purdue in addition to a home victory over No. 25 Marquette to highlight its regular-season résumé.
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.89 kps., 2.75 dps.) missed 11 matches with an injury, but the Jays have won 48-of-49 sets since she returned and are 21-1 overall in matches with her in the lineup.
Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin (3.6 kps., .278%) 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 (2.66 kps., 1.09 bps., .384%) leads the BIG EAST in hitting percentage and is second in blocks per set, and earned BIG EAST Tournament MVP honors. Fellow middle Kiara Reinhardt hit a robust .394 in league play and has become CU's most dangerous server.
BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year Kendra Wait (10.43 aps., 3.42 dps., 1.15 kps., 0.78 bps., .364%) directs the Bluejay offense, while Ellie Bolton (3.69 dps.), Sydney Breissinger (2.91 dps., 0.33 saps.) and Sky McCune (2.11 dps.) have all seen time at libero for a defense that ranks second nationally in opponent hitting percentage.
Creighton leads the BIG EAST in kills per set (14.65), assists per set (13.55), blocks per set (2.24), opponent hitting percentage (.139), digs per set (16.37) and hitting percentage (.286) and also averages 1.56 aces per set.
Scouting #7 Louisville
Louisville is 26-4 on the season and ranked seventh nationally. The Cardinals, who have made back-to-back Final Four appearances and were swept in last year's championship match by Texas, are the No. 2 seed in the Pittsburgh Region.
ACC Player of the Year Anna DeBeer (3.40 kps.) and Charitie Luper (3.01 kps.) lead a balanced Cardinals attack that features five women with 186 kills or more.
Wahoo, Neb., native Ellie Glock (10.12 aps.) directs the offense, and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Elena Scott (4.54 dps.) is one of the nation's top liberos.
Louisville averages 13.67 kills, 13.69 digs, 2.38 blocks and 1.79 aces per set while hitting .281.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 470-188 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. Louisville
Louisville won the only previous meeting against Creighton in five sets (25-18, 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11) on Aug. 29, 2015 at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.
In that match Jaali Winters had 18 kills and 15 digs while Kenzie Crawford recorded her first career triple-double with 51 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills. Louisville was paced by 21 kills from Erin Fairs.
Creighton hit .259 in the loss, one of just nine setbacks in 226 matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better.
Booth is 0-1 all-time against Louisville and has never coached against Dani Busboom Kelly.
With a Win...
With a win on Thursday, Creighton would...
- Improve to 30-4 on the season, the second-most single-season wins in team history.
-Improve to 15-12 all-time at the NCAA Tournament, including a 2-1 mark in the Regional Semifinals, to clinch its first Elite Eight trip since 2016.
- Improve to 8-3 in neutral site matches in the NCAA Tournament.
-Improve to 18-1 on neutral floors during the last three seasons.
- Improve to 3-6 against Top 16 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament
- Kirsten Bernthal Booth would earn a victory over a 99th different school.
- Earn itself a spot in Saturday's 3 p.m. Central Regional Final against the winner of Thursday afternoon's Washington State/Pittsburgh victor. That match would air on ESPNU.
- Tie a school-record with its fourth Top 25 win of the season, improving to 27-85 all-time against the Top 25 and 10-35 against Top 10 foes.
- Stretch its win streak to 18 in a row, its third-longest win streak in program history.
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 14-12 in those 13 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), Ole Miss (2021), Colgate (2023) and Minnesota (2023).
Creighton is 10-3 in First Round play, 3-7 in the Second Round, 1-1 in the Regional Semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional Finals. The Bluejays are 5-4 at home, 7-3 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
Creighton is making its third trip to the Sweet 16, reaching the Regional Semifinal in San Diego, Calif., in 2015 before advancing to the Regional Final in 2016 in Austin, Texas.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 14-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason. Booth is 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, extends 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 9-2 so far this fall against teams in the field of 64, including two wins over Minnesota and one victory each against Colgate, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, High Point, Marquette, Purdue and Omaha.
In 11 matches this fall against NCAA Tournament teams, Norah Sis averaged 4.31 kills and 3.12 digs per set, Ava Martin averaged 3.92 kills per set, Kiana Schmitt hit .316 and averaged 2.58 kills per set, Kendra Wait averaged 10.71 assists and 3.89 digs per set and Ellie Bolton averaged 4.77 digs per set. The Jays hit .246 and averaged 14.74 kills, 1.18 aces, 17.08 digs and 2.12 blocks per set.
vs. NCAA Tournament Teams
Opponent CU 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
Colgate W 3-0
Minnesota W 3-0
Common Opponents
Creighton and Louisville share just one common opponent, Duke.
Creighton lost to Duke in five sets on the opening weekend in West Lafayette, Ind., while Louisville swept the Blue Devils in both Louisville and Durham this fall.
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
Prior to last weekend, 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.
Looking At The Regional
The Pittsburgh Regional is the only one of the four in the NCAA Tournament that still has all four top seeds still alive. All four teams in Pittsburgh have a top-12 RPI.
Creighton, however, is the only one of the teams in Pittsburgh that has not yet dropped a set in the NCAA Tournament. There are seven teams still in the tournament that are still alive that haven't dropped a set in the tournament (Arizona State, Creighton, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Wisconsin).
This year marks the first time that Creighton has posted multiple 3-0 victories in the same NCAA Tournament.
Saving The Best For Last
Creighton clinched its first Sweet 16 appearance in dramatic fashion, saving three set points against a Minnesota team that was desperate to extend its season.
It was the fourth time this season that Creighton has won a set after surviving a set point.
On the other hand, Creighton is 92-4 when owning a set point itself, including 77 straight victories.
How Sweet It Is
While it's been a couple years since the Creighton Volleyball team has played in the Sweet 16, it's nothing new for the Creighton Athletic Department.
The Creighton women's basketball team played in the Elite Eight in 2022, the Bluejay men's soccer team appeared in the College Cup in 2022 and the men's basketball team reached the Elite Eight in 2023.
Besides Creighton, the only other school nationally to reach the Sweet 16 in those four sports since the start of the 2021-22 academic year is UCLA.
With a win on Thursday, CU can be the only school to reach the Elite Eight in all four sports in that span.
Who Needs Football?
With a pair of wins this weekend, Creighton could become the rare team to reach the Volleyball Final Four despite not having football.
No University without football has reached the Volleyball Final Four since Santa Clara in 2005, and no team without football has reached the Finals since Long Beach State in 2001.
The last team without football to win the volleyball title was Long Beach State in 1998. The Beach also won its in 1993.
Connections to Louisville
Creighton and Louisville boast a few connections in the volleyball world.
Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly is a Nebraska native who played for and was later an assistant coach at Nebraska.
Since 2015, both Dani Busboom Kelly (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022) and Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth (2015, 2016, 2018) have combined to win AVCA East Region Coach of the Year seven times in the previous eight years (before 2023). The only exception came in 2019, when Towson's Don Metil won it.
Louisville associate head coach Dan Meske is married to former Creighton Volleyball student-athlete Laurel Sanford, who played for the Bluejays from 2008-11 and still ranks ninth in program history with 419 career blocks. Sanford played on CU's first NCAA Tournament team in 2010, sharing team-high honors with 21 kills during that postseason run.
Louisville has a pair of players from the state of Nebraska on its roster in freshman Alanna Bankston (Omaha, Neb./Millard West HS) and sophomore Elle Glock (Wahoo, Neb./Wahoo HS).
Creighton's men's basketball team reached its first Elite Eight since 1941 last season and played its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center.
Louisville's Volleyball team made last year's Final Four, played in Omaha.
Bright Lights
Creighton will be making its ninth appearance of the season on television on Thursday, going 7-1 to date with just a loss to Nebraska (on BTN) separating it from perfection.
All-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Creighton is 36-23 when playing on television.
Though the Bluejays have appeared on FS1 and ESPNU a few times, Thursday will mark CU's debut on ESPN2.
Put It In Neutral
Creighton is 5-1 on neutral floors this season, continuing a trend of playing well at neutral sites.
The Bluejays are 17-1 the past three years on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021 and a 4-0 record last season.
Included in that stretch are neutral-site wins over USC (2021), Northern Iowa (2021), Iowa State (2022 & 2023), Florida State (2022), Kansas State (2022), Loyola Chicago (2023), High Point (2023) and St. John's (2023).
Looking For History
Kirsten Bernthal Booth and Dani Busboom Kelly are considered two of the best coaches in the country, but only one will advance to the Elite Eight after they square off on Thursday.
Unbelievable as it may seem, no female coach has ever led her team to the NCAA Women's Volleyball title.
Including Bernthal Booth and Busboom Kelly, there are six female coaches still active in the Tournament, as Georgia Tech, Penn State, Tennessee and Washington State are also looking to make history.
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.
A win on Thursday would be CU's fourth top-25 victory this fall to tie the record.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 201-44 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 288-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 106 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 150 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
Going Streaking
Creighton has won 17 consecutive matches, the nation's second-longest active streak through contests of Dec. 2nd.
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 (12/5)
Rk. Streak Team
1. 18 Kentucky
2. 17 Creighton
3. 10 Stanford
4. 9 Purdue
5. 8 Penn State
Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks (12/2)
Rk. Streak Team
1. 28 Stephen F. Austin
2. 24 Yale
3. 21 Nebraska*
4. 17 Western Michigan
5. 16 High Point
6. 15 Wisconsin*
7. 14 Pittsburgh*
8. 13 Creighton
9. 12 Stanford*
12 UTEP
12 Dayton
12 Western Kentucky
12 FGCU
12 Lipscomb
12 UC Santa Barbara
12 James Madison
* NCAA Tournament Regional 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
17 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
13 Sept. 1, 2023 - Present ? ? ?
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
10 Sept. 2-Dec. 1, 2017 #12 Michigan State, 3-1
Home Court Advantage
Creighton finished 13-0 at home this season, where it was dominant inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
The Bluejays won their final 32 sets at home, and didn't drop a set there since dropping the second set (36-34) on Sept. 3 vs. Northern Iowa.
Of the 42 sets that CU played at home this season, it has scored 25 points or more in 41 of them and actually averaged 25.17 points per set. That figure climbs to 25.41 if you throw out the fifth set vs. Ball State that was played to just 15.
Attendance Update
Creighton enters this week ranked 32nd nationally in total home attendance (28,089) and 30th in average fans per home match (2,161).
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 28,089 home fans this fall rank in fifth-most in program history. The 2,161 fans per home match are also its third-most ever.
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. 28,089 13 2023
6. 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. 2,161 28,089 13 2023
4. 2,158 30,211 14 2021
5. 1,970 25,615 13 2019
NCAA Crowds
Last weekend Creighton hosted its third and fourth-largest crowds in D.J. Sokol Arena history, selling out the venue both days.
All told, Creighton attracted 5,131 fans on the opening weekend of the 2023 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 8599 8640 17239
2) Wisconsin 7229 7229 14458
3) Louisville 5035 5529 10564
4) Pitt 4936 4936 9872
5) Texas 4122 3978 8100
6) Arkansas 3847 3557 7404
7) BYU 3504 3427 6931
8) Stanford 2729 2885 5614
9) Washington State 2976 2463 5439
10) Oregon 3022 2342 5364
11) Creighton 2563 2568 5131
12) Purdue 2415 2415 4830
13) Kentucky 2180 2573 4753
14) Tennessee 2304 1958 4262
15) Florida 2102 2104 4206
16) Kansas 1662 n/a 1662*
*Friday's Kansas/Penn State match not known
Packing Them In
Large crowds filled D.J. Sokol Arena last weekend. While the top seven home crowds in program history have occurred at CHI Health Center Omaha, D.J. Sokol Arena has also attracted nine crowds of 2,500 or more, including a pair last weekend.
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
2,568 Minnesota 12/02/23 W 3-0 D.J. Sokol Arena
2,563 Colgate 12/01/23 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
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 23 seasons, including 2023.
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?
2023 13/16
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 has won four straight BIG EAST Tournaments. Nationally, only Creighton (4), Florida Gulf Coast (4), Colgate (3) and UMBC (3) have won three or more straight league tournaments.
With a win on Nov. 25th, 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
2020-23 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 10 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 - Dec. 6, 2023
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (10) 170 16 283 69
Marquette (9) 153 30 259 84
Xavier 108 76 169 152
Butler 98 88 171 153
St. John's (1) 94 92 198 148
Villanova (1) 91 95 171 149
Seton Hall (1) 80 105 155 169
DePaul 55 131 128 187
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 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, and has advanced to the Sweet 16.
Omaha owned a share of the Summit League regular-season title, then won its first Summit League Tournament title, to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level.
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. The Cornhuskers are hosting the NCAA Regionals this weekend.
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 1,158 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 .954 winning percentage with Sis would rank second, its 15.54 kills per set with Sis would rank first and its .319 hitting percentage with Sis would rank second.
Category With Sis Without Sis
Team Match Record 21-1 8-3
Team Set Record 65-7 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 21-1 9-2
Percent of Points Won 57.5% 53.1%
Kills Per Set 15.54 13.00
Hitting Percentage .319 .224
Aces Per Set 1.78 1.15
Digs Per Set 16.51 16.10
Blocks Per Set 2.34 2.05
Opponents Blocks Per Set 1.25 1.88
Martin Kills Per Set 3.67 3.59
Martin Hitting Percentage .324 .210
Reinhardt Kills Per Set 1.52 1.10
Reinhardt Hitting Percentage .399 .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 29 victories entering the week are tied for fifth-most in the nation and its .879 win percentage is tied for sixth-best.
Creighton also ranks tied for third nationally in fewest sets lost (19). Here's that list:
Fewest Sets Lost (through 12/6)
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 18 Nebraska
18 Wisconsin
5. 19 Creighton
18 Pittsburgh
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. That streak broke the previous mark of 29 straight sets won, accomplished last year.
Since then, CU has won 21 straight sets, which is the sixth-longest streak in history.
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
21 Nov. 11, 2023 - Present ? ? ?
19 Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova
They Say Defense Wins Championships
Creighton has held opponents to .139 hitting, a figure that ranks as the nation's second-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.
All but one of Creighton's matches this year has been won by the team with the better hitting percentage. In Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 21 years on the Bluejay sideline, Creighton is 454-18 (.962) when it owns a better hitting percentage, compared to a 16-170 mark (.086) when it doesn't.
Straight Sets
Creighton is 26-0 this season when winning the second set.
Louisville is 8-0 when winning the fourth set this fall.
A Shot In The Arm
Ellie Bichelmeyer's role has changed throughout the season. She's started 18 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 2.34 kills and 0.64 blocks per set while hitting .378, 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 52 double-doubles in 99 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
52 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
17 Kendra Wait 2023
Good Start = Better Finish
Creighton has won the first point of a set 58.6 percent of the time (65/111), and when that occurs, good things happen.
Creighton is 59-6 (.908) in sets this season when winning the opening point of a set, including 40 victories in a row.
On the other hand Creighton is still a pretty healthy 33-13 (.717) when the opponent takes a 1-0 lead in a set.
Sponsored By The Number 20
Currently 29-4, 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 two schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-23 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year). That group consists of BYU and Creighton.
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.
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 341 1,109 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 14 matches she's played since, she's led all players in kills 10 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 (4.30) and second in points per set (4.87).
Since Sis returned overall (she played back row her first two matches after returning), Creighton is 48-1 in those sets. Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, kills per set, and assists per set in that time. That's every team category except digs per set (4th), aces per set (2nd) and blocks per set (2nd).
Offensive Parity Works Wonders
Creighton has hit .346 over the course of its last 17 matches, winning 51-of-52 sets, and its parity has been a big reason why.
In that time seven different women own 46 kills or more and all of those women are also hitting .288 or higher in that span.
Last 17 Matches
Name K E TA Pct.
Norah Sis 185 53 459 .288
Ava Martin 170 40 412 .316
Kiana Schmitt 137 28 245 .445
Ellie Bichelmeyer 110 26 222 .378
Kiara Reinhardt 84 15 167 .413
Kendra Wait 64 6 140 .414
Destiny Ndam-Simpson 46 17 98 .296
TEAM 804 191 1774 .346
Offense Settles In
Creighton's offense has been on an absolute tear during the past 16 matches.
During that span Creighton has hit .300 or better in 35 of the 49 sets and had 11 or more kills in all 49 sets.
The Bluejays have hit an insane .389 in the first set of those matches (258-47-543), 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
Colgate 48 10 119 .319
Minnesota 56 20 141 .255
Total 760 169 1,659 .356
Setting The Table
Three-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 99 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 87-12 in those contests. Thursday figures to be the 100th match of her career and 100th career start.
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).
Schmitt Joins Century Club
Senior Kiana Schmitt has played in 110 victories during her career, becoming the 10th Bluejay to appear in 100 triumphs.
Schmitt's current .880 winning percentage (110-15) 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
110-15 .880 Kiana Schmitt 2019-Pres.
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
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 16 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 33 2.66 .384 1.09 3.23
TOTAL 88 2.05 .331 .89 2.52
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 went 13-0 at home this season and was the only BIG EAST program that did not lose a home contest in 2023.
Believe it or not, this was 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 Dec. 6, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 235 wins and seventh-best with an .822 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 12/6)
Rk. Wins Team
1. 255 Western Kentucky
2. 250 Nebraska
3. 241 Pittsburgh
4. 238 BYU
5. 236 Texas
6. 235 Creighton
7. 231 Wisconsin
8. 226 Stephen F. Austin
9. 222 Florida
10. 220 Stanford
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 12/6)
Rk. Pct. Team W-L
1. .891 Texas 236-29
2. .879 Western Kentucky 255-35
3. .869 BYU 238-36
4. .859 Nebraska 250-41
5. .840 Pittsburgh 241-46
6. .831 Wisconsin 231-47
7. .822 Creighton 235-51
9. .815 Stanford 220-50
8. .804 Florida 222-54
10. .797 Kentucky 216-55
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 (30), Creighton (29), Wisconsin (28) and Pittsburgh (27) have picked up 27 wins, while Louisville (26) and Texas (24) are still trying to get there.
Here's a list of the teams with the most wins since the start of the Fall 2021 season:
Most Wins Nationally, Since 2021
Wins School
89 Louisville*
88 Pittsburgh*
87 Creighton*
87 Wisconsin
87 Western Kentucky
*playing in the Pittsburgh Regional
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has played 13 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Colgate, Minnesota 2x and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 11-2 against that group heading into Thursday's match vs. Louisville.
All three times that Creighton had nine wins against teams coming off NCAA Tourney appearances (2015, 2016, 2023), 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 105-107 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 11-2 so far
TOTAL 108-142
TOTAL Under Booth 105-107
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.
Creighton is the only remaining team that is not from one of the Power 5 Conferences, though that's a term typically associated in the football landscape.
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 470-188 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 98 different schools while at Creighton, and could make it 99 on Thursday with a victory over Louisville.
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 the final TARAFLEX Top 25 poll of the regular-season.
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 22 of its 105 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 16-6). That doesn't include four drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-2).
Creighton is also 9-4 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. Norah Sis 301 1,204 2021-Pr.
10. Marysa Wilkinson 499 1,183 2014-17
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%)
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 390-11 (.973) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 333-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 256-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 131-1 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 400-36 (.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 149-5 in its last 154 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 132-6 in its last 138 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 171-4 in its last 175 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 470-3 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 29-4
Total 85-66 563-340
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 470 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport Victories (thru 12/06/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 643*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 470*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 407*
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).
Looking Ahead
Should Creighton advance, it would play either No. 10 Washington State or No. 4 Pittsburgh on Saturday at 3 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Pitt, sweeping the Panthers in 2017 in Seattle, Wash., at the Husky Invitational.
Creighton is 0-1 all-time against Washington State, getting swept in Pullman at the Cougar Challenge in 1999.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Trailer
Wednesday, May 27
Creighton Volleyball - All-Access Spring Ball Part 1
Tuesday, May 26
Creighton Volleyball vs Nebraska Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
Nebraska Volleyball vs Creighton Postgame Press Conference Spring Match
Saturday, April 18
