Volleyball Opens November With Home Matches vs. St. John's & Villanova

Match #21: St. John's at #6 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Friday, Nov. 1 • 6 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | CU NOTES | SJU NOTES |
Match #22: Villanova at #6 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Sunday, Nov. 3 • 1 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | CU NOTES | VU NOTES |

This Week
No. 6 Creighton Volleyball (19-2, 10-0 BIG EAST) opens November with three straight home matches, a stretch that begins on Friday when the Bluejays host St. John's (16-8, 5-5 BIG EAST) at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament title contest.
    On Sunday at 1 p.m., CU welcomes Villanova (13-8, 6-4 BIG EAST) to campus.
    Both matches will take place inside D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.

Promotional Schedule
Friday's promotional theme is a Spook & Spike Boojay Bash. Adults and kids alike are welcome to compete in a costume competition for prizes, with trick or treating stops available on the concourse.
    Sunday features a Turn Back The Clock theme as we go retro as a reminder to change your clock for Daylight Saving Time. There'll be a raffle for an Apple watch for students, and a limited quantity of foam fingers for all fans in attendance.

Television Information
Both matches this weekend will be televised statewide by Nebraska Public Media, with Larry Punteney and Kathi Wieskamp on the call.
    The matches can be viewed at https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/watch/live.
    The Creighton Volleyball schedule page at GoCreighton.com has direct links to each broadcast, as well.

Radio Information
Both matches this weekend will air on KZOT (1180 AM) and http://GoCreighton/listen1180.
    Jake Ryan and Jaela (Zimmerman) Conner will call Friday's match, while Jon Schriner and Kate Elman will broadcast Sunday's contest.
    Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Live Stats Information
Both of this weekend's matches will have free live stats, with links to each contest available at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
    Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #6 Creighton
Creighton has won 12 straight matches to improve to 19-2 this season, its best start in program history through 21 contests. Both losses have come in five sets on the road to top-five teams Nebraska (Sept. 10) and Louisville (Sept. 15).
    The Bluejays remain a program-best No. 6 in this week's AVCA rankings, thanks in large part to back-to-back Top 10 wins over then-No. 6 Purdue (3-1) and then-No. 10 Kansas (3-0) in late September. In league play, Creighton is 10-0 and has just dropped one set.
    Three women on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List lead the Bluejays. Setter Kendra Wait (11.09 aps., 2.99 dps., 0.93 kps., 0.89 bps., .356%) has been named BIG EAST Setter of the Week six times in the first nine weeks of the season, while outside hitters Norah Sis (3.75 kps., .305%, 0.42 saps.) and Ava Martin (3.46 kps., .292%) give CU one of the best attacking duo's in the country.
    Kiara Reinhardt (1.36 bps.) leads the league in blocks per set, and transfers Maddy Bilinovic (3.99 dps.) and Elise Goetzinger (2.53 kps., 1.20 bps., .361%) have made an immediate impact and rank among the best in the league at their respective positions.
    CU was a unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST by league coaches in 2024 after returning four starters from last season's 29-5 squad that reached a 12th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win a 10th straight BIG EAST regular-season title, and its ninth BIG EAST Tournament crown in the past decade.
     CU leads the BIG EAST with 14.41 kills, 1.84 aces and 2.69 blocks per set as well as a .313 hitting percentage. CU's 14.83 digs per set ranks just sixth in the league, but is more a result of some short rallies and strong block, as the Bluejays have been outdug just once all season.

Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 16-8 on the season and 5-5 in the BIG EAST after victories last weekend over Villanova and Butler. The Red Storm, who returned all six starters from last year's team that played in the BIG EAST Tournament final, are currently in a dogfight to make the six-team field for the BIG EAST Tournament in late November.
    Erin Jones does a little bit of everything for the Johnnies, averaging 3.63 kills, 2.75 digs, 1.77 assists and 0.51 blocks per set.
    Giorgia Walther (3.40 kps.) and Lucrezia Lodi (2.72 kps.) also carry a large offensive load.
    Wiktoria Kowalczyk (9.22 aps.) is the primary setter, and Rashanny Soloano Smith (3.80 dps.) is the libero.
    SJU averages 12.82 kills, 13.31 digs, 2.05 blocks and 1.52 aces per set while hitting .209 as a team.

Series History vs. St. John's
Creighton is 20-3 all-time against St. John's, dropping just one set total over the past seven meetings. CU is 9-1 all-time in the series in Omaha, dropping just one set in the last nine of those wins.
    The teams played three times last season, including Creighton's 3-0 sweep over the Red Storm in the BIG EAST Tournament title match.
    CU swept the Red Storm in Queens on Oct. 12th as Elise Goetzinger hit .611 and had 11 kills.
    Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 20-3 against Joanne Persico and 20-3 vs. St. John's.

Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 13-8 this season and 6-4 in BIG EAST play after alternating wins and losses the past four matches.
    The reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Abby Harrell (3.28 kps.) leads the team in kills, with Campbell McKinnon (2.43 kps.) adding firepower and hitting at a .350 clip.
    Alyssa Nelson (5.61 aps.) and Taylor Jakubowski (4.36 aps.) run Nova's 6-2 offense, and five players own between 157-168 digs.
    The Wildcats average 12.82 kills, 13.56 digs, 2.08 blocks and 1.47 aces per set on .222 hitting.

Series History vs. Villanova
Creighton is 21-3 all-time vs. Villanova, and has swept each of the last seven meetings since a Wildcats victory on Nov. 8, 2019.
    CU is 12-0 in Omaha against the Wildcats, and won the last 20 sets played vs. VU at D.J. Sokol Arena.
    The Bluejays swept Nova on Oct. 11 behind 13 kills on .480 hitting from Ava Martin.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 21-3 all-time against Villanova and coach Josh Steinbach.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 489-191 record in her 22nd season with the Bluejays.
    She's led Creighton to 10 straight BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014-23), and 11 league crowns in the previous 12 years. Booth guided the Bluejays to their first three Sweet 16's (2015, 2016, 2023) 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 13 seasons (including 2024), another program first.
    She is currently serving as President of the AVCA.
    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.

With A Win On Friday...
- Creighton would remain in sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST as the league's lone remaining team unbeaten in BIG EAST play.
- Creighton would reach 20 victories for the 15th time overall, fourth straight season and 12th time in the past 13 years (with the shortened COVID season with just 16 matches played being the exception).
- Creighton would improve to 20-2, its best start ever after 22 matches.
- Creighton would win its 40th consecutive home match against a BIG EAST opponent, and 36th such in a row at home in the regular-season.
- Creighton would win its 38th straight November home match.
- Creighton would win its 33rd straight match against an unranked team.
- Creighton would win its 26th straight match against a BIG EAST team.
- Creighton would win its 24th straight regular-season BIG EAST match.
- Creighton would extend a school record with its 24th consecutive home victory, moving to 11-0 at home this fall.
- Creighton would extend its season-high win streak to 13.
- Creighton would start 11-0 in BIG EAST play for the sixth time in the last 10 years.
- Creighton would improve to 21-3 all-time against St. John's, including eight straight wins.
- Creighton would improve to 181-16 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST matches, and 97-3 in BIG EAST home contests.
- Creighton would improve to 200-18 against BIG EAST opponents since joining the league in 2013.

Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones.
    Kendra Wait owns 65 career double-doubles tied with Melissa Weisensee's school-record. Another double-double will giver her the mark outright.
    Norah Sis owns 977 career digs and is 23 shy of 1,000. Sis also owns 1,485 career kills, putting her 15 away from 1,500. Sis' 90 career aces put her 10 away from 100.
    Kiara Reinhardt owns 469 career kills and is 31 short of 500.
    Destiny Ndam-Simpson owns 187 career kills and is 13 shy of 200.

BIG EAST Tournament Finals Rematch
Friday's meeting against St. John's in Queens will be a remach of the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament final held in Milwaukee, which saw Creighton post a convincing 25-13, 25-9, 25-23 victory.
    Creighton's Kiana Schmitt was named Most Valuable Player after collecting 12 kills on .526 hitting. The Bluejays hit .355, limited the Johnnies to .021 hitting, and outblocked the Red Storm 13-3.
    Six of the eight women who played for Creighton in that match are back. The Red Storm bring back 10 of 12 participants from the match, including all six starters and their libero.

Jak Of All Trades
Villanova setter Taylor Jakubowski is the younger sister of former Creighton women's soccer standout Taryn Jakubowski, who played two years professionally in Finland after she graduated from CU.

Seeking 20
Creighton enters the weekend with 19 victories as it seeks a fourth straight 20-win season.
    Creighton has won 20 or more matches in 11 of the last 12 years (CU only played 16 times in the spring of 2021, going 12-4), and has 14 20-win campaigns to its ledger all-time.
    Each of the previous 14 times that Creighton won its 19th match, it won its next match as well to reach the 20-victory milestone.
Year    MP to 20 W    Date of 20th Win
2006    29    11/18
2007    29    11/16
2010    30    11/26
2012    23    10/27
2013    27    11/22
2014    27    11/08
2015    28    11/07
2016    26    11/06
2017    25    11/05
2018    24    10/27
2019    24    11/09
2021    23    10/24
2022    23    10/30
2023    24    11/03

Having A Grand Time
Friday's match vs. St. John's will be Creighton's 100th regular-season home contest since joining the BIG EAST. The Bluejays are a dominating 96-3 in the first 99 contests, including 35 consecutive wins.
    One of CU's setbacks came on November 1, 2013 against St. John's. Friday will be the 11th anniversary of that upset win by the Red Storm.

That's Just Wild
Creighton has swept Villanova each of the last seven meetings, and won each of the last 21 sets against the Wildcats.
    The 21 straight set victories over the Wildcats is the seventh-longest streak in program history over one opponent, but still far behind a 53-set win streak the Jays extended over Seton Hall last Saturday.
Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team
    Wins    Opponent    Dates
    53    Seton Hall    2015-Present
    32    Providence    2017-Present
    25    Indiana State    2005-09
    25    Georgetown    2019-Present
    24    Xavier    2015-18
    23    Indiana State    2009-Present
    21    Villanova    2021-Present
    19    Providence    2014-17
    19    Butler    2018-21

Clean Sweeps
Creighton has won 22 straight sets, sweeping each of its past seven matches and winning the final set in the prior contest. That's tied for the fifth-longest set win streak in program history.
    Of its four streaks that are longer, one was stopped by St. John's, while another snapped by Villanova.
    Entering this week, Creighton's 22 straight set wins were the nation's longest active streak.
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
    22    Oct.1, 2024 - Present    ? ? ?
    21    Nov. 11 - Dec. 2, 2023    vs. #7 Louisville
    19    Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019    at Villanova
    15    Oct. 7-21, 2016    at Marquette
    15    Sept. 28-Oct. 13, 2018    at Villanova
    15    Sept. 11-24, 2021    at Butler

How Many Sets In A Row?
In its 22-set win streak, Creighton has allowed as many as 20 points just three times.
- It has outscored foes 550-332 in all sets (an average of 25.0-15.1), 175-96 in the second set (an average of 25.0-13.7) and 175-97 in the third set (an average of 25.0-13.9).
- Creighton owns a 60-11 advantage in aces, even though it has nearly the same number of service errors (CU 42, Opponents 41). In that time, Ava Martin has 16 aces and Norah Sis has 12 aces.
- Creighton is hitting .385 (328-66-681).
- Elise Goetzinger is hitting .521 (42-5-71), Ava Martin is hitting .426 (83-11-169) and Norah Sis is hitting .368 (83-19-174).
- Kiara Reinhardt (28) has more blocks than CU's opponents (21.5), with Kendra Wait (20), Jaya Johnson (20) and Elise Goetzinger (18) not far behind.

Fun With Numbers
- Creighton has not trailed by more than five points in any of its last 63 sets played against BIG EAST competition dating to a 17-10 deficit in the second set at Providence on Oct. 21, 2023 (Creighton won that set, 25-21).
- Creighton has not trailed in 15-of-31 sets played against BIG EAST foes this fall, and 15 of the 18 BIG EAST sets when scoring the first point of a set.
- During Creighton's 25-match win streak over BIG EAST foes, the Bluejays have owned a hitting percentage advantage over its opponent of .098 or more in each match.
- Through matches of Sunday, Oct. 28, Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents were a combined 87-21 (.806) in league play. Three of the 11 teams (Nebraska, Northern Iowa and Kansas) are still unbeaten in league play, and all 11 have a winning record in conference action.

Going Streaking
Creighton has won 12 consecutive matches, tied for the nation's sixth-longest active streak through contests of Oct. 27. The 12-match win streak is tied for its eighth-longest win streak in program history.
Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (10/27)
    Rk.    Streak    Team
    1.    20    South Dakota State
    2.    18    Southeastern Louisiana
    3.    17    Nebraska
    4.    15    Western Kentucky
    5.    14    Dayton
    6.    12    Creighton
        12    Penn State
    8.    11    Northern Iowa
        11    Florida A&M

    Most Consecutive Wins, Creighton History
        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-Dec. 2, 2023    vs. #7 Louisville, 3-2
        14    Sept. 19-Nov. 3, 2019    at Villanova, 3-0
        14    Oct. 17-Dec. 2, 2021    Kansas, 3-1
        12    Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015    at Villanova, 3-2
        12    Sept. 20, 2024 - Present    TBD
        11    Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014    Seton Hall, 3-0
        11    Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017    at Villanova, 3-0
        10    Oct. 31-Dec. 5, 2015    vs. #2 USC, 3-1

The Best Overall Starts
Creighton's 19-2 record is the program's best mark ever after 21 matches. Its 2021 team opened 17-2, but lost its 20th contest of the year.
Creighton's Most Wins, 2 Losses Or Less
    Wins    Year    3rd Loss
    19    2024    TBD
    17    2021    10/16 at UConn
    12    2012    9/28 at Southern Illinois
    11    2006    9/24 vs. #1 Nebraska
    10    2023    9/23 at Xavier

Best League Starts
Creighton has started 10-0 in conference play for the sixth time in 12 seasons in the BIG EAST.
    The Bluejays have started 11-0 or better in league action five times in the previous nine years and went 18-0 in both 2016 and 2018.
Most Wins Before First League Loss
    Wins    Year (League)    First League Loss
    18-0    2018 (BIG EAST)    None
    18-0    2016 (BIG EAST)    None
    17    2022 (BIG EAST)    11/19 at #16 Marquette
    12    2019 (BIG EAST)    11/8 at Villanova
    11    2015 (BIG EAST)    10/30 at Villanova
    10    2024 (BIG EAST)    TBD
    7    2007 (MVC)    10/12 vs. Wichita State
    5    2014 (BIG EAST)    10/10 at Seton Hall
    5    2011 (MVC)    10/7 at Missouri State
    5    2006 (MVC)    10/6 vs. Northern Iowa

NCAA Reveal Has Creighton Sixth
The NCAA DI women's volleyball committee announced its in-season top-16 rankings during on Oct. 20th, and had Creighton tabbed sixth.
    The reveal is based on the criteria used to select and seed the 64 teams for the volleyball championship. It includes strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, significant wins and losses and locations of contests. Input is also provided by the regional advisory committees for consideration by the Division I women's volleyball committee.
1. Nebraska    9. Wisconsin
2. Pitt    10. Oregon
3. Penn State    11. Kansas
4. Louisville    12. Purdue
5. Stanford    13. Utah
6. Creighton    14. TCU
7. SMU    15. USC
8. Texas    16. Minnesota

Sis Chasing Milestones
Norah Sis enters this weekend with 1,485 kills, 977 digs and 90 aces in her career.
    In program history, only two Bluejays have had at least 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs. Of that trio, only Jaali Winters had 100+ aces, as well.
Creighton Players With 1,000+ Kills
Name    KILLS    DIGS    ACES
Jaali Winters    1,843    1,386    101
Leah Ratzlaff    1,622    721    77
Melissa Walsh    1,596    1,240    71
Norah Sis    1,485    977    90
Taryn Kloth    1,427    426    64
Kelly Goc    1,414    275    59
Jessica Houts    1,385    468    54
JoDe Cieloha    1,375    821    113
Leah McNary    1,257    225    0
Marysa Wilkinson    1,183    165    5
Lauren Smith    1,160    209    12
Allie Oelke    1,126    1,382    86
Kelli Browning    1,104    165    44
Amanda Cvejdlik    1,029    208    46
Shelly Kapler    1,000    922    104
Jaela Zimmerman    1,000    796    77

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 2024 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
2024    10-0    14.87    .371    2.48    14.06    2.63
#won league's regular-season title

Halfway Home
Last Friday marked the midway point of the BIG EAST season, as was Creighton's ninth of its 18 league matches on the docket.
    Creighton is now unbeaten at the halfway mark of league play for the sixth time (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024).
    The Bluejays have suffered one league loss or fewer in the second half of conference play during each of the previous 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
2024    9-0    1-0 so far    TBD
Total    186-89    178-89    --

So Clean
Creighton Volleyball is hitting an absurd .371 in BIG EAST play.
    How good is that?
    Across the BIG EAST, among players with three attempts per set, only two non-Creighton players are hitting better than .371.
    Creighton has hit .377 or better in at least one set during each of its last 18 matches against league foes.
    Creighton has averaged just 9.86 attack errors in its last 22 matches against BIG EAST Conference matches, finishing with 10 or less total attack errors in 13 of those.
    Looking at just the 31 BIG EAST sets played this season, Creighton has never had more than seven attack errors in any set, and its worst attack percentage in a set was .186. On the other hand, its opponents own 7+ attack errors in 13-of-31 sets and have managed only seven sets of better than .170.
    Creighton has owned a better hitting percentage than the opposition in 30-of-31 league sets this season...all but set one at Villanova on Oct. 11th.

Aced That Test
Creighton has had more service aces than service errors in each of its last five matches, a good trend since CU has won 22 contest in a row when owning more aces than errors. In those five matches (15 sets), CU has accumulated 45 aces against just 25 serving miscues.
    It's also the first time since the program's 1994 reinstatement that its had more aces than errors in five straight contests.
    Norah Sis, who had three aces on Saturday at Seton Hall, has already established a personal-best with 29 service aces this fall compared to just 18 errors.
    Per Evollve.net, Creighton is second nationally (trailing only Pitt) by winning 51.2 percent of the points when it serves. The median team (#173 of 346) wins just 43.3 percent of the points when it serves.
    Creighton's team reception percentage of .952. All four primary passers receive at .939 or better, as Creighton has been aced just 54 times in 21 matches this fall. Creighton has won 67.0 percent of the points when in serve receive this year, which ranks fifth-best in the country per Evollve.net, compared to the median team at 57.1 percent.

All They Do Is Win
Creighton won its final 13 regular-season BIG EAST matches last season and is 10-0 this fall. That's the program's fourth-longest streak of league wins in team history.
Creighton'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
    23    Oct. 7, 2023 - Present    ? ? ?    BIG EAST
    14    Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012    Never (left MVC)    MVC
    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

Streaking In League Play
Creighton has won 25 straight matches against conference teams. Though impressive, there's still six teams with longer active streaks.
    Wins    Team    Current League
    92    Western Kentucky    Conference-USA
    63    High Point    Big South
    33    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley
    31    Dayton    Atlantic 10
    30    Southeastern Louisiana    Southland
    28    Yale    Ivy
    25    Creighton    BIG EAST
    18    Fairfield    Metro Atlantic Athletic

Putting The 0 In October And November
Creighton is 81-6 in the 10th month of the year since Oct. 1, 2016, including 15 straight wins, and victories in 29 of its past 30 such matches.
    Creighton's been awfully good in the month of November too. Since Nov. 1, 2014, CU is 61-4 in the 11th month of the year.
    Creighton has won 43 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.

Defense Wins Championships
Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 14.41 kills per set, second with a .313 hitting percentage and is also sixth with 13.36 assists per set.
    But where it has dominated has been on the defensive side of the net, where it ranks 20th in blocks per set (2.69) and third in opponents hitting percentage (.135).
    CU ranked third last year in opponent's hitting percentage (.144) and led the country in 2021 (.124) in that category.
    Last season was the fifth straight non-COVID year that Creighton's led the BIG EAST in opponent's hitting percentage.
    In league play this year, Creighton is hitting .371 and holding foes to .112 hitting.

Sis Is Killing It
Norah Sis ranks fourth in Creighton history with 1,485 career kills after passing Olympian Taryn Kloth in October during a win at Villanova.
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.    Norah Sis    375    1,485    2021-Pr.
    5.    Taryn Kloth    462    1,427    2015-18

4,000 And Counting
Kendra Wait surpassed the 4,000 assist mark in the Sept. 15 match at No. 4 Louisville and starts this weekend with 4,463 in her career. That's good for second in CU history, trailing only Athletics Hall of Famer Korie Lebeda's 5,281.
Career Assists
        Name    Sets    No.    Years
    1.    Korie Lebeda    428    5,281    2005-08
    2.    Kendra Wait    416    4,463    2021-Pr.
    3.    Megan Bober    480    4,359    2009-12

Doubling Up
Kendra Wait has had a double-double in 12 matches this season, and finished one dig shy in four other contests.
    Wait's 65 double-doubles (in 121 matches played) are tied for the most in program history with at least eight matches still on the schedule.
    Wait has owned a double-double in each of her last eight matches against a Top 25 foe and 16-of-18 overall contests against the Top 25 in her career.
Career Matches With a Double-Double, Career
    D-D    Name    Years
    65    Melissa Weisensee    1994-97
    65    Kendra Wait    2021-Present
    64    Kailey Reyes    1998-01
    60    Melissa Walsh    1998-01

Senior Class Heroes
Creighton's senior class already ranks as one of the winningest groups in program history. The current group that arrived in the fall of 2021 is a combined 106-16.
    Kendra Wait has played in all 106 victories is the 11th student-athlete to appear in 100 or more victories. Of those 11 women, Wait's .876 win percentage in matches appeared just ahead of Kiana Schmitt's .873 (110-16) for the top mark.
    Norah Sis is waiting in the wings to join that list. The senior is 96-13 in her career in matches she's played in, as she's missed 13 matches (10 wins) in her career.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
    W-L    Years
    111-28    2015-18
    109-25    2016-19
    107-32    2014-17
    106-16    2021-Pres.
    104-31    2012-15
    104-34    2013-16
    99-18    2020-23

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
    110-16    .873    Kiana Schmitt    2019-23
    109-24    .820    Taryn Kloth    2015-18
    109-25    .813    Brittany Witt    2016-19
    107-25    .811    Megan Ballenger    2016-19
    106-15    .876    Kendra Wait    2021-Pres.
    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

133 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked sixth in this week's AVCA poll, the 133rd time in program history it's been ranked. That's 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
    This week is Creighton's eighth straight week this fall and 29th week all-time as a Top 10 team.
    The No. 6 ranking is the best ranking in program history -- matching the last five weeks -- and surpassing the previous best of No. 7 on Aug. 28, 2017.
    All 133 rankings have been 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 55 polls.
    Since the start of the 2017 season, here's which teams have been ranked the most weeks:
Most Weeks Ranked Since 2017
    Rk.    Weeks    Team
    1.    128*    Florida
        128*    Kentucky
        128*    Texas
    4.    119    Nebraska
        119    Penn State
        119    BYU
        119    Purdue
        119    Wisconsin
    9.    118*    Baylor
    10.    113    Creighton
    11.    112*    Pittsburgh
    12.    111    Stanford
        111    Minnesota
    14.    104    Oregon
    15.    94    Washington
    16.    92*    Louisville
* includes 9 weeks in Fall of 2020 when most schools didn't play

Best Rankings Ever
Creighton is ranked sixth in this week's AVCA poll, matching its best mark ever. This is the program's 29th Top 10 ranking ever.
Date    Rank
September 23, 2024    6th
September 30, 2024    6th
October 7, 2024    6th
October 14, 2024    6th
October 21, 2024    6th
October 28, 2024    6th
August 28, 2017    7th
September 11, 2017    8th
December 19, 2016 (Year-End)    9th
August 9, 2017 (Preseason)    9th
September 4, 2017    9th
October 29, 2018    9th
November 5, 2018    9th
November 12, 2018    9th
November 19, 2018    9th
November 26, 2018    9th
October 28, 2019    9th
November 4, 2019    9th
September 9, 2024    9th
September 16, 2024    9th
September 10, 2018    10th
September 17, 2018    10th
September 24, 2018    10th
October 1, 2018    10th
October 8, 2018    10th
October 15, 2018    10th
October 22, 2018    10th
October 21, 2019    10th
November 25, 2019    10th

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.
    Creighton owns 10 regular-season titles (3 shared) in that time, while Marquette owns four regular-season (3 shared) crowns.
    As it relates to BIG EAST Tournament titles, Creighton has won nine, Marquette one and St. John's one since 2013.
    Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - October 29, 2024
             BIG EAST only    All     matches
Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L
Creighton (11)    180    16    302    72
Marquette (10)    162    31    274    90
Xavier    114    80    177    164
Butler    101    95    176    170
St. John's (1)    99    97    214    156
Villanova (1)    97    99    184    157
Seton Hall (1)    82    113    163    182
DePaul    62    134    143    194
Georgetown    41    147    108    216
Connecticut#    36    36    71    58
Providence*    29    151    111    202
*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.

10 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
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, doubling the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.

League Opener Histories
Including this year's sweep vs. Providence, Creighton owns a 23-8 record all-time in conference openers, including a 20-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes an 11-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and 11 straight wins since a 2013 loss at Butler.
    Each of the previous 11 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 177-13 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won 10 conference tournament titles during those years, going 20-1 at the league tournament in those seasons.
    In the 22 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .781 (306-86) winning percentage (entering 2024) in league matches.
    In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
    In conference home openers, Creighton is 26-5 overall and 20-2 under Booth, with 14 straight wins (including 2024).
    In league road openers, Creighton is 22-9 overall and 19-3 under Booth, with 11 straight wins (including 2024).
    The last team to win a BIG EAST regular-season or tournament title without winning its regular-season opener in conference play was Cincinnati in the fall of 2008.

Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 12th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
    Since then, the Bluejays are 105-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (96-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
    Since November of 2014, Creighton is 89-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 81-1 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 the fall of 2020, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Abbey Milner, Kendra Wait and Norah Sis are 33-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 99-9 in sets.
    Creighton has won 39 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was the unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
    Creighton earned 10 first place votes to earn the maximum 100 points. Marquette earned Creighton's first place vote (coaches can't vote for their own teams) as well as nine other second-place votes to finish second in the poll with 91 points.
    St. John's (80) was picked third, just ahead of DePaul (74) and Butler (58). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were Xavier (49), Seton Hall (40), Villanova (39), Connecticut (33), Georgetown (27) and Providence (14).
    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 third straight fall.
    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
2024    1st    ???    ???

The Gauntlet
Creighton played five non-conference matches against Top 25 teams, winning three of those, as part of a non-conference schedule ranked as the nation's fifth-toughest.
    This year was the fifth time in program history that Creighton played five or more Top 25 opponents prior to conference play, also doing so in 2014 (going 0-5), 2015 (1-4), 2017 (3-3) and 2019 (2-3).
    This year's 11-match gauntlet ended with the first time that Creighton has ever played three consecutive matches against Top 10 foes (No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Purdue, No. 10 Kansas), also part of the first time Creighton played four Top 10 teams in the same month.
    The only other Bluejay teams to play four Top 10 teams in the same season were in 2015 (5, with one of those in the NCAA Tournament), 2016 (4, with two of those in the NCAA Tournament), 2018 (4) and 2019 (4, with one of those in the NCAA Tournament). The challenging schedule paid off in each case, as those previous four teams went a combined 70-2 in league play and 8-0 in league tournament action and 7-4 in NCAA Tournament play.
    The only other time Creighton has previously played five ranked teams in the same month was September of 2017, a stretch that also featured matches on consecutive days against ranked Purdue and Kansas teams in Lawrence.

Stepping Up
Creighton has played five ranked teams this fall, and its defense is a big reason the Bluejays are 3-2 in those contests.
    Maddy Bilinovic has averaged 4.38 digs per set against Top 25 opponents, compared to 3.82 digs per set versus unranked foes.
    Sydney Breissinger averages 2.43 digs per set against Top 25 competition compared to 1.84 digs per set in the remaining contests.
    Creighton has allowed just 0.62 aces per set against ranked teams (13 aces in 21 sets), compared to 0.84 aces against unranked foes (41 aces in 49 sets).

Dominance Against The Unranked
Creighton is 48-1 in sets this year against unranked teams and 96-2 in sets dating to Oct. 7, 2023 against unranked opposition.        Creighton has outscored unranked opponents 1,223-790 this year, winning an incredible 60.76 percent of those points.
    Creighton has allowed 20 or more points in just 11 of the 49 sets against unranked foes this year.
    The Bluejays are hitting .342 against unranked teams this year, while holding those foes to .109 hitting. CU also owns decisive advantages in kills (725-463), aces (108-41), digs (717-592) and blocks (134.5-53.5) in those matches.

The Incredible Third Sets
Creighton is 20-1 in the third set this season, outscoring foes in points 531-343 to win an incredible 60.7 percent of the points.
    In its late-September run of three straight Top 10 foes, the Bluejays outscored those teams by an incredible 75-43 margin in the third.
    Creighton is hitting .333 in the third set this year, its best of any frame. That figure is .342 in the third set against ranked teams this fall.
    Creighton is also hitting .401 in the second set of its BIG EAST matches, and has held all eight league foes to 19 points or less.

Hidden Stats
The only team to finish a match with more aces than Creighton this season is Connecticut (8-6).
    The only teams to finish a match with more blocks than Creighton are USC (10.5-7.0) and Louisville (13-11).
    The only team to finish a match with more digs than Creighton has been Nebraska (81-80).

Any Stat Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST a dozen years ago, Creighton has been dominant when it wins just about any stat category, as seen below:
Statistic    W    L    Pct.
With Better Hitting Pct.    293    9    .970
When Hitting .250+    210    6    .972
When Hitting .300+    118    0    1.000
When Serving 10+ Aces    18    2    .900
When Owning More Kills    282    21    .931
When Owning More Aces    213    21    .910
When Owning More Digs    244    21    .921
When Owning More Blocks    225    17    .930

Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last dozen years has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
    The Bluejays have won their last 25 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.
    And if that's not enough, EVERY SINGLE OTHER TEAM in the country (all 347 of them) has had a multi-match losing streak since Creighton's last skid and every other team in the BIG EAST has had a multi-match losing streak this season alone.
    Creighton has also won its last 17 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
    And while not in jeopardy on Friday, it's still worth bragging about that Creighton has also not lost back-to-back matches against conference foes since a three-match losing streak in November of 2011.

No Losers Here
Creighton has been as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
    Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin are the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons.
    If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 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.

Nationwide Success
With a 186-13 record against BIG EAST teams since 2014, it's safe to say the 10-time defending BIG EAST champion Creighton Volleyball program has proven itself over the last decade in league play.
    This year, it's going national. The Bluejays have beaten at least one team from each of the other "Power Four" conferences, as well as two teams from its former league, the MVC. The Bluejays are...
    1-0 vs. American Athletic Conference teams
    1-1 vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Big 12 Conference teams
    10-0 vs. BIG EAST Conference teams
    2-1 vs. Big Ten Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Missouri Valley Conference teams
    1-0 vs. Southeastern Conference teams

A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 29 victories last season were tied for sixth-most in the nation and its .853 win percentage was tied for ninth-best.
    Additionally, Creighton's 87 victories in the previous three seasons (2020-22) are tied for fourth in the country (behind only Louisville, Pitt and Wisconsin) and its 312 wins in the previous 12 campaigns is sixth-most (behind only WKU, Nebraska, Texas, Penn State and BYU).
    Creighton also ranked tied for first nationally in fewest sets lost (22) last year with Nebraska and Dayton.
    In its last 34 matches dating to last season, Creighton is 31-3 and has won 96-of-109 sets. All three match losses came in five sets.
    In its 25 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton has dropped just two sets to league opponents.
Fewest Sets Lost in 2023
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    22    Creighton
    22    Nebraska
    22    Dayton
4.    23    Wisconsin
    23    Tennessee
    23    Western Michigan

Fewest Sets Lost in 2024 (through 10/21)
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    7    Pittsburgh
2.    9    Creighton
    9    Dayton

Set-tle Down
Since the start of the 2021 season, Creighton is 82-3 in three-set matches, 15-4 in four-set matches and 9-9 in five set contests.

The Streak At Home
Creighton had its first unbeaten home season in program history last year, going a perfect 13-0 in matches and 39-3 in sets.
    With 10 more wins this season, the Bluejays have extended their program record to 23 straight home wins, surpassing a 15-match home win streak from Sept. 7-Nov. 30, 2018 that had been the standard.
    Creighton's 23-match home win streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
    Creighton has won 62 of its last 64 sets played at D.J. Sokol Arena overall and did not lose a single set to a BIG EAST opponent last fall.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins    Dates    Snapped By
    23    Sept. 1, 2023 - Present    TBD
    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

Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks (10/28)
Wins    Team    Next Home Match
    38    Nebraska    11/14 vs. #15 Minnesota
    30    Yale    11/1 vs. Princeton
    26    Pittsburgh    11/8 vs. #25 North Carolina
    25    Wisconsin    11/1 vs. #2 Nebraska
    23    Creighton    11/1 vs. St. John's
    20    Dayton    10/29 vs. Duquesne

Top 25 History
Creighton is 220-47 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 24-27 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark is 4-3 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
    Since the start of the 2012 season, 42 of Creighton's 76 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 304-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 115 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 165 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 24-27)
Home: 10-9    Away: 8-11     Neutral: 6-7
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
12/07/23    #7 Louisville    #17 Creighton    2-3
09/05/24    #11 Creighton    #20 USC    3-1
09/10/24    #5 Nebraska    #9 Creighton    2-3
09/15/24    #4 Louisville    #9 Creighton    2-3
09/20/24    #9 Creighton    #6 Purdue    3-1
09/21/24    #9 Creighton    #10 Kansas    3-0

Hunting The Top 10
Creighton is 10-36 all-time against top-10 teams, including a 10-29 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and a 2-2 record this year.
    Nine of the 10 victories came away from home, including four sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
    The highest-ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten are No. 3 Washington (8/26/2017) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/2021), both on the road.
Creighton's All-Time Top 10 Wins
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
09/20/24    vs. #6 Purdue (Lawrence, Kan.)    W 3-1
09/21/24    at #10 Kansas    W 3-0

They Hit What?
Creighton hit .426 in its Sept. 21 sweep over No. 10 Kansas. That's the best mark Creighton has ever hit against a Top 25 team, and tied for the 18th-best mark in program history against any opponent.
    Creighton hit over .425 on five occasions last year, hitting .493 at Villanova (Oct. 27), .488 vs. Georgetown (Oct. 13), .465 at Seton Hall (Nov. 10), .442 vs. High Point (Sept. 15) and .430 at Providence (Oct. 21).
    The Bluejays have hit .400 or better four times this year so far, including a season-best .471 on Sept. 29 vs. UConn.
    Creighton is 310-9 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better and as a program has won 179 straight matches when hitting .300 or better, a streak that dates to October of 1996.

Birds Of A Feather
Creighton has showcased a three new sets of jerseys this season, as Nike designed some custom-made uniforms.
    Both the white and navy ("Midnight Jays") jerseys are sleeveless in a drastic change from past years.
    The uniforms also feature several different colors of "Hyper-Elite" arm sleeves, which the players wear on their arms and can be mix & matched for a number of uniform combinations.
    If you look closely, the arms sleeves also have a feather design pattern, a nod to Creighton's Bluejay nickname.
    Creighton unveiled some throwback royal blue jerseys on Sept. 27 vs. Providence with its old Jays script logo as part of Alumni Night. Those are also the first Bluejay jerseys in decades (and maybe ever) to feature last names on the back.

Her Kind Of City
Kentucky transfer Elise Goetzinger is a perfect 18-0 in matches played in Omaha in her career, though she did not play in two of those matches due to injury.
    Goetzinger started all five of UK's matches en route to the 2020 national title (in the spring of 2021), which were played in CHI Health Center Omaha's convention center and arena. The Wildcats beat UNLV, No. 18 Western Kentucky, No. 9 Purdue, No. 7 Washington and No. 5 Texas en route to the championship.
    In 2022 Goetzinger was named to the All-Tournament Team while helping the Wildcats to the Bluejay Invitational title with wins over UNI, No. 17 Creighton and No. 25 USC.
    During those 18 wins, Goetzinger owns 111 kills and 59 blocks while hitting .387 in 53 sets played.

Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton's Bluejay Invitational title on the opening weekend of the fall season marked the 13th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that dates to 2012. Creighton won three of its four non-conference tournaments this year.
     During that span, the Bluejays have won 34 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
    Creighton has also now won at least one home tournament each of the last eight seasons.
    Creighton won five different tournaments last season, tying a program record, and outside of the NCAA Tournament has now won seven of the eight tournaments it has played in.
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
2024    3    CU, CU, KU

Packed House
Creighton announced in July that it had sold out of season tickets, and fans have shown up in a big way this fall.
    The Bluejays are averaging 2,348 fans per home match (30th-best nationally), including a crowd of 2,570 on Oct. 20 vs. DePaul that was the third-largest volleyball crowd ever inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton Volleyball's Largest Home Crowds
    Att.    Opponent    Date    CU Result    Facility
    15,797    #2 Nebraska    09/07/22    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    14,022    #7 Nebraska    09/06/18    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    13,081    #18 Cal Poly    09/02/07    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    12,112    #1 Nebraska    09/24/06    L 1-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    11,279    #3 Nebraska    09/08/21    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    10,131    #4 Nebraska    09/15/15    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    8,037    #2 Nebraska    10/05/08    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    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
    2,570    DePaul    10/20/24    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,569    NC State    08/30/24    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

Olympians Made Here
Taryn Kloth made history earlier this summer when the 2018 graduate became the first female Creighton student-athlete to compete in the Olympics.
    The South Dakota native paired with Kristen Nuss to tie for ninth place in Beach Volleyball, winning their first three matches before losing to a team from Canada that went on to win the silver medal.
    Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth and associate head coach Angie Oxley Behrens both made the trip to Paris to watch three of Kloth's matches.
    Kloth was a First Team All-BIG EAST choice in 2016 and 2018 and named BIG EAST Tournament MVP in 2017. She ranks fifth in CU history with 1,427 career kills and won four BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles.

61*
Creighton Volleyball traditionally owns one of the nation's top non-conference schedules, but head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth might have outdone herself this year.
    All 11 of Creighton's non-conference matches were against teams with a Top 61 RPI last year.
    Each of the top four teams that Creighton played from that list were met outside of Omaha.
2023 RPI    School    2024 CU Result
1    at Nebraska    L 2-3
6    at Louisville    L 2-3
13    vs. Purdue    W 3-1
15    at Kansas    W 3-0
30    USC    W 3-1
34    Missouri    W 3-0
35    vs. Northern Iowa    W 3-0
43    NC State    W 3-0
52    Drake    W 3-0
60    vs. Rice    W 3-0
61    Kansas State    W 3-0

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 11-15 against ranked non-conference foes over the last eight 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    29-5
2024    9-2    3-2    TBD

Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 12th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 19th. It's the 10th time in the past 12 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and third year in a row.
    The No. 12 slotting was the second-best preseason ranking in program history.
    Over the last 16 seasons, 295-of-400 teams (73.8 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 preseason No. 13 San Diego, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 23 Rice reached the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
    This year marks the 13th 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    29-5    15th
    2024    12th    TBD    TBD

12 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 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.

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 489-3 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 70-41 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 29 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 in 2022 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    2-3    29-5
2024    0-2    19-2 so far
Total    85-69    582-343

Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 11 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's 11 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
11 (3 shared) Creighton    10 Creighton
11 (1) Texas    9 Dayton
11 (5) Western Kentucky    9 Western Kentucky
10 (1) Fairfield    8 Fairfield
8 (8) Florida A&M    7 LIU
8 (4) Yale
8 (2) BYU
8 (1) Colorado State

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 23-2 in the match after a five-setter.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 408-11 (.974) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 351-5 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 272-3 (.989) when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 140-1 (.993) 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 94.9 percent of their matches from 2014-23.
    Conversely, the Jays are 17-208 (.076) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-109 (.121) 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 418-36 (.921) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 71-155 (.314) under Booth when it drops the first set.
    Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set won just 20.3 percent of their matches from 2014-23.
    Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 158-5 in its last 163 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 150-6 in its last 156 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 14-21 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
    Creighton has gone 187-4 (.979) in its last 191 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has nine matches scheduled against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament with contests scheduled against Marquette (2x), Nebraska, Kansas, Purdue, Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC and Missouri.
    After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 110-109 since, including a 6-2 record this year.
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    11-3
2024    6-2 so far
TOTAL    112-144
TOTAL Under Booth    110-109

Lucky 13
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    9
Dana Altman    Men's Basketball    7
Brent Vigness    Softball    7
Jim Flanery    Women's Basketball    7
Elmar Bolowich    Men's Soccer    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 489 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport    Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball    819
Ed Servais, Baseball    678*
Mary Higgins, Softball    564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis    542*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball    489*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball    427*
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

Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning percentage better than .750 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
    The Bluejays own 199 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 31 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    21-1    -    21-1
Connecticut    4-1    1-0    5-1
DePaul    23-0    2-0    25-0
Georgetown    21-0    -    21-0
Marquette    18-5    6-1    24-6
Providence    17-0    -    17-0
Seton Hall    18-3    2-0    20-3
St. John's    19-2    1-1    20-3
Villanova    18-3    3-0    21-3
Xavier    21-1    4-0    25-1
Total    180-16    19-2    199-18

Production Returns
Creighton returns 13-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters.
    From last year's team, only Kiana Schmitt, Ellie Bichelmeyer, Ann Marie Remmes, Ellie Bolton and Morgan Colangelo are not back.
    All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 516.2 of a possible 700% back (73.7 percent).
    Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat    Returners    Departures
Assists    1,457 (93.3%)    105 (6.7%)
Aces    155 (87.1%)    23 (12.9%)
Digs    1486 (79.4%)    385 (20.6%)
Points    1434.0 (67.5%)    691.5 (32.5%)
Kills    1,134 (67.3%)    552 (32.7%)
Matches Started    135 (66.2%)    69 (33.8%)
Blocks    145.0 (55.4%)    116.5 (44.6%)

President Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, having started her service on January 1, 2024.
    She is also 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.

Volleyball Opens November With Home Matches vs. St. John's & Villanova

Players Mentioned

Ellie Bichelmeyer

Maddy Bilinovic

Ellie Bolton

Sydney Breissinger

Morgan Colangelo

Elise Goetzinger

Jaya Johnson

Ava Martin

Abbey Milner

Destiny Ndam-Simpson

Kiara Reinhardt

Ann Marie Remmes

Kiana Schmitt

Norah Sis

Kendra Wait

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