#5 Volleyball Closes Regular-Season at DePaul; Xavier

Match #28: #5 Creighton at DePaul • Chicago, Ill. • Friday, Nov. 22 • 7 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |
Match #29: #5 Creighton at Xavier • Cincinnati, Ohio • Sunday, Nov. 24 • 12 p.m. CT | LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |

This Week
No. 5 Creighton Volleyball (25-2, 16-0 BIG EAST) closes out the regular-season in search of an outright BIG EAST title.
    The Bluejays visit DePaul (18-10, 10-6 BIG EAST) on Friday at 7 p.m., inside McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago, Ill.
    On Sunday, Nov. 24, CU takes on Xavier (10-16, 8-8 BIG EAST) at 12 p.m. Central. That contest will be held at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Broadcast Information
    Friday's contest airs regionally on Marquee Sports Network, as well as through their app or http://watchmarquee.com/home. It is no longer expected to be on Flo Sports.
Sunday's match will air on FloSports, a subscription-based service.   For registration information and more, visit http://gocreighton.com/flosports.

Live Stats Information
Both of this weekend's matches will have free live stats, with links to each contest available on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #5 Creighton
Creighton has won 18 straight matches to improve to 25-2 this season. Both losses have come in five sets on the road to top-five teams Nebraska (Sept. 10) and Louisville (Sept. 15).
    Creighton clinched at least a share of its 11th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title last weekend, improving to 16-0 in league play while dropping just two sets.
    Creighton's No. 5 slot in the AVCA rankings matches its best ranking ever, and includes back-to-back Top 10 wins over then-No. 6 Purdue (3-1) and then-No. 10 Kansas (3-0) in late September as well as a triumph over then-No. 20 USC (3-1) on Sept. 5th.
    AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist Kendra Wait (10.98 aps., 2.98 dps., 0.94 kps., 0.88 bps., .367%) has been named BIG EAST Setter of the Week six times this fall, while outside hitters Norah Sis (3.81 kps., .313%, 0.47 saps.) and Ava Martin (3.56 kps., .321%, 0.48 saps.) give CU one of the best attacking duo's in the country.
    Kiara Reinhardt (1.44 bps.) leads the league in blocks per set, and transfers Maddy Bilinovic (3.98 dps.) and Elise Goetzinger (2.41 kps., 1.14 bps., .358%) 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 14.44 kills and 2.74 blocks per set as well as a .325 hitting percentage. CU's 14.74 digs per set ranks just fifth in the league, but is more a result of some short rallies and strong block, as the Bluejays have been out-dug just once all season.

Scouting DePaul
DePaul is 18-10 this season and 10-6 in BIG EAST action, good for a tie for third place in the league standings. The Blue Demons posted back-to-back road wins over Villanova and UConn before being stunned by Providence their last time out.
    Jill Pressly (4.24 kps., 2.66 dps.,) leads the BIG EAST in kills per set and has accounted for 30.9 percent of DePaul's kills. Audrey Klemp (3.18 kps.) and Ally Kindelberger (2.16 kps., .302%, 0.87 bps.) also supply some offensive firepower.
    Libero Rachel Krasowski (4.71 dps.) leads the league in digs. Setting duties are split between Ashley Cudiamat (5.53 aps.) and Amanda Saeger (5.44 aps.).
    The Blue Demons average 13.71 kills, 16.35 digs, 1.99 blocks and 1.07 aces per set while hitting .218.

Series History vs. DePaul
Creighton has won 25 of 26 previous meetings with DePaul, and is 25-0 vs. the Blue Demons since the two schools became BIG EAST rivals.
    DePaul swept the first meeting in 2001 in DeKalb, Ill., before Creighton's recent run, which has included three five-set wins (in Omaha in 2015, spring 2021 and 2022), six different four-set wins and 16 sweeps.
    Creighton has won its last 29 sets played against DePaul outside of Omaha dating to DePaul's second set win on Nov. 7, 2015.
    Creighton has swept 15 of the last 18 meetings at all sites, and has won 56 of its past 61 sets played against the Blue Demons.
    Creighton's active 25-match win streak over DePaul is the program's longest ever against another foe.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 25-0 against DePaul and 15-0 versus Marie Zidek.

Scouting Xavier
Xavier has lost four of its last five matches to fall to 10-16 overall and 8-8 in league play. Combined with an 0-2 record against fellow 8-8 league rival Villanova, that means the Musketeers must beat either Marquette and/or Creighton this weekend (and get other help) to even have a chance at qualifying for next week's BIG EAST Tournament.
    Emma Grace (3.09 kps., 3.43 dps.), Anna Taylor (2.88 kps.) and Margo Kemp (2.39 kps., 0.78 bps., .357%) all are averaging more than 2.30 kills per set.
    Logan Flaugh (10.57 aps.) is the setter and Lucia Corsaro (3.59 dps.) is the libero.
    The Musketeers average 12.83 kills, 16.36 digs, 1.85 blocks and 1.26 aces per set while hitting .204 as a group.

Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 25-1 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013.
    The lone Xavier win came last year on Sept. 23rd in Cincinnati, a five-set Musketeer victory that was its first top-25 win since 2007. Creighton has swept both meetings since then.
    The teams have not played a match to last exactly four sets since 2017, as the past 19 encounters have seen 16 sweeps as well as three contests to go the distance.
    Thanks in part to a 4-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has as many wins against Xavier (25) as any other team since joining the BIG EAST (also DePaul and Marquette heading into this weekend).
    Creighton's victory vs. Xavier on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 25-1 vs. Xavier, and she is 19-1 against Christy Pfeffenberger.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 495-191 record in her 22nd season with the Bluejays.
    She's led Creighton to 11 straight BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014-24), and 12 league crowns in the previous 13 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 clinch its eighth outright BIG EAST title, and first since the spring of 2021.
- Creighton would remain as the league's lone remaining unbeaten team in BIG EAST play.
- Creighton would beat DePaul for the 26th straight time, its longest streak ever over another team.
- Creighton would improve to 26-2, its best start ever after 28 matches.
- Creighton would win its 39th straight match against an unranked team.
- Creighton would win its 32nd straight match against a BIG EAST team.
- Creighton would win its 30th straight regular-season BIG EAST match, its second-longest streak in program history.
- Creighton would extend its season-high win streak to 19, its third-longest win streak in program history.
- Creighton would start 17-0 in BIG EAST play for the fourth time in the last nine years.
- Creighton would win its eighth straight true road match, tying its second-longest streak in program history.
- Creighton would improve to 187-16 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST matches, and 86-13 in BIG EAST road contests.
- Creighton would improve to 206-18 against BIG EAST opponents since joining the league in 2013.

Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones.
    Ava Martin owns 998 career kills and is two shy of 1,000. She'd be just the sixth Blueay to do it in her first three seasons.
    Ava Martin's 481 career digs also puts her 19 shy of 500.
    Kendra Wait owns 1,390 career digs, good for fourth in CU history, but is just two behind Janeen Piller's 1,392 that could see her vault into third place on Friday.
    Norah Sis owns 1,561 career kills, 35 short of Melissa Walsh's 1,596 for third-most in CU history.
    Norah Sis owns 190 career blocks and is 10 away from 200.
    Elise Goetzinger owns 779 career kills (200 at Creighton) and is 21 shy of 800, while her 94 digs puts her six away from 100.
    Kiara Reinhardt owns 496 career kills and is four short of 500.
    Destiny Ndam-Simpson owns 192 career kills and is eight shy of 200.

Set Up For Success
Sunday's match features two of the most productive setters in the BIG EAST in Creighton's Kendra Wait and Xavier's Logan Flaugh.
    Wait leads the BIG EAST with 10.98 assists per set to rank 11th nationally. The defending BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year has already been named BIG EAST Setter of the Week six times this season.
    Flaugh is second in the BIG EAST with 10.57 assists per set.
    Wait owns 16 double-doubles this fall, three more than Flaugh.

Martin Meets A Milestone
Ava Martin enters this weekend with 998 career kills as she looks to become the 17th player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills.
    Martin, who has played 92 matches in her career, figures to be the eighth-fastest player to that milestone.
    Martin currently ranks sixth in program history in kills in her first three years at CU.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
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 State
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

Most Kills at Creighton, First 3 Seasons
Name    Year 1    Year 2    Year 3    3 Yr Total
Melissa Walsh    341    428    435    1,204
Norah Sis    435    489    302    1,226
Jaali Winters    546    448    398    1,392
Leah Ratzlaff    180    516    479    1,175
Kelly Goc    218    345    437    1,000
Ava Martin    264    417    317    998
JoDe Cieloha    271    303    380    954

Best League Starts
Creighton has started 16-0 in conference play for the fourth time in the last nine seasons.
    The Bluejays went 18-0 in both 2016 and 2018 and finished 17-1 in 2022.
    No other volleyball program in league history has finished 18-0.
Most Wins Before First League Loss
    Wins    Year (League)    First League Loss
    18    2018 (BIG EAST)    None
    18    2016 (BIG EAST)    None
    17    2022 (BIG EAST)    11/19 at #16 Marquette
    16    2024 (BIG EAST)    TBD
    12    2019 (BIG EAST)    11/8 at Villanova

Others Seeking Unbeaten Seasons
Creighton is one of nine teams in the country that has yet to lose a conference match yet.
    Of those teams, Creighton's two sets lost is tied for the fewest with Dayton and Howard.
    The only other two teams to finish BIG EAST play in 18-0 all-time were both from Creighton. CU's 2016 squad lost five sets in conference play, and the 2018 club lost six sets in BIG EAST action.
    Set W-L    Team    League
    54-2    Dayton    Atlantic 10
    48-2    Creighton    BIG EAST
    42-2    Howard    Mid-Eastern Athletic
    51-5    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley
    48-5    Nebraska    Big Ten
    48-6    Florida A&M    Southwestern Athletic
    54-9    Western Kentucky    Conference-USA
    48-9    UT Arlington    Western Athletic
    48-10    Southeastern Louisiana    Southland

Who Else Has Been Unbeaten?
Currently 16-0, Creighton is two wins away from becoming the 14th team to finish BIG EAST play unbeaten. It's worth noting, that only two previous teams (2016 & 2018 Creighton) have gone 18-0, as the others played far less matches.
Unbeaten in BIG EAST Play
    W-L    Sets Lost    School    Year
    18-0    6    Creighton    2018
    18-0    5    Creighton    2016
    14-0    8    Notre Dame    2009
    14-0    4    Louisville    2006
    12-0    3    Notre Dame    2001
    11-0    4    Notre Dame    2000
    11-0    4    Notre Dame    1999
    11-0    2    Notre Dame    1997
    11-0    2    Notre Dame    1996
    11-0    1    Notre Dame    1995
    7-0    6    Pittsburgh    1993
    7-0    1    Pittsburgh    1991
    7-0    2    Pittsburgh    1990

They Hit What?
Creighton hit a program-record .548 in its Nov. 17 sweep against Georgetown, finishing the match with 46 kills and six attack errors in 73 swings while demolishing the Hoyas by a 25-14, 25-11, 25-11 score.
    CU hit .640 (18-2-25) in the first set and .600 (13-1-20) in the third set.
    Creighton's .548 hitting percentage was the best by any BIG EAST team in a league contest in at least 20 seasons.
Attack Percentage
    .548    vs. Georgetown (46-6-73) (3s)    11-17-24
    .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

Aces Wild!
Creighton served up 15 aces in its Nov. 15 sweep over Seton Hall to tie a program record done twice previously (both in 1995).
    The Bluejays two aces in the first set, eight aces in the second set and five more service winners in the final frame.
    Creighton's 15 aces came against just four service errors and in a total of 73 serve attempts overall.
Service Aces
    15    vs. Northeastern Illinois (3s)    9-23-95
    15    vs. UMKC (4s)    11-12-95
    15    vs. Seton Hall (3s)    11-15-24
    14    vs. Butler (3s)    10--20-18
    14    at UMKC (4s)    10-30-94
    14    vs. UNC-Greensboro (4s)    9-2-00
    14    vs. DePaul (4s)    11-24-19
    14    vs. UMKC    9-28-04

Martin Serves Up A Record
Ava Martin tied a program-record with eight aces on Nov. 15 vs. Seton Hall, matching the mark first set by Carolyn Decker at New Mexico on Sept. 4, 2004.
    Martin had five of her aces in the third set alone.
    Martin's eight aces were the most by any BIG EAST player since 2018, and tied the most in any three-set conference match in the last 20 years.
Service Aces
    8    Carolyn Decker at New Mexico (3s)    9-4-04
    8    Ava Martin vs. Seton Hall (3s)    11-15-24
    7    Molly Moran vs. Drake (3s)    9-22-00
    7    Michelle Sicner vs. McNeese State (3s)    9-17-11
    7    Madelyn Cole at Georgetown (3s)    11-9-19
    7    Kelli Koochi at Indiana State (4s)    10-19-01
    7    Nayka Benitez vs. Bradley (4s)    9-25-10

League Tourney Chase
Creighton has clinched the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament thanks to its regular-season sweep over the only team that can match it, Marquette. The Golden Eagles will be the No. 2 seed. DePaul has also clinched a bid.
    Five teams are in contention for the final four spots in the six-team field, though DePaul has cliched a bid.
    The event will start with two quarterfinal match-ups on Nov. 27 at 2:30 and 5:00 p.m.
    After taking a day off for Thanksgiving, the semifinals will be held on Nov. 29, also at 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. Creighton has earned a bye to the semifinals and will play at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
    Saturday's final will take place at 5 p.m. and be televised on FS2.
Team    vs. UConn    vs. DPU    vs. SJU    vs. VU    vs. XU
UConn    --    0-2    1-1    1-1    1-1
DePaul    2-0    --    1-1    1-1    1-0
St. John's    1-1    1-1    --    2-0    1-1
Villanova    1-1    1-1    0-2    --    2-0
Xavier    1-1    0-1    1-1    0-2    --

Reinhardt Announces Return
Prior to Creighton's Senior Day vs. Georgetown on Nov. 17, fifth-year senior Kiara Reinhardt surprised much of the crowd with an announcement of her own.
    Reinhardt announced that she'd be returning in 2025 for a sixth year.
    Reinhardt played in the spring of 2021 which earned her a COVID season. She then redshirted in the fall of 2021 after off-season surgery, and has played the past three years.
    In BIG EAST play, Reinhardt leads the conference with 1.46 blocks per set and is also eighth with a .344 hitting percentage.
    Each of Creighton's other seven seniors on the roster will exhaust their eligibility this fall and cannot return.

Exorcise The Demons
Creighton has won 25 straight matches against DePaul, its longest win streak ever against another foe. CU had been 23-0 all-time against Xavier before losing the first meeting last fall.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
    Wins    Opponent    Dates
    25    DePaul    2013-Present
    23    Xavier    2013-22
    22    Butler    2013-Present
    21    Georgetown    2013-Present
    19    Southern Illinois    2003-11
    19    Seton Hall    2014-Present
    17    Providence    2014-Present
    16    Indiana State    2005-Present

Take Me To Your Leader
Creighton has a number of players in contention to win a statistical title in league play only this year with two matches to go.
    Kendra Wait tops the league with 11.04 assists per set, narrowly ahead of Xavier's Logan Flaugh (10.89).
    Ava Martin leads the way with 0.72 aces per set and is second in hitting percentage at .405 (Hattie Bray is at .423), second with 3.76 kills per set (Jill Pressly is at 4.29) and second with 4.65 points per set (Jill Pressly is at 4.80).
    Norah Sis is second with 0.57 aces per set (Ava Martin is at 0.72), third with 3.69 kills per set (Jill Pressly is at 4.29 and Ava Martin at 3.76), and third in points per set at 4.52 (Jill Pressly is first at 4.80 and Ava Martin second at 4.65).
    Elise Goetzinger is third with a .394 hitting percentage, just behind Hattie Bray (.423) and Ava Martin (.405).
    Kiara Reinhardt owns a commanding lead with 1.46 blocks per set, putting her well ahead of Seton Hall's Asil Subasili's 1.20.

Breissinger Back in Cincinnati
Creighton libero Sydney Breissinger returns to her home city of Cincinnati this weekend.
    In her first match last year in Cincinnati, Breissinger had nine digs, one assist and an ace.
    Breissinger owns 460 career digs in 54 matches as a Bluejay and averages 2.50 digs and 0.32 aces per set while splitting time in her career between defensive specialist and libero.
    The southpaw ranks second on the team with 359 service attempts and 4.17 serves per set.

Senior Class A Special One
Creighton's senior class already ranks as one of the winningest groups in program history. Consider the following...
    It's a group that has women that include a First Team Academic All-American, a pair of AVCA Third Team All-Americans, a BIG EAST Setter of the Year, a BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, a National Freshman of the Year, two BIG EAST Players of the Year, a two-time BIG EAST Tournament MVP and a national champion.
    The current group that arrived in the fall of 2021 is a combined 112-16, the nation's third-most wins in the last four years.
    The 112 wins are the most in any four-year span in school history.
    They're 38-0 at home against BIG EAST teams, losing just nine sets.
    They've spent 58 straight weeks in the AVCA Top 25, and the last 10 weeks in the Top 10.
    They've extended Creighton's NCAA Tournament streak to 12 years in a row, with a 13th appearance two weeks away from becoming official.
    They've extended CU's streak of BIG EAST Tournament titles to four in a row.
    They've extended Creighton's record streak of BIG EAST regular-season titles to 11 in a row.

A Bunch Of Winners
Kendra Wait has played in 112 victories is the 11th student-athlete in program history to appear in 100 or more victories. Of those 11 women, Wait's .882 win percentage in matches appeared trails only teammate Norah Sis (.887).
    Sis joined the century club on at Marquette on Nov. 10 and is now 102-13 in the matches she's appeared in. She's also missed 13 matches (10 wins) in her career.
    Creighton honored its senior class last Sunday after sweeping Georgetown.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
    W-L    Years
    112-16    2021-Pres.
    111-28    2015-18
    109-25    2016-19
    107-32    2014-17
    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
    112-15    .882    Kendra Wait    2021-Pres.
    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
    106-32    .768    Marysa Wilkinson    2014-17
    104-34    .754    Lauren Smith    2013-16
    102-13    .887    Norah Sis    2021-Pres.
    102-31    .767    Melanie Jereb    2012-15
    101-31    .765    Ashley Jansen    2012-15

Chasing A Championship
Armed with a two-game lead and two matches left, Creighton has already clinched its 11th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title.
    The Bluejays can clinch at least an outright title with any combination of one Creighton (16-0) win and/or one Marquette (14-2) loss during the final weekend of the regular-season. The Bluejays already own the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed thanks to its head-to-head victories over the Golden Eagles.
    Creighton's seven titles from 2014-20 were all outright titles, while it has shared the crown in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with Marquette.
    Creighton also won an outright title in 2012 during its final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.

11 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-23, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 11 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.

Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky entered 2024 as 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

Fun With Numbers
- Creighton has not trailed in 25-of-50 sets played against BIG EAST foes this fall, and 25 of the 29 BIG EAST sets when scoring the first point of a set.
- Creighton has trailed for a total of 147 points this season in 16 league matches, a number that would drop to 45 points in the 12 matches not against St. John's nor Marquette.
    Creighton has trailed for just a single point in four of its last five matches, and six different conference contests overall.
    Creighton has played 10 BIG EAST matches this fall in which it hasn't trailed in two of the three sets.
- Creighton has not trailed by more than five points in any of its last 82 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).
- During Creighton's 31-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 Monday, Nov. 18, Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents were a combined 139-32 (.813) in league play. Two of the 11 teams (Nebraska and Northern Iowa) are still unbeaten in league play, and all 11 have a winning record in conference action.

Dozen Years 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 compares 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#    16-0    14.74    .373    2.42    14.20    2.73
#won league's regular-season title

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 11 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 - November 19, 2024
             BIG EAST only    All     matches
Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L
Creighton (11)    186    16    308    72
Marquette (10)    167    32    279    91
Xavier    116    84    179    168
St. John's (1)    103    99    218    158
Butler    102    100    177    175
Villanova (1)    99    103    186    161
Seton Hall (1)    85    116    166    185
DePaul    65    137    146    197
Georgetown    43    151    110    220
Connecticut#    40    38    75    60
Providence*    30    156    112    207
*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.

Another 25 Wins
Creighton has once again reached 25 victories this season.
    The Bluejays have now won 25 matches or more 11 times, including each of the last 10 non-COVID campaigns (including 2024).
    The only other school with an active streak of nine straight non-COVID seasons of 25 wins or more is BYU, which is currently 16-8 and would have to reach the national title match to have get to 25 victories this fall.
    The Bluejay program record for wins in a season is 31, done in 2021.
Matches Won, Season
        Year    MP    W    L    Pct.
    1.    2021    35    31    4    .886
    2.    2012    33    29    4    .879
        2023    34    29    5    .853
        2018    34    29    5    .853
        2016    36    29    7    .806
    6.    2022    32    27    5    .844
        2015    36    27    9    .750
    8.    2017    33    26    7    .788
    9.    2014    34    25    9    .735
        2019    31    25    6    .806
        2024    27    25    2    .926

Staying Focused
Creighton has played the nation's 13th-toughest overall schedule and the second-toughest non-conference schedule, but it's stayed focused along the way.
    The Bluejays are 6-2 against teams in the Top 25 of the RPI, going 22-10 in sets. Creighton has outscored foes 738-638 in those matches and hits .275 while averaging 2.69 blocks per set.
    In 19 matches against teams with an RPI worse than 25, the Bluejays are 19-0 and a perfect 57-0 in sets. Creighton has hit .357 and averaged 2.76 blocks and 2.30 aces per set in those contests while holding foes to .089 hitting. The Jays have outscored the opposition 1,425-870 and allowed only one team to score more than 21 points in a set.

High Five
Creighton is ranked fifth in this week's AVCA poll, its best mark ever. This is the program's 31st Top 10 ranking ever.
Date    Rank
November 4, 2024    5th
November 11, 2024    5th
November 18, 2024    5th
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

136 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked fifth in this week's AVCA poll, the 136th time in program history it's been ranked. That's 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
    This week is Creighton's 11th straight week this fall and 32nd week all-time as a Top 10 team.
    The No. 5 ranking matches the best ranking in program history, surpassing the previous best of No. 6 in the six previous weeks from Sept. 23-Oct. 28, 2024.
    All 136 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 58 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.    131*    Florida
        131*    Kentucky
        131*    Texas
    4.    122    Nebraska
        122    Penn State
        122    BYU
        122    Purdue
        122    Wisconsin
    9.    121*    Baylor
    10.    116    Creighton
    11.    115*    Pittsburgh
    12.    114    Stanford
        114    Minnesota
    14.    107    Oregon
    15.    95*    Louisville
    16.    94    Washington
* includes 9 weeks in Fall of 2020 when most schools didn't play

Report Card
Creighton is 186-16 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST matches.
    Here's a report card of how CU has done in 50 match segments in the BIG EAST.
    Matches    W-L
    1-50    43-7
    51-100    48-2
    101-150    46-4
    151-200    47-3
    201-202    2-0

Ava's Awesome
Ava Martin has had 10 or more kills in each of her last 10 matches. Not only that, she's hit .350 or better during each match of that streak. She's the only player in CU history to hit .350 or better with 10 or more kills in 10 consecutive matches or more.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Kills
    58    Leah Ratzlaff, Sept. 13, 2003-Sept. 9, 2005
    21    Jaali Winters, Oct. 6, 2015 - Aug. 28, 2016
    19    JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 26-Nov. 21, 1997
    18    Jaela Zimmerman, Nov. 16, 2019 - March 27, 2021
    15    Norah Sis, Oct. 7 - Dec. 2, 2022
    14    Kelly Goc, Sept. 8-Oct. 19, 2007
    13    JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 7-Oct. 18, 1996
    13    Jaali Winters, Nov. 12, 2016-Sept. 1, 2017
    12    Amanda Cvejdlik, Aug. 25-Sept. 19, 2006
    11    Melissa Walsh, Oct. 14-Nov. 17, 2000
    11    Kelly Goc, Oct. 14-Nov. 19, 2005
    11    Amanda Cvejdlik, Oct. 14-Nov. 19, 2005
    11    Jaali Winters, Nov. 4, 2017-Aug. 24, 2018
    10    JoDe Cieloha, Oct. 29, 1994-Sept. 2, 1995
    10    Melissa Walsh, Oct. 5-Nov. 3, 2001
    10    Kelly Goc, Sept. 24-Oct. 28, 2006
    10    Leah McNary, Nov. 10, 2012 - Sept. 6, 2013
    10    Taryn Kloth, Sept, 15 - Oct. 18, 2018
    10    Jaali Winters, Sept. 23 - Oct. 26, 2018
    10    Norah Sis, Sept. 3-28, 2022
    10    Ava Martin, Oct. 18, 2024 - Present

Doubling Up
Kendra Wait has had a double-double in 16 matches this season, and finished one dig shy in five other contests.
    Wait's 69 double-doubles (in 127 matches played) are the most in program history, passing Melissa Weisensee's 65 from 1994-97.
    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.
    What makes Wait's accomplishment even more impressive is that she's needed so little time to do it. Since Wait enrolled, Creighton has played in just 38 matches that weren't sweeps (and Wait missed one of those). Here's a look at how long the matches have been for CU's four players with 60 or more career double-doubles:
Career Matches With a Double-Double, Career
    D-D    Name    Years
    69    Kendra Wait    2021-Present
    65    Melissa Weisensee    1994-97
    64    Kailey Reyes    1998-01
    60    Melissa Walsh    1998-01

Name    D-D in 3-Set Matches    4-Set    5-Set
Kendra Wait    37 of 90    16 of 20    16 of 18
Melissa Weisensee    20 of 50    28 of 38    17 of 20
Kailey Reyes    16 of 54    31 of 35    17 of 19
Melissa Walsh    17 of 54    27 of 35    16 of 19
*based on team matches played

Chasing All-Conference History
It seems a certainty that Kendra Wait and Norah Sis will be named All-BIG EAST at the end of the month.
    If that happens, they'd join rare air in Creighton Athletics history.
    The only other student-athletes in school history in any sport to be named First Team All-Conference four times have been Tara Oltman (Softball), Doug McDermott (Men's Basketball) and Jaali Winters (Volleyball). Of those, only Winters got each honor in the BIG EAST.

Sis Chasing Milestones
Norah Sis enters this weekend with 1,561 kills, 1,007 digs and 102 aces in her career.
    In program history, Sis is just the third Bluejay have had at least 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs. Of that duo, Sis and Jaali Winters are the only two women with 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    1,561    1,007    102
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

Reinhardt Rejects
Kiara Reinhardt is leading the BIG EAST with 1.44 blocks per set, good enough to rank 14th nationally.
    CU has not had a player lead the league in that category for an entire season since Lauren Smith averaged 1.27 blocks per set in 2015. Kelli Browning also paced the BIG EAST with 1.53 blocks per set in 2013.

All They Do Is Win
Creighton won its final 13 regular-season BIG EAST matches last season and is 16-0 this fall. That's the program's second-longest streak of league wins in team history, and means CU can tie the mark this weekend with a pair of victories.
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
    29    Oct. 7, 2023 - Present    ? ? ?    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
    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 31 straight matches against conference teams, including conference tournament action. Though impressive, there's still four teams with longer active streaks.
    Wins    Team    Current League
    98    Western Kentucky    Conference-USA
    39    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley
    38    Dayton    Atlantic 10
    36    Southeastern Louisiana    Southland
    31    Creighton    BIG EAST

Road Dubs
Creighton has won seven consecutive true road matches, a streak that started on Sept. 21 with a 3-0 win over No. 10 Kansas.
    A win on Nov. 22 at DePaul would tie CU's second-longest road win streak ever with eight in a row.
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 - Nov. 11, 2023    at #5 Nebraska, 3-2
    7    Sept. 21, 2024 - Present    TBD
    6    Oct. 14-Nov. 17, 2000    at Missouri State, 3-0
    6    Oct. 31, 2015-Aug. 28, 2016    at Southern California, 3-2

Going Streaking
Creighton has won 18 consecutive matches, tied for the nation's sixth-longest active streak through contests of Nov. 18. The 18-match win streak is the third-longest win streak in program history.
Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (11/18)
    Rk.    Streak    Team
    1.    24    Southeastern Louisiana
    2.    23    Nebraska
    3.    21    Western Kentucky
        21    Dayton
    5.    18    Creighton
    6.    17    Northern Iowa
        17    UT Arlington
    8.    15    Howard

    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
        18    Sept. 20, 2024 - Present    TBD
        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

20 Wins, Again
Creighton picked up its 20th win of the season on Nov. 1 when it swept St. John's to improve to 20-2.
    Creighton has won 20 or more matches in four straight years, 12 of the last 13 years (CU only played 16 times in the spring of 2021, going 12-4), and now has 15 20-win campaigns to its ledger all-time.
    This fall marked the 15th straight time that after 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
2024    22    11/01

Hall Mark
Including last weekend, Creighton has swept Seton Hall each of the last 18 meetings, and won each of the last 56 sets against the Pirates. The 56 straight set victories over the Pirates is easily the longest in program history over one opponent.
    The Bluejays also own a 28-set win streak over Georgetown, its third-longest ever over another foe.
Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team
    Wins    Opponent    Dates
    56    Seton Hall    2015-Present
    32    Providence    2017-Present
    28    Georgetown    2019-Present
    25    Indiana State    2005-09
    24    Xavier    2015-18
    24    Villanova    2021-Present
    23    Indiana State    2009-Present
    19    Providence    2014-17
    19    Butler    2018-21

Clean Sweeps
Creighton's school-record streak of 31 straight set victories between Oct. 1 - Nov. 8 was snapped when the Bluejays lost the opening set of an eventual 3-1 triumph at Marquette on Nov. 10.
Consecutive Sets Won
    Set Wins    Dates    Snapped By
    31    Oct.1 - Nov. 8, 2024    at Marquette
    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 - 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 31-set win streak from Oct. 1-Nov. 8, Creighton allowed as many as 20 points just four times.
- It outscored foes 775-475 in all sets (an average of 25.0-15.3), 250-142 in the second set (an average of 25.0-14.2) and 250-148 in the third set (an average of 25.0-14.8) during that span.
- Creighton owned a 72-18 advantage in aces, even though it had nearly the same number of service errors (CU 65, Opponents 62). In that time, Ava Martin and Norah Sis both had 18 aces.
- Creighton hit .374 (456-101-950).
- Elise Goetzinger hit .505 (61-8-105), Ava Martin hit .434 (121-15-244) and Norah Sis hit .312 (111-34-247).
- Kiara Reinhardt (49) had more blocks than CU's opponents (31.5), with Kendra Wait (29), Jaya Johnson (26) and Elise Goetzinger (29) not far behind.

The Best Overall Starts
Creighton's 25-2 record is the program's best mark ever after 27 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
    25 so far    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

NCAA Reveal Had 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

Halfway Home
Creighton was 9-0 in league play at the midway point of the BIG EAST season, making the Bluejays 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    7-0 so far    TBD
Total    186-89    184-89    --

So Clean
Creighton Volleyball is hitting an absurd .373 in BIG EAST play.
    How good is that?
    Across the BIG EAST, among players with three attempts per set, only one non-Creighton player is hitting better than .357.
    Creighton has hit .357 or better in at least one set during each of its last 24 matches against league foes.
    Creighton has averaged just 10.04 attack errors in its last 28 matches against BIG EAST Conference matches, finishing with 10 or less total attack errors in 16 of those.
    Looking at just the 50 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 .184. On the other hand, its opponents own 7+ attack errors in 20-of-50 sets and have managed only 10 sets of better than .170.
    Creighton has owned a better hitting percentage than the opposition in 48-of-50 league sets this season...all but set one at Villanova on Oct. 11th and in set one at Marquette on Nov. 10.

Aced That Test
Creighton has had more service aces than service errors in eight of its last 11 matches, a good trend since CU has won 25 contests in a row when owning more aces than errors. In those 11 matches (34 sets), CU has accumulated 89 aces against just 67 serving miscues.
    Norah Sis, who had three aces on Nov. 3 vs. Villanova during a 14-0 serving spree, has already established a personal-best with 41 service aces this fall compared to just 28 errors.
    Per Evollve.net, Creighton is second nationally (trailing only Pitt) by winning 52.4 percent of the points when it serves. The median team (#173 of 346) wins just 43.1 percent of the points when it serves.
    Creighton's team reception percentage is .953. All four primary passers receive at .946 or better, as Creighton has been aced just 66 times in 27 matches this fall. Creighton has won 67.8 percent of the points when in serve receive this year, which ranks third-best in the country per Evollve.net, compared to the median team at 57.2 percent.

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 67-4 in the 11th month of the year.
    Creighton has won 43 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 42 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14). Incredibly, Creighton is 126-10 in sets in those home November contests.

Defense Wins Championships
Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 14.44 kills per set, second with a .325 hitting percentage and is also sixth with 13.37 assists per set.
    But where it has dominated has been on the defensive side of the net, where it ranks 14th in blocks per set (2.74) and second in opponents hitting percentage (.125).
    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 .373 and holding foes to .101 hitting.

Sis Is Killing It
Norah Sis ranks fourth in Creighton history with 1,561 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    394    1,561    2021-Pr.
    5.    Taryn Kloth    462    1,427    2015-18

4,500 And Counting
Kendra Wait surpassed the 4,000 assist mark in the Sept. 15 match at No. 4 Louisville and starts this weekend with 4,664 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    435    4,664    2021-Pr.
    3.    Megan Bober    480    4,359    2009-12

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 110-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (101-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
    Since November of 2014, Creighton is 94-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 86-1 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 38-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 114-9 in sets.
    Creighton has won 44 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 3.85 digs per set versus unranked foes.
    Sydney Breissinger averages 2.43 digs per set against Top 25 competition compared to 1.91 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 0.78 aces against unranked foes (53 aces in 68 sets).

Dominance Against The Unranked
Creighton is 66-2 in sets this year against unranked teams and 114-3 in sets dating to Oct. 7, 2023 against unranked opposition.        Creighton has outscored unranked opponents 1,694-1,075 this year, winning an incredible 61.18 percent of those points.
    Creighton has allowed 20 or more points in just 13 of the 68 sets against unranked foes this year.
    The Bluejays are hitting .351 against unranked teams this year, while holding those foes to .102 hitting. CU also owns decisive advantages in kills (1001-627), aces (152-53), digs (991-788) and blocks (189.5-68.5) in those matches.

The Incredible Third Sets
Creighton is 26-1 in the third set this season, outscoring foes in points 681-433 to win an incredible 61.1 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 .338 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 .398 in the second set and .418 in the fourth set of its BIG EAST matches, and has held all 16 league foes to 19 points or less in the second set.

Hidden Stats
The only teams to finish a match with more aces than Creighton this season are Connecticut (8-6) and St. John's (3-0).
    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.    299    9    .971
When Hitting .250+    216    6    .973
When Hitting .300+    123    0    1.000
When Serving 10+ Aces    19    2    .905
When Owning More Kills    288    21    .932
When Owning More Aces    218    21    .912
When Owning More Digs    250    21    .923
When Owning More Blocks    231    17    .931

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, but BYU would need to get to the NCAA title match to extend their streak.

Nationwide Success
With a 192-13 record against BIG EAST teams since 2014, it's safe to say the 11-time defending BIG EAST champion Creighton Volleyball program has proven itself over the last decade-plus 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
    16-0 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 40 matches dating to last season, Creighton is 37-3 and has won 114-of-128 sets. All three match losses came in five sets.
    In its 31 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton has dropped just three 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 11/18)
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    7    Pittsburgh
2.    10    Creighton
    10    Dayton

Set-tle Down
Since the start of the 2021 season, Creighton is 87-3 in three-set matches, 16-4 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 15 more wins this season, the Bluejays have extended their program record to 28 straight home wins, surpassing a 15-match home win streak from Sept. 7-Nov. 30, 2018 that had been the standard.
    Creighton's 28-match home win streak is the third-longest active streak in the country.
    Creighton has won 77 of its last 79 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
    28    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 (11/22)
Wins    Team    Next Home Match
    38    Nebraska    11/23 vs. #6 Wisconsin
    28    Pittsburgh    11/30 vs. #15 Georgia Tech
    28    Creighton    11/29 vs. TBD in BIG EAST Tourney
    23    Dayton    11/23 vs. TBD in A-10 Tourney

Top 25 History
Creighton is 224-47 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 308-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 118 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 169 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 six times this year so far, including a school-record .548 vs. Georgetown on Nov. 17th.
    Creighton is 316-9 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better and as a program has won 184 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's teams are a perfect 23-0 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 23 wins, Goetzinger owns 142 kills and 73 blocks while hitting .387 in 68 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 2,318 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

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 495-3 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    25-2 so far
Total    85-69    586-343

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 413-11 (.974) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 356-5 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 277-3 (.989) when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 145-1 (.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 423-36 (.922) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 72-155 (.317) 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 163-5 in its last 168 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 155-6 in its last 161 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 15-21 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
    Creighton has gone 192-4 (.980) in its last 196 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 111-109 since, including a 7-2 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    7-2 so far
TOTAL    113-144
TOTAL Under Booth    111-109

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 495 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports through Nov. 21st.
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    495*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball    428*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis    347
Greg McDermott, Men's Basketball    329*
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 205 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 32 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    22-1    -    22-1
Connecticut    4-1    1-0    5-1
DePaul    23-0    2-0    25-0
Georgetown    22-0    -    22-0
Marquette    19-5    6-1    25-6
Providence    17-0    -    17-0
Seton Hall    19-3    2-0    21-3
St. John's    20-2    1-1    21-3
Villanova    19-3    3-0    22-3
Xavier    21-1    4-0    25-1
Total    186-16    19-2    205-18

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.

#5 Volleyball Closes Regular-Season at DePaul; Xavier

Next Event

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