Photo by: Rob Morris
Volleyball Dominates BIG EAST Honors as Wait and Booth Take Top Awards
11/26/2024 1:00:00 PM | Volleyball
For the second straight year, Kendra Wait is BIG EAST Player of the Year and Setter of the Year while Kirsten Bernthal Booth leads the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
OMAHA, Neb. -- On the heels of a dominant unbeaten run through league play, the 11-time BIG EAST champion Creighton Volleyball team cleaned up in a big way as the All-Conference, All-Freshman and major award winners were handed out on Tuesday. The Bluejays set a school-record with six women earning All-BIG EAST acclaim, with Jaya Johnson taking home All-Freshman Team honors. For the second straight Kirsten Bernthal Booth and staff were recognized as BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year and Kendra Wait also repeated as both the BIG EAST Player of the Year as well as the BIG EAST Setter of the Year.
For seniors Kendra Wait and Norah SIs, the All-Conference honor is their fourth in as many years as the duo join all-time greats Tara Oltman, Doug McDermott and Jaali Winters as the only student-athletes in the history of Creighton Athletics to earn four First Team All-Conference accolades.
Wait also made history as the first player in Creighton Volleyball history to be a two-time Conference Player of the Year, as she repeated that honor as well as Setter of the Year plaudits from a season ago. The Gardner, Kan., native leads the BIG EAST in assists per set (10.99) for the fourth straight season and is one of 14 semifinalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year award. The setter owns a program-record 71 career double-doubles, ranks second with 4,742 career assists and third with 1,410 career digs. She has set CU to .327 hitting this year, a figure that ranks second nationally and is far ahead of the previous school-record of .284
Sis ranks in the top two in the BIG EAST in kills per set for the fourth straight season and leads the Bluejays with 3.85 kills per set while also ranking second with 0.45 aces per set. The Papillion, Neb., product is hitting a career-high .316 this fall and owns 23 matches with 10 or more kills.
Martin developed into one of the most complete players in the league during her junior campaign. In league play the Overland Park, Kan., native led the BIG EAST in aces per set and ranked second in points per set, kills per set and hitting percentage. This is Martin's third recognition in as many years as a Bluejay.
Senior Kiara Reinhardt picked up All-BIG EAST acclaim for the first time after leading the BIG EAST with 1.48 blocks per set and ranking eighth in hitting percentage. The Cedarburg, Wis., native has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week three times this season and five times in her career. Reinhardt recently announced she'd be returning in 2025 for her sixth year with the program.
A pair of transfers in their first year at Creighton were also named All-BIG EAST. Kentucky transfer Elise Goetzinger ranked third in BIG EAST play in hitting percentage and blocks per set. Penn State transfer Maddy Bilinovic ranked third in the BIG EAST in digs per set and seventh in aces per set during conference play.
Redshirt freshman Jaya Johnson earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman Team after the Olathe, Kan., native led the league's freshmen in hitting percentage. Johnson has earned a pair of Freshman of the Week honors from the league this fall.
Lastly, Kirsten Bernthal Booth and her staff (Angie Oxley Behrens, Brian Rosen, Adam Kessenich and Kaleb Scharman) were named BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Creighton to an 18-0 league record in which CU dropped just three sets. The Bluejays are ranked fifth nationally and are in the midst of school-record winning streaks at home (28) and on the road (9). This is the fifth time that Booth has been named BIG EAST Coach of the Year during CU's run of 11 straight regular-season league titles, also being honored in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023 and now 2024. Booth earned a similar recognition in 2012 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
DePaul's Rachel Krasowski was named Libero of the Year while Co-Freshmen of the Year honors were split between UConn's McKenna Brand and Xavier's Margo Kemp to round out the league's major awards.
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All-Conference
Doga Kutlu, Sr., S, UConn*
Taylor Pannell, Gr., MB, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Jr., OH, UConn
Maddy Bilinovic, Sr., L, Creighton
Elise Goetzinger, Sr., MH, Creighton
Ava Martin, Jr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MH, Creighton
Norah Sis, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kendra Wait, Sr., S, Creighton*Â
Aly Kindelberger, Sr., MB, DePaul
Audrey Klemp, Gr., RS, DePaul
Rachel Krasowski, Gr., L, DePaul*
Jill Pressly, Gr., OH, DePaul*Â
Yadhira Anchante, Gr., S, Marquette
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Aubrey Hamilton, RS-Sr., OH, Marquette*
Erin Jones, Jr., RS/S, St. John's*
Abby Harrell, So., OH, Villanova
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For seniors Kendra Wait and Norah SIs, the All-Conference honor is their fourth in as many years as the duo join all-time greats Tara Oltman, Doug McDermott and Jaali Winters as the only student-athletes in the history of Creighton Athletics to earn four First Team All-Conference accolades.
Wait also made history as the first player in Creighton Volleyball history to be a two-time Conference Player of the Year, as she repeated that honor as well as Setter of the Year plaudits from a season ago. The Gardner, Kan., native leads the BIG EAST in assists per set (10.99) for the fourth straight season and is one of 14 semifinalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year award. The setter owns a program-record 71 career double-doubles, ranks second with 4,742 career assists and third with 1,410 career digs. She has set CU to .327 hitting this year, a figure that ranks second nationally and is far ahead of the previous school-record of .284
Sis ranks in the top two in the BIG EAST in kills per set for the fourth straight season and leads the Bluejays with 3.85 kills per set while also ranking second with 0.45 aces per set. The Papillion, Neb., product is hitting a career-high .316 this fall and owns 23 matches with 10 or more kills.
Martin developed into one of the most complete players in the league during her junior campaign. In league play the Overland Park, Kan., native led the BIG EAST in aces per set and ranked second in points per set, kills per set and hitting percentage. This is Martin's third recognition in as many years as a Bluejay.
Senior Kiara Reinhardt picked up All-BIG EAST acclaim for the first time after leading the BIG EAST with 1.48 blocks per set and ranking eighth in hitting percentage. The Cedarburg, Wis., native has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week three times this season and five times in her career. Reinhardt recently announced she'd be returning in 2025 for her sixth year with the program.
A pair of transfers in their first year at Creighton were also named All-BIG EAST. Kentucky transfer Elise Goetzinger ranked third in BIG EAST play in hitting percentage and blocks per set. Penn State transfer Maddy Bilinovic ranked third in the BIG EAST in digs per set and seventh in aces per set during conference play.
Redshirt freshman Jaya Johnson earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman Team after the Olathe, Kan., native led the league's freshmen in hitting percentage. Johnson has earned a pair of Freshman of the Week honors from the league this fall.
Lastly, Kirsten Bernthal Booth and her staff (Angie Oxley Behrens, Brian Rosen, Adam Kessenich and Kaleb Scharman) were named BIG EAST Conference Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Creighton to an 18-0 league record in which CU dropped just three sets. The Bluejays are ranked fifth nationally and are in the midst of school-record winning streaks at home (28) and on the road (9). This is the fifth time that Booth has been named BIG EAST Coach of the Year during CU's run of 11 straight regular-season league titles, also being honored in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023 and now 2024. Booth earned a similar recognition in 2012 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
DePaul's Rachel Krasowski was named Libero of the Year while Co-Freshmen of the Year honors were split between UConn's McKenna Brand and Xavier's Margo Kemp to round out the league's major awards.
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BIG EAST Player of the Year:Â Kendra Wait, Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rachel Krasowski, DePaul
BIG EAST Setter of the Year:Â Kendra Wait, Creighton*
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year:Â McKenna Brand, UConn & Margo Kemp, Xavier
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year:Â Creighton
BIG EAST Libero of the Year: Rachel Krasowski, DePaul
BIG EAST Setter of the Year:Â Kendra Wait, Creighton*
BIG EAST Co-Freshmen of the Year:Â McKenna Brand, UConn & Margo Kemp, Xavier
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year:Â Creighton
All-Conference
Doga Kutlu, Sr., S, UConn*
Taylor Pannell, Gr., MB, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Jr., OH, UConn
Maddy Bilinovic, Sr., L, Creighton
Elise Goetzinger, Sr., MH, Creighton
Ava Martin, Jr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MH, Creighton
Norah Sis, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kendra Wait, Sr., S, Creighton*Â
Aly Kindelberger, Sr., MB, DePaul
Audrey Klemp, Gr., RS, DePaul
Rachel Krasowski, Gr., L, DePaul*
Jill Pressly, Gr., OH, DePaul*Â
Yadhira Anchante, Gr., S, Marquette
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Aubrey Hamilton, RS-Sr., OH, Marquette*
Erin Jones, Jr., RS/S, St. John's*
Abby Harrell, So., OH, Villanova
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All-Freshman
Alaleh Tolliver, Fr., OH, Butler
McKenna Brand, Fr., L, UConn
Jaya Johnson, RS-Fr., RS, Creighton
Dionna Mitchell, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Campbell McKinnon, Fr., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
Alaleh Tolliver, Fr., OH, Butler
McKenna Brand, Fr., L, UConn
Jaya Johnson, RS-Fr., RS, Creighton
Dionna Mitchell, Fr., OH, Georgetown*
Campbell McKinnon, Fr., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-Fr., MB, Xavier
 * Denotes a unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
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