#6 Volleyball Meets #13 Texas in Sweet 16

2024 NCAA Tournament - Regional Semifinal
Match #34: #13 Texas (20-6) vs. #6 Creighton (31-2)
University Park, Pa. • Friday, Dec. 13 • 12:00 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UT NOTES | MU NOTES | PSU NOTES |

This Weekend
Sixth-ranked and second-seeded Creighton (31-2) continues play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a Regional Semifinal match-up against 13th-ranked and third-seeded Texas (20-6).
    Play gets underway on Friday, Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. Central with the Creighton/Texas match, followed 30 minutes later by a match when fifth-seeded Marquette (25-8) faces top-seeded and second-ranked Penn State (31-2).
    The winners of Friday's matches will meet in the Regional Final on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Central, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
    All the action will take place at Rec Hall (6,502) on the campus of Penn State University in University Park, Pa.

Broadcast Information
Friday's match will be televised on ESPN2, and Sunday's contest would air on ESPN.
    Paul Sunderland, Missy Whittemore and Shelby Coppedge will call the action.
    The matches will also be streamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription and can be watched at http://watchespn.com.

Live Stats Information
Links to live stats for the NCAA Tournament will be placed on the Creighton Volleyball Schedule page at GoCreighton.com.

Scouting #6 Creighton
Creighton has won a program-record 24 straight matches to improve to 31-2 this fall, tying a different team record for wins in a season.
    Creighton won its 11th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, going 18-0 against league foes, while dropping just three sets, then swept through the BIG EAST Tournament for its 10th such crown in 11 seasons. Last weekend CU hosted a pair of sellout crowds at D.J. Sokol Arena, where it swept South Dakota and Ole Miss to reach the program's fourth Sweet 16.
    Creighton's No. 6 slot in the AVCA rankings is one spot shy of 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.
    All told, Creighton is 11-2 against teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Both losses have come in five sets on the road to top-five teams Nebraska and Louisville.
    AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist Kendra Wait (11.11 aps., 2.91 dps., 1.05 kps., 0.91 bps., .402%) was named MVP of the BIG EAST Tournament and is also the back-to-back BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year. Outside hitters Norah Sis (3.88 kps., .318%, 0.42 saps.) and Ava Martin (3.67 kps., .327%, 0.49 saps.) give CU one of the best attacking duos in the country, as both women were named AVCA All-West Region and unanimous All-BIG EAST selections.
    Kiara Reinhardt (1.48 bps.) leads the league in blocks per set, and transfers Maddy Bilinovic (3.85 dps.) and Elise Goetzinger (2.46 kps., 1.09 bps., .383%) have made an immediate impact and rank among the best in the league at their respective positions. All three women were named All-BIG EAST and AVCA All-Region.
     CU leads the BIG EAST with 14.59 kills, 1.91 aces and 2.73 blocks per set. Its 14.52 digs per set rank just sixth in the league, but is more a result of some short rallies and strong block, as the Bluejays have been out-dug just twice all season. Creighton also ranks second nationally in both hitting percentage (.332) and opponent's hitting percentage (.124).

Scouting #13 Texas
The two-time defending national champion, Texas is the third seed in the Penn State Region and ranked 13th nationally.
    The Longhorns are 20-6 on the season, including a 10-2 mark away from home, and have won eight in a row since losing three straight five-set home matches to unranked teams from Oct. 23-Nov. 3.
    Madisen Skinner (4.29 kps., .283%), Reagan Rutherford (2.55 kps., .327%) and Jenna Wenaas (2.27 kps.) are the top Texas attackers, with Averi Carlson (8.38 aps.) and Ella Swindle (4.24 aps.) each seeing time at setter.
    Marianna Singletary (1.91 kps., .357%, 1.44 bps.) leads the team in blocking and Emma Halter (3.45 dps.) is atop the UT digs chart.
    The Longhorns average 13.69 kills, 13.28 digs, 2.61 blocks and 1.41 aces per set while hitting .286.

Series History vs. Texas
Texas swept Creighton in the Elite Eight in 2016 in Austin (25-19, 25-20, 25-11) in the only previous meeting between the schools.
    Jaali Winters led Creighton with 11 kills and eight digs, while Ebony Nwanebu (13 kills) led the Longhorns.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-1 against Texas and Jerritt Elliott.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 501-191 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 four Sweet 16's (2015, 2016, 2023, 2024) 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 and AVCA Region Coach of the Year for the fifth time in 2024.
    The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only 14 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 win its 25th match in a row, extending the nation's longest active win streak while also extending the longest win streak in program history.
- Creighton would win its 32nd match of the season, setting a single-season team record. The 32 wins would also be tied for the national lead.
- Creighton would improve to 17-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 2-2 record in the Regional Semifinal round.
- Creighton would improve to 4-2 this year against Top 25 opponents, and 30-88 all-time under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
- Creighton would tie a program record with its fourth Top 25 win of the fall.
- Creighton would improve to 2-5 all-time against defending national champions.
- Creighton would improve to 20-2 on neutral floors during the last four seasons.
- Creighton would improve to 8-4 all-time in neutral-site matches in the NCAA Tournament.
- Creighton would improve to 3-7 against Top 16 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament
- Creighton would improve to 1-1 all-time against Texas.
- Texas would be the 101st different school that Kirsten Bernthal Booth has beaten as Creighton coach.
- Creighton would advance to its second Regional Final in program history, and first such appearance since 2016.
- Earn itself a spot in Sunday's 7:30 p.m. Central Regional Final against the winner of Friday afternoon's Marquette/Penn State victor. That match would air on ESPN.

Creighton's NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 15 years after earning a 13th straight bid to the Big Dance. The Bluejays made their NCAA debut in 2010 and have been in every tournament since then with the exception of 2011.
    The Bluejays are 16-13 in those 14 appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010 and 2019), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015 and 2017), No. 23 North Carolina (2015), Northern Iowa (2016), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 17 Michigan (2016), South Dakota (2018 and 2024), Ole Miss (2021 and 2024), Colgate (2023) and Minnesota (2023).
    Creighton is 10-3 in First Round play, 3-7 in the Second Round, 1-2 in the Regional Semifinals and 0-1 in the Regional Finals. The Bluejays are 5-4 at home, 7-4 in neutral-site matches and 2-5 in true road matches.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 16-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is the only Bluejay head coach to lead the program into the postseason. Booth is making her 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament as Creighton's coach, more than any other coach in any other Bluejay sport ever.

NCAA Tourney Streak
The inclusion of Creighton Volleyball into the 2024 NCAA Tournament, extends an impressive streak for Bluejay athletics.
    This year marks the 38th straight academic calendar year that Creighton has had at least one NCAA Tournament team.

13 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 13 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
    The only other sport in Creighton history to make even 10 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 13 NCAA Tournaments (2012-24). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.
    There are also 12 schools that have appeared in 14 of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford and Washington. Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, and Texas have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.

14 Tourneys
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 14 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name    Sport    NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth    Volleyball    14
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

Creighton/Texas Connections
Creighton's Elise Goetzinger and Texas' Reagan Rutherford were teammates at Kentucky from 2020-23, winning a national title (in Omaha) as true freshmen in the spring of 2021 when they were part of a Wildcat squad that defeated Texas in the national title match.
    Goetzinger and Rutherford were also part of the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team in 2022 after helping the Wildcats to wins over UNI, USC and Creighton. Kendra Wait was also on that All-Tournament Team.
    Texas star Madisen Skinner was also on the Kentucky teams in 2020 and 2021 alongside Goetzinger and Rutherford and had 19 kills in the national title win for UK.
    Creighton's Norah Sis and Texas' Devin Kahahawai were teammates in the summer of 2022 and 2023 on USA Volleyball's Women's U21 NORCECA Pan American Cup roster. Joining them in 2023 was Texas' Marianna Singletary. Both teams won the Gold medal.

Against NCAA Tournament Teams
Creighton is 11-2 so far this fall against teams in the field of 64, including one victory each against NC State (3-0), Missouri (3-0), USC (3-1), Northern Iowa (3-0), Purdue (3-1), Kansas (3-0), South Dakota (3-0) and Ole Miss (3-0) and three victories over Marquette (3-1, 3-1, 3-0). The losses came to Nebraska (3-2) and Louisville (3-2).
    In 13 matches this fall against NCAA Tournament teams, Norah Sis averaged 3.98 kills per set, Ava Martin averaged 3.51 kills per set, Elise Goetzinger hit .360 and averaged 2.70 kills per set, Kendra Wait averaged 11.23 assists and 2.98 digs per set and Maddy Bilinovic averaged 4.00 digs per set.
    The Jays hit .292 and averaged 14.36 kills, 1.51 aces, 14.87 digs and 2.60 blocks per set.
    Texas went 11-6 against NCAA Tournament qualifiers this season.
    There are three teams that played both Creighton and Texas (Missouri, Ole Miss and USC). CU went 3-0 and won 9-of-10 sets, while UT was 2-1 and won 8-of-13 sets against the similar opposition.
vs. NCAA Tournament Teams
Opponent    CU Score    Texas Score
Purdue    W 3-1    -
Northern Iowa    W 3-0    -
Nebraska    L 2-3    -
Marquette    W 3-1    -
Marquette    W 3-1    -
Marquette    W 3-0    -
Kansas    W 3-0    -
NC State    W 3-0    -
Louisville    L 2-3    -
South Dakota    W 3-0    -
USC    W 3-1    W 3-0
Missouri    W 3-0    L 2-3
Ole Miss    W 3-0    W 3-2
Wisconsin    -    W 3-1
Minnesota    -    L 2-3
Miami (Fla.)    -    L 2-3
Stanford    -    L 0-3
Baylor    -    W 3-0
Hawaii    -    W 3-1
Texas A&M    -    W 3-1
Texas A&M    -    L 1-3
South Carolina    -    W 3-0
Florida    -    W 3-0
Kentucky    -    W 3-0
Oklahoma    -    L 2-3
Tennessee    -    W 3-0
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi    -    W 3-0

Bilinovic Comes Back
Maddy Bilinovic should see quite a few familiar faces around Rec Hall this week as the Creighton libero spent the previous four seasons (2020-23) playing for Penn State.
     Bilinovic played in 337 sets across 103 matches for the Nittany Lions, amassing 790 digs and 58 aces for PSU.
    She transferred to Creighton in January and has had her best season yet, leading Creighton with 3.85 digs per set and being named AVCA All-West Region as well as All-BIG EAST.

The .300 Club
Creighton ranks second in the nation with a .332 hitting percentage, and have now won 188 consecutive matches when hitting .300 or better as a team since a loss in 1996.
    As you might expect, if almost anyone on the team hit .300, things typically go well for CU.
Name    CU W-L When They Hit .300
Ava Martin    21-0
Jaya Johnson    21-0
Norah Sis    18-0
Kiara Reinhardt    17-0
Elise Goetzinger    19-1
Kendra Wait    19-1
Destiny Ndam-Simpson    12-1
Ava TeStrake    6-0
Abbey Milner    6-0
Sydney Breissinger    2-0
Maddy Bilinovic    1-0

Facing The Champs
Creighton is 1-5 all-time when facing the defending national champion, but that lone win was a 3-0 road sweep over Kentucky in September of 2021.
    That Kentucky team featured two of Texas' most prominent players, Madi Skinner and Reagan Rutherford, as well as current Bluejay Elise Goetzinger. All three of those women have since left the Wildcats program.
Creighton is 2-12 Against Teams That Made
The Final Four The Previous Year
(Home: 0-4, Away: 2-7, Neutral: 0-1)
Date     Winner     Loser      Previous Year Finish
9/25/01    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion
9/10/05    Stanford 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion
9/24/06    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Runner-Up
8/31/07    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion
9/1/09    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    Final Four
9/17/16    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Champion
9/8/16    Kansas 3    Creighton 2    Final Four
12/2/16    Creighton 3    Kansas 2    Final Four
12/10/16    Texas 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Runner-Up
9/6/18    Nebraska 3    Creighton 2    NCAA Champion
8/30/19    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Runner-Up
9/4/21    Creighton 3    Kentucky 0    NCAA Champion
9/7/22    Nebraska 3    Creighton 2    NCAA Runner-Up
9/10/24    Nebraska 3    Creighton 2    NCAA Runner-Up

Booth Joins Five With All-Region Honors
A program record-tying five student-athletes from the Creighton Volleyball team, as well as head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, were honored with All-Region acclaim by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Tuesday.
    Booth, in addition to seniors Maddy Bilinovic, Elise Goetzinger, Norah Sis and Kendra Wait as well as junior Ava Martin, were recognized as the best of the best from the West Region, which consists of 18 teams from the states of Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
    The 211 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 108 different schools. Pittsburgh leads the way with seven First Team selections. Creighton, Nebraska, Oregon and Stanford all had five First Team All-Region picks.
    Wait (2021-24) joins Jaali Winters (2015-18) as the second player in program history to be named First Team All-Region four times. Sis is the second player in CU history with exactly three First Team All-Region accolades (2021, 2022, 2024) along with Kelli Browning. Martin has now earned back-to-back All-Region acclaim, and Bilinovic and Goetzinger each earn their first career All-Region recognition.
    Booth landed her fifth AVCA Region Coach of the Year plaudit, having also picked up a similar award in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023. That ties her for the most awards nationally since 2015 with Kelly Sheffield.
    This year's awards mark the 10th straight year that Creighton has had two or more student-athletes earn First Team All-Region acclaim, putting the Bluejays in elite company with the likes of Texas (24 straight years), Kentucky (15), Minnesota (15), Nebraska (14), Wisconsin (13) and Pittsburgh (10). Creighton's 33 First Team All-Region selections since 2015 ranks tied for ninth-most nationally, trailing only Nebraska (46), Texas (44), Kentucky (44), Minnesota (43), Stanford (41), Pittsburgh (41), Wisconsin (36) and Louisville (34). Creighton also had five All-Region choices in 2016.

How Sweet It Is
Creighton is appearing in its fourth Sweet 16, all of which have come in the last 10 seasons.
    Creighton is one of 43 schools to have made a Sweet 16 since 2015, but only 19 of those teams have been there four times or more in that span.
    Here's that list:
Most Sweet 16s, Last 10 Years (2015-24)
    Sweet 16s    School
    10    Nebraska
    10    Texas
    10    Wisconsin
    9    Penn State
    8    Florida
    8    Minnesota
    7    Kentucky
    7    Stanford
    6    BYU
    6    Kentucky
    6    Washington
    5    Ohio State
    5    Oregon
    5    Pittsburgh
    5    Purdue
    4    Baylor
    4    Creighton
    4    Illinois
    4    UCLA

BIG EAST Goes Big Time
The BIG EAST won each of its first 10 matches of the postseason, as Creighton and Marquette both started the NCAA Tournament 2-0, while St. John's, UConn and DePaul began the NIVC 2-0.
    This year is the first time the BIG EAST has sent a pair of teams to the Sweet 16 since 2005, when Notre Dame and Louisville both reached the Regional Semifinal round.
    The four combined NCAA Tournament wins also tie a single-season high for the BIG EAST.
    The only BIG EAST team to ever reach the Regional Final was the 2016 Creighton team.

A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 31 victories this season are tied for the most in the nation along with Pittsburgh, Dayton, Nebraska and Penn State.
    Creighton's two losses this season are tied for the second-fewest in the nation, one more than Pittsburgh's one loss.
    When it comes to sets, Creighton's 97 sets won lead the nation while its 11 sets lost are second-fewest in the country (behind PItt's 10).
    In its last 46 matches dating to last season, Creighton is 43-3 and has won 132-of-147 sets. All three match losses came in five sets.
    In its 35 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton has dropped just four sets to league opponents.
Most Matches Won in 2024 (through 12/11)
Rk.     Matches Won    Team
1.    31    Creighton
    31    Pittsburgh
    31    Nebraska
    31    Dayton
    31    Penn State
6.    30    Arizona State

Most Sets Won in 2024 (through 12/11)
Rk.    Sets Won    Team
1.    97    Creighton
2.    95    Pittsburgh
3.    94    Nebraska
    94    Dayton
5.    93    Penn State

Fewest Matches Lost in 2024 (through 12/11)
Rk.     Matches Lost    Team
1.    1    Pittsburgh
2.    2    Creighton
    2    Dayton
    2    Nebraska
    2    Penn State

Fewest Sets Lost in 2024 (through 12/11)
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    10    Pittsburgh
2.    11    Creighton
3.    16    Dayton
    16    Nebraska
5.    20    Arizona State

All The Do Is Win
Creighton and Friday's foe, Texas, have done an awful lot of winning in the last four seasons.
    Creighton's 118 victories are second-most in the country since the fall of 2021 started, trailing only Pittsburgh (121).
    Creighton's .881 win percentage is fourth-best in that same span behind only Pittsburgh (.896), Louisville (.893) and Texas (.888).
Most Wins, Last 4 Seasons (2021-24)
Team    W    L    Pct.
Pittsburgh    121    14    0.896
Creighton    118    16    0.881
Louisville    117    14    0.893
Nebraska    116    18    0.866
WKU    115    18    0.865

Best Win Percentage, Last 4 Seasons (2021-24)
Team    W    L    Pct.
Pittsburgh    121    14    0.896
Louisville    117    14    0.893
Texas    103    13    0.888
Creighton    118    16    0.881
Wisconsin    114    17    0.870

Winners Win
Through matches of Dec. 8th, Creighton owns 266 wins over the past 10 seasons, which coincides with the start of the 2015 season.
    That ranks fourth-most nationally, and among some of the most storied programs in all the land.
Most Wins, Last 10 Seasons (2015-24)
Rk.    Wins    Team    Next Match
1.    283    Western Kentucky    Next Year
2.    284    Nebraska    12/13 vs. #23 Dayton
    284    Pittsburgh    12/12 vs. #14 Oregon
4.    266    Creighton    12/13 vs. #13 Texas
5.    260    Texas    12/13 vs. #6 Creighton
6.    258    Wisconsin    12/13 vs. Texas A&M
7.    257    BYU    Next Year

A Bunch Of Winners
Kendra Wait has played in a program-record 118 victories, while Norah Sis has played in a higher percentage of wins (89.3 percent) than any player in CU history to appear in 100 wins or more.
    Creighton honored its senior class on Nov. 17 after sweeping Georgetown.
Most Wins, Four-Year Span
    W-L    Years
    118-16    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
    118-15    .887    Kendra Wait    2021-Pres.
    116-26    .817    Naomi Hickman    2017-21
    111-28    .799    Jaali Winters    2015-18
    110-16    .873    Kiana Schmitt    2019-23
    109-24    .820    Taryn Kloth    2015-18
    109-25    .813    Brittany Witt    2016-19
    108-13    .893    Norah Sis    2021-Pres.
    107-25    .811    Megan Ballenger    2016-19
    106-32    .768    Marysa Wilkinson    2014-17
    104-34    .754    Lauren Smith    2013-16
    102-31    .767    Melanie Jereb    2012-15
    101-31    .765    Ashley Jansen    2012-15

Any Place, Any Time
Creighton's been on quite a run, regardless of where it has played.
    Creighton's 24-match win streak at any site is the nation's longest, with Pittsburgh (16) next-best.
    Creighton owns a 32-match home win streak, the nation's third-longest active win streak behind Nebraska (43) and Pittsburgh (33). It's the longest home win streak in program history.
    Creighton's nine-match win streak in true road matches is tied for the longest in program history. It's also tied for the nation's fifth-longest active win streak,trailing only Northern Colorado (17), Dayton (13), South Dakota State (11) and Bowling Green (10).
    Creighton is also a perfect 3-0 on neutral floors this season, and is 19-2 on neutral floors over the past four seasons.

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. You can already cross off Texas, WKU and Wisconsin from the list for next year, and Louisville would have to win the NCAA title to stay alive.
    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 and Pitt have just two losses, but Texas needs a third straight NCAA title to stay on that elite list.
    Creighton is the only school nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-24 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year).

Top 25 History
Creighton is 230-47 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 314-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 122 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 175 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
12/13/24    #6 Creighton vs. #13 Texas    12 p.m.

Coming Up Clutch
Creighton won two tight sets to open its Second Round match vs. Ole Miss, 28-26 and 27-25.
    Neither team led by more than two points at any time in the first set and both squads had at least one set point opportunity. The first frame included 17 ties and eight lead changes.
    Neither team led by more than three points in the second set, which included 15 ties and six lead changes.
    The 14 lead changes were the most in any Creighton match this season, as the previous high was 10.
    Creighton trailed 25-24 in the first set before rallying for the victory, the third time this year it has won a set after surviving an opponent's set point. By comparison, CU is 97-0 this year and has won 176 straight sets when earning at least one set point opportunity.
    Creighton is also 8-3 in sets decided by exactly two points this fall, and 5-1 in sets where the teams play beyond 25 points.

Booth Earns 500th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth reached the 500 win mark at Creighton with last Thursday's victory over South Dakota.
    Booth has beaten 100 different schools while at Creighton.
    Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L    Opponent    Date    1-1    vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)    08/30/03
50-43    Jacksonville State    09/01/06
100-71    at Drake    10/31/08
150-108    Illinois State    09/30/11
200-123    Xavier    10/18/13
250-144    at Xavier    10/17/15
300-157    Villanova    09/24/17
350-167    Nebraska-Omaha    09/13/19
400-177    Marquette    10/10/21
450-186    at #9 Minnesota    09/16/23
500-191    South Dakota    12/05/24

It's A Hit!
Both Kendra Wait and Elise Goetzinger had a big opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
    Wait had 17 kills in 21 errorless kills to hit an astounding .810. The All-American setter also directed the Bluejay offense to .382 hitting.
    Goetzinger had 21 kills in 32 swings and hit .562.
    Among those with 12 or more kills or 20 or more attack attempts, Wait and Goetzinger led all NCAA Tournament players in hitting percentage last week.

Do You Remember Mid-December?
Creighton's match on Friday will take place on December 13th, the latest on the calendar that the Bluejays have ever played a volleyball match.
    The previous latest date was a Dec. 11 Regional Semifinal match in 2015 vs. USC.
    Creighton is 12-12 all-time in the month of December.
    Creighton has won eight straight matches played on the 13th of a month dating to a loss on Sept. 13, 2016 and is 18-2 since 2004 when playing on the 13th of a month.

Did You Notice?
The Penn State Regional is the only one of the four Regionals in the NCAA Tournament that still each of its top three seeds still alive.

Clean As A Whistle
There are six teams still in the tournament that are still alive that haven't dropped a set in the 2024 NCAA Tournament (Pittsburgh, Stanford, Purdue, Creighton, Nebraska, Texas).
    The only teams that did not drop a set in the opening weekend of either the 2023 or 2024 NCAA Tournaments were Creighton and Nebraska.

How Sweet It Is
The Sweet 16 is nothing new for the Creighton Athletic Department.
    The Creighton volleyball team is making its second straight Sweet 16 trip, the women's basketball team played in the Elite Eight in 2022, the Bluejay men's soccer team appeared in the College Cup in 2022 and the men's basketball team reached the Elite Eight in 2023.
    Besides Creighton, the only other school nationally to reach the Sweet 16 in those four sports since the start of the 2021-22 academic year is UCLA.
    With a win on Friday, CU can be the only school to reach the Elite Eight in all four sports in that span.

Who Needs Football?
With a pair of wins this weekend, Creighton could become the rare team to reach the Volleyball Final Four despite not having football.
    No University without football has reached the Volleyball Final Four since Santa Clara in 2005, and no team without football has reached the Finals since Long Beach State in 2001.
    The last team without football to win the volleyball title was Long Beach State in 1998. The Beach also won its in 1993.
    Creighton and Marquette are the only two schools remaining in the 2024 NCAA Tournament that do not sponsor a football program.

Put It In Neutral
Creighton is 3-0 on neutral floors this season, continuing a trend of playing well at neutral sites.
    The Bluejays are 19-2 the past four seasons on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021, a 4-0 record in 2022 and a 5-2 record last season.
    Included in that stretch are neutral-site wins over USC (2021), Northern Iowa (2021 and 2024), Iowa State (2022 & 2023), Florida State (2022), Kansas State (2022), Loyola Chicago (2023), High Point (2023), St. John's (2023), Rice (2024) and Purdue (2024).

Looking For History
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is considered one of the best coaches in the country and has three National Coach of the Year honors to show for it.
    Unbelievable as it may seem, no female coach has ever led her team to the NCAA Women's Volleyball title.
    Including Booth, there are six female coaches still active in the Tournament, as coaches at Penn State, Missouri, Florida and Louisville, are also looking to make history.

Against Ranked Foes
After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last 10 seasons (2015-24).
    Creighton is 29-88 all-time against ranked teams, and 29-72 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
    The highest ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten at any site were No. 3 Washington (8/26/17 in Seattle) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21 in Lexington). CU's highest-ranked opponent it has defeated at home was a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 Marquette on Nov. 22, 2019.
    This year is the eighth season that CU owns multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and a record four in 2018 and 2019.
    A win on Friday would be CU's fourth top-25 victory this fall to tie the record.

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

Tourney Veterans
Fourteen different women in the Creighton program have appeared in an NCAA Tournament match, including seven women with three or more NCAA Tournament years under their belts.
    Additionally, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger each played on four NCAA Tournament teams at Penn State and Kentucky, respectively. Bilinovic was in the Sweet 16 last year, while Goetzinger started a national title game win as a freshman.
CU Players To Appear In The NCAA Tournament
Elise Goetzinger    2020*    2021*    2022*    2023*    2024
Maddy Bilinovic    2020^    2021^    2022^    2023^    2024
Kiara Reinhardt    2020    -    2022    2023    2024
Norah Sis    -    2021    2022    2023    2024
Kendra Wait    -    2021    -    2023    2024
Ava Martin    -    -    2022    2023    2024
Sky McCune    -    -    2022    2023    2024
Abbey Milner    -    -    2022    -    2024
Sydney Breissinger    -    -    -    2023    2024
Ava TeStrake    -    -    -    2023    2024
Destiny Ndam-Simpson    -    -    -    2023    2024
Emma Ziegler    -    -    -    2023    -
Jaya Johnson    -    -    -    -    2024
Alivia Hausmann    -    -    -    -    2024
* played at Kentucky
^ played at Penn State

Attendance Update
Creighton ranks 19th nationally in total home attendance (44,518) and 29th in average fans per home match (2,343).
    Creighton has led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in all but one non-COVID year since joining the league.
    Creighton's 44,518 home fans so far this fall rank third-most in program history. The 2,343 fans per home match so far are also second-most ever so far, and the most for any season when CU did not play inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
Most Home Fans, Season
    Rk.    Fans    Dates    Year
    1.    47,632    17    2018
    2.    44,518    19    2024
    3.    41,805    17    2022
    4.    30,211    14    2021
    5.    29,905    18    2015

Highest Home Attendance Average, Season
    Average Rk.    Fans    Dates    Year
    1.    2,802    47,632    17    2018
    2.    2,459    41,805    17    2022
    3.    2,343    44,518    19    2024
    4.    2,161    28,089    13    2023
    5.    2,158    30,211    14    2021

Seed History
With 11 national seeds advancing to the Sweet 16 this year, that means that at least 10-of-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the last 24 seasons..
    On average in that time, 12.83 of the 16 seeds have advanced each year, or roughly 80.2 percent.
    The only times that all 16 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 was in both 2001 and 2003.
    This year's 11 seeded teams to advance was the fewest since 2017, when 11 advanced then too.
Year    Seeds to Sweet 16?
2024    11/16
2023    13/16
2022    15/16
2021    14/16
2020    14/16
2019    13/16
2018    12/16
2017    11/16
2016    12/16
2015    13/16
2014    13/16
2013    11/16
2012    12/15
2011    11/16
2010    11/16
2009    12/16
2008    13/16
2007    10/16
2006    15/16
2005    13/16
2004    14/16
2003    16/16
2002    13/16
2001    16/16

Sis Chasing Milestones
Norah Sis enters the NCAA Regionals with 1,641 kills, 1,058 digs and 106 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
Norah Sis    1,641    1,058    106
Leah Ratzlaff    1,622    721    77
Melissa Walsh    1,596    1,240    71
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
Ava Martin    1,077    519    78
Amanda Cvejdlik    1,029    208    46
Shelly Kapler    1,000    922    104
Jaela Zimmerman    1,000    796    77

Going Streaking
Creighton has won 24 consecutive matches, the nation's longest active streak.
    The 24-match win streak is also the longest win streak in program history, one more than the previous program record set in 2016 that was snapped by Texas.
Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks (12/9)
    Rk.    Streak    Team
    1.    24    Creighton
    2.    16    Pittsburgh
    3.    13    Kentucky
    4.    11    Stanford

    Most Consecutive Wins, Creighton History
        Wins    Dates    Snapped By
        24    Sept. 20, 2024 - Present    TBD
        23    Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016    at #5 Texas, 3-0
        21    Sept. 21 - Nov. 30, 2018    #22 Washington, 3-0
        17    Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012    at #11 Minnesota, 3-1
        17    Sept. 23-Nov. 18, 2022    at #16 Marquette, 3-0
        17    Oct. 7-Dec. 2, 2023    vs. #7 Louisville, 3-2

Crowd Report
The matches hosted by Creighton on Thursday drew 2,517 fans, tied for the eighth-largest crowd in the 16-year history of the facility. One night later, the crowd of 2,665 set a D.J. Sokol Arena record.
    That ranked eighth-best of 16 sites that hosted NCAA Tournament play last week.
Host School    Rd. 1    Rd. 2    Total
Nebraska     8,702      8,684      17,386
Wisconsin     6,050      7,229      13,279
Pittsburgh     5,943      6,647      12,590
Louisville     4,416      4,399      8,815
Texas      3,918      4,137      8,055
Utah      3,089      2,290      5,379
Oregon      2,531      2,684      5,215
Creighton      2,517      2,665      5,182
Kentucky      2,308      2,715      5,023
Penn State     2,516      2,470      4,986
Arizona State     1,613      3,322      4,935
Stanford     2,392      2,497      4,889
Purdue      2,415      2,415      4,830
SMU     1,911      1,957      3,868
Kansas     1,910      1,806      3,716
Baylor      836      1,022      1,858

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 0-2 this year in five-set matches, and 48-0 in matches to last four sets or less since Oct. 7, 2023.
    Friday's foe, Texas, is 1-5 in five-set matches this year and 19-1 in all other matches.
    Creighton has not played a fifth set since a Sept. 15 contest at No. 4 Louisville.
    Four of Creighton's last five NCAA Tournament eliminations have come in five sets (2023-Louisville, 2022-Auburn, 2020-Morehead State, 2019-Minnesota).
    Though the note above may not reflect it, Creighton's actually been one of the nation's top five set teams in 22 seasons under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, going 70-41 in five-setters.
    Creighton has won at least one five-set match in every season since 1995...but is 0-2 this fall entering Friday.

BIG EAST Tournament Champions
Creighton Volleyball earned the school's 12th different BIG EAST Tournament title won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013.
    All but two of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.
Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament Titles (12)
Baseball (1): 2019
Men's Soccer (1): 2022
Volleyball (10): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

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 has won four of its five tournaments this year when you include the BIG EAST Tournament.
     During that span, the Bluejays have won 35 tournament titles, not to mention 12 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 eight of the nine 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, BIG EAST

Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 25 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 18 of them.
    The only events that CU has not won were four NCAA Tournaments, the 2022 Bluejay Invitational (won by Kentucky), the 2022 Rice adidas Invitational (won by Rice) and the 2024 Cardinal Classic (won by Louisville).
    Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton had been 17-33 in 15 regular-season tournaments all-time, with just one tournament title (the 2000 Iowa State Heritage Classic).
Creighton Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021
Year    Event    CU Record (Place)
2021    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)
2021    NCAA Tournament    0-1 (T-25th)
2021    Mizzou Invitational    3-0 (1st)
2021    Bluegrass Battle    3-0 (1st)
2021    Bluejay Invitational    3-0 (1st)
2021    Shocker Volleyball Classic    3-0 (1st)
2021    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)
2021    NCAA Tournament    1-1 (T-17th)
2022    Rumble in the Rockies    3-0 (1st)
2022    Bluejay Invitational    2-1 (2nd)
2022    Omaha Invitational    2-0 (1st)
2022    Rice adidas Invitational    1-1 (2nd)
2022    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)
2022    NCAA Tournament    0-1 (T-33rd)
2023    Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier    2-1 (1st)
2023    Bluejay Invitational    3-0 (1st)
2023    MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge    2-0 (1st)
2023    Diet Coke Challenge    2-0 (1st)
2023    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)
2023    NCAA Tournament    2-1 (T-9th)
2024    Bluejay Invitational    3-0 (1st)
2024    Creighton Classic    2-0 (1st)
2024    Cardinal Classic    2-1 (2nd)
2024    Jayhawk Classic    2-0 (1st)
2024    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)
2024    NCAA Tournament    2-0 so far

Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones.
    Ava Martin has 53 aces, six behind Molly Moran's single-season Creighton record.
    Ava Martin's nine career aces in the NCAA Tournament tie a program record.
    Destiny Ndam-Simpson's next kill will be the 200th of her career.
    Kendra Wait own 270 career NCAA Tournament assists, four behind the program's postseason record set by Lydia Dimke.

BIG EAST Awards Haul
Kendra Wait was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year, while Creighton shared BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, it was announced on Nov. 26. It's the second straight year each of those has happened.
    Overall, Creighton had a program-record six women earn All-BIG EAST acclaim while a seventh was named to the All-Freshman Team.
    Wait was named Player of the Year and Setter of the Year for the second time as the senior picked up All-BIG EAST acclaim for the fourth time after once again leading the BIG EAST in assists per set.
    Also earning All-BIG EAST recognition for a fourth time was senior Norah Sis, the 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year.
    Additionally, Ava Martin brought home All-BIG EAST honors for the third straight season, and Maddy Bilinovic, Kiara Reinhardt and Elise Goetzinger earned their first All-BIG EAST accolade.
    Last but not least, Jaya Johnson was a member of the All-Freshman Team.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth and her staff picked up BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, the fifth time that Booth has been recognized by the BIG EAST, having also won the honor in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2022.
    This year marks the 12th time in as many years as a member of the BIG EAST that Creighton has had multiple all-conference selections, and 10th straight season with three or more First Team selections.

All-Conference History
Kendra Wait and Norah Sis were both named All-BIG EAST, joining 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.

All Her Fingers Have Rings
Kirsten Bernthal Booth set a league record by coaching Creighton to a 10th BIG EAST Tournament title on Nov. 30th. The previous record was held by Notre Dame coach Debbie Brown.
    No other coach owns six or more.

Martin Meets A Milestone
Ava Martin became the 17th player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills when she did so on Nov. 22 at DePaul.
    It came in the junior's 93rd career match, making her the eighth-fastest player to the 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
Ava Martin    93    11/22/24    at DePaul
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
Jaali Winters    546    448    398    1,392
Norah Sis    435    489    302    1,226
Melissa Walsh    341    428    435    1,204
Leah Ratzlaff    180    516    479    1,175
Ava Martin    264    417    396    1,077
Kelly Goc    218    345    437    1,000
JoDe Cieloha    271    303    380    954

Best League Starts
Creighton finished 18-0 in league play for the third time ever, having also done so in both 2016 and 2018. No other volleyball program in league history has finished 18-0.
CU's Most Wins Before First League Loss
    Wins    Year (League)    First League Loss
    18    2018 (BIG EAST)    None
    18    2016 (BIG EAST)    None
    18    2024 (BIG EAST)    None
    17    2022 (BIG EAST)    11/19 at #16 Marquette
    12    2019 (BIG EAST)    11/8 at Villanova

Others Seeking Unbeaten Seasons
Creighton is one of eight teams in the country that did not lose a regular-season conference match this fall.
    Of those teams, Creighton's three sets lost were the third-fewest..
    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.
    Interestingly, both Dayton and Southeastern Louisiana both were swept in their conference tournament finals.
    Set W-L    Team    League
    54-2    Dayton    Atlantic 10
    42-2    Howard    Mid-Eastern Athletic
    54-3    Creighton    BIG EAST
    54-5    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley
    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?
Creighton is the 14th team to finish BIG EAST play unbeaten. It's worth noting, that only two previous teams (2016 & 2018 Creighton) had gone 18-0, as the others played far less matches.
    Creighton's three sets lost were the fewest by any unbeaten BIG EAST team since Notre Dame dropped three sets in 2001 when it went 12-0.
Unbeaten in BIG EAST Play
    W-L    Sets Lost    School    Year
    18-0    3    Creighton    2024
    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

What's The Difference?
While this is Creighton's third team to go 18-0 in BIG EAST play, the domination this season has been especially noteworthy, as seen in the chart below:
Year    Sets Lost    5 Setters    Pts For-Against    % of Pts.
2016    5    1    1,457-1,088    57.2
2018    6    2    1,474-1,092    57.4
2024    3    0    1,418-884    61.6

Taking Away Their Weapons
One reason for Creighton's success is that it has consistently shut down its opponents offensive threats.
    An opposing attacker had 10 or more kills in just five CU's 18 BIG EAST matches, with Marquette (on Nov. 10) the only team to have two women do it in the same match.
    Only two players had 10 kills and hit .300 or better, and Xavier's Emma Grace was the only BIG EAST foe to post a kills/digs double-double against CU this fall.
    By comparison, Creighton had 32 performances when a player had 10+ kills in a BIG EAST match, 13 matches with multiple players with 10+ kills, 26 players with 10+ kills on .300 hitting, and six kill/dig double-doubles.
Opponents With 10+ Kills vs. CU, League Play
Name, School    Kills    Hit. Pct.    Digs
Erin Jones, SJU    13    .259    4
Emma Grace, XU    10    .189    12
Audrey Klemp, DPU    11    .368    0
Aubrey Hamilton, MU    13    .175    6
Hattie Bray, MU    12    .500    7
Jill Pressly, DPU    15    ,096    6

Volleyball Duo Taken in PVF Draft
Two seniors within the Creighton Volleyball program were selected in the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft on Nov. 25th. Norah Sis was the third overall section by the Orlando Valkyries, while Kendra Wait was chosen 37th overall by the defending league champion Omaha Supernovas.
    Creighton was one of nine schools with multiple women selected in the 40-player draft.
    Sis is a three-time All-American outside hitter from Papillion, Neb. She was named Volleyball Magazine's National Freshman of the Year in 2021 and BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2022. She's a three-time Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year selection and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament in 2021 and 2022. She ranks third in Bluejay history with 1,620 kills and also owns 1,040 digs and 104 service aces. She currently ranks second in the BIG EAST in kills per set and points per set, third in aces per set and eighth in hitting percentage.
    Sis was the third pick in the first round, as only Nebraska's Merritt Beason (Atlanta Vibe) and Louisville's Anna DeBeer (Indy Ignite) were selected before her.
    Wait is leading the BIG EAST in assists for a fourth straight season and is one of 14 semifinalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year Award. She ranks ninth in the country in assists per set and was also fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks per set in conference play. The two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year, Wait was also named a College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-American in 2023. The Gardner, Kan., native ranks second in CU history with 4,887 career assists, third with 1,439 career digs and owns a Bluejay record 72 double-doubles.
    Wait was the fifth pick of the fifth and find round, going No. 37 overall.

Didn't Have To Wait Long
Creighton senior Kendra Wait owns 1,200 assists this season, reaching her 1,000th helper on Nov. 22 vs. DePaul.
    Wait joined Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Korie Lebeda (2005-08) as the second player in program history to reach 1,000 assists four times.
Single-Season Matches to 1,000 Assists
    Name    MP    Opponent    Year
Korie Lebeda    21    at Drake    2006
Brittany Coleman    22    at Southern Illinois    2004
Korie Lebeda    23    Missouri State    2005
Brittany Coleman    23    Northern Iowa    2003
Kailey Reyes    23    at Southern Illinois    1999
Melissa Weisensee    23    at Evansville    1996
Kailey Reyes    24    at Wichita State    2000
Melissa Weisensee    24    at Evansville    1997
Kendra Wait    24    Providence    2022
Kailey Reyes    25    Wichita State    2001
Korie Lebeda    25    Southern Illinois    2007
Korie Lebeda    26    Bradley    2008
Lydia Dimke    26    Xavier    2016
Madelyn Cole    26    at Seton Hall    2018
Megan Bober    27    Evansville    2010
Lydia Dimke    27    Georgetown    2017
Madelyn Cole    27    #9 Marquette    2019
Megan Bober    28    at Northern Iowa    2009
Megan Bober    28    at Wichita State    2012
Michelle Sicner    28    Xavier    2013
Kendra Wait    28    at DePaul    2024
Kendra Wait    29    at Villanova    2021
Kendra Wait    29    Butler    2023
Maggie Baumert    32    vs. Seton Hall    2014

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

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 led the conference with 1.53 blocks per set and was also eighth with a .330 hitting percentage.
    Each of Creighton's other seven seniors on the roster will exhaust their eligibility this fall and cannot return.

Take Me To Your Leader
Creighton has a number of players that won the league statistical title in conference-only play.
    Kendra Wait led the league with 11.05 assists per set, just ahead of Xavier's Logan Flaugh (10.56). It's the fourth straight year she's led the conference in assists per set in conference play. Other Bluejays to have done that include Madelyn Cole (2018 & 2019), Lydia Dimke (2016) and Maggie Baumert (2015).
    Ava Martin topped everyone with 0.65 aces per set, edging out teammate Norah Sis (0.54). CU's only other players to lead the league in that category have been Keeley Davis (2022) and Megan Ballenger (2016). Martin's 0.65 aces is the most by any player in BIG EAST play since Villanova's Kim Maroon (0.70) in 2010, and her 37 service aces tied the conference record since rally scoring began.
    Kiara Reinhardt owned a commanding lead with 1.53 blocks per set, putting her well ahead of Seton Hall's Asil Subasili's 1.13. CU's only other players to top the BIG EAST in conference matches have been Naomi Hickman (2020) and Lauren Smith (2014).
    When it comes to team categories, Creighton established three records since the BIG EAST's 2013 realignment.
    CU topped the previous bests with a .371 hitting percentage, smashing the old mark of .319 by Marquette in 2018.
    CU held foes to .101 hitting, breaking the mark of .115 done by Creighton last year.
    Lastly, CU's 2.32 aces per set surpassed the previous best of 2.13 by Creighton in 2018.

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, three BIG EAST Player of the Year honors, three BIG EAST Tournament MVP acolades and a national champion.
    The current group that arrived in the fall of 2021 is a combined 118-16, the nation's second-most wins in the last four years.
    The 118 wins are the most in any four-year span in school history.
    They went 40-0 at home against BIG EAST teams, losing just nine sets.
    They've spent 61 straight weeks in the AVCA Top 25, and the last 13 weeks in the Top 10.
    They've extended Creighton's NCAA Tournament streak to 13 years in a row.
    They've extended CU's streak of BIG EAST Tournament titles to five in a row.
    They've extended Creighton's record streak of BIG EAST regular-season titles to 11 in a row.
    They've reached back-to-back Sweet 16's.

All Is Right When It's Outright
This year marked Creighton's eighth outright BIG EAST title since 2014.
    Creighton's seven titles from 2014-20 were all outright titles, while it shared the crown in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with Marquette before this year's undisputed crown.
    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, more than doubling the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.
    The only other team nationally with an active streak of more than five straight regular-season league titles (including 2024) is Kentucky, with eight.

Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 12 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's 12 crowns were outright titles, whereas WKU shared five.
    Creighton has also won 11 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2024
Regular-Season    League Tournament
12 (3 shared) Creighton    11 Creighton
12 (5) Western Kentucky    10 Western Kentucky
11 (1) Texas    9 Dayton
11 (1) Fairfield    9 Fairfield
9 (8) Florida A&M
9 (5) Yale
9 (1) Colorado State

Fun With Numbers
- Creighton did not trail in 29-of-57 sets played against BIG EAST foes this fall, and 28 of the 33 BIG EAST sets when it scored the first point of a set.
- Creighton trailed for a total of 190 points this season in 18 league matches, a number that would drop to 88 points in the 14 matches not against St. John's nor Marquette.
    Creighton has trailed for just a single point in four of its last nine matches, and six different conference contests overall.
    Creighton played 12 BIG EAST matches this fall in which it didn't trail in at least two sets.
- Creighton has not trailed by more than five points in any of its last 95 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 35-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.
- Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents were a combined 160-49 (.766) against league foes this year. Eight of the 11 teams made the NCAA Tournament.

Dozen Years Of Dominance
A dozen 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#    18-0    14.79    .371    2.32    14.18    2.75
#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 10, 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 - Dec. 9, 2024
             BIG EAST only    All     matches
Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L
Creighton (12)    188    16    314    72
Marquette (11)    169    32    284    92
Xavier    116    86    179    170
St. John's (1)    104    100    221    160
Butler    103    101    178    176
Villanova (1)    100    104    188    163
Seton Hall (1)    86    117    167    186
DePaul    65    139    149    201
Georgetown    44    152    111    221
Connecticut#    42    38    79    60
Providence*    30    158    112    209
*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 school in the country that can say that.
    The Bluejay program record for wins in a season is 31, done in 2021, and matched again this fall.
Matches Won, Season
        Year    MP    W    L    Pct.
    1.    2024    33    31    2    .939
        2021    35    31    4    .886
    3,    2012    33    29    4    .879
        2023    34    29    5    .853
        2018    34    29    5    .853
        2016    36    29    7    .806
    7.    2022    32    27    5    .844
        2015    36    27    9    .750
    9.    2017    33    26    7    .788
    10.    2014    34    25    9    .735
        2019    31    25    6    .806

Staying Focused
Creighton played the nation's 12th-toughest overall schedule and the fourth-toughest non-conference schedule, but it's stayed focused along the way.
    The Bluejays are 7-2 against teams in the Top 25 of the RPI, going 25-10 in sets. Creighton has outscored foes 813-686 in those matches and hits .276 while averaging 2.69 blocks per set.
    In 24 matches against teams with an RPI worse than 25, the Bluejays are 24-0 and 72-1 in sets. Creighton has hit .362 and averaged 2.75 blocks and 2.12 aces per set in those contests while holding foes to .096 hitting. The Jays have outscored the opposition 1,829-1,147 and allowed only three teams to score more than 21 points in a set.

High Five
Creighton is ranked sixth in the most recent AVCA poll, one spot behind its best mark ever. It was the program's 34th Top 10 ranking ever.
Date    Rank
November 4, 2024    5th
November 11, 2024    5th
November 18, 2024    5th
November 25, 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
December 2, 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

138 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked sixth in the most recent AVCA poll, the 138th time in program history it's been ranked. That's 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
    Its Creighton's 13th straight week in the Top 10 this fall, setting a program record and the 34th time overall.
    All 138 rankings have been since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
    The Bluejays are one of 14 schools (along with Baylor, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 61 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.    133*    Florida
        133*    Kentucky
        133*    Texas
    4.    124    Nebraska
        124    Penn State
        124    Purdue
        124    Wisconsin
    9.    123*    Baylor
        123    BYU
    10.    118    Creighton
    11.    117*    Pittsburgh
    12.    116    Stanford
        116    Minnesota
    14.    109    Oregon
    15.    97*    Louisville
    16.    94    Washington
* includes 9 weeks in Fall of 2020 when most schools didn't play

Report Card
Creighton is 188-16 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    4-0

Ava's Awesome
Ava Martin has had 10 or more kills in each of her last 16 matches. Not only that, she's hit .350 or better during all but two matches of that streak.
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
    16    Ava Martin, Oct. 18, 2024 - Present
    15    Norah Sis, Oct. 7 - Dec. 2, 2022

Doubling Up
Kendra Wait has had a double-double in 19 matches this season, and finished one dig or one kill shy in six other contests. Her 19 double-doubles is one more than her output in each of the previous two seasons, and that's five behind the single-season program record set by Megan Bober in 2012.
    Wait's 72 double-doubles (in 132 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 39 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
    72    Kendra Wait    2021-Present
    65    Melissa Weisensee    1994-97
    64    Kailey Reyes    1998-01
    60    Melissa Walsh    1998-01

Matches With a Double-Double, Season
    D-D    Name    Year
    24    Megan Bober    2012
    21    Korie Lebeda    2006
    20    Melissa Weisensee    1997
    19    Melissa Walsh    1998
    19    Megan Bober    2011
    19    Kendra Wait    2024

Name    D-D in 3-Set Matches    4-Set    5-Set
Kendra Wait    39 of 95    17 of 21    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

Reinhardt Rejects
Kiara Reinhardt is leading the BIG EAST with 1.48 blocks per set, good enough to rank ninth 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 went 18-0 this fall. That ties the program's longest streak of league wins in team history.
Creighton's Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
    Wins    Dates    Snapped By    League
    31    Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019     at Villanova, 3-0    BIG EAST
    31    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

Streaking In League Play
Creighton has won 35 straight matches against conference teams, including conference tournament action. Though impressive, there's still four teams with longer active streaks.
    Wins    Team    Current League
    101    Western Kentucky    Conference-USA
    42    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley
    35    Creighton    BIG EAST
    20    Florida A&M    Southwestern Athletic
    19    UT Arlington    Western Athletic

Road Dubs
Creighton has won nine consecutive true road matches, a streak that started on Sept. 21 with a 3-0 win over No. 10 Kansas.
    That's tied for the longest streak in program history. The last time it happened came in 2016, when No. 5 Texas snapped CU's streak in the Elite Eight.
Creighton's Longest Road Win Streaks
Wins    Dates    Snapped By
    9    Sept. 30-Dec. 2, 2016    at #5 Texas, 3-0
    9    Sept. 21, 2024 - Present    TBD
    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

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
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.
    Creighton enters its NCAA Regional Semifinal match vs. Texas having won 18 straight sets.
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
    18    Nov. 22, 2024 - Present    ? ? ?
    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 31-2 record is the program's best mark ever with just two losses. 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
    31 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    9-0    1st
Total    186-89    186-89    --

So Clean
Creighton Volleyball hit an absurd .371 in BIG EAST play.
    How good is that?
    Across the BIG EAST, among players with three attempts per set, only two non-Creighton player even hit better than .337 in the league.
    Creighton has hit .355 or better in at least one set during each of its last 28 matches against league foes.
    Creighton has averaged just 10.16 attack errors in its last 32 matches against BIG EAST Conference matches, finishing with 10 or less total attack errors in 19 of those.
    Looking at the 57 BIG EAST sets it played this season, Creighton never had more than eight attack errors in any set, and its worst attack percentage in a set was .184. On the other hand, its opponents owned 7+ attack errors in 24-of-57 sets and managed only 12 sets of better than .170.
    Creighton owned a better hitting percentage than the opposition in 54-of-57 league sets this season...all but set one at Villanova on Oct. 11th, set one at Marquette on Nov. 10 and set one at DePaul on Nov. 22.

Aced That Test
Creighton has had more service aces than service errors in nine of its last 17 matches, a good trend since CU has won 26 contests in a row when owning more aces than errors. In those 17 matches (54 sets), CU has accumulated 122 aces against just 119 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 45 service aces this fall compared to just 39 errors.
    Per Evollve.net, Creighton is first nationally by winning 52.1 percent of the points when it serves. The median team (#173 of 346) wins just 42.9 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 80 times in 33 matches this fall. Creighton has won 68.2 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 57.1 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 71-4 in the 11th month of the year.
    Creighton has won 43 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 44 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14). Incredibly, Creighton is 132-10 in sets in those home November contests.

Defense Wins Championships
Creighton ranks second nationally with 14.59 kills per set, second with a .332 hitting percentage and is also fifth with 13.54 assists per set.
    But where it has dominated has been on the defensive side of the net, where it ranks 17th in blocks per set (2.73) and second in opponents hitting percentage (.124).
    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 hit .371 and held foes to .101 hitting.

Sis Is Killing It
Norah Sis ranks second in Creighton history with 1,641 career kills after passing Leah Ratzlaff (1,620) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Career Kills
        Name    Sets    No.    Years
    1.    Jaali Winters    494    1,843    2015-18
    2.    Norah Sis    413    1,641    2021-Pr.
    3.    Leah Ratzlaff    409    1,622    2002-05
    4.    Melissa Walsh    394    1,596    1998-01
    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 4,887 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    454    4,887    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 last 12 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 195-13 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won 11 conference tournament titles during those years, going 22-1 (including 2024) at the league tournament in those seasons.
    In the 23 seasons (including 2024) that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .790 (324-86) winning percentage (including 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 112-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (101-3 in the regular-season, 11-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
    Since November of 2014, Creighton is 96-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 86-1 league mark and a 10-0 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 were 40-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 120-9 in sets.
    Creighton has won 46 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    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 88-2 in league play (including 2024) and 10-0 in league tournament action (including 2024) and 9-4 in NCAA Tournament play (including the first two NCAA matches in 2024).
    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 3.72 digs per set versus unranked foes.
    Sydney Breissinger averages 2.43 digs per set against Top 25 competition compared to 2.00 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 0.77 aces against unranked foes (67 aces in 87 sets).

Dominance Against The Unranked
Creighton is 84-3 in sets this year against unranked teams and 132-4 in sets dating to Oct. 7, 2023 against unranked opposition.        Creighton has outscored unranked opponents 2,173-1,400 this year, winning an incredible 60.81 percent of those points.
    Creighton has allowed 20 or more points in just 18 of the 87 sets against unranked foes this year.
    The Bluejays are hitting .355 against unranked teams this year, while holding those foes to .106 hitting. CU also owns decisive advantages in kills (1,292-817), aces (185-67), digs (1,247-1,007) and blocks (240.5-94.5) in those matches.

The Incredible Third Sets
Creighton is 32-1 in the third set this season, outscoring foes in points 831-518 to win an incredible 61.6 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 .359 in the third set this year, its best of any frame. That figure is .342 in the third set against ranked teams this fall, and .368 in league play.
    Creighton also hit .388 in the second set and .368 in the fourth set of its BIG EAST matches, and has held all but one (DePaul had 21) of the 18 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), St. John's (3-0) and DePaul (4-3).
    The only teams to finish a match with more blocks than Creighton are USC (10.5-7.0), Louisville (13-11) and Ole Miss (8.0-7.0).
    The only teams to finish a match with more digs than Creighton has been Nebraska (81-80) and DePaul (36-33).

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.    305    9    .971
When Hitting .250+    222    6    .974
When Hitting .300+    127    0    1.000
When Serving 10+ Aces    19    2    .905
When Owning More Kills    294    21    .933
When Owning More Aces    223    21    .914
When Owning More Digs    254    21    .924
When Owning More Blocks    235    17    .933

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, 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.

Nationwide Success
With a 196-13 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, plus four other leagues. The Bluejays are...
    1-0 vs. American Athletic Conference teams
    1-1 vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Big 12 Conference teams
    20-0 vs. BIG EAST Conference teams
    2-1 vs. Big Ten Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Missouri Valley Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Southeastern Conference teams
    1-0 vs. Summitt League tams

Set-tle Down
Since the start of the 2021 season, Creighton is 92-3 in three-set matches, 17-4 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.
    This year CU went 19-0 at home, losing just two sets.        That extends its program record to 32 straight home wins, surpassing a 15-match home win streak from Sept. 7-Nov. 30, 2018 that had been the standard.
    Creighton's 32-match home win streak is the third-longest active streak in the country. In that time, CU has lost just five sets total.
    Creighton has won 89 of its last 91 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
    32    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 (12/11)
Wins    Team    Next Home Match
    43    Nebraska    12/13 vs. #21 Dayton
    33    Pittsburgh    12/12 vs. #14 Oregon
    32    Creighton    Next Year
    22    Penn State    12/13 vs. Marquette

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 nine times this year so far, including a school-record .548 vs. Georgetown on Nov. 17th.
    Creighton is 331-9 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when hitting .250 or better and as a program has won 188 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 went a perfect 27-0 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 27 wins, Goetzinger owned 177 kills and 85 blocks while hitting .414 in 74 sets played.

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 averaged 2,343 fans per home match (29th-best nationally), including a crowd of 2,665 on Dec. 6 vs. Ole Miss that was the 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.
    2,665    Ole Miss    12/06/24    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    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
    2,517    South Dakota    12/05/24    W 3-0    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 in the 17 seasons from 2008-2024, 385-of-425 teams (90.6 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but preseason No. 19 Arkansas and No. 25 Georgia reached the 2024 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

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 501-3 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    31-2 so far
Total    85-69    594-343

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 418-11 (.974) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 361-5 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 282-3 (.989) when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 149-1 (.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 428-36 (.922) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 73-155 (.320) 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 167-5 in its last 172 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 160-6 in its last 166 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 16-21 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
    Creighton has gone 197-4 (.980) in its last 201 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has played 10 matches against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (3x), Nebraska, Kansas, Purdue, Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC and Missouri. Texas will be the 11th.
    After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 112-109 since, including an 8-2 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    8-2 so far
TOTAL    114-144
TOTAL Under Booth    112-109

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 501 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports through Dec. 10th.
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    501*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball    434*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis    347
Greg McDermott, Men's Basketball    332*
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 209 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 33 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    24-0    3-0    27-0
Georgetown    22-0    -    22-0
Marquette    19-5    7-1    26-6
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    22-1    4-0    26-1
Total    188-16    21-2    209-18

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ellie Bichelmeyer

Maddy Bilinovic

Ellie Bolton

Sydney Breissinger

Morgan Colangelo

Elise Goetzinger

Alivia Hausmann

Jaya Johnson

Ava Martin

Sky McCune

Abbey Milner

Destiny Ndam-Simpson

Kiara Reinhardt

Ann Marie Remmes

Kiana Schmitt

Norah Sis

Ava TeStrake

Kendra Wait

Emma Ziegler