Brian Rosen Promoted to Volleyball Head Coach

OMAHA, Neb. – Brian Rosen has been named head coach of the Creighton volleyball program, McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Marcus Blossom announced on Sunday, April 6. Rosen replaces Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who resigned earlier in the day after 22 remarkable seasons to pursue opportunities outside of coaching. She will remain involved in fundraising efforts for the volleyball program.

"While we celebrate the incredible success of Coach Booth, we are excited to continue the tradition of excellence within the Creighton volleyball program with Coach Brian Rosen at the helm," said Marcus Blossom. "Brian is a tireless worker, nationally respected recruiter, and in-game tactician. He is a great teammate and has been an integral part of our success since his arrival in 2022. I believe we will reach new heights in every aspect of our program and I'm certain our passionate Bluejay fans will continue to enjoy watching our exceptional student-athletes this fall and into the future under his leadership."

"The opportunity to lead the Creighton volleyball program is a dream come true, and I would like to thank Fr. Hendrickson and Marcus Blossom for their trust in me to follow one of the greatest coaches of all time," said Rosen.

"Thank you does not do justice to what Coach Booth has meant to me and to my family ever since she gave us the opportunity to move to Omaha and join the Creighton community," continued Rosen. "I know how important this program and all the student-athletes, past and present, are to her, so this opportunity to build on her legacy and put our student-athletes first is not a role that I take lightly.

"There is simply no place like Creighton, and we cannot wait to be back in D.J. Sokol Arena this fall, playing in front of Bluejay Nation! Go Jays!"

The 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rosen has spent the previous three seasons at Creighton. He served as assistant coach in 2022 and 2023 before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2024 campaign. During his tenure, he has been the program's recruiting coordinator, worked closely with middle blockers, organized daily practices and assisted in the scouting of upcoming opponents.

Creighton is a combined 88-13 in three seasons with Rosen on the bench, picking up 10 Top 25 wins and sweeping the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles each year. The 88 victories and .871 winning percentage rank third-best nationally in that time, trailing only Pittsburgh and Nebraska. The Bluejays reached the program's first Sweet 16 since 2016 in 2023 and last fall returned to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015 before falling in five sets to eventual national champion Penn State.

Creighton is 46-2 since Rosen's arrival inside D.J. Sokol Arena, in addition to being 57-3 at all sites against BIG EAST competition. The BIG EAST has recognized Creighton with Coaching Staff of the Year honors after each of the last two years.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to see Brian take over as the head coach of Creighton volleyball," said Booth. "He's an exceptional coach, recruiter, and mentor who is deeply committed to the growth and success of our student-athletes, both on and off the court. With our outstanding staff staying in place, the program will continue to thrive and reach new heights. Brian has my full support, and I'm excited to watch the continued success of Creighton volleyball."

Before coming to Creighton, Rosen served as the head coach at Division II Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he compiled a 45-17 overall record. He led the Sharks to a 20-11 record in 2019, including a six-match win streak to end the year and clinch NSU's first 20-win campaign since 2008.

After the 2020 campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosen's 2021 squad won its first 13 matches and finished 25-6 while reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. NSU set program records for consecutive wins (19), home wins (16), Sunshine State Conference wins (16) and SSC winning percentage (.828). The Sharks were also one of two teams to defeat eventual national champion, Tampa.

All three of his Nova Southeastern squads won AVCA Team Academic Awards.

Rosen took over the NSU program after spending two years at Davidson College as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. In addition to coaching for the Wildcats, Rosen also served as the Carolina Juniors Club Director and National Team coach from 2009-18.

Immediately before joining the Wildcats, Rosen served as the head coach at Providence (N.C.) High School, producing an undefeated regular-season to win conference and tournament titles, garnering 2016 Conference and South Charlotte Weekly Coach of the Year honors.

Rosen also spent seven years (2009-16) as the girl's head volleyball coach at Charlotte Country Day School. During his tenure, he coached the program to an overall record of 169-66, earning two state championship and conference titles in 2013 and 2014. After those two stellar seasons, he was named the Charlotte Observer Coach of the Year. In 2012 and 2013, he was named the South Charlotte News & South Charlotte Weekly Coach of the Year.

Rosen has been recognized in 2023 by Volleyball Magazine as a "College Coaching Hotshot" in addition to being honored with the AVCA Thirty Under 30 award in 2013 when he was one of just two high school coaches mentioned.

Rosen earned his bachelor's degree in Sport and Entertainment Management, graduating cum laude from the University of South Carolina in 2008, and picked up his Master's in Leadership from Nova Southeastern in 2024.

He lives in Omaha with his wife Angelica, and daughters Bryce (11) and Brady (4).

Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Brian Rosen, Marcus Blossom Press Conference
Monday, April 7, 2025
D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center
Omaha, Neb,

Creighton Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: "Alright, good morning! Good morning! I want to start by welcoming everyone and thank you for attending. This is a special day for Creighton Volleyball as we acknowledge what Coach Booth has meant to this program, while also welcoming our new Head Women's Volleyball Coach Brian Rosen. I'll start by thanking Coach Booth on 22 remarkable years leading our women's volleyball program."

(applause)

"I also want to thank Kirsten's family, Erik, Reese, Hayden and Berkeley for allowing us to borrow her for 22 years. Being a coach, a Division I coach, there's a lot of sacrifice not only on the coaching side but on the family side, so thank Erik and the rest of your family for allowing us to have Kirsten for 22 years. I know what toll that takes on a family. Kirsten has been a phenomenal coach, mentor to her volleyball student-athletes who you see in the room, an outstanding representative of Creighton University and the Omaha community. She leaves a legacy that is amongst the best in women's college volleyball.

"Just give you some data here: the year before Kirsten arrived, we only won three games. We went 3-and-23 in 2002. This past year, as you know, we only lost three games, going 32-and-3 with all three losses in five sets to Final Four teams, ending the year with an Elite Eight appearance and the highest AVCA National Ranking at 6. That's certainly leaving the program better than how you found it. The support for our volleyball program has also increased during Kirsten's tenure. We averaged 236 fans before she arrived, and this past season, we averaged 2,343 fans per game and we had the single home game record in 2022 of 15,796. A lot has to do with Kirsten's leadership, her staff and her student-athletes of elevating this program to the next level. Booth concludes her Creighton coaching career with the record of 502-and-192. She's led more teams to the NCAA Tournament, 14, than any other coach in the history of Creighton athletics, and her 502 victories rank fifth-most time in school history.

"That's secondary to her impact here at Creighton. I want to give you two important things before I let her speak. A couple things that you should know about her, and I had a chance to get to know her over the last four years, she is a fierce competitor. You don't win this many games without being a dogged competitor and wanting to win at the highest level and she worked really hard to get this program, get the program to where it is today. I remember having a conversation with Brian [Rosen] during the streak this year about her preparation for, I think it might have been the last place team in the BIG EAST and Brian said, 'Kirsten prepares for that team just as much as she prepares for the first place team.' And that's what allows Kirsten, or allowed Kirsten, to lead her team to so much success over the many years. Most importantly, she really poured into the development of our student-athletes and really cared about them. She was someone that can be trusted with your daughter because she's always had what's best for them in mind, and we expect that out of Brian, out of every coach here at Creighton, and that's what was special about Kirsten.

"We will find the proper time to thank you in the near future, but as of now, I want to give you a big thank you and turn it over to you. So if we could give her one more round of applause before she gets to speak."

(applause)

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "It's always uncomfortable to have people talk about you, so it's been uncomfortable for 12 hours. But it's been good to do some reflecting the last couple of days as I've prepared for this moment. I'm going to try to get through it."

(pause and takes a breath)

"What I've recognized as I've thought through things is how many people have played such a huge impact on my wonderful experience here at Creighton. First, I have to start with my amazing husband and my daughters. Spouses ride the highs and lows of marrying a coach. Erik has been the steady rock that keeps our household going and he truly is the best. Thank you to my daughters who, more than I'd liked, looked up into the stands and didn't see their mom there, but still have grown into strong, wonderful, independent young women. They have sacrificed time with me, but they've grown up to be the most incredible role models because they had role models that they got to emulate by being part of this program. I know they've gotten so much out of me being here at Creighton. As I've talked many times publicly, Terry Pettit has been a mentor, and also developed into a good friend during my time here at Creighton, but many may not know that he was the person who gave Bruce Rasmussen my name back in 2003. Rass took a risk on a young, unprepared, eager 27-year-old kid. I think Terry and Rass saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself at that age. Having these incredible, successful people believe I could do this job changed the course of my life, and I am forever grateful to each of them. There are countless co-workers, who are now friends, over the last 22 years that I'd love to thank personally, but there's just too many to name. They have supported me, challenged me and made me better. Some of the long-timers that are still here that I work closely with, like Rob Anderson, Brad Schmidt, Jim Flanery, Lisa Chipps, Brandon McCarville, Joe Willman, so many more, that are so critical to our team's success, working tirelessly often behind the scenes and I can't say thank you enough for your friendship and help over the years. Remarkably, I've only had two athletic directors and three presidents during my time here: Bruce Rasmussen, Marcus Blossom, Father Schlegel, Father Lannon and Father Hendrickson. Thank you to each of them for their support and for the support of the volleyball program. Without great leadership we can't have the success that our programs have here. I'd be remiss if I didn't take time to thank our amazing fans and supporters. When I got here the program was playing in a high school gym in front of mostly family, and the tickets weren't even sold. We now play in one of the best volleyball venues in the country, and we've played in front of sold out crowds. Thank you to so many who have supported the program with their energy in the stands, and many who have supported us with their pocketbooks. As a small private school, we couldn't do what we do without our incredible donors. Most of all, I want to thank our players, alums and coaching staff. I have to start with Angie Oxley Behrens.

(pause)

"Sorry.

"Angie's been on this journey with me every step of the way. Angie doesn't aspire to be a head coach, even though she'd be a great one, but she truly is the glue to this program. She's a dear friend, a mentor to me in many ways and I feel like I'm losing my right arm– Stop crying, Ang–. Not seeing Angie everyday will be really hard– she truly is the best. I often say I don't do many things well, but I hire well. I absolutely believe my biggest strength as a coach was I found, hired and utilized great talent over the years. I can tell you I've learned so much from every assistant we've had: Paul Giesselmann, Tom Mendoza, Ryan Meek, Craig Dyer and our current outstanding staff Angie, Brian Rosen, Adam Kessenich, Kaleb Scharman, the countless volunteers, interns, GA's, all have played a significant role in building this program and I'm forever grateful to them.

"Finally, to the alums and current players I've had the honor to coach, I truly don't have the words or emotional bandwidth to say all I want to say. When I got here, I was a big sister, I became Mama Booth and I'm getting close to Grandma Booth– hopefully not soon.

"If you haven't been part of a college team, it truly becomes a family. Just like a family, you spend a lot of time together, you sometimes get on each other's nerves, you can have candid and honest conversations, you have joy when they have joy, you hurt when they hurt, you love each other unconditionally. All of this is true with this team and the teams before it. I want them to know it's been my honor to coach them. I've made plenty of mistakes and I want to thank them for allowing me to learn, grow and stay on board with me during this journey. Each of them will always be family.

"I know people want to know what's next for me. I've been getting blown up with texts and I haven't been able to get back to them yet, almost anybody. First, to my knowledge, I am not sick, thankfully. No, I was not forced out in any way. And finally, no this is not a retirement. I'm old but not that old. I'm stepping away to take on a new challenge. I've watched many players graduate over the years who want to keep playing volleyball but want to stay in this country. I want little girls to grow up and dream about playing professional volleyball, here in the United States. Volleyball is the number one girls team sport in the country, and the state of Nebraska is a volleyball mecca in our country. I want to be part of the group that makes this happen and successfully in the United States. I dream of a day when all pro volleyball games are on television, the stands are packed with large crowds, the players are household names and make a great living, and a little girl in fourth grade is holding a volleyball in her hands and says 'I want to be a pro volleyball player when I grow up', just like the boys dream of playing in the NBA, MLB, the NFL, the NHL."
"I will be joining League One Volleyball, otherwise known as Love Volleyball, not as a coach but on the admin side. I will do all I can to grow professional volleyball so you can continue to watch all your all-star Bluejays well past their graduation here. I'll be staying in Omaha and am honored to have this new opportunity, and will do everything in my power to help your daughters and granddaughters have opportunities for professional volleyball unlike so many who have come before them.

"And finally, I don't know if there's ever a right time to step away, but something that's always weighed on me is I've considered this is putting the program, and the staff, and the current roster, in the best situation to continue to move forward and make the program even better. Creighton fans can be happy to know this is very much in place. Brian is absolutely the right person to lead Creighton into the future. Brian is a fantastic recruiter, great trainer, motivator, leader and wonderful friend. Most importantly, he's an outstanding human who will continue to help the young women grow here both on and off the court. I knew he was special early in his tenure here, and I look forward to our fans to see how outstanding he is. Creighton Volleyball is in great hands.

"Thank you for allowing me this time to extend my gratitudes, as I always tell our alums, 'once a Jay, always a Jay' and this is truly the case for me. Thank you Creighton for an unbelievable journey."

(applause)

Blossom: "Thanks Kirsten. Kirsten said she hires well. I hope I just hired well on Brian. I know I did. We're so excited about Brian Rosen. Congratulations and welcome to you in this role. I also want to welcome Brian's wife Angelica, and his two daughters, Bryce and Brady. Brian is the fourth head coach since we've brought the program back in 1994. He's originally from Orlando, Florida and moved to Omaha with his family to work with Coach Booth. He thought this was just an amazing opportunity. I remember when you [Booth] and I had the call about Brian, she was so adamant that she wanted to bring in Brian Rosen three years ago, and it definitely has paid off for us. As Booth said, Brian has the breadth of experience at various levels that will help him be successful as our next head women's volleyball coach. He's been a winner for over 20 years. Before coming to Creighton, Rosen served as the head coach at Division II Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he compiled a 47-and-17 record. Rosen's 2021 squad won its first 13 matches and finished 25-and-6 while reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. He's been a very integral part of our success over the last three years. For the last three years, Creighton has combined a record of 88-and-13. The 88 victories is third in the country, only trailing Pittsburgh and Nebraska. He has experience with USA Volleyball and he's an excellent recruiter and in-game tactical coach, as mentioned by Coach Booth. We believe in Brian. He has the experience, determination and drive to continue the trajectory of our program. He's also confident enough in him, his staff and our student-athletes, and future student-athletes as well, to believe he can even elevate us. He's a confident coach and we believe he's going to take us to the next level. Please welcome, Brian Rosen."

(applause)

New Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Brian Rosen: "Thank you. I think, because of Coach Booth, this is the best volleyball job in the country and I truly believe. I want to thank Father Hendrickson and Marcus Blossom for giving me this opportunity. I'd like to thank my family, who's here. They are– I'm not even going to look at them– they're my rock, my support system."

(Points to Booth)

"As she mentioned, just being a spouse in the family of a coach is so hard, but they are the biggest Bluejay fans. They're at every game, Angelica will make coloring books for the players, Brady, my little one here, knows every number, every name. That's how she practices her numbers at home, and Bryce here flew all the way to Penn State to be there with us, and I just know having them there made that loss just a little bit better. And I know that Brady's hugs afterwards were a big deal for our players as well. I want to thank our student-athletes for being here. I know yesterday was hard. I mean the news, for me, was like a truck hitting us, to hear the news of Coach Booth and so to be here to support her and to support me, is something I really appreciate. I mean this is a bittersweet day. I have loved every second of coaching alongside Coach Booth here, and I wish there was a way that I could be the head coach here and keep her. I have offered her the assistant position multiple times. She continues to turn me down but I'm going to keep trying.

"She is simply incredible, and it's weird to think about how I got to this point. Three and a half years ago, I got a text message from this legend coach who I had never met before in my life, asking if I wanted to give up being a head coach and come to Creighton. At that point, I had never left the southeast before. I was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and there was just no chance we talked to my wife. There was no chance we were ever going to move to the Midwest. But turning down a phone call from Coach Booth is not a smart decision professionally. So I said, Of course, I'd love to talk. And so I went in the office, and an hour later, learning about her goals, her vision for the program, her philosophies, how she puts family first, I left that conversation. I walked into the family room and I told my wife I really want that job. And then we went looking at houses. We bought coats on Amazon, and a few days later, we took off on a flight and left 80 degree Fort Lauderdale, and when we landed, it was negative 19 degrees, to which she told us over and over again, it is never like this here.

The next day on campus, it was pretty easy to see like what makes Creighton so special, and it's the people the community here is truly unlike any other, I got to meet people like Lisa Chipps, and Jim Flanery, and these people that had been here forever Rob Anderson, and so all of these people who had been here so long and to hear their stories about what Creighton meant to them, meant everything to me and you know, yesterday I got a lot of congrats text and things like that, but my favorite texts yesterday were from coaches and staff members here making sure I'm still going to be at Crockpot Monday and I am still going to be the Commissioner of our Noon Ball League, and those were probably my favorite texts yesterday.
And so she offered me the position in her office, I committed without even leaving and I haven't regretted it for a second. This has been the best three years of my professional career and I've just enjoyed every single second here as a Creighton Bluejay, with her, with the staff, with this program. I tell recruits and high school coaches and recruiting coordinators, that this place is a unicorn, and there truly is no place like it and that's the way I feel.

"I think Coach Booth has built a program here that is truly unlike anywhere else as well. She is caring, about anyone who is in this program and about anyone that she meets. She is honest, she is giving, she is meticulous about the type of student-athlete that we bring into this program regardless of how good they are at volleyball. They have to be someone who builds our culture. That was something that was really impressive to me. She creates an atmosphere in our gym that is competitive, but never scary, encourages risk, and doesn't get upset if the ball flies 40 feet out of bounds because you were going for some kind of new shot, and that is something that I think that is also really special about her. The gym is always a place of joy, but also focused. She is honest in her conversations with athletes, with coaches, but it never comes off hurtful. I think that is a really special thing and as Marcus said, she treats every single opponent like we are playing the US Olympic team and makes sure that everyone on the team feels the same way. As I told the team last night I am not Coach Booth, but I can promise them that those core values and more are what our staff and I will continue to bring to this team everyday. I think what is special about Coach Booth as well is that she doesn't just give to our team, she gives to the game of volleyball and I know she will continue to do that in her new role. I can't tell you how many phone calls she takes from young coaches, especially female coaches to help them grow in the game or learn how to be a mom and a coach and for me to teach me how to be a better dad and a coach, and prioritize family. So that has been a really big thing here. She takes podcast after podcast after podcast really trying to grow the game of volleyball. I think what is special is that there is never any selfish intent to it. It is about growing the game of volleyball and creating opportunities for young girls, young women, and the women in our program. I just think that is really special. I feel like I have worked with the best coach in the country for the last three years and I am more excited to call her my friend.

"I think what is really special about that phone call three and a half years ago was that at that point as you all know, Creighton is really good, they have always been really good, or always been really good since she has gotten here at least, and she wasn't satisfied. That was a big part of why I wanted to be here on that phone call. She said yeah we have been really good but I want to take this program to the Final Four, and I want people that are driven that want to get to the Final Four as well. That was a huge thing for me. That is what made that Penn State loss hurt just a little bit more and the fact that we are not going to do this together hurts a little more but like I told the team yesterday, we are going to freaking do it, and we are going to get there and I know she is going to cheer us on every step of the way.

"We are going to continue to recruit high quality student-athletes. We are going to protect this culture at all costs. We are going to train relentlessly in the gym and I feel like we have the best trainers over here in Angie and Adam to continue that going. We are going to give our incredible Bluejay nation a program that they can be proud to call theirs and we want to continue to work with our support that we have the best professors, and the best support staff in Lisa and her crew. We want to continue to make sure that every athlete that comes into our program can pursue anything they dream of. That has been a big mission of Coach Booth. Whatever you come in here wanting to do, whether it be a nurse, a doctor, a mom, or a teacher, that you have everything in place to be able to do those things. That is something that we want to continue. I am so proud to be able to call Creighton home also thankful for this opportunity, and I hope to see all of you guys in Sokol this fall. Go Jays."

(applause)

Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: "At this time we will take questions for the media. If you have a question please raise your hand. We will start with Jon Walker."

Jon Walker (Omaha World-Herald): "Booth, could you just walk us through what led you to this decision, and the last however long that has looked like for you, whatever the time frame might be."

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "Yeah, you know I have chewed on, I hit 50 this year, and it was one of those moments of 'do I continue to do this for the rest of my career?' Which was a great option or 'do I consider some different challenges?' I always thought I would be an athletic administrator, so that sort of stuff has always intrigued me. And then LOVB, a couple of the pro teams have reached out to me since they started so that has been an opportunity that has been kind of sitting there, and then the conversations got serious and the vision of what they were looking for, even though it is very fluid on what I am going to be doing, but I started to think maybe I can get into a different role from an administrative standpoint and that intrigued me so it has been on the table for the last couple months of thinking through things. And these guys have been in the know on that, I talked to my staff about it. Brian has been pursued by several high-level and offered high-level jobs and some of that came to head a little bit of me saying let's do this and you stay here and take this thing.

"It was not an easy decision, my husband knows. I have had a lot of sleepless nights but I considered Creighton, and I didn't know it at the time, but it was a start-up in 2003. And this is a startup, and hopefully I can be part of doing something else that challenges me. And, you know, helping a sport that's given a lot to me and helping it into the future."

Ana Bellinghausen (Hurrdat Sports): "First off Booth, just want to say congratulations and thank you for everything at Creighton, but what will you leave most proud of from this program?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "For sure, the women.

(pauses for breath)

"Mic drop there."

Andy Kendeigh (KETV): "Coach Booth, congratulations. Let me ask you, when did you finally make the decision to move forward? How did you communicate your vision and how did this all come together? What's the timeline on that?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "What, was it about two weeks ago? Yeah, I had a conversation with Brian, and then we had a conversation with Marcus of whether this was a possibility. And it wasn't 100% sure on my end, but it looked that way, and so kind of finalized some things on the LOVB side. So it's been, you know, a couple weeks I would say. We told the team last night. So that was extremely difficult."

Andy Kendeigh (KETV): "Did they know?:

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "I don't think so. They faked it well, if not."

Adam Krueger (KMTV): "Coach, you mentioned your family. How happy are you gonna go see your family a lot more, see the daughters grow up and play a lot more. And how much has it been tearing at your heart that you haven't gotten to watch them a ton of maybe as much as you'd like?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "Yeah, I mean, the pro season is in the spring, and my daughter's passion, ironically, is volleyball. So there's definitely some family things that are positives, for sure. So I'll be primarily working remotely, so I'll be at home, and, you know, I have a freshman at Northern Iowa, so I'll get to watch her play, and it's high school season for my daughter. So those things definitely were a factor in considering this move, and, you know, it's interesting that the girls really didn't care. I think I cared a lot more. They're kind of used to it, but I'm excited for that opportunity to see them."

Andy Kendeigh (KETV): "For both coaches. You know, we've seen coaches in other sports walk away, high profile coaches, especially in basketball, comes to mind because of the changing landscape of collegiate sports. Did that play a factor for you? And then moving forward, Brian and maybe Marcus can touch on it. How well positioned is volleyball in this changing landscape. You know, ironically, today is a big day in college athletics, so we think right."

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "Right? Not really, it is a changing landscape. I spend a lot of my time fundraising right now. And I like fundraising. I like meeting with people, so I can't say that played a big part. I'm not running away from something. I have loved it here, and I told the staff last night, like I love that. It's a really cohesive group. Brian is going to continue that, and I think Creighton is positioned extremely well to be competitive, very competitive nationally. So, I think Brian is the person to take us to new heights, and I think he's going to be able to do that."

New Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Brian Rosen: "Yeah, I'll just echo that. First of all, she's an elite level coach. She's also an elite level relationship builder, and she has done an incredible job with donors and fans and support people in this area to make sure that Creighton Volleyball is set up for success not just now, but in the future, and she's left our program in a great place. I think that we are positioned to be a top 10 program in the country this year and beyond."

Creighton Athletic Director Marcus Blossom: "I'd agree with that. Brian and I have had conversations and he wouldn't have took this job if he felt like we weren't in a position to continue the trajectory we were on and even elevate us, just like both of them said. We plan to compete for Final Fours and potentially national championships if we can get that far."

Ally Seevers (Creightonian): "Hi for Kirsten. What does it mean for you to be able to pursue this new opportunity and grow professional volleyball while still being in the same city as Creighton, and still be able to cheer on this team all its way?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "I remember being so scared when I took the Creighton job. And I think I don't know if scared is the word, but I think anytime you take a new challenge, there's nervousness and you know, is it going to be the right choice? But I've always told my alums, as they've navigated jobs like, if there's not some fear involved, it's probably not challenging you enough. But I think if we can't do it in Omaha, where can we do it right? This is a volleyball Mecca in the state of Nebraska, so I'm excited for the challenge. And definitely being in Omaha staying in Omaha was a big factor for our family. This is where we want to be and, and staying tied to the program, and supporting and helping any way I can."

Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: "We got time for about three more questions."

Matt DeMarinis (White & Blue Review): "Kirsten, you always hate reflecting, but you have no choice now, considering that last December was the end, what does it mean to you that it was that type of a season and that type of a ride with that type of a group?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "There's no doubt last season was a special season, and we obviously had a lot of on-court success, but there's no doubt that's a part of it, but the special part of that season was that we all loved each other. We went to the gym every day. The staff talked about how we weren't putting out fires. We were just taking a team along for a journey, because they're such wonderful young women. I think we've been fortunate to have a lot of journeys like that. So, you know, I've had a lot of alums reach out in the last 12 hours, obviously. And, that's my why, and that's why I feel so good about the future, is that I think that's Brian's why I know that's Angie's why, I know that's Adam's why, I know that these people believe in building these women as women, in addition to volleyball players, and I think we can't lose that in college athletics as we start paying players to play. I still hope we don't lose sight because they are in such an important time of their life, to build them as women, because, most of them, even if pro volleyball goes, are going to be going into the world. And we need to create good human beings that are ready to take on the world and I feel a lot of pride that I think we've done that and, and the fact that I know that is going to continue into the future."

Adam Krueger (Channel 3 KMTV): "Kirsten, you've talked a lot about how you've changed since you first arrived at Creighton. Where do you feel like you've grown most from day one at Creighton till now, whether it be coaching X's and O's, or more so how to lead young women?"

Former Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth: "Gosh, all the above. I mean, ask Angie. I didn't know the game, so I guess I learned the game. The biggest thing that I tell young coaches is learning how to communicate. I think when I was younger, you avoid conversations, you don't want to have hard conversations. And what I've learned is that a conversation doesn't need to be hard. If you have it early, if you have it honestly, if you come from a place of love. Sometimes you're telling a player that they're not going to be starting. And that was still hard for me to have that conversation to this day, but I know it's much better to have the conversation than to show up and just say so and so starting and that kid not knowing why. And so I always tell young coaches, and I know the players are probably sitting there saying, 'You didn't communicate this to me.' You know, like I always find out at postseason season meetings, I didn't communicate enough, but being able to communicate the hard I think, is maybe the biggest thing that I've gotten better at. And I just think it's so important for good leadership to be able to have candid, honest, hard conversations, but from a place of love, and so hopefully they don't come off as tough, it just comes off as honest."

Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: "Any last question?"

Matt DeMarinis (White & Blue Review): "For Brian, you remember when you first got here? Do you remember when it felt like you were gonna have a hard time leaving?"

New Creighton Volleyball Head Coach Brian Rosen: "I think right away when Angelica, my wife, said we're not moving. We wanted our family to be here. Our kids love it here. We've grown so much closer here. As the DII head coach at Nova Southeastern University, I was having to do extra jobs and all sorts of things just to be able to survive. And I feel like I gave up so much time with my family because of that. And coming here and working with her and being able to prioritize my family here has been incredible. And as I went to other places to even consider looking, you know, I always came back to here. I continued to text Marcus after I turned down opportunities. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to be. Over and over again, there is just something so special about this university, from the fans, to the people, to the athletes. I've been so fortunate to coach at great universities, whether Davidson or Nova Southeastern, smaller universities with people who care. This place is a unicorn, because they don't just care about the people within the program. They care about the athletes and the sport. And there's nowhere on earth that cares about volleyball as much as Creighton University. And as a volleyball coach, where else would you want to be? And so it was pretty early on that I knew that this place was going to be special. I only met one athlete on my visit, and that was Kiara Reinhardt back there. She was in the PARC, and we accidentally ran into her, and she got up to shake my hand, and that's when I realized the type of athlete we get to recruit here. So that was pretty exciting too. I was recruiting 5 '11" middles who were springy and could hit really hard. And so to see 'Oh all right we get to recruit this here, this is pretty exciting. So, it's made my job as a recruiter pretty easy."

Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson: "We want to thank everyone for coming. We'll have Angelica and the family come up for a quick photo and then we'll do some 1-on-1's for those that need it. Thank you."

Players Mentioned

Kiara Reinhardt

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