Martin/Reinhardt/Johnson Honored As Volleyball is Unanimous Pick To Win BIG EAST
8/21/2025 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Ava Martin named Preseason Player of the Year
OMAHA, Neb. -- Ava Martin was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year as 11-time defending league champion Creighton Volleyball was unanimously picked to make it 12 in a row in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches announced on Thursday. Senior Kiara Reinhardt joined Martin as a unanimous pick on the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad, while sophomore Jaya Johnson also was named to the team.
This is the fifth time since joining the BIG EAST that Creighton has been a unanimous favorite, having also lived up to the preseason billing in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2024 while going a combined 69-3 in league action in those previous four seasons.
This year marks the 13th straight campaign that multiple Creighton players were recognized on the Preseason All-Conference team, and 10th time in the last 11 years with three or more selections. This is the third straight season that Martin has been a preseason All-BIG EAST choice, but first such honor for Reinhardt and Johnson.
The Bluejays own 11 BIG EAST regular-season titles, 10 conference tournament titles and a 196-13 overall record against league foes since the start of the 2014 campaign. Marquette, picked second this fall, is 159-42 in that same span, while no other league team has more than 115 wins against BIG EAST competition in the past 11Â seasons.
Martin averaged 3.66 kills per set last season while hitting .312 and also led the BIG EAST with 56 service aces. This year marks the fourth straight season that Creighton has featured the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, as Norah Sis was recognized each of the previous three campaigns.
A sixth-year senior, Reinhardt was also a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice after she hit .296 and paced the BIG EAST and ranked 10th nationally with 1.47 blocks per set. Reinhardt and Martin comprise two of the league's four unanimous selections.
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Johnson was selected as a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice after a debut season that saw the right-side hitter average 1.69 kills per set on .322 hitting. She is Creighton's first right-side hitter this century to be named preseason all-conference.
Creighton picked up the maximum number of votes with 100 points and first place votes from the other 10 schools, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes. Marquette got the other first place vote and were selected second with 85 points. Connecticut (80), St. John's (79) and Villanova (63) rounded out the top half of the poll. The bottom-half of the league prognostications featured sixth place DePaul (53), followed by Xavier (47), Seton Hall (31), Butler (29), Georgetown (27) and Providence (11).
The Bluejays return three starters and 11 letterwinners from a team that finished last year 32-3, won an unprecedented 11th straight regular-season BIG EAST title, and closed the season ranked No. 6 in the country after making its first Elite Eight trip since 2016. This year's club was ranked 12th nationally in the Preseason AVCA Coaches Poll that was announced earlier this month.
Creighton's preseason prognosis marks the 22nd straight season of a top-five prediction in its league, after nine such accolades from the Missouri Valley Conference from 2004-12 before joining the BIG EAST in 2013. In the previous 31 seasons (19 in the MVC, 12 in the BIG EAST), Creighton has improved its preseason ranking 13 times, been ranked correctly 13 times, and dropped from preseason expectations just five times. Notably, 20 of Creighton's last 22 teams have met or exceeded preseason poll predictions, and the two that didn't dropped just a single slot.
No. 12 Creighton opens the regular-season on Saturday against No. 2 Penn State at 4 p.m. on FS1 in a rematch of an epic Elite Eight match last December. CU's regular-season home opener is Sept. 12 vs. No. 4 Louisville.
BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' PollÂ
(first-place votes)
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year:Â Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
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Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
McKenna Brand, So., L/DS, UConn
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn
Jaya Johnson, So., RS/MB, Creighton
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Natalie Ring, Jr., OH, Marquette
Erin Jones, Sr., S/RS, St. John's*
Lucrezia Lodi, Sr., OH, St. John's
Rashanny Solano-Smith, Jr., L/DS, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-So., MB, Xavier
^Denotes tie in voting
*Denotes unanimous selection
Creighton in the Preseason Conference Poll
Year   Preseason Pick   Finish   Move
1994   11th   9th   up 2
1995   9th   7th   up 2
1996   9th   6th   up 3
1997   8th   3rd   up 5
1998   6th   8th   down 2
1999   T-7th   5th   up 2
2000   4th   T-4th   - -
2001   2nd   4th   down 2
2002   7th   9th   down 2
2003   9th   T-5th   up 4
2004   5th   5th   - -
2005   5th   5th   - -
2006   4th   4th   - -
2007   3rd   T-2nd   up 1
2008   3rd   2nd   up 1
2009   4th   T-4th   --
2010   4th   3rd   up 1
2011   3rd   4th   down 1
2012   4th   1st   up 3
2013   1st   2nd   down 1
2014   1st   1st   --
2015   1st   1st   --
2016   1st   1st   --
2017   1st   1st   --
2018   2nd   1st   up 1
2019   2nd   1st   up 1
2020Â Â Â 1st (Midwest)Â Â Â 1st (Midwest)Â Â Â --
2021   1st   T-1st   --
2022   1st   T-1st   --
2023   2nd   T-1st   up 1
2024   1st  1st   --
2025  1st   TBD
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This is the fifth time since joining the BIG EAST that Creighton has been a unanimous favorite, having also lived up to the preseason billing in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2024 while going a combined 69-3 in league action in those previous four seasons.
This year marks the 13th straight campaign that multiple Creighton players were recognized on the Preseason All-Conference team, and 10th time in the last 11 years with three or more selections. This is the third straight season that Martin has been a preseason All-BIG EAST choice, but first such honor for Reinhardt and Johnson.
The Bluejays own 11 BIG EAST regular-season titles, 10 conference tournament titles and a 196-13 overall record against league foes since the start of the 2014 campaign. Marquette, picked second this fall, is 159-42 in that same span, while no other league team has more than 115 wins against BIG EAST competition in the past 11Â seasons.
Martin averaged 3.66 kills per set last season while hitting .312 and also led the BIG EAST with 56 service aces. This year marks the fourth straight season that Creighton has featured the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, as Norah Sis was recognized each of the previous three campaigns.
A sixth-year senior, Reinhardt was also a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice after she hit .296 and paced the BIG EAST and ranked 10th nationally with 1.47 blocks per set. Reinhardt and Martin comprise two of the league's four unanimous selections.
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Johnson was selected as a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice after a debut season that saw the right-side hitter average 1.69 kills per set on .322 hitting. She is Creighton's first right-side hitter this century to be named preseason all-conference.
Creighton picked up the maximum number of votes with 100 points and first place votes from the other 10 schools, as coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes. Marquette got the other first place vote and were selected second with 85 points. Connecticut (80), St. John's (79) and Villanova (63) rounded out the top half of the poll. The bottom-half of the league prognostications featured sixth place DePaul (53), followed by Xavier (47), Seton Hall (31), Butler (29), Georgetown (27) and Providence (11).
The Bluejays return three starters and 11 letterwinners from a team that finished last year 32-3, won an unprecedented 11th straight regular-season BIG EAST title, and closed the season ranked No. 6 in the country after making its first Elite Eight trip since 2016. This year's club was ranked 12th nationally in the Preseason AVCA Coaches Poll that was announced earlier this month.
Creighton's preseason prognosis marks the 22nd straight season of a top-five prediction in its league, after nine such accolades from the Missouri Valley Conference from 2004-12 before joining the BIG EAST in 2013. In the previous 31 seasons (19 in the MVC, 12 in the BIG EAST), Creighton has improved its preseason ranking 13 times, been ranked correctly 13 times, and dropped from preseason expectations just five times. Notably, 20 of Creighton's last 22 teams have met or exceeded preseason poll predictions, and the two that didn't dropped just a single slot.
No. 12 Creighton opens the regular-season on Saturday against No. 2 Penn State at 4 p.m. on FS1 in a rematch of an epic Elite Eight match last December. CU's regular-season home opener is Sept. 12 vs. No. 4 Louisville.
BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' PollÂ
(first-place votes)
- Creighton (10) 100
- Marquette (1) 85
- UConn 80
- St. John's 79
- Villanova 63
- DePaul 53
- Xavier 47
- Seton Hall 31
- Butler 29
- Georgetown 27
- Providence 11
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year:Â Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
Â
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
McKenna Brand, So., L/DS, UConn
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn
Jaya Johnson, So., RS/MB, Creighton
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Natalie Ring, Jr., OH, Marquette
Erin Jones, Sr., S/RS, St. John's*
Lucrezia Lodi, Sr., OH, St. John's
Rashanny Solano-Smith, Jr., L/DS, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-So., MB, Xavier
^Denotes tie in voting
*Denotes unanimous selection
Creighton in the Preseason Conference Poll
Year   Preseason Pick   Finish   Move
1994   11th   9th   up 2
1995   9th   7th   up 2
1996   9th   6th   up 3
1997   8th   3rd   up 5
1998   6th   8th   down 2
1999   T-7th   5th   up 2
2000   4th   T-4th   - -
2001   2nd   4th   down 2
2002   7th   9th   down 2
2003   9th   T-5th   up 4
2004   5th   5th   - -
2005   5th   5th   - -
2006   4th   4th   - -
2007   3rd   T-2nd   up 1
2008   3rd   2nd   up 1
2009   4th   T-4th   --
2010   4th   3rd   up 1
2011   3rd   4th   down 1
2012   4th   1st   up 3
2013   1st   2nd   down 1
2014   1st   1st   --
2015   1st   1st   --
2016   1st   1st   --
2017   1st   1st   --
2018   2nd   1st   up 1
2019   2nd   1st   up 1
2020Â Â Â 1st (Midwest)Â Â Â 1st (Midwest)Â Â Â --
2021   1st   T-1st   --
2022   1st   T-1st   --
2023   2nd   T-1st   up 1
2024   1st  1st   --
2025  1st   TBD
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Players Mentioned
RS/MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
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