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 11 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.
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' Poll
(first-place votes)
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
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
2020 1st (Midwest) 1st (Midwest) --
2021 1st T-1st --
2022 1st T-1st --
2023 2nd T-1st up 1
2024 1st 1st --
2025 1st TBD
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 11 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.
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' Poll
(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: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
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
2020 1st (Midwest) 1st (Midwest) --
2021 1st T-1st --
2022 1st T-1st --
2023 2nd T-1st up 1
2024 1st 1st --
2025 1st TBD
Players Mentioned
RS/MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
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