Friday, September 5
Los Angeles, Calif.
6:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
San Diego
#13 Volleyball Heads West For Trojan Invitational
9/3/2025 3:25:00 PM | Volleyball
Jays to face three unbeaten foes
Trojan Invitational
Match #4: #13 Creighton vs. San Diego • Los Angeles, Calif. • Friday, Sept. 5 • 6 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | USD NOTES |
Match #5: #13 Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara • Los Angeles, Calif. • Saturday, Sept. 6 • 6 p.m. CST
| LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UCSB NOTES |
Match #6: #13 Creighton at #22 USC • Los Angeles, Calif. • Sunday, Sept. 7 • 3 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | USC NOTES |
This Weekend
No. 13 Creighton Volleyball heads on the road for a third straight weekend when it heads to the west coast for the Trojan Invitational.
Creighton (1-2) opens the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. Central when it takes on San Diego (2-0).
Play continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. Central when CU meets UC Santa Barbara (2-0).
The tournament concludes on Sunday at 3 p.m. Central with a match against the tournament host, No. 22 ranked USC (2-0).
Galen Center (10,258) in Los Angeles, Calif., will host the action.
Broadcast Information
Friday's match against San Diego will be streamed on B1G+, with streaming available at http://bigtenplus.com with a subscription purchase.
Saturday's match will not be broadcast at all.
Sunday's match will be televised by BTN, with Paul Sunderland and Holly McPeak on the call. Sunday's contest will also be video webcast at http://foxsports.com/live/btn, though cable authorization may be required.
Live Stats Information
All three CU matches will have live stats available at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #13 Creighton
Creighton is 1-2 on the season and ranked 13th nationally after a challenging schedule that has featured No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Texas and No. 14 Kansas.
The Bluejays, who return three starters from last year's team that went 32-3 and reached the Elite Eight, are still adjusting to the loss of All-Americans Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger as well as the departure of head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Reigning AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Rosen was promoted to head coach after three seasons assisting Booth, and he's relied on senior starters Ava Martin (3.91 kps., 0.36 saps) and Kiara Reinhardt (2.09 kps., 0.82 bps., .346%) to lead a talented group.
Three transfers who have made an immediate impact are setter Annalea Maeder (10.00 aps.), middle blocker Eloise Brandewie (1.73 kps., 1.64 bps.) and libero Saige Damrow (4.45 dps.).
CU averages 12.64 kills, 1.27 aces, 15.27 digs and 2.82 blocks per set while hitting .165.
Scouting San Diego
San Diego is among those receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll after a 3-0 start that included wins over Utah State (3-2), Marquette (3-2) and Hawaii (3-0).
Nemo Beach (4.54 kps ..341%) and Isabel Clark (3.38 kps.) accounted for 68.2 percent of USD's kills and 63.6 percent of the Toreros' attacks last weekend and carry the offense, which is set by 2024 West Coast Conference Co-Setter of the Year Kylie Munday (9.08 aps., 3.38 dps.).
BayLea Sparks (1.33 bps.) and Maya Kitna (1.23 bps.) are a formidable blocking tandem up front, and Olivia Bennett (3.77 dps.) patrols the back row.
As a team, San Diego averages 11.62 kills, 14.23 digs, 2.54 blocks and 1.85 aces per set while hitting .275 as a team. The Toreros were picked to win the WCC, with Beach, Clark, Munday, Kali Engeman (1.69 kps., .475%) and Kennedy Osunsanmi named Preseason All-WCC.
Series History vs. San Diego
Creighton and San Diego have never faced off, nor have Brian Rosen and Jennifer Petrie.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is 2-0 this season, winning at San Jose State both Friday (3-1) and Saturday (3-0) to open the 2025 campaign.
Reigning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year Eva Travis (5.57 kps., .420%) dominated the Spartans last week, with Kiersten Schmitt (2.57 kps.) and Ema Petkovic (2.00 kps., .407%) also averaging multiple kills per set.
Milan Rex (6.00 aps.) and Ayva Ostovar (5.43 aps.) share setting duties, while Cortni Youngblood tops the team in digs (4.14) and aces (0.57) per set.
UC Santa Barbara averages 15.14 kills, 13.29 digs, 2.57 blocks and 1.43 aces per set while hitting a robust .350 as a team. The Gauchos were picked fourth in the preseason Big West poll after going 14-16 a year ago and tying for sixth in the league.
Series History vs. UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara swept Creighton on Sept. 9, 2001, in the only previous meeting between the schools. That match took place at the Santa Clara Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif.
Creighton setter Ivy Leuck is the only current Bluejay to have met the Gauchos, doing so last year with Omaha and finishing with 42 assists and six digs.
Brian Rosen and Matt Jones have never faced off against each other.
Scouting #22 USC
USC is ranked No. 22 in the nation after defeating Denver (3-0) and Loyola Marymount (3-1) last weekend.
Five women are averaging multiple kills per set, a group led by Abigail Mullen (4.50 kps., .444%) and Leah Ford (2.75 kps., .625%, 2.50 bps.).
Reese Messer (11.00 aps., 1.29 kps., .533%) and Mia Tvrdy (2.25 kps., 1.75 bps.) also have been impressive thus far.
USC averages 14.14 kills, 11.86 digs, 3.43 blocks and 1.57 aces per set while hitting .323. The Women of Troy were picked sixth in the preseason Big Ten poll, with Adonia Faumuina (2.00 kps., .304%) named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.
Series History vs. USC
USC leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 6-4 count, but the Bluejays have won the past four meetings. All 10 previous meetings have come in the last 11 years.
The teams have not met in Los Angeles since 2018, when No. 10 USC topped No. 13 Creighton in five sets. That was also the last time that USC defeated CU.
Brian Rosen is 0-0 all-time against the Women of Troy, and 0-0 against Brad Keller. Keller is 0-3 against Creighton.
Creighton Coaches
Brian Rosen was named the fourth head coach in modern Creighton Volleyball history on April 6, 2025, as he was promoted following the departure of 22-year head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. He is 1-2 as Creighton head coach, defeating No. 14 Kansas on Aug. 31 for his first win on the Bluejay sideline.
Named the 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rosen served as a Creighton assistant from 2022-24, during which time CU went 88-13, swept the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament tiles each fall, and defeated 10 Top 25 opponents.
The 2008 South Carolina grad went 45-17 as head coach at Division II Nova Southeastern from 2019-21, though the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 without playing a match.
Rosen is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Adam Kessenich and Izzy Ashburn.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 32-3 last season and were ranked sixth in the year-end AVCA poll, with both milestones being program-bests. All three of CU's losses came against eventual Final Four teams, and each were on the road and in five sets.
CU swept South Dakota and Ole Miss at home in the NCAA Tournament to finish 19-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena and reach the Sweet 16, where it then knocked off two-time defending national champion Texas to earn an Elite Eight date with eventual national champ Penn State.
Kendra Wait repeated as BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year, while becoming the first athlete in CU history to be named both First Team All-American on the court/field and First Team Academic All-American in the same season. Norah Sis picked up her third AVCA All-America accolade and Ava Martin her second, while transfers Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger were also recognized as CU led the country with five All-Americans.
The Jays went 20-0 against BIG EAST foes, dropping just three sets, en route to their 11th consecutive regular-season league title.
In her final season on The Hilltop, Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named AVCA West Region Coach of the Year and led the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, which also included 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Rosen.
With A Win...
With a win on Friday...
- Creighton would even its record to 2-2 on the young season.
- Creighton would win its fourth match of the season for the ninth straight year.
- Creighton would improve to 1-0 all-time against San Diego.
- Creighton would win its 45th straight match against an unranked team.
- Creighton would win its 37th straight non-televised match.
High FIve
Brian Rosen is Creighton's first volleyball coach since the program's 1994 reinstatement to pick up his first victory in a five set match, as Ben Guiliano, Howard Wallace and Kirsten Bernthal Booth's first wins all came in 3-0 sweeps.
Record in 5-Set Matches
Coach Years Set 5 W-L
Ben Guiliano 1994-1996 2-10
Howard Wallace 1997-2002 13-18
Kirsten Bernthal Booth 2003-2024 70-42
Brian Rosen 2025-Pres. 1-0
La La Land
Creighton is making its first trip to Los Angeles since 2018, when it opened the season with a 3-2 win vs. No. 5 Kentucky, were swept by UNI and lost a 3-2 match to No. 10 USC. Creighton also went 1-2 in a trip to USC in 2016.
Creighton's best trip to the Golden State was a 3-0 record at the SDSU Invitational in 2005, where the Bluejays swept UC Riverside, Liberty and San Diego State over a two-day span.
All-time, Creighton is 5-18 in matches played in the state of California.
Twice For Breissinger
Junior defensive specialist Sydney Breissinger helped Creighton erase a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set on Sunday vs. Kansas, serving up a 9-0 run that helped the Bluejays take the lead for good.
Breissinger's heroics were eerily similar to the 9-0 serving run she had in the fifth set on Sept. 16, 2023 in a win over No. 9 Minnesota. That win over the Gophers had been CU's last previous five-set win.
Since enrolling at Creighton in 2023, Breissinger owns 32 service runs of five or longer, six more than the next-closest Bluejay (Norah Sis, who graduated in 2024). Next-most among her active teammates is the 19 by Ava Martin.
Brandewie Wins BIG EAST Honor
Eloise Brandewie was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.64 blocks per set in three matches against Top 15 teams last week. Brandewie shared the honor with Xavier's Margo Kemp.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Brandewie averaged 1.64 blocks per set, 1.73 kills per set and 0.64 digs per set on .245 hitting as Creighton opened the season against one of the nation's most challenging schedules.
The Ohio State transfer hit a team-leading .455 in her Bluejay debut with five kills in 11 swings against defending national champion Penn State, adding a pair of blocks and a dig. Brandewie led CU with seven blocks and added five kills against No. 5 Texas before finishing with nine kills and a career-high nine blocks in an Aug. 31 win vs. No. 14 Kansas.
Getting Terminal
Junior Destiny Ndam-Simpson finished Sunday's win over Kansas with kills on Creighton's final two points, giving her 13 overall on the night. It tied Ndam-Simpson's second-most kills in a match in her career, trailing only the 16 kills she had vs. DePaul on Oct. 7, 2023.
Likewise, Kiara Reinhardt had 11 kills against Kansas. It was the most kills in a match by the sixth-year Bluejay since she had 11 kills exactly one year before Ndam-Simpson's memorable night on Oct. 7, 2022 at Connecticut.
Reinhardt Eyes Century Mark
Kiara Reinhardt has played in 97 victories as a Bluejay and can become the 13th woman to reach the century mark with three victories this weekend.
Creighton is 97-19 (.836) all-time in the matches Reinhardt has appeared in (they're 35-4 in matches she doesn't play in, including her redshirt year). Her current .836 win percentage would rank fourth-best in program history among those with 100 or more victories.
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
119 Kendra Wait 2021-24
116 Naomi Hickman 2017-21
111 Jaali Winters 2015-18
110 Kiana Schmitt 2019-23
109 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
109 Brittany Witt 2016-19
109 Norah Sis 2021-24
107 Megan Ballenger 2016-19
106 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
104 Lauren Smith 2013-16
102 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
98 Jaela Zimmerman 2018-22
97 Kiara Reinhardt 2020-Pres.
Best Win Pct. in Matches Appeared In As A Player (min. 100 wins)
W-L Pct. Name Years
109-14 .886 Norah Sis 2021-24
119-16 .881 Kendra Wait 2021-24
110-16 .873 Kiana Schmitt 2019-23
109-24 .820 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
116-26 .817 Naomi Hickman 2017-21
109-25 .813 Brittany Witt 2016-19
107-25 .811 Megan Ballenger 2016-19
111-28 .799 Jaali Winters 2015-18
106-32 .768 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
102-31 .767 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101-31 .765 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
104-34 .754 Lauren Smith 2013-16
Watch This!
Each of Creighton's first three matches this fall have aired on national television (one on FS1, two on BTN), while Friday's battle with San Diego will not be televised.
Creighton has won 36 straight non-televised matches, going 23-0 last year and winning its final 13 contests in 2023 since an Oct. 6 loss at Marquette.
Even rarer, Saturday's match vs. UC Santa Barbara won't be televised or video webcast, snapping a streak of 95 straight matches that have been broadcast which dates back to a Sept. 17, 2022 four-set win vs. Kansas State at the Rice adidas Invitational. Creighton is 81-13 heading into Friday in those broadcast matches.
Sunday's tournament finale vs. No. 22 USC will be televised by BTN.
Damrow Digs It
Saige Damrow's 15 digs vs. Penn State were tied for the fifth-most in Creighton history in a debut, and the most since Brittany Witt (21) and Lydia Dimke (20) in 2016.
Damrow's 15 digs tied Nayka Benitez (in 2009) for the most digs in a CU debut that was a three-set match.
Damrow has joined Witt and Bianca Rivera as the third player in program history to debut with three straight matches of 14 or more digs. Witt had 11 digs in her fourth match, while Rivera had 14+ digs in each of her first 22 matches as a Bluejay in 2022.
Rivera (22 in 2007), Benitez (9 in 2010) and Witt (5 in 2019) are the only Bluejays to start any season with four or more straight matches of 14+ digs, a group that Damrow can join on Friday vs. San Diego.
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 has shared five. Texas has won 11 titles in that time.
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
141 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked 13th in the Sept. 1 edition of the AVCA poll, the 141st time in program history it's been ranked. That's 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
All 141 rankings have occurred since 2012.
The Bluejays are one of 13 schools (along with Baylor, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 64 polls.
Creighton's 64 weeks in a row being ranked ties a program-record first done from Oct. 31, 2016 to March 15, 2021. CU's current streak began on Sept. 6, 2021.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 12th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 7th. It's the 11th time in the past 13 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and fourth year in a row.
The No. 12 slotting tied last year's team for the second-best preseason ranking in program history, trailing only the 2017 team that was ranked ninth.
Over the previous 17 seasons, 315-of-425 teams (74.1 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 14th 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 32-3 5th
2025 12th TBD TBD
Top 10 Wins
Creighton owns 11 Top 10 wins in program history, all of which have taken place in the previous 10 seasons.
All but one of the those Top 10 wins have taken place away from home, including wins over No. 6 Purdue and No. 10 Kansas on back-to-back days last September in Lawrence, Kan.
Creighton owns four top-five wins in program history, and all of those were away from home.
The highest-ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten was No. 3 Washington (8/26/17) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21).
Creighton's Top 10 Wins
Date Opponent Score
09/05/15 vs. #10 Kentucky (at UNI) W 3-1
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 (at USC) W 3-2
10/12/19 at #10 Marquette W 3-2
11/09/19 #9 Marquette W 3-1
09/04/21 at #3 Kentucky W 3-0
09/16/23 at #9 Minnesota W 3-2
09/20/24 vs. #6 Purdue (at Kansas) W 3-1
09/21/24 at #10 Kansas W 3-0
What's Your Number
Between last year's season-ending matches against No. 13 Texas and No. 2 Penn State, plus this year's opening matches vs. No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Texas and No. 14 Kansas it marked the first time ever that CU has played five Top 25 foes in a row.
San Diego is among those also receiving votes (in 33rd place), while Sunday's opponent USC is ranked No. 22.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 232-50 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 26-30 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark is 4-4 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
Since the start of the 2012 season, 45 of Creighton's 79 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 26-30)
Home: 10-9 Away: 8-12 Neutral: 8-9
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 #13 Texas 3-1
12/15/24 #2 Penn State #6 Creighton 2-3
08/23/25 #2 Penn State #12 Creighton 0-3
08/29/25 #5 Texas #12 Creighton 0-3
08/31/25 #12 Creighton #14 Kansas 3-2
09/07/25 #13 Creighton at #22 USC 3 p.m.
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 11 seasons (2015-25).
Creighton is 31-91 all-time against ranked teams, with 30 wins coming under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and one under Brian Rosen.
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.
Last year was the eighth season that CU owned multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022 and 2023, and a record four in 2018, 2019 and 2024.
Put It In Neutral
Creighton went 4-0 on neutral floors last season (including wins over #6 Purdue and #13 Texas), continuing a trend of playing well at neutral sites.
Including a 1-2 start to this season, CU is 21-4 in the last five seasons on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021, a 4-0 record in 2022, a 5-2 record in 2023, a 4-0 record in 2024.
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), Purdue (2024), Texas (2024) and Kansas (2025).
Crowded House
Each of Creighton's first three crowds of the season have been 10,000 fans or more, and they constitute the largest neutral-site crowds to ever see the Bluejays.
CU's opener vs. Penn State drew 10,438 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.
Last weekend in Madison, Creighton played before an announced crowd of 10,072 vs. Texas and 11,678 fans vs. Kansas.
Looking ahead, CU's Sept. 16 home match vs. Nebraska is expected to challenge the NCAA regular-season indoor volleyball-only attendance record of 17,037.
Let's take a closer look:
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.
Largest Away/Neutral Crowds
Att. Site Date CU Result
11,678 vs. #14 Kansas (at Wisc.) 08/31/25 W 3-2
10,072 vs. #5 Texas (at Wisc.) 08/29/25 L 0-3
10,438 vs. #2 Penn State (at Neb.) 08/23/25 L 0-3
8,924 at #5 Nebraska 09/10/24 L 2-3
8,656 at #4 Nebraska 09.06/23 L 1-3
8,627 at #5 Nebraska 09/29/02 L 0-3
8,450 at #2 Nebraska 08/30/19 L 1-3
8,277 vs. Montana St. (at Neb.) 09/16/16 W 3-0
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-19 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters.
From last year's team, Norah Sis, Elise Goetzinger, Kendra Wait, Abbey Milner, Maddy Bilinovic, Audrey Clark, Katie Maser and Emma Ziegler are not back.
All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 294.5 of a possible 700% back (42.1 percent), the smallest amount returning since it headed into Howard Wallace's final season in 2002.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 119 (7.6%) 1,450 (92.4%)
Aces 115 (51.3%) 109 (48.7%)
Digs 598 (35.7%) 1,076 (64.3%)
Points 1,115.5 (50.2%) 1,107.0 (49.8%)
Kills 843 (50.1%) 841 (49.9%)
Matches Started 104 (49.5%) 106 (50.5%)
Blocks 157.5 (50.1%) 157.0 (49.9%)
One Tough Schedule
Of Creighton's 12 non-conference matches, seven are against ranked teams and three others against programs that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Creighton is the only team in the preseason Top 25 with 10 or more non-conference matches against teams getting votes, as Texas and TCU are next-closest with eight each.
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 32 victories last season were fourth-most in the country, trailing only Final Four qualifiers Penn State (35), Pittsburgh (33) and Nebraska (33).
Creighton's three losses last fall were tied for the third-fewest in the nation, one more than Penn State and Pittsburgh's two losses.
When it comes to sets, Creighton's 102 sets won were tied for second-most in the nation (Penn State had 105), while its 15 sets lost were tied for the fewest in the nation (with Pittsburgh).
In its last 51 matches dating to 2023, Creighton is 45-6 and has won 140-of-167 sets. Four of the six match losses came in five sets.
In its 35 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton is 35-0 and has dropped just four sets to league opponents.
Most Matches Won in 2024
Rk. Matches Won Team
1. 35 Penn State
2. 33 Pittsburgh
33 Nebraska
4. 32 Creighton
5. 31 Dayton
Most Sets Won in 2024
Rk. Sets Won Team
1. 105 Penn State
2. 102 Creighton
102 Pittsburgh
102 Nebraska
Fewest Matches Lost in 2024
Rk. Matches Lost Team
1. 2 Pittsburgh
2 Penn State
3. 3 Creighton
3 Dayton
3 Nebraska
3 Arizona State
3 Texas-Arlington
3 South Dakota State
Fewest Sets Lost in 2024
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 15 Creighton
15 Pittsburgh
3. 19 Dayton
4. 20 Nebraska
20 Arizona State
Fewest Sets Lost in 2023
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 22 Creighton
22 Nebraska
22 Dayton
4. 23 Wisconsin
23 Tennessee
23 Western Michigan
No Losers Here
Creighton has been as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
Creighton and Pittsburgh are the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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, 2023 and 2024 seasons are also Creighton and Pittsburgh.
Creighton is also the only school nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-24 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year, when CU only played 16 times).
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.
The Streak At Home
Creighton had its first unbeaten home season in program history in 2023, going a perfect 13-0 in matches and 39-3 in sets.
Last year CU did even better, going 19-0 and losing just two sets at home.
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, where it lost just one set in 12 matches against BIG EAST opponents 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
Wins Team Next Home Match
45 Nebraska Sept. 5 vs. Wright State
35 Pittsburgh Sept. 1 vs. Arizona State
32 Creighton Sept. 12 vs. Louisville
24 Penn State Sept. 5 vs. Kentucky
A Great Start
Ava Martin entered her senior season with 1,109 kills in her career. The 1,109 kills were the fifth-most ever by a Bluejay in their first three seasons.
If Martin can duplicate her 428 kills from last year, she'd finish her career fifth in Bluejay history with 1,537 career putaways.
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 264 417 428 1,109
Kelly Goc 218 345 437 1,000
JoDe Cieloha 271 303 380 954
Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones as the 2025 season heads into September..
Kiara Reinhardt is sixth in program history with 378 career block assists, two behind Megan Bober (380) to move into the top five.
Annalea Maeder owns 2,869 career assists and is 131 shy of 3,000 for her career. All but 110 of her assists came at California.
Ava Martin owns 1,152 career kills. She's 31 shy of Marysa Wilkinson's 1,183 that rank 10th-most in program history.
Survival of the Fittest
Since the move to rally scoring in 2001, Creighton has won 10 matches when surviving a match point and lost four contests when holding a match point of its own.
Surviving Match Points Since 2001
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
09/27/02 Evansville 13-14, 14-15 19-17
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
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played multiple matches in 26 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), the 2024 Cardinal Classic (won by Louisville) and the 2025 Opening Spike Classic (won by Texas).
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 3-1 (T-5th)
2025 Opening Spike Classic 1-1 (T-2nd)
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has won at least one tournament each of the previous 13 seasons, a streak that dates to 2012.
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 previous eight seasons.
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 4 CU, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 419-11 (.974) all-time when leading a match 2-0, 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 17-210 (.075) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. 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 has gone 161-6 in its last 167 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 17-24 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.
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 to Pacific (Sept. 12, 2015), No. 7 Nebraska (Sept. 6, 2018), South Dakota (Jan. 29, 2021), No. 16 Kentucky (Sept. 3, 2022) and Auburn (Dec. 2, 2022).
The Jays have won their last 31 home matches following a first set victory.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team will play 10 matches against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (2x), Nebraska, Kansas (2x), Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC, Texas and Penn State.
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 9-3
2025 1-2 so far
TOTAL 116-147
TOTAL Under Booth 113-110
TOTAL Under Rosen 1-2
11 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-24, 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 more than five straight league titles, more than doubling the previous high of five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.
The only other volleyball team nationally with an active streak of more than five straight regular-season league titles is Kentucky, with eight.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is starting its 13th 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 mark in league play 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 2022, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Ava Martin and Sky McCune are 32-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 96-7 in sets.
Creighton has won 46 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.
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 - Sept. 1, 2025
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (12) 188 16 316 75
Marquette (11) 169 32 286 94
Xavier 116 86 182 170
St. John's (1) 104 100 222 164
Butler 103 101 181 176
Villanova (1) 100 104 190 163
Seton Hall (1) 86 117 168 188
DePaul 65 139 151 202
Georgetown 44 152 111 224
Connecticut# 42 38 82 62
Providence* 30 158 113 211
*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.
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
Match #4: #13 Creighton vs. San Diego • Los Angeles, Calif. • Friday, Sept. 5 • 6 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | USD NOTES |
Match #5: #13 Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara • Los Angeles, Calif. • Saturday, Sept. 6 • 6 p.m. CST
| LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UCSB NOTES |
Match #6: #13 Creighton at #22 USC • Los Angeles, Calif. • Sunday, Sept. 7 • 3 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | USC NOTES |
This Weekend
No. 13 Creighton Volleyball heads on the road for a third straight weekend when it heads to the west coast for the Trojan Invitational.
Creighton (1-2) opens the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. Central when it takes on San Diego (2-0).
Play continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. Central when CU meets UC Santa Barbara (2-0).
The tournament concludes on Sunday at 3 p.m. Central with a match against the tournament host, No. 22 ranked USC (2-0).
Galen Center (10,258) in Los Angeles, Calif., will host the action.
Broadcast Information
Friday's match against San Diego will be streamed on B1G+, with streaming available at http://bigtenplus.com with a subscription purchase.
Saturday's match will not be broadcast at all.
Sunday's match will be televised by BTN, with Paul Sunderland and Holly McPeak on the call. Sunday's contest will also be video webcast at http://foxsports.com/live/btn, though cable authorization may be required.
Live Stats Information
All three CU matches will have live stats available at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #13 Creighton
Creighton is 1-2 on the season and ranked 13th nationally after a challenging schedule that has featured No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Texas and No. 14 Kansas.
The Bluejays, who return three starters from last year's team that went 32-3 and reached the Elite Eight, are still adjusting to the loss of All-Americans Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger as well as the departure of head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
Reigning AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Rosen was promoted to head coach after three seasons assisting Booth, and he's relied on senior starters Ava Martin (3.91 kps., 0.36 saps) and Kiara Reinhardt (2.09 kps., 0.82 bps., .346%) to lead a talented group.
Three transfers who have made an immediate impact are setter Annalea Maeder (10.00 aps.), middle blocker Eloise Brandewie (1.73 kps., 1.64 bps.) and libero Saige Damrow (4.45 dps.).
CU averages 12.64 kills, 1.27 aces, 15.27 digs and 2.82 blocks per set while hitting .165.
Scouting San Diego
San Diego is among those receiving votes in this week's AVCA poll after a 3-0 start that included wins over Utah State (3-2), Marquette (3-2) and Hawaii (3-0).
Nemo Beach (4.54 kps ..341%) and Isabel Clark (3.38 kps.) accounted for 68.2 percent of USD's kills and 63.6 percent of the Toreros' attacks last weekend and carry the offense, which is set by 2024 West Coast Conference Co-Setter of the Year Kylie Munday (9.08 aps., 3.38 dps.).
BayLea Sparks (1.33 bps.) and Maya Kitna (1.23 bps.) are a formidable blocking tandem up front, and Olivia Bennett (3.77 dps.) patrols the back row.
As a team, San Diego averages 11.62 kills, 14.23 digs, 2.54 blocks and 1.85 aces per set while hitting .275 as a team. The Toreros were picked to win the WCC, with Beach, Clark, Munday, Kali Engeman (1.69 kps., .475%) and Kennedy Osunsanmi named Preseason All-WCC.
Series History vs. San Diego
Creighton and San Diego have never faced off, nor have Brian Rosen and Jennifer Petrie.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is 2-0 this season, winning at San Jose State both Friday (3-1) and Saturday (3-0) to open the 2025 campaign.
Reigning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year Eva Travis (5.57 kps., .420%) dominated the Spartans last week, with Kiersten Schmitt (2.57 kps.) and Ema Petkovic (2.00 kps., .407%) also averaging multiple kills per set.
Milan Rex (6.00 aps.) and Ayva Ostovar (5.43 aps.) share setting duties, while Cortni Youngblood tops the team in digs (4.14) and aces (0.57) per set.
UC Santa Barbara averages 15.14 kills, 13.29 digs, 2.57 blocks and 1.43 aces per set while hitting a robust .350 as a team. The Gauchos were picked fourth in the preseason Big West poll after going 14-16 a year ago and tying for sixth in the league.
Series History vs. UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara swept Creighton on Sept. 9, 2001, in the only previous meeting between the schools. That match took place at the Santa Clara Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif.
Creighton setter Ivy Leuck is the only current Bluejay to have met the Gauchos, doing so last year with Omaha and finishing with 42 assists and six digs.
Brian Rosen and Matt Jones have never faced off against each other.
Scouting #22 USC
USC is ranked No. 22 in the nation after defeating Denver (3-0) and Loyola Marymount (3-1) last weekend.
Five women are averaging multiple kills per set, a group led by Abigail Mullen (4.50 kps., .444%) and Leah Ford (2.75 kps., .625%, 2.50 bps.).
Reese Messer (11.00 aps., 1.29 kps., .533%) and Mia Tvrdy (2.25 kps., 1.75 bps.) also have been impressive thus far.
USC averages 14.14 kills, 11.86 digs, 3.43 blocks and 1.57 aces per set while hitting .323. The Women of Troy were picked sixth in the preseason Big Ten poll, with Adonia Faumuina (2.00 kps., .304%) named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.
Series History vs. USC
USC leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 6-4 count, but the Bluejays have won the past four meetings. All 10 previous meetings have come in the last 11 years.
The teams have not met in Los Angeles since 2018, when No. 10 USC topped No. 13 Creighton in five sets. That was also the last time that USC defeated CU.
Brian Rosen is 0-0 all-time against the Women of Troy, and 0-0 against Brad Keller. Keller is 0-3 against Creighton.
Creighton Coaches
Brian Rosen was named the fourth head coach in modern Creighton Volleyball history on April 6, 2025, as he was promoted following the departure of 22-year head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. He is 1-2 as Creighton head coach, defeating No. 14 Kansas on Aug. 31 for his first win on the Bluejay sideline.
Named the 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rosen served as a Creighton assistant from 2022-24, during which time CU went 88-13, swept the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament tiles each fall, and defeated 10 Top 25 opponents.
The 2008 South Carolina grad went 45-17 as head coach at Division II Nova Southeastern from 2019-21, though the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 without playing a match.
Rosen is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Adam Kessenich and Izzy Ashburn.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 32-3 last season and were ranked sixth in the year-end AVCA poll, with both milestones being program-bests. All three of CU's losses came against eventual Final Four teams, and each were on the road and in five sets.
CU swept South Dakota and Ole Miss at home in the NCAA Tournament to finish 19-0 at D.J. Sokol Arena and reach the Sweet 16, where it then knocked off two-time defending national champion Texas to earn an Elite Eight date with eventual national champ Penn State.
Kendra Wait repeated as BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Setter of the Year, while becoming the first athlete in CU history to be named both First Team All-American on the court/field and First Team Academic All-American in the same season. Norah Sis picked up her third AVCA All-America accolade and Ava Martin her second, while transfers Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger were also recognized as CU led the country with five All-Americans.
The Jays went 20-0 against BIG EAST foes, dropping just three sets, en route to their 11th consecutive regular-season league title.
In her final season on The Hilltop, Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named AVCA West Region Coach of the Year and led the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, which also included 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Rosen.
With A Win...
With a win on Friday...
- Creighton would even its record to 2-2 on the young season.
- Creighton would win its fourth match of the season for the ninth straight year.
- Creighton would improve to 1-0 all-time against San Diego.
- Creighton would win its 45th straight match against an unranked team.
- Creighton would win its 37th straight non-televised match.
High FIve
Brian Rosen is Creighton's first volleyball coach since the program's 1994 reinstatement to pick up his first victory in a five set match, as Ben Guiliano, Howard Wallace and Kirsten Bernthal Booth's first wins all came in 3-0 sweeps.
Record in 5-Set Matches
Coach Years Set 5 W-L
Ben Guiliano 1994-1996 2-10
Howard Wallace 1997-2002 13-18
Kirsten Bernthal Booth 2003-2024 70-42
Brian Rosen 2025-Pres. 1-0
La La Land
Creighton is making its first trip to Los Angeles since 2018, when it opened the season with a 3-2 win vs. No. 5 Kentucky, were swept by UNI and lost a 3-2 match to No. 10 USC. Creighton also went 1-2 in a trip to USC in 2016.
Creighton's best trip to the Golden State was a 3-0 record at the SDSU Invitational in 2005, where the Bluejays swept UC Riverside, Liberty and San Diego State over a two-day span.
All-time, Creighton is 5-18 in matches played in the state of California.
Twice For Breissinger
Junior defensive specialist Sydney Breissinger helped Creighton erase a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set on Sunday vs. Kansas, serving up a 9-0 run that helped the Bluejays take the lead for good.
Breissinger's heroics were eerily similar to the 9-0 serving run she had in the fifth set on Sept. 16, 2023 in a win over No. 9 Minnesota. That win over the Gophers had been CU's last previous five-set win.
Since enrolling at Creighton in 2023, Breissinger owns 32 service runs of five or longer, six more than the next-closest Bluejay (Norah Sis, who graduated in 2024). Next-most among her active teammates is the 19 by Ava Martin.
Brandewie Wins BIG EAST Honor
Eloise Brandewie was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 1.64 blocks per set in three matches against Top 15 teams last week. Brandewie shared the honor with Xavier's Margo Kemp.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Brandewie averaged 1.64 blocks per set, 1.73 kills per set and 0.64 digs per set on .245 hitting as Creighton opened the season against one of the nation's most challenging schedules.
The Ohio State transfer hit a team-leading .455 in her Bluejay debut with five kills in 11 swings against defending national champion Penn State, adding a pair of blocks and a dig. Brandewie led CU with seven blocks and added five kills against No. 5 Texas before finishing with nine kills and a career-high nine blocks in an Aug. 31 win vs. No. 14 Kansas.
Getting Terminal
Junior Destiny Ndam-Simpson finished Sunday's win over Kansas with kills on Creighton's final two points, giving her 13 overall on the night. It tied Ndam-Simpson's second-most kills in a match in her career, trailing only the 16 kills she had vs. DePaul on Oct. 7, 2023.
Likewise, Kiara Reinhardt had 11 kills against Kansas. It was the most kills in a match by the sixth-year Bluejay since she had 11 kills exactly one year before Ndam-Simpson's memorable night on Oct. 7, 2022 at Connecticut.
Reinhardt Eyes Century Mark
Kiara Reinhardt has played in 97 victories as a Bluejay and can become the 13th woman to reach the century mark with three victories this weekend.
Creighton is 97-19 (.836) all-time in the matches Reinhardt has appeared in (they're 35-4 in matches she doesn't play in, including her redshirt year). Her current .836 win percentage would rank fourth-best in program history among those with 100 or more victories.
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
119 Kendra Wait 2021-24
116 Naomi Hickman 2017-21
111 Jaali Winters 2015-18
110 Kiana Schmitt 2019-23
109 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
109 Brittany Witt 2016-19
109 Norah Sis 2021-24
107 Megan Ballenger 2016-19
106 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
104 Lauren Smith 2013-16
102 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
98 Jaela Zimmerman 2018-22
97 Kiara Reinhardt 2020-Pres.
Best Win Pct. in Matches Appeared In As A Player (min. 100 wins)
W-L Pct. Name Years
109-14 .886 Norah Sis 2021-24
119-16 .881 Kendra Wait 2021-24
110-16 .873 Kiana Schmitt 2019-23
109-24 .820 Taryn Kloth 2015-18
116-26 .817 Naomi Hickman 2017-21
109-25 .813 Brittany Witt 2016-19
107-25 .811 Megan Ballenger 2016-19
111-28 .799 Jaali Winters 2015-18
106-32 .768 Marysa Wilkinson 2014-17
102-31 .767 Melanie Jereb 2012-15
101-31 .765 Ashley Jansen 2012-15
104-34 .754 Lauren Smith 2013-16
Watch This!
Each of Creighton's first three matches this fall have aired on national television (one on FS1, two on BTN), while Friday's battle with San Diego will not be televised.
Creighton has won 36 straight non-televised matches, going 23-0 last year and winning its final 13 contests in 2023 since an Oct. 6 loss at Marquette.
Even rarer, Saturday's match vs. UC Santa Barbara won't be televised or video webcast, snapping a streak of 95 straight matches that have been broadcast which dates back to a Sept. 17, 2022 four-set win vs. Kansas State at the Rice adidas Invitational. Creighton is 81-13 heading into Friday in those broadcast matches.
Sunday's tournament finale vs. No. 22 USC will be televised by BTN.
Damrow Digs It
Saige Damrow's 15 digs vs. Penn State were tied for the fifth-most in Creighton history in a debut, and the most since Brittany Witt (21) and Lydia Dimke (20) in 2016.
Damrow's 15 digs tied Nayka Benitez (in 2009) for the most digs in a CU debut that was a three-set match.
Damrow has joined Witt and Bianca Rivera as the third player in program history to debut with three straight matches of 14 or more digs. Witt had 11 digs in her fourth match, while Rivera had 14+ digs in each of her first 22 matches as a Bluejay in 2022.
Rivera (22 in 2007), Benitez (9 in 2010) and Witt (5 in 2019) are the only Bluejays to start any season with four or more straight matches of 14+ digs, a group that Damrow can join on Friday vs. San Diego.
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 has shared five. Texas has won 11 titles in that time.
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
141 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked 13th in the Sept. 1 edition of the AVCA poll, the 141st time in program history it's been ranked. That's 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.
All 141 rankings have occurred since 2012.
The Bluejays are one of 13 schools (along with Baylor, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 64 polls.
Creighton's 64 weeks in a row being ranked ties a program-record first done from Oct. 31, 2016 to March 15, 2021. CU's current streak began on Sept. 6, 2021.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 12th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 7th. It's the 11th time in the past 13 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and fourth year in a row.
The No. 12 slotting tied last year's team for the second-best preseason ranking in program history, trailing only the 2017 team that was ranked ninth.
Over the previous 17 seasons, 315-of-425 teams (74.1 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 14th 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 32-3 5th
2025 12th TBD TBD
Top 10 Wins
Creighton owns 11 Top 10 wins in program history, all of which have taken place in the previous 10 seasons.
All but one of the those Top 10 wins have taken place away from home, including wins over No. 6 Purdue and No. 10 Kansas on back-to-back days last September in Lawrence, Kan.
Creighton owns four top-five wins in program history, and all of those were away from home.
The highest-ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten was No. 3 Washington (8/26/17) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21).
Creighton's Top 10 Wins
Date Opponent Score
09/05/15 vs. #10 Kentucky (at UNI) W 3-1
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 (at USC) W 3-2
10/12/19 at #10 Marquette W 3-2
11/09/19 #9 Marquette W 3-1
09/04/21 at #3 Kentucky W 3-0
09/16/23 at #9 Minnesota W 3-2
09/20/24 vs. #6 Purdue (at Kansas) W 3-1
09/21/24 at #10 Kansas W 3-0
What's Your Number
Between last year's season-ending matches against No. 13 Texas and No. 2 Penn State, plus this year's opening matches vs. No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Texas and No. 14 Kansas it marked the first time ever that CU has played five Top 25 foes in a row.
San Diego is among those also receiving votes (in 33rd place), while Sunday's opponent USC is ranked No. 22.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 232-50 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 26-30 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark is 4-4 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
Since the start of the 2012 season, 45 of Creighton's 79 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 26-30)
Home: 10-9 Away: 8-12 Neutral: 8-9
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 #13 Texas 3-1
12/15/24 #2 Penn State #6 Creighton 2-3
08/23/25 #2 Penn State #12 Creighton 0-3
08/29/25 #5 Texas #12 Creighton 0-3
08/31/25 #12 Creighton #14 Kansas 3-2
09/07/25 #13 Creighton at #22 USC 3 p.m.
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 11 seasons (2015-25).
Creighton is 31-91 all-time against ranked teams, with 30 wins coming under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and one under Brian Rosen.
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.
Last year was the eighth season that CU owned multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022 and 2023, and a record four in 2018, 2019 and 2024.
Put It In Neutral
Creighton went 4-0 on neutral floors last season (including wins over #6 Purdue and #13 Texas), continuing a trend of playing well at neutral sites.
Including a 1-2 start to this season, CU is 21-4 in the last five seasons on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021, a 4-0 record in 2022, a 5-2 record in 2023, a 4-0 record in 2024.
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), Purdue (2024), Texas (2024) and Kansas (2025).
Crowded House
Each of Creighton's first three crowds of the season have been 10,000 fans or more, and they constitute the largest neutral-site crowds to ever see the Bluejays.
CU's opener vs. Penn State drew 10,438 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.
Last weekend in Madison, Creighton played before an announced crowd of 10,072 vs. Texas and 11,678 fans vs. Kansas.
Looking ahead, CU's Sept. 16 home match vs. Nebraska is expected to challenge the NCAA regular-season indoor volleyball-only attendance record of 17,037.
Let's take a closer look:
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.
Largest Away/Neutral Crowds
Att. Site Date CU Result
11,678 vs. #14 Kansas (at Wisc.) 08/31/25 W 3-2
10,072 vs. #5 Texas (at Wisc.) 08/29/25 L 0-3
10,438 vs. #2 Penn State (at Neb.) 08/23/25 L 0-3
8,924 at #5 Nebraska 09/10/24 L 2-3
8,656 at #4 Nebraska 09.06/23 L 1-3
8,627 at #5 Nebraska 09/29/02 L 0-3
8,450 at #2 Nebraska 08/30/19 L 1-3
8,277 vs. Montana St. (at Neb.) 09/16/16 W 3-0
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-19 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters.
From last year's team, Norah Sis, Elise Goetzinger, Kendra Wait, Abbey Milner, Maddy Bilinovic, Audrey Clark, Katie Maser and Emma Ziegler are not back.
All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 294.5 of a possible 700% back (42.1 percent), the smallest amount returning since it headed into Howard Wallace's final season in 2002.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 119 (7.6%) 1,450 (92.4%)
Aces 115 (51.3%) 109 (48.7%)
Digs 598 (35.7%) 1,076 (64.3%)
Points 1,115.5 (50.2%) 1,107.0 (49.8%)
Kills 843 (50.1%) 841 (49.9%)
Matches Started 104 (49.5%) 106 (50.5%)
Blocks 157.5 (50.1%) 157.0 (49.9%)
One Tough Schedule
Of Creighton's 12 non-conference matches, seven are against ranked teams and three others against programs that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Creighton is the only team in the preseason Top 25 with 10 or more non-conference matches against teams getting votes, as Texas and TCU are next-closest with eight each.
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 32 victories last season were fourth-most in the country, trailing only Final Four qualifiers Penn State (35), Pittsburgh (33) and Nebraska (33).
Creighton's three losses last fall were tied for the third-fewest in the nation, one more than Penn State and Pittsburgh's two losses.
When it comes to sets, Creighton's 102 sets won were tied for second-most in the nation (Penn State had 105), while its 15 sets lost were tied for the fewest in the nation (with Pittsburgh).
In its last 51 matches dating to 2023, Creighton is 45-6 and has won 140-of-167 sets. Four of the six match losses came in five sets.
In its 35 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton is 35-0 and has dropped just four sets to league opponents.
Most Matches Won in 2024
Rk. Matches Won Team
1. 35 Penn State
2. 33 Pittsburgh
33 Nebraska
4. 32 Creighton
5. 31 Dayton
Most Sets Won in 2024
Rk. Sets Won Team
1. 105 Penn State
2. 102 Creighton
102 Pittsburgh
102 Nebraska
Fewest Matches Lost in 2024
Rk. Matches Lost Team
1. 2 Pittsburgh
2 Penn State
3. 3 Creighton
3 Dayton
3 Nebraska
3 Arizona State
3 Texas-Arlington
3 South Dakota State
Fewest Sets Lost in 2024
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 15 Creighton
15 Pittsburgh
3. 19 Dayton
4. 20 Nebraska
20 Arizona State
Fewest Sets Lost in 2023
Rk. Sets Lost Team
1. 22 Creighton
22 Nebraska
22 Dayton
4. 23 Wisconsin
23 Tennessee
23 Western Michigan
No Losers Here
Creighton has been as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
Creighton and Pittsburgh are the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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, 2023 and 2024 seasons are also Creighton and Pittsburgh.
Creighton is also the only school nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-24 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year, when CU only played 16 times).
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.
The Streak At Home
Creighton had its first unbeaten home season in program history in 2023, going a perfect 13-0 in matches and 39-3 in sets.
Last year CU did even better, going 19-0 and losing just two sets at home.
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, where it lost just one set in 12 matches against BIG EAST opponents 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
Wins Team Next Home Match
45 Nebraska Sept. 5 vs. Wright State
35 Pittsburgh Sept. 1 vs. Arizona State
32 Creighton Sept. 12 vs. Louisville
24 Penn State Sept. 5 vs. Kentucky
A Great Start
Ava Martin entered her senior season with 1,109 kills in her career. The 1,109 kills were the fifth-most ever by a Bluejay in their first three seasons.
If Martin can duplicate her 428 kills from last year, she'd finish her career fifth in Bluejay history with 1,537 career putaways.
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 264 417 428 1,109
Kelly Goc 218 345 437 1,000
JoDe Cieloha 271 303 380 954
Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones as the 2025 season heads into September..
Kiara Reinhardt is sixth in program history with 378 career block assists, two behind Megan Bober (380) to move into the top five.
Annalea Maeder owns 2,869 career assists and is 131 shy of 3,000 for her career. All but 110 of her assists came at California.
Ava Martin owns 1,152 career kills. She's 31 shy of Marysa Wilkinson's 1,183 that rank 10th-most in program history.
Survival of the Fittest
Since the move to rally scoring in 2001, Creighton has won 10 matches when surviving a match point and lost four contests when holding a match point of its own.
Surviving Match Points Since 2001
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
09/27/02 Evansville 13-14, 14-15 19-17
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
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played multiple matches in 26 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), the 2024 Cardinal Classic (won by Louisville) and the 2025 Opening Spike Classic (won by Texas).
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 3-1 (T-5th)
2025 Opening Spike Classic 1-1 (T-2nd)
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has won at least one tournament each of the previous 13 seasons, a streak that dates to 2012.
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 previous eight seasons.
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 4 CU, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 419-11 (.974) all-time when leading a match 2-0, 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 17-210 (.075) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. 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 has gone 161-6 in its last 167 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 17-24 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.
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 to Pacific (Sept. 12, 2015), No. 7 Nebraska (Sept. 6, 2018), South Dakota (Jan. 29, 2021), No. 16 Kentucky (Sept. 3, 2022) and Auburn (Dec. 2, 2022).
The Jays have won their last 31 home matches following a first set victory.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team will play 10 matches against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (2x), Nebraska, Kansas (2x), Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC, Texas and Penn State.
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 9-3
2025 1-2 so far
TOTAL 116-147
TOTAL Under Booth 113-110
TOTAL Under Rosen 1-2
11 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-24, 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 more than five straight league titles, more than doubling the previous high of five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.
The only other volleyball team nationally with an active streak of more than five straight regular-season league titles is Kentucky, with eight.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is starting its 13th 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 mark in league play 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 2022, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Ava Martin and Sky McCune are 32-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 96-7 in sets.
Creighton has won 46 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.
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 - Sept. 1, 2025
BIG EAST only All matches
Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L
Creighton (12) 188 16 316 75
Marquette (11) 169 32 286 94
Xavier 116 86 182 170
St. John's (1) 104 100 222 164
Butler 103 101 181 176
Villanova (1) 100 104 190 163
Seton Hall (1) 86 117 168 188
DePaul 65 139 151 202
Georgetown 44 152 111 224
Connecticut# 42 38 82 62
Providence* 30 158 113 211
*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.
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
Players Mentioned
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/ Volleyball#12 Creighton Volleyball Highlights at Seton Hall - 11/15/25
Saturday, November 15
Creighton Volleyball at St. John's Highlights - 11/14/25
Saturday, November 15
Creighton VB - Dear Volleyball - Annalea Maeder
Monday, November 10
Creighton VB - Dear Volleyball - Kiara Reinhardt
Monday, November 10
