Volleyball Hosts Fellow Co-Leaders Butler & Xavier This Weekend

Friday, October 9

Omaha, Neb.

6:00 PM

Creighton University

Butler

Buy Tickets

Volleyball Hosts Fellow Co-Leaders Butler & Xavier This Weekend

10/6/2026 4:02:00 PM | Volleyball

Creighton Notes (PDF)

By: Rob Anderson

This Weekend

Creighton (8-8, 3-1 BIG EAST) enters this week as part of a six-way tie for first place the BIG EAST standings and takes on two of those co-leaders at home this weekend.

On Friday at 6 p.m., CU welcomes Butler (9-7, 3-1 BIG EAST). Sydney Breissinger will be honored prior to the game in recognition of her passing 1,000 career digs last Sunday.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., the Bluejays entertain Xavier (10-5, 3-1 BIG EAST) in a rematch of the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament title match.

Both matches will be held at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.

Prior to heading to Omaha this weekend, Butler will host Xavier on Wednesday night.

Promotional Calendar

Friday is International Beer & Pizza Day. There will be a pregame happy hour with $5 beer from when the doors open at 5 p.m. until first serve, plus a limited number of FREE slices for fans.

Sunday is the second Lil' Jays Club match of the year. It's also a Sunday Funday with carnival games on the concourse for prizes! There will be face painters, balloon artists, post-match autographs and the chance to serve over the net for Lil' Jays Club members.

The entire weekend is also Alumni Weekend, with former Bluejay Volleyball student-athletes expected to attend and be recognized during Friday's match.

Broadcast Information

Friday's match vs. Butler will be broadcast on ESPN+. Jon Schriner and former Bluejay Jaclyn Machado will announce. Fans can catch the webcast stream at http://WatchESPN.com.

Sunday's match against Xavier will be televised statewide on Nebraska Public Media, with Larry Punteney and Kirsten Bernthal Booth on the call. A free stream can be viewed at
https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/watch/live/.

Live Stats Information

Both matches this weekend will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.

Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting Creighton

Creighton is 8-8 on the season against the nation's 10th-toughest schedule and are part of a six-way tie atop the BIG EAST standings with a 3-1 league record. The Jays own a pair of wins over Top 25 teams, and the 12-time defending BIG EAST regular-season champions have won 50 of their past 51 league contests.

Six Bluejays average at least 1.35 kills per set, with Trinity Shadd-Ceres (2.65 kps.) leading the way despite just one kill over the past three matches while playing primarily in the back row. Katie Dalton (7.64 aps.) has started 14 of CU's 16 contests at setter and leads the club with four double-doubles.

Libero Saige Damrow (4.34 dps.) ranks second in the BIG EAST in digs per set, and Eloise Brandewie (1.25 bps.) tops a strong blocking unit.

As a team, Creighton averages 12.06 kills, 14.28 digs, 2.54 blocks and 1.34 aces per set on .188 hitting.

Scouting Butler

Butler was 9-7 this year and 3-1 in the BIG EAST heading into Wednesday's home match vs. Xavier.

The Bulldogs are being led by Chase Lemming (3.14 kps.), Raegan Durbin (2.42 kps.), Elise Ward (2.08 kps.) and Sawyer Jones (2.00 kps., 1.08 bps.).

Ava Hunter (5.10 aps.), Sarah Kempf (4.86 aps.) and Kaylee Finnegan (5.14 aps.) have all seen heavy reps at setter, and Jersey Loyer (4.12 dps.) wears the alternate jersey as the libero.

The Bulldogs average 12.92 kills, 12.98 digs, 2.36 blocks and 1.37 aces per set on .238 hitting.

Series History vs. Butler

Creighton is 23-1 all-time against Butler. The Bulldogs ruined Creighton's BIG EAST debut on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all 23 meetings since then.

CU has also won the last 19 sets played in the series.

Brian Rosen is 1-0 against Butler and Kyle Shondell. Shondell is 0-5 against Creighton.

Scouting Xavier

Xavier entered Wednesday's match at Butler with a 10-5 overall record and 3-1 mark in league play. The Musketeers, who last year finished second in the BIG EAST in the regular-season and fell in the BIG EAST Tournament title match, entered the season with high expectations after making the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Charlotte Moriarty (3.36 kps., 3.36 dps.), Ava Tilden (2.85 kps.), Margo Kemp (2.26 kps., 1.28 bps.) and McKinley Boehm (2.13 kps., 1.26 bps.) lead a deep front row for Xavier.

Macy Hatkevich (8.04 aps.) handles much of the setting, and Kelsey Niesen (4.33 dps.) is the libero.

The Musketeers average 13.31 kills, 15.14 digs, 2.28 blocks and 1.52 aces per set on .230 hitting.

Series History vs. Xavier

Creighton is 28-1 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Creighton's victory vs. Xavier on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.

The lone Xavier win in the series came on Sept. 23rd, 2023 in Cincinnati, a five-set Musketeer victory that was its first top-25 win since 2007. Creighton has swept all five meetings since then.

The teams have not played a match to last exactly four sets since 2017, as the past 22 encounters have seen 19 sweeps as well as three contests to go the distance.

Brian Rosen is 2-0 against Xavier and Christy Pfeffenberger. Pfeffenberger is 1-22 in her career against Creighton.

Creighton Coaches

Brian Rosen is in his second season as Creighton head coach, where his 36-14 record with the Bluejays moves his career mark to 81-31 after four seasons. He is 21-1 all-time against BIG EAST teams, winning 65-of-74 sets.

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 became the BIG EAST's first rookie head coach since 2014 to win 20+ matches in his first year in the league, the only rookie head coach in league history to win multiple NCAA Tournament matches, and the first new coach to win 28+ matches in his first season.

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.

Rosen led Creighton to the BIG EAST regular-season and Tournament titles in 2025 and a return to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

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.

With A Win...

With a win on Friday, Creighton would...

- Improve to 24-1 all-time against Butler with its 24th straight victory over the Bulldogs.

- Improve to 208-17 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST matches.

- Improve to 231-19 against BIG EAST opponents (including conference tournament action) since joining the league in 2013.

- Avoid its first two-match losing streak in conference play since 2011.

Milestone Watch

Eloise Brandewie has 398 career blocks (183 at Creighton) and is two away from 400. Brandewie also owns 576 career kills (253 at CU) and stands 24 shy of 600.

Sydney Breissinger has played in 395 career sets and could reach 400 this weekend.

Saige Damrow owns 691 career digs (564 at CU) and is nine shy of 700.

Fresh off a career-high 18 kill match on Sunday, sophomore Ashlyn Paymal has 76 career kills and is 24 shy of 100.

Trinity Shadd-Ceres has 194 career kills (172 at Creighton), putting her six away from 200.

Paymal Plays Well

Ashlyn Paymal had nine kills her entire freshman season, but continues to flourish as her playing time grows in 2026.

Paymal had career-highs with eight kills and seven blocks last Friday against DePaul.

She more than doubled that offensive output on Sunday against Marquette, finishing with 18 kills while hitting a career-high .562 in 32 errorless-swings. It was the second-most kills by a player in Creighton history without an error.

Most Kills, No Errors, CU History

K ATK Name vs. Opponent Date

23 38 Leah Ratzlaff vs. UC Riverside 09/02/05

18 32 Ashlyn Paymal vs. Marquette 10/04/26

17 28 Carolyn Decker vs. Bradley 11/13/04

17 29 Ashley Williams vs. Indiana State 09/22/01

16 23 Taryn Kloth vs. South Dakota 11/30/18

16 31 Norah Sis at Kansas 09/21/24

16 36 Norah Sis vs. Ole Miss 12/02/21

15 19 Kiara Reinhardt vs. San Diego 09/05/25

15 27 Kelly Goc vs. San Diego State 09/03/05

15 28 Jessica Houts vs. Southern Illinois 11/13/09

15 32 Lisa Meekins vs. Illinois State 09/21/01

Most Attack Attempts, No Errors, CU History

ATK K Name vs. Opponent Date

56 10 Melanie Jereb at Wichita State 11/16/12

48 10 Melanie Jereb vs. Northern Iowa 10/05/12

38 23 Leah Ratzlaff vs. UC Riverside 09/02/05

36 16 Norah Sis vs. Ole Miss 12/02/21

34 12 Norah Sis vs. South Dakota 09/18/21

33 10 Allie Oelke vs. Evansville 11/19/10

32 18 Ashlyn Paymal vs. Marquette 10/04/26

32 15 Lisa Meekins vs. Illinois State 09/21/01

32 12 Heather Thorson vs. Iowa State 12/03/10

31 16 Norah Sis at Kansas 09/21/24

31 8 Jodi Bjoin at Indiana State 10/14/00

30 12 Ava Martin vs. Missouri 08/31/24

Dalton & Brandewie Come Through

Ashlyn Paymal wasn't the only Bluejay with a career-high kill total last weekend, as two other women also did it.

Fifth-year setter Katie Dalton had eight kills against DePaul, two more than her previous high.

On Sunday, Eloise Brandewie's 15 kills were three more than the senior's previous best. Her six digs against Marquette were also a career-high.

Doesn't Happen Often

Creighton doesn't lose many BIG EAST matches, and when they do, it generally means bad things for upcoming opponents.

The Bluejays are 16-0 all-time coming off a regular-season BIG EAST loss and have not lost consecutive matches in league play since dropping three Missouri Valley Conference matches in a row in 2011.

Seven of the previous 16 times that Creighton Volleyball has lost a BIG EAST match, the Bluejays embarked on a league win streak of 11 or more.

Here's a look at Creighton's BIG EAST losses, followed by its ensuing match.

After A BIG EAST Loss

Loss Next BE Match BE Streak Started

10/4/13 at BU Beat Xavier, 3-1 Won next 5

10/25/13 at MU Beat DePaul, 3-1 Won next 1

11/1/13 vs. SJU Beat Seton Hall, 3-0 Won next 4

11/16/13 at SHU Beat Georgetown, 3-0 Won next 7

10/10/14 at SHU Beat Villanova, 3-1 Won next 11

11/23/14 vs. SHU Beat Seton Hall, 3-1 Won next 11

10/30/15 at VU Beat Seton Hall, 3-0 Won next 28

10/5/17 at MU Beat DePaul, 3-0 Won next 11

11/17/17 at VU Beat Georgetown, 3-2 Won next 31

11/8/19 at VU Beat Georgetown, 3-0 Won next 6

2/6/20 vs. MU Beat DePaul, 3-2 Won next 8

10/1/21 at SJU Beat Seton Hall, 3-0 Won next 3

10/16/21 at UConn Beat Villanova, 3-0 Won next 28

11/19/22 at MU Beat Butler, 3-0 Won next 1

9/23/23 at XU Beat St. John's, 3-0 Won next 2

10/6/23 at MU Beat DePaul, 3-0 Won next 50

10/4/26 vs. MU Butler, Friday TBD

The Race Back To Sokol

D.J. Sokol Arena will host the BIG EAST Tournament in late November, and its shaping up to be quite a race to be in the four-team field for the nation's No. 5-ranked league.

No less than six of the league's 11 teams entered this week tied atop the conference standings with a 3-1 record in BIG EAST play, a group that doesn't include a Villanova team that is 2-2 and was picked to finish second.

Both Creighton and Marquette have been in the BIG EAST Tournament field all previous 13 seasons since the league's 2013 reconfiguration.

Also at stake? The best seed not named Creighton will be in line to host the 2027 BIG EAST Tournament since league rules prevent the same team from hosting in consecutive seasons.

Top Offenses & Defenses Meet

A look at the BIG EAST statistical leaders entering this week finds Butler (.279) owning a slight lead in league play in hitting percentage, just ahead of Creighton (.276).

When it comes to opponent hitting percentage, Creighton (.150) owns a narrow edge over Butler (.156).

The teams will square off on Friday in Omaha in an attempt to resolve the timeless question of if a good defense beats a good offense, or vice versa.

Creighton has led the BIG EAST in offensive hitting percentage in league play in 2023 (.313), 2024 (.371) and 2025 (.349).

The Rematch

Creighton and Xavier are meeting on Sunday for the first time since the Bluejays posted a 3-0 sweep in the title match of the 2025 BIG EAST Championship.

Creighton has appeared in final of the BIG EAST Tournament 12 times in its first 13 seasons in the league. In their first meeting the following season against their fellow finalist, the Bluejays are 10-1, and the Jays have swept the regular-season against the previous year's finalist in nine of those 11 campaigns.

BIG EAST Tourney Title Rematches

Year Match-up Next Meeting; CU W-L vs. Opp.

2013 MU 3, CU 1 CU 3, MU 1; 2-0

2014 CU 3, SHU 1 CU 3, SHU 1; 2-0

2015 CU 3, VU 0 CU 3, VU 1; 2-0

2016 CU 3, XU 0 CU 3, XU 0; 2-0

2017 CU 3, MU 2 CU 3, MU 0; 3-0

2018 CU 3, MU 1 CU 3, MU 2; 2-0

2020 CU 3, MU 1 CU 3, MU 1; 3-0

2021 CU 3, MU 0 CU 3, MU 2; 2-1

2022 CU 3, MU 2 MU 3, CU 0; 1-1

2023 CU 3, SJU 0 CU 3, SJU 0; 2-0

2024 CU 3, MU 0 CU 3, MU 0; 3-0

2025 CU 3, XU 0 Sunday in Omaha

Accomplished Coaches, Then and Now

Creighton head coach Brian Rosen and Xavier head coach Christy Pfeffenberger were both members of the AVCA's prestigious Thirty Under 30 list way back in 2013.

At the time, Rosen was the head coach at Charlotte (NC) Country Day School, while Pfeffenberger was an assistant coach at Notre Dame.

Last year, they led their respective teams to the top two spots in the league standings and a head-to-head meeting in the BIG EAST Tournament title match.

Other prominent names recognized in 2013 included current head coaches Erin Virtue (Michigan) and Matt Ulmer (Kansas).

Setting The Standard

Creighton has won 19 straight sets against Butler, one of its best streaks against any foe.

The Bluejays also own 15 consecutive set wins over Xavier since suffering its lone loss to the Musketeers.

Most Consecutive Set Wins Over One Team

Wins Opponent Dates

65 Seton Hall 2015-Present

35 Providence 2017-Present

34 Georgetown 2019-Present

28 Villanova 2021-25

25 Indiana State 2005-09

24 Xavier 2015-18

23 Indiana State 2009-Present

19 Providence 2014-17

19 Butler 2018-21

19 Butler 2021-Present

Bulldog Mentality

Creighton lost its first ever meeting against Butler in 2013, but has since won 23 straight matches against the Bulldogs.

It is tied for Creighton's third-longest win streak ever against another foe.

Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team

Wins Opponent Dates

30 DePaul 2013-Present

24 Georgetown 2013-Present

23 Butler 2013-Present

23 Xavier 2013-22

22 Seton Hall 2014-Present

19 Southern Illinois 2003-11

18 Providence 2014-Present

16 Indiana State 2005-Present

Breissinger Reaches 1,000 Digs

Sydney Breissinger became the 17th player in Creighton's modern history (since 1994) to reach 1,000 career digs when she did it on Sunday vs. Marquette as part of a season-high 15-dig showing.

Breissinger reached the mark in her 112th career contest at CU.

Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Digs (Career)

Name MP Date Opponent

Bianca Rivera 53 11/08/08 Illinois State

Julianne Mandolfo 56 10/22/11 Evansville

Kate Elman 59 11/16/13 at Seton Hall

Nayka Benitez 60 11/27/10 at Northern Iowa

Brittany Witt 68 12/01/17 Coastal Carolina

Kailey Reyes 77 09/01/01 vs. Texas-San Antonio

Janeen Piller 80 09/25/04 at Missouri State

Melissa Walsh 85 09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara

Kendra Wait 89 10/28/23 at Georgetown

Allie Oelke 95 09/04/10 vs. Iowa

Melissa Weisensee 97 10/04/97 at Missouri State

Sarah Schulze 101 11/13/09 Southern Illinois

Jaali Winters 103 11/25/17 at Marquette

Melanie Jereb 105 09/12/15 CSU Bakersfield

Korie Lebeda 108 10/17/08 Evansville

Sydney Breissinger 112 10/04/26 Marquette

Megan Bober 118 10/27/12 Southern Illinois

Breissinger Can Serve It Too

Sydney Breissinger also enters Friday fifth in program history with 124 career aces, including three in a row on Sept. 25 at Seton Hall.

She's one service winner from tying for fourth place and four away from third place.

Service Aces

Name Sets No. Years

1. Keeley Davis 383 148 2019-22

2. Molly Moran 341 145 1998-01

3. Ava Martin 457 128 2022-25

4. Melissa Weisensee 411 125 1994-97

5. Sydney Breissinger 386 124 2023-Pr.

6. Brittany Witt 471 122 2016-19

7. JoDe Cieloha 398 113 1994-97

Norah Sis 422 113 2021-24

9. Kate Elman 464 105 2012-15

10. Shelly Kapler 388 104 1996-99

Pack A Snack

Creighton has played four matches to go five sets as well as just three three-set matches. This year's team is playing 4.07 sets per match, above the previous program high of 3.89 sets per match done in both 1996 and 1997.

From 1994-2025, the Bluejays played 3,532 sets in 973 matches, an average of 3.63 sets per match. Creighton had 111 sweeps from 2021-25 (and was swept just seven times), but has just one 3-0 win this fall.

Most Sets Per Creighton Match

Sets/Match Year Sets Matches W-L

4.07 2026 65 16 8-8

3.89 1996 109 28 9-19

3.89 1997 109 28 15-13

3.88 2020 62 16 12-4*

3.83 2003 115 30 12-18

3.79 1999 106 28 13-15

3.79 2000 106 28 16-12

3.78 2013 121 32 23-9*

3.77 2011 117 31 17-14

3.76 2014 128 34 25-9*

*made NCAA Tournament

Getting Better and Better

It's scary to see the numbers for Creighton's BIG EAST matches compared to its 12 non-conference matches. The Bluejay numbers are up across the board on the offensive end.

Creighton was last in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.162) entering league play, but currently is second in conference action (.276).

BIG EAST Matches vs. Non-Conference Matches

When W-L KPS HIT% SAPS DPS BPS

BIG EAST 2-0 13.57 .301 2.29 13.29 2.29

Non-Con 5-7 11.71 .162 1.18 14.57 2.55

More Than a Decade of Dominance

Fourteen years in the BIG EAST gives Creighton a pretty good set of data to compare its yearly performance in league matches.

Here's how the 2026 campaign compares to previous seasons in league action:

Creighton's Year-By-Year BIG EAST Stats

Year W-L KPS HIT% SAPS DPS BPS

2013 12-4 13.75 .213 1.00 16.20 3.13

2014# 16-2 14.89 .242 1.30 17.09 2.86

2015# 17-1 15.02 .271 1.33 16.97 2.47

2016# 18-0 15.37 .317 1.69 16.08 2.41

2017# 16-2 14.81 .302 1.31 16.62 2.05

2018# 18-0 14.45 .294 2.13 15.67 2.38

2019# 17-1 14.61 .269 2.07 15.80 2.25

2020# 7-1 12.93 .249 1.30 14.17 2.75

2021# 16-2 13.95 .242 1.82 18.02 2.86

2022# 17-1 14.80 .299 1.85 16.10 2.33

2023# 16-2 14.40 .313 1.89 15.91 2.30

2024# 18-0 14.79 .371 2.32 14.18 2.75

2025# 16-0 14.56 .349 2.90 12.42 2.13

2026 3-1 13.12 .276 1.81 13.38 2.50

#won league's regular-season title

The First 250 At Sokol

Creighton is 212-38 all-time inside D.J. Sokol Arena, including a 16-5 mark under Brian Rosen.

Here's a report card of how CU has done in 50 match segments inside the venue, which opened in 2009.

Matches W-L Date Result

1-50 35-15 10/5/12 def. UNI, 3-1

51-100 42-8 11/27/15 def. Marquette, 3-2

101-150 45-5 9/29/19 def. Georgetown, 3-1

151-200 45-5 9/29/23 def. St. John's, 3-0

201-250 45-5 10/4/26 lost to Marquette, 3-2

The Rosen One

Brian Rosen is 36-14 midway through his second season at the helm of the Creighton Volleyball program.

His 36 wins through 50 matches are eight more than his predecessor, Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and the most by any CU coach after 50 contests.

After 50 Matches, Creighton Volleyball Coaches

Coach W-L After 50

Brian Rosen, 2025-Pres. 36-14

Kirsten Bernthal Booth, 2003-2024 28-22

Howard Wallace, 1997-2002 21-29

Ben Guiliano, 1994-1996 15-35

21-1 For Rosen

Brian Rosen is 21-1 against BIG EAST foes, dropping just nine sets in that time.

He's a combined 3-0 against Butler and Xavier, winning all nine sets.

Opponent Match W-L Set W-L

Butler 1-0 3-0

Connecticut 1-0 3-0

DePaul 3-0 9-2

Georgetown 2-0 6-0

Marquette 3-1 11-5

Providence 1-0 3-0

Seton Hall 3-0 9-0

St. John's 3-0 9-1

Villanova 2-0 6-1

Xavier 2-0 6-0

TOTAL 21-1 65-9

Seniors Near 100 Wins

Creighton's fourth-year seniors Sydney Breissinger, Jaya Johnson and Ava TeStrake are approaching 100 victories in a Bluejay uniform.

The trio is 97-22 since arriving in 2023 and three wins shy of becoming the eighth senior class to win 100 matches in a four-year span. Against BIG EAST foes, the trio are 29-1 in home matches and have dropped just eight sets.

Most Wins, Four-Year Span

W-L Years

119-17 2021-24

116-19 2022-25

111-28 2015-18

109-25 2016-19

107-32 2014-17

104-31 2012-15

104-34 2013-16

99-18 2020-23

97-19 2018-21

97-22 2023-Pres.

95-19 2019-22

Home Sweet Home

Creighton is in its 14th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.

Since then, the Bluejays are 121-5 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (110-4 in the regular-season, 11-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).

Since the start of the 2015 season, Creighton is 105-2 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 95-2 mark in league play and a 10-0 mark in the conference tournament.

Put another way, since enrolling at Creighton in the fall of 2023, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Sydney Breissinger, Jaya Johnson and Ava TeStrake are 29-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 89-8 in sets.

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 12 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 11, 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 - Oct. 5, 2026

BIG EAST only All matches

Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L

Creighton (13) 207 17 351 87

Marquette (12) 183 38 310 110

Xavier (1) 133 89 215 180

St. John's (1) 113 111 245 184

Villanova (1) 113 111 217 177

Butler 111 113 199 200

Seton Hall (1) 86 137 181 215

DePaul 75 149 174 218

Georgetown 51 165 133 243

Connecticut# 50 50 105 81

Providence* 33 175 132 233

*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 .800 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.

The Bluejays own 230 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 40 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 (7), 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 23-1 - 23-1

Connecticut 5-1 1-0 6-1

DePaul 27-0 3-0 30-0

Georgetown 24-0 - 24-0

Marquette 21-6 8-1 29-7

Providence 18-0 - 18-0

Seton Hall 22-3 2-0 24-3

St. John's 23-2 1-1 24-3

Villanova 21-3 3-0 24-3

Xavier 23-1 5-0 28-1

TOTAL 207-17 23-2 230-19

12 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles

Creighton (2014-25) is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 12 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 six straight regular-season league titles is Kentucky, which won its ninth consecutive SEC crown last year.

Creighton's 12 straight regular-season titles rank third-longest in NCAA history, trailing only Florida's 18 straight SEC titles from 1991-2008 and Hawaii's 16 consecutive WAC crowns from 1996-2011.

Early Losses Have Rewards

Creighton is 8-8 on the young season and finished non-conference play 5-7, but past history has shown that's actually a good omen for future success.

Last year's team started 5-5, including a loss to No. 1 Nebraska in the 10th match, before closing out non-conference play with two home matches, including a nationally-ranked foe on Sunday (No. 17 Kansas). That team went from 5-5 to 28-6 thanks to a 23-match win streak that eventually saw CU return to the Elite Eight.

Before last fall, the last previous time that Creighton lost five or more non-conference matches was in 2016, when the Jays were 6-6 before winning 23 matches in a row en route to an Elite Eight trip. In 2015, Creighton started 5-7 in non-conference play before winning 22 of its next 23 matches. That season ended with CU's first trip to the Sweet 16.

Defense!

Creighton's defense continues to thrive, holding foes to .183 hitting this fall.

That includes holding Northern Iowa to its lowest hitting percentage (.000) since at least 2006, and No. 1 Nebraska to a season-low .202 after the Huskers entered the match hitting .330 for the year.

CU also held Louisville to .256 hitting, snapping the Cardinals six-match streak of .300 hitting or better.

A St. John's team that hadn't hit below .150 all year hit just .102 against Creighton on Sept. 26.

Creighton has held 112 straight opponents under the .300 mark.

Creighton has led the country in opponents hitting percentage in two of the previous five seasons, doing so in both 2021 (.124) and 2024 (.130).

Ames Aims Higher

Ayden Ames is having a breakthrough season offensively. After owning just two matches of 10 or more kills as a starter at Texas from 2024-25, Ames has turned it up a notch with Creighton.

Ames has delivered 10 or more kills in eight matches this season, including five of her past six contests. She's done that despite moving from middle blocker to outside hitter, a position the junior had not played since high school.

Ayden Ames Stats by Position

Pos CU W-L KPS HIT% SAPS DPS BPS

MB 5-6 2.04 .320 .04 .24 1.07

OH 3-2 3.05 .206 .05 .60 .35

Perfect, Last Year

Creighton was one of eight teams in the country that did not lose a regular-season conference match last fall. Of those teams, Creighton's four league sets lost trailed only Nebraska (1).

Brian Rosen was the only one of the eight head coaches who had an undefeated conference slate to not win Coach of the Year honors in his/her league, and Rosen was 3-2 against the other teams on this list.

Set W-L Team League

60-1 Nebraska Big Ten

48-4 Creighton BIG EAST

48-8 Northern Iowa Missouri Valley

45-9 Kentucky Southeastern

54-10* Dayton Atlantic 10

41-13 San Diego West Coast

48-12* South Dakota State Summit

54-13 Utah State Mountain West

*lost in league tournament

The Streak Ends

Creighton had won 50 straight BIG EAST regular-season matches to establish a program and league record before it was snapped on Oct. 4 vs. Marquette.

It broke the record for the longest streak in BIG EAST history, surpassing the 45 in a row done from Oct. 1, 1999 to Nov. 15, 2002 by Notre Dame.

Creighton's Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins

Wins Dates Snapped By League

50 Oct. 7, 2023 - Oct. 2, 2026 Marquette, 3-2 BIG EAST

31 Nov. 18, 2017 - Nov. 3, 2019 at Villanova, 3-0 BIG EAST

28 Oct. 31, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2017 at Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST

28 Oct. 17, 2021- Nov. 18, 2022 at #16 Marquette, 3-0 BIG EAST

14 Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012 Never (left MVC) MVC

League Openers

Creighton is 25-8 all-time in conference openers, and 2-0 under Brian Rosen. That includes a 13-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, with 13 straight wins.

Each of the previous 13 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 211-13 (before 2026) in regular-season league action. Creighton also won 12 conference tournament titles during those years, going 24-1 at the league tournament in those seasons.

In the 23 previous seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .798 (340-86) winning percentage in league matches entering 2026.

In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.

In conference home openers, Creighton is 27-5 overall with 15 straight wins.

In league road openers, Creighton is 24-9 overall with 13 straight wins.

The last team to win a BIG EAST regular-season or tournament title without winning its regular-season opener in conference play was Cincinnati in the fall of 2008, which will continue beyond 2025. If that holds true again, only Creighton, Butler, DePaul, Marquette, Xavier still have hope.

Serious Production

Despite only one kill in the past three matches while primarily playing in the back row, Trinity Shadd-Ceres still owns a team-high 172 kills through her first 16 matches at Creighton, an average of 10.75 per contest.

If Shadd-Ceres has 27 kills on Friday, she'd reach 200 kills at Creighton in just her 17th contest, which would be third-fastest in program history behind Creighton Athletics Hall of Famers Jaali Winters (15 matches) and Melissa Walsh (16).

Earlier this month Shadd-Ceres tied JoDe Cieloha's program-record mark by reaching 100 kills in just her eighth match.

Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Kills (Career)

Name MP Date Opponent

JoDe Cieloha 8 09/23/94 at Drake

Trinity Shadd-Ceres 8 09/12/26 vs. #5 Louisville

Jaali Winters 9 09/12/15 Pacific

Norah Sis 9 09/11/21 Illinois

Melissa Walsh 10 09/26/98 at Bradley

Carolyn Decker 10 09/18/04 Illinois State

Keeley Davis 10 09/21/19 Wyoming

Creighton's Quickest Players To 200 Kills (Career)

Name MP Date Opponent

Jaali Winters 15 09/27/15 Villanova

Melissa Walsh 16 10/16/98 at Indiana State

JoDe Cieloha 18 10/30/94 at UMKC

Allie Oelke 18 10/06/07 at So. Illinois

Keeley Davis 18 10/20/19 Xavier

Norah Sis 18 10/08/21 DePaul

A Closer Look

Though Creighton went 5-7 prior to BIG EAST play, keep in mind that every team on its non-conference schedule finished with a top 45 RPI last season, and the Jays already have beaten three teams that closed last fall in the Top 25.

'25 RPI Opponent 2026 Result

1 Nebraska Nebraska, 3-0

4 Texas A&M Texas A&M, 3-1

10 Purdue Creighton, 3-2

12 Louisville Louisville, 3-1

13 Minnesota Minnesota, 3-0

15 USC Creighton, 3-1

24 Northern Iowa Creighton, 3-1

28 Rice Rice, 3-1

31 Kansas State Kansas State, 3-1

37 Tulsa Tulsa, 3-2

38 Arizona Creighton, 3-2

44 Pepperdine Creighton, 3-1

It's Unanimous

Despite the graduation of All-Americans Ava Martin, Annalea Maeder and Kiara Reinhardt, Creighton was the unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.

Abbey Hayes, Jaya Johnson and Ayden Ames were all named Preseason All-BIG EAST.

This is the sixth time since 2015 and third year in a row that the Jays have been voted a unanimous favorite to win the BIG EAST.

Creighton has previously been a unanimous favorite in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2024 and 2025 and gone a combined 85-3 in league action in those previous five seasons while sweeping the regular-season and conference titles on each occasion.

29 Kills For Shadd-Ceres

Trinity Shadd-Ceres became the sixth different player in Creighton Volleyball history with 29 or more kills in a match when she did it on Sept. 4 against Arizona. Of those women, Shadd-Ceres' .420 hitting percentage was the second-best mark. Her 29 kills tied a Bluejay Invitational single-match record and were one shy of the D.J. Sokol Arena record.

Creighton Players With 29+ Kills in a Match

K Pct. D Player, Opponent (Sets) Date

32 .406 10 Michelle Prorock, Evansville (4) 11/02/96

31 .390 7 Keeley Davis, Marquette (5) 10/12/19

30 .404 22 Melissa Walsh, Indiana St. (5) 10/16/98

30 .273 13 Norah Sis, Auburn (5) 12/02/22

30 .464 10 Ava Martin, Marquette (5) 11/01/25

30 .369 8 Ava Martin, No. Colorado (5) 12/04/26

29 .420 10 Trinity Shadd-Ceres, Arizona (5) 09/04/26

Dalton Goes 40/20 in Home Debut

Katie Dalton made an immediate impact in her first match as a Creighton Bluejay inside D.J. Sokol Arena, turning in 46 assists and a career-high 21 digs.

Dalton is just the ninth different Bluejay with at least 20 assists and 20 digs in the same match. It's happened 29 times overall among those women.

20 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match

A D Name Opp. Date

47 22 Melissa Weisensee Bradley (4s) 9/9/94

51 21 Melissa Weisensee at Wichita State (5s) 9/14/96

53 24 Melissa Weisensee at Indiana State (5s) 10/18/96

40 23 Melissa Weisensee at Drake (5s) 9/13/97

46 38 Melissa Weisensee Evansville (4s) 10/10/97

46 21 Melissa Weisensee Missouri State (4s) 10/31/97

65 22 Melissa Weisensee at Evansville (5s) 11/8/97

55 28 Kailey Reyes Evansville (5s) 9/11/99

65 24 Kailey Reyes Illinois State (4s) 9/24/99

40 21 Kailey Reyes Missouri State (4s) 11/6/99

49 28 Kailey Reyes at Illinois State (4s) 10/13/00

44 23 Kailey Reyes Bradley (4s) 10/28/00

64 23 Kailey Reyes at Evansville (5s) 11/4/00

45 20 Kailey Reyes vs. Evansville (4s) 11/24/00

54 22 Brittany Coleman at Illinois State (4s) 10/18/03

62 21 Brittany Coleman at So. Illinois (4s) 10/29/04

71 20 Korie Lebeda at Evansville (5s) 11/18/06

27 20 Michelle Sicner Illinois State (4s) 9/30/11

44 21 Michelle Sicner Xavier (4s) 11/29/13

41 20 Lydia Dimke vs. Wichita State (5s) 8/27/16

40 21 Kendra Wait at Marquette (4s) 10/29/21

59 36 Kendra Wait vs. Florida State (5s) 9/9/22

56 24 Kendra Wait at Rice (5s) 9/18/22

60 20 Kendra Wait #14 Marquette (5s) 11/26/22

43 22 Kendra Wait Northern Iowa (4s) 9/3/23

42 22 Kendra Wait at #9 Minnesota (5s) 9/16/23

45 26 Kendra Wait at Xavier (5s) 9/23/23

53 21 Annalea Maeder Northern Colorado (5s) 12/4/25

46 21 Katie Dalton Arizona (5s) 09/04/26

Top 25 Streak Ends

Creighton's school-record streak of 83 straight weeks as a Top 25 team was snapped when the Jays were listed 30th among those "also receiving votes" in the Sept. 28 poll. The drop came after CU had been 25th on Sept. 21st, then went 2-0 with road wins at Seton Hall and St. John's.

Creighton has been ranked 160 weeks in program history, all since 2012. Thirty-seven of those weeks the Jays have been in the Top 10.

Creighton's 83 weeks in a row being ranked began on Sept. 6, 2021 was a program record, breaking the previous-high of 64 from Oct. 31, 2016 to March 15, 2021.

Ames Made BIG EAST History in First Week

Ayden Ames was named BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 after helping the Bluejays to a pair of Top 25 wins to open the season. Ames is the first player in BIG EAST history, as well as Creighton Volleyball history, to be named both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in the same week by the league office.

Ames hit .305 and averaged 1.92 kills, 1.17 blocks and 0.25 digs during her initial week as a Bluejay. The junior from Prosper, Texas, had seven kills and set a Creighton record for most blocks in a debut with seven stuffs in a 3-2 win vs. No. 9 Purdue.

Golden Girl

Creighton junior Ayden Ames spent the summer winning a second straight Pan American Cup Gold Medal with USA Volleyball's U21 team and starting three of the team's five matches, including the final. Ames had 18 kills in 35 swings and hit .400 in the four matches she appeared in.

Production Returns

Creighton returns 9-of-17 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters.

From last year's team, Ava Martin, Kiara Reinhardt, Annalea Maeder, Sky McCune, Alivia Hausmann, Sophia Wendlick, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Emersen Strain are not back.

All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 316.2 of a possible 700% back (45.2 percent), the third-smallest amount returning in the past 25 seasons behind only 2009 and 2025.

Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:

Stat Returners Departures

Digs 993 (61.3%) 628 (38.7%)

Aces 142 (56.6%) 109 (43.4%)

Blocks 144 (55.2%) 117 (44.8%)

Matches Started 92 (45.1%) 112 (54.9%)

Points 964 (44.5%) 1201 (55.5%)

Kills 678 (41.0%) 975 (59.0%)

Assists 192 (12.5%) 1340 (87.5%)

Advance In The Dance

Creighton is one of nine schools to appear in the Sweet 16 in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments (2023-25), joining Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.

Creighton is one of six schools to be in the Elite Eight in both 2024 and 2025, a list that features Creighton, Kentucky, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Creighton has won a First Round match in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons (2023-25). Nationally, only 20 schools have done that: Arizona State, Baylor, Creighton, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.

How Sweet It Is

Creighton has made five Sweet 16s, all of which have come in the 11 seasons from 2015-25. Creighton is one of 46 schools to have made a Sweet 16 since 2015, but only 16 of those teams have been there five times or more in that span.

Most Sweet 16s, Last 11 Seasons (2015-25)

Sweet 16s School

11 Nebraska

11 Texas

11 Wisconsin

9 Minnesota

9 Penn State

8 Florida

8 Kentucky

8 Stanford

7 Louisville

6 BYU

6 Pittsburgh

6 Purdue

6 Washington

5 Creighton

5 Ohio State

5 Oregon

Replacing Three AVCA All-Americans

Creighton Volleyball had three seniors earn All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association last season, as Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt picked up Second Team honors, and Annalea Maeder was a Third Team choice.

Creighton's three honorees were tied for fifth-most in the nation, trailing only the four women chosen from Kentucky, Nebraska, SMU and Texas A&M.

Last year marked the 14th straight season that Creighton has had at least one All-American, with multiple All-Americans in 10 of the previous 11 campaigns. The only schools with multiple All-Americans each of the past five years are now Creighton, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Both Martin and Reinhardt were selected in the Major League Volleyball Draft on Nov. 24, 2025. Martin was the second overall section by the Atlanta Vibe, while Reinhardt was selected No. 8 overall in the first round by the Omaha Supernovas. The selections made Creighton the first school in league history to have two picks in the First Round of the same draft.

This is the second straight season the Jays have had to replace three or more All-Americans, as the 2025 Creighton squad that reached the Elite Eight had to replace Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger from its 2024 team that also made the Elite Eight.

How Elite Are We?

Creighton and UCLA are the nation's only schools to reach the Elite Eight in women's volleyball (2024 and 2025), women's basketball (2021), men's basketball (2022) and men's soccer (2022) since the start of the 2021-22 academic year. Creighton, UCLA and Kentucky are the nation's only schools to reach the Sweet 16 in those same sports since the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

Survival of the Fittest

Since the move to rally scoring in 2001, Creighton has won 10 matches when surviving a match point and lost five 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

2-0 Better Than 0-2

Creighton is 443-11 (.976) all-time when leading a match 2-0, and 162-1 (.994) 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. Creighton has won 130 matches in a row when taking a 2-0 lead.

Conversely, the Jays are 17-217 (.073) all-time when trailing a match 0-2.

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 193-9 in its last 202 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 21-32 record in that same span when dropping the opener.

Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set won just 20.3 percent of their matches from 2014-23.

Champions Among Champions

Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 13 or more conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's 12 crowns were outright titles, whereas WKU has shared six championships.

Creighton has also won 12 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.

Most Conference Titles 2012-2025

Regular-Season League Tournament

13 (3 shared) Creighton 12 Creighton

13 (6) Western Kentucky 11 Western Kentucky

12 (1) Fairfield 10 Fairfield

11 (1) Texas

Preseason Ranking

Creighton was ranked 13th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 10th. It's the 12th time in the past 14 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and fifth season in a row. The No. 13 slotting is tied for the fourth-best preseason mark in program history.

Creighton is one of 15 schools to be ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll since 2022. Of note, Creighton is the nation's only program that was nationally-ranked in the preseason polls in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and improved its position in the year-end poll. This year marks the 15th 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 28-6 10th

2026 13th TBD TBD

Winners Win

Creighton owns 268 wins over the previous 10 seasons, which coincides with the start of the 2016 season.

That ranks fourth-most nationally, and among some of the most storied programs in all the land. CU is also fifth in win percentage in the last decade.

Previous 10 Seasons (2016-25)

Sorted By Wins Sorted By Win Percentage

1. 287 Nebraska 1. .874 Texas 256-37

2. 283 Pittsburgh 2. .872 Nebraska 287-42

3. 278 Western Kentucky 3. .8634 Western Kentucky 278-44

4. 268 Creighton 4. .8628 Pittsburgh 283-45

5. 261 Wisconsin 5. .838 Creighton 268-52

6. 256 Texas 6. .8312 Wisconsin 261-53

7. 255 Stanford 7. .8311 BYU 251-51

8. 253 Stephen F. Austin 8. .825 Stanford 255-54

9. 251 BYU 9. .813 Kentucky 248-57

10. 248 Kentucky 10. .797 Dayton 244-62

Nothing Mid-Major About It

There's nothing mid-major about the Creighton Volleyball program.

From 2012-25, Creighton ranked fourth nationally with 372 victories. The only teams with more wins in those 14 seasons were Western Kentucky (400), Nebraska (394) and Penn State (375). Just behind CU was Texas (370) and Stanford (368).

In that time, Creighton has made five Sweet 16's and three Elite Eights while leading the country with both 13 regular-season conference titles and 12 league tournament titles,

Creighton is the only Volleyball program in BIG EAST history to ever reach the Elite Eight, and has now done it three times (2016, 2024 and 2025).

14 Straight NCAA's

Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 14 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 14 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 14 NCAA Tournaments (2012-25). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.

Rosen Sets More History

Last year Brian Rosen was the first volleyball head coach to go unbeaten in BIG EAST play in their first season as head coach at a school since Pitt's Cindy Alvear went 7-0 in 1993.

Rosen was the first volleyball head coach to win a BIG EAST regular-season title in their first season as head coach at a school since Louisville's Anne Kordes in 2011.

Rosen was the first volleyball head coach to win 20+ matches in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Ryan Theis won 24 matches at Marquette in 2014.

Rosen's 28 victories were the most ever by a head coach in his/her first season in the BIG EAST.

Rosen became the first volleyball head coach to win a BIG EAST Tournament title in their first season as head coach at a school since Georgetown's Li Liu in 1999.

Rosen became the first male head coach to win a BIG EAST Tournament title since Marquette's Bond Shymansky in 2013.

Rosen became the first volleyball head coach to win an NCAA Tournament match in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Louisville's Anne Kordes in 2011, and the only rookie BIG EAST Volleyball coach to win multiple NCAA Tournament matches in the same season.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers

This year's team has at least 15 matches against teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (2x), Xavier (2x), Purdue, Minnesota, USC, Arizona, Tulsa, Northern Iowa, Louisville, Rice, Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

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