2021 Volleyball Roster
Roster
DS
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballOH/DS
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballDS/OH
/ VolleyballDS
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
Jersey Number 21
Naomi Hickman
- Position:
- Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter
- Height:
- 6-4
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Lawrence, Kan.
- High School:
- Free State
2021: Senior at Creighton
• BIG EAST ranks: 2nd in blocks/set.
• League play only ranks: 3rd in blocks/set.
• NCAA ranks: 24th in blocks/set; 49th in total blocks.
• Played in 116 career victories for Creighton, the most in program history.
• Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after averaging 2.20 blocks per set the final weekend of the regular-season.
• Ranked fourth in CU history with 448 career block assists and 486 total blocks.
• Set the D.J. Sokol Arena record with 233 career block assists and 61 matches played in the facility.
• Hit .333 and averaged 2.11 kills and 1.11 blocks per set as CU swept three matches at the Mizzou Invitational (Aug. 27-28).
• Hit .359 and averaged 1.64 kills and 1.09 blocks in three wins at the Bluegrass Battle (Sept. 3-4).
• Had eight kills and five blocks while hitting .500 in win vs. USC (9/3).
• Had five block assists in all three matches at the Bluejay Invitational (Sept. 10-11).
• Collected season-best 10 kills in win at Butler (9/24).
• Produced seven kills in consecutive matches at St. John’s (10/1) and Seton Hall (10/2).
• Tied season-high with 10 kills and hit .562 in win at Providence (10/17).
• Had seven blocks vs. Georgetown (10/22).
• Had six block assists in 3-1 win at Marquette (10/29).
• Owned season-high eight blocks in Senior Day sweep vs. St. John’s (11/21).
• Had five blocks in 3-0 NCAA Tournament win vs. Ole Miss (Dec. 2).
• Became ninth player in program history to appear in 100 Creighton wins on Sept. 18 at Wichita State.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST choice in 2021.
• Only player in Creighton VB history to start five season openers.
• Sister, Rachel, plays volleyball at Northern Colorado.
2020: Senior at Creighton
• Unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Team.
• AVCA All-East Region First Team.
• Third in the BIG EAST with 1.18 blocks per set and third with .330 hitting percentage in all matches.
• In league-only play led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.363), total blocks (40) and blocks per set (1.33).
• Ranked 65th nationally in blocks per set.
• Creighton is 24-3 in her career when she has seven or more kills.
• Named Most Outstanding Player of BIG EAST Tournament (April 3) after averaging 2.57 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .533.
• Finished with six blocks and six kills in season-opener vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Jan. 24).
• Led team with seven blocks vs. South Dakota (Jan. 29).
• Owned six kills and five blocks in win at South Dakota (Jan. 31).
• Tied career-high with 11 blocks and added eight kills on .412 hitting in 3-2 win vs. No. 25 Marquette (Feb. 5).
• Hit .500 with 11 kills during 3-2 victory against DePaul (March 5).
• Owned seven blocks one night later in another 3-0 win vs. DePaul (March 6).
• Hit .583 with seven kills and a block assist on match point in 3-2 win vs. Xavier (March 27).
• Had season-high 12 kills (including one on match point) to go with five blocks and hit .579 in BIG EAST Tournament finals win vs. Marquette (April 3).
• Closed season with nine kills in NCAA Tournament battle against Morehead State (April 14).
• Became 16th player in Creighton history to start four season openers.
2019: Junior at Creighton
• Started all 31 matches for the BIG EAST champs, averaging 1.84 kills and 0.94 blocks per set on .293 hitting.
• Ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage and sixth in blocks per set in all matches, as well as finishing third in blocks per set in league action.
• Averaged 1.97 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set while hitting .394 in eight matches against top-25 competition.
• Named UNI Tournament (Sept. 7) MVP as well as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 10) after 38 kills and nine blocks on .465 hitting in three wins.
• Nearly doubled previous career-high in kills (9) when she had 17 kills in 25 swings to hit .640 win victory vs. No. 12 Kentucky (Sept. 6).
• Sealed tourney title with 11 kills on .733 hitting in win vs. No. 15 USC (Sept. 7).
• Opened her junior year with eight kills and .467 hitting at No. 2 Nebraska (Aug. 30).
• Had six of career-high 11 blocks in first set of 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette (Oct. 12).
• Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25 after becoming CU’s first player since 2012 with consecutive matches of 10 or more blocks.
• Posted 10 blocks in 3-1 win over No. 9 Marquette that clinched the regular-season BIG EAST title (Nov. 22).
• Added 10 more blocks two days later in a 3-1 win vs. DePaul (Nov. 24).
2018: Sophomore at Creighton
• Started in 26-of-32 appearances as a sophomore.
• Averaged 1.26 kills and 1.17 blocks per set on .262 hitting.
• Fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.17), 14th in hitting percentage (.262) and 25th in aces per set (0.22).
• Ranked 80th nationally (13th among sophomores) with 1.17 blocks per set.
• Named to All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championship after averaging 2.00 kills and 1.86 blocks per set on .387 hitting in two wins.
• In 18 matches after returning to the starting line-up on Oct. 5, she averaged 1.56 kills, 1.33 blocks and 0.29 aces per set on .294 hitting.
• Averaged at least one block per set played in each of her final 12 matches.
• Had a season-high nine blocks in BIG EAST Championship final win vs. No. 16 Marquette (Nov. 24).
• Averaged 1.78 blocks in three 3-0 wins at the SMU DoubleTree Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 1), earning her BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
• Owned seven kills and six blocks in sweep vs. Seton Hall (Oct. 5).
• Notched six kills and five blocks in win at No. 18 Marquette (Oct. 26).
• Tied season-high with nine kills and .500 hitting in BIG EAST Championship win vs. Villanova (Nov. 23).
• Had seven blocks in 3-0 NCAA Tournament win vs. South Dakota (Nov. 30).
2017: Freshman at Creighton
• Averaged 1.17 kills and 0.70 blocks per set while starting
28-of-31 matches played as a freshman.
• Hit .375 and finished with five kills, three digs and a block in 3-0 win vs. Saint Mary’s (Aug. 25) in her collegiate debut.
• Owned season-bests with nine kills, six blocks and .692 hitting percentage in 3-2 win at Georgetown (Nov. 18) to clinch outright BIG EAST title.
• Tied season-high with nine kills in BIG EAST Championship semifinal victory vs. Villanova (Nov. 24).
Free State High School
• Named by PrepVolleyball.com as the No. 98 Senior Ace, the highest-regarded recruit in Creighton’s No. 25-ranked class.
• Second Team All-State as a senior.
• Set a school record with 730 career kills.
• As a senior, her team went 35-7 as she averaged 3.1 kills and
1.3 blocks per set while hitting .378 and producing 36 aces.
• At the state tournament, her team went 2-1 and handed the nation’s No. 5 team, Blue Valley West, its first loss of the year.
• Named Area Player of the Year as a senior and was a three-time First Team All-Sunflower League selection.
• Team finished fifth in state in 2016 in its first appearance in a dozen years.
• Averaged 2.4 kills and 0.9 blocks per set as a junior.
• Third Team Club Volleyball All-American in 2015 and 2017 by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Participated in the Kansas-Missouri All-Star Game.
• Coached in high school by Amy Hoffsommer.
• Played for same KC Power club program as senior teammate Annika Welty, where she won the USAV 18 Open National Championship under coaches Mike and Danielle Stowell.
• Played four years of volleyball and one year of basketball in high school.
• Committed to Creighton in March of 2015.
Awards & Honors
2017-18 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2018 All-BIG EAST Tournament Team
2018 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 9/4
2018-19 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2018-19 Dean’s List
2019 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 11/25
2019 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, 9/10
2019 UNI Tournament All-Tournament Team
2019 UNI Tournament MVP
2019-20 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2020 All-BIG EAST
2020 AVCA All-East Region First Team
2020 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
2020 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Scholarship
2021 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 11/22
2021 Preseason All-BIG EAST
Personal
• Daughter of Ryan and Miriam Hickman.
• Has siblings Rachel, Isaac and Hope.
• Her sister, Rachel, is a junior volleyball player at Northern Colorado.
• Nursing major and health administration and policy minor.
• Nickname is Nae.
• Hidden talent is playing the piano.
• Favorite food is avocados.
• Dream dinner guests would be Martin Luther King Jr., C.S. Lewis and Bob Goff.
• Says most improved Bluejay is Kiana Schmitt.
• Best sports memory is beating Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• Go-to pregame music artist is Justin Bieber.
• Dr. Kandis McCafferty is her favorite CU professor.
• In 10 years would love to be working as a nurse and be a mom.
• Chose Creighton because she loved the players, coaches and culture.
• Favorite Summer Olympics sport to watch is swimming.
• BIG EAST ranks: 2nd in blocks/set.
• League play only ranks: 3rd in blocks/set.
• NCAA ranks: 24th in blocks/set; 49th in total blocks.
• Played in 116 career victories for Creighton, the most in program history.
• Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 22 after averaging 2.20 blocks per set the final weekend of the regular-season.
• Ranked fourth in CU history with 448 career block assists and 486 total blocks.
• Set the D.J. Sokol Arena record with 233 career block assists and 61 matches played in the facility.
• Hit .333 and averaged 2.11 kills and 1.11 blocks per set as CU swept three matches at the Mizzou Invitational (Aug. 27-28).
• Hit .359 and averaged 1.64 kills and 1.09 blocks in three wins at the Bluegrass Battle (Sept. 3-4).
• Had eight kills and five blocks while hitting .500 in win vs. USC (9/3).
• Had five block assists in all three matches at the Bluejay Invitational (Sept. 10-11).
• Collected season-best 10 kills in win at Butler (9/24).
• Produced seven kills in consecutive matches at St. John’s (10/1) and Seton Hall (10/2).
• Tied season-high with 10 kills and hit .562 in win at Providence (10/17).
• Had seven blocks vs. Georgetown (10/22).
• Had six block assists in 3-1 win at Marquette (10/29).
• Owned season-high eight blocks in Senior Day sweep vs. St. John’s (11/21).
• Had five blocks in 3-0 NCAA Tournament win vs. Ole Miss (Dec. 2).
• Became ninth player in program history to appear in 100 Creighton wins on Sept. 18 at Wichita State.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST choice in 2021.
• Only player in Creighton VB history to start five season openers.
• Sister, Rachel, plays volleyball at Northern Colorado.
2020: Senior at Creighton
• Unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Team.
• AVCA All-East Region First Team.
• Third in the BIG EAST with 1.18 blocks per set and third with .330 hitting percentage in all matches.
• In league-only play led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.363), total blocks (40) and blocks per set (1.33).
• Ranked 65th nationally in blocks per set.
• Creighton is 24-3 in her career when she has seven or more kills.
• Named Most Outstanding Player of BIG EAST Tournament (April 3) after averaging 2.57 kills and 1.00 blocks per set while hitting .533.
• Finished with six blocks and six kills in season-opener vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Jan. 24).
• Led team with seven blocks vs. South Dakota (Jan. 29).
• Owned six kills and five blocks in win at South Dakota (Jan. 31).
• Tied career-high with 11 blocks and added eight kills on .412 hitting in 3-2 win vs. No. 25 Marquette (Feb. 5).
• Hit .500 with 11 kills during 3-2 victory against DePaul (March 5).
• Owned seven blocks one night later in another 3-0 win vs. DePaul (March 6).
• Hit .583 with seven kills and a block assist on match point in 3-2 win vs. Xavier (March 27).
• Had season-high 12 kills (including one on match point) to go with five blocks and hit .579 in BIG EAST Tournament finals win vs. Marquette (April 3).
• Closed season with nine kills in NCAA Tournament battle against Morehead State (April 14).
• Became 16th player in Creighton history to start four season openers.
2019: Junior at Creighton
• Started all 31 matches for the BIG EAST champs, averaging 1.84 kills and 0.94 blocks per set on .293 hitting.
• Ranked fifth in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage and sixth in blocks per set in all matches, as well as finishing third in blocks per set in league action.
• Averaged 1.97 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set while hitting .394 in eight matches against top-25 competition.
• Named UNI Tournament (Sept. 7) MVP as well as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 10) after 38 kills and nine blocks on .465 hitting in three wins.
• Nearly doubled previous career-high in kills (9) when she had 17 kills in 25 swings to hit .640 win victory vs. No. 12 Kentucky (Sept. 6).
• Sealed tourney title with 11 kills on .733 hitting in win vs. No. 15 USC (Sept. 7).
• Opened her junior year with eight kills and .467 hitting at No. 2 Nebraska (Aug. 30).
• Had six of career-high 11 blocks in first set of 3-2 win at No. 10 Marquette (Oct. 12).
• Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25 after becoming CU’s first player since 2012 with consecutive matches of 10 or more blocks.
• Posted 10 blocks in 3-1 win over No. 9 Marquette that clinched the regular-season BIG EAST title (Nov. 22).
• Added 10 more blocks two days later in a 3-1 win vs. DePaul (Nov. 24).
2018: Sophomore at Creighton
• Started in 26-of-32 appearances as a sophomore.
• Averaged 1.26 kills and 1.17 blocks per set on .262 hitting.
• Fourth in the BIG EAST in blocks per set (1.17), 14th in hitting percentage (.262) and 25th in aces per set (0.22).
• Ranked 80th nationally (13th among sophomores) with 1.17 blocks per set.
• Named to All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championship after averaging 2.00 kills and 1.86 blocks per set on .387 hitting in two wins.
• In 18 matches after returning to the starting line-up on Oct. 5, she averaged 1.56 kills, 1.33 blocks and 0.29 aces per set on .294 hitting.
• Averaged at least one block per set played in each of her final 12 matches.
• Had a season-high nine blocks in BIG EAST Championship final win vs. No. 16 Marquette (Nov. 24).
• Averaged 1.78 blocks in three 3-0 wins at the SMU DoubleTree Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 1), earning her BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
• Owned seven kills and six blocks in sweep vs. Seton Hall (Oct. 5).
• Notched six kills and five blocks in win at No. 18 Marquette (Oct. 26).
• Tied season-high with nine kills and .500 hitting in BIG EAST Championship win vs. Villanova (Nov. 23).
• Had seven blocks in 3-0 NCAA Tournament win vs. South Dakota (Nov. 30).
2017: Freshman at Creighton
• Averaged 1.17 kills and 0.70 blocks per set while starting
28-of-31 matches played as a freshman.
• Hit .375 and finished with five kills, three digs and a block in 3-0 win vs. Saint Mary’s (Aug. 25) in her collegiate debut.
• Owned season-bests with nine kills, six blocks and .692 hitting percentage in 3-2 win at Georgetown (Nov. 18) to clinch outright BIG EAST title.
• Tied season-high with nine kills in BIG EAST Championship semifinal victory vs. Villanova (Nov. 24).
Free State High School
• Named by PrepVolleyball.com as the No. 98 Senior Ace, the highest-regarded recruit in Creighton’s No. 25-ranked class.
• Second Team All-State as a senior.
• Set a school record with 730 career kills.
• As a senior, her team went 35-7 as she averaged 3.1 kills and
1.3 blocks per set while hitting .378 and producing 36 aces.
• At the state tournament, her team went 2-1 and handed the nation’s No. 5 team, Blue Valley West, its first loss of the year.
• Named Area Player of the Year as a senior and was a three-time First Team All-Sunflower League selection.
• Team finished fifth in state in 2016 in its first appearance in a dozen years.
• Averaged 2.4 kills and 0.9 blocks per set as a junior.
• Third Team Club Volleyball All-American in 2015 and 2017 by PrepVolleyball.com.
• Participated in the Kansas-Missouri All-Star Game.
• Coached in high school by Amy Hoffsommer.
• Played for same KC Power club program as senior teammate Annika Welty, where she won the USAV 18 Open National Championship under coaches Mike and Danielle Stowell.
• Played four years of volleyball and one year of basketball in high school.
• Committed to Creighton in March of 2015.
Awards & Honors
2017-18 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2018 All-BIG EAST Tournament Team
2018 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 9/4
2018-19 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2018-19 Dean’s List
2019 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 11/25
2019 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, 9/10
2019 UNI Tournament All-Tournament Team
2019 UNI Tournament MVP
2019-20 BIG EAST All-Academic Team
2020 All-BIG EAST
2020 AVCA All-East Region First Team
2020 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
2020 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Scholarship
2021 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, 11/22
2021 Preseason All-BIG EAST
Personal
• Daughter of Ryan and Miriam Hickman.
• Has siblings Rachel, Isaac and Hope.
• Her sister, Rachel, is a junior volleyball player at Northern Colorado.
• Nursing major and health administration and policy minor.
• Nickname is Nae.
• Hidden talent is playing the piano.
• Favorite food is avocados.
• Dream dinner guests would be Martin Luther King Jr., C.S. Lewis and Bob Goff.
• Says most improved Bluejay is Kiana Schmitt.
• Best sports memory is beating Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament.
• Go-to pregame music artist is Justin Bieber.
• Dr. Kandis McCafferty is her favorite CU professor.
• In 10 years would love to be working as a nurse and be a mom.
• Chose Creighton because she loved the players, coaches and culture.
• Favorite Summer Olympics sport to watch is swimming.
Creighton Volleyball vs Northern Iowa NCAA Volleyball Second Round Press Conference
Saturday, December 06
Creighton Volleyball vs Northern Colorado NCAA Volleyball First Round Press Conference 12:4:25
Friday, December 05
Utah Volleyball Press Conference - 12/4/25
Friday, December 05
Northern Iowa Volleyball Press Conference - 12/4/25
Friday, December 05
