#9 Volleyball Heads to Kansas Invitational

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This Weekend -- Kansas Invitational
Sept. 8   10:00 am   #9 Creighton vs. #17 Purdue   Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Athletics Center)
Sept. 8   5:00 pm   #9 Creighton vs. Belmont   Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Athletics Center)
Sept. 9   7:30 pm   #9 Creighton at #7 Kansas (ESPN3)   Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Athletics Center)

This Weekend
Coming off titles at the Husky Invitational and the Bluejay Invitational, No. 9 Creighton (5-1) seeks a third straight championship this weekend when it heads to Lawrence, Kan., for the Kansas Invitational.
   The Bluejays open the tournament on Friday at 10 a.m. when it takes on No. 17 Purdue (6-0).
   Later that evening at 5 p.m., CU meets up with Ohio Valley Conference favorite Belmont (5-3).
   On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Creighton wraps up the weekend with a match at No. 7 Kansas (7-0).
   The Horejsi Family Athletics Center will host the action. The 1,302 seat facility is sold out.

Radio Information
None of Creighton's matches this weekend will air on Omaha radio.
   Saturday night's match at Kansas will be broadcast by KU, with a link to that stream available at http://kuathletics.leanplayer.com.

Video Information
Only Creighton's match on Saturday night at Kansas will be video webcast, as it will air on ESPN3. The link to that contest can be found at http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3147378/creighton-vs-kansas-w-volleyball.
   Lief Lisec (play-by-play) and Jill Dorsey-Hall (analyst) will call the action.

Live Stats Information
All matches at the Kansas Invitational will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page for the exact links.

Scouting #9 Creighton
Creighton entered 2017 ranked ninth nationally after returning five starters, plus libero Brittany Witt, from last season's team went 29-7 while advancing to its first Elite Eight.
   After a 5-1 start with wins over No. 3 Washington and No. 13 Kentucky, as well as triumphs over 2016 NCAA Tournament teams Pitt and UNI, Creighton has returned to ninth in the rankings. CU's only setback came against No. 18 USC.
   Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Lydia Dimke (10.63 aps., 2.37 dps., 1.21 kps., 0.95 bps.), who began her career with Friday's foe Purdue, was named Bluejay Invitational MVP last weekend after helping CU to a title.
   Joining Dimke on the All-Tournament Team were Jaali Winters (3.42 kps., 2.42 dps.) and Marysa Wilkinson (3.00 kps., 1.16 bps., .393%). Wilkinson was named MVP of the Husky Invitational on the first week of the season.
   The three-time defending BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champion, Creighton was a unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST in 2017.
   The Bluejays average 13.89 kills, 15.74 digs, 2.68 blocks and 1.58 aces per set while hitting .259.

Scouting #17 Purdue
Purdue is 6-0 and ranked 17th nationally after wins against Oral Roberts (3-0), Cleveland State (3-0), Alabama (3-0), Jacksonville (3-0), Eastern Michigan (3-0) and Wyoming (3-2).
   Danielle Cuttino averages 4.10 kills per set on .392 hitting, while Sherridan Atkinson isn't far behind with 3.47 kills per set on .358 hitting. In addition, Blake Mohler averages 2.40 kills per set while hitting at a .506 clip.
   Ashley Evans (11.60 aps.) directs a Boilermaker offense that hits .385 to rank second nationally.
   Purdue averages 14.85 kills, 1.70 aces, 11.55 digs and 2.15 blocks per set.

Scouting Belmont
Belmont enters the weekend with a 5-3 record, including wins over Elon (3-0), Charlotte (3-2), Southern Utah (3-1), UT Arlington (3-2) and Middle Tennessee (3-1). The Bruins have lost to Wichita State (3-0), Idaho State (3-2) and Western Kentucky (3-0).
   A trio of Bruins wre named to the 2017 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference team: seniors Brie Lewis (2.86 kps., 2.38 dps.), Arianna Person (3.39 kps., 2.96 dps.) and Emma Price (10.32 aps., 2.68 dps.). Person ranks third in school history in career kills and seventh in digs, while Price is third in assists.
   The Bruins were picked to win the OVC in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Belmont averages 12.19 kills, 1.78 aces, 13.66 digs and 1.70 blocks per set while hitting .195.

Scouting #7 Kansas
Kansas is 7-0 and ranked seventh in the nation. The Jayhawks own wins over North Carolina State (3-1), Missouri State (3-1), North Carolina State (3-2), Utah Valley (3-0), Long Beach State (3-1), Montana (3-0) and No. 13 Kentucky (3-0).
   The Jayhawks are led by senior All-Americans Kelsie Payne (4.65 kps., .373%) and Ainise Havili (12.46 aps.), with classmate Madison Rigdon (4.08 kps., 2.54 dps., 0.50 saps.) also playing a starring role.
   The Jayhawks average 15.69 kills, 1.04 aces, 16.19 digs and 2.31 blocks on .289 hitting.
   Kansas reached the Final Four in 2015 and shared the Big 12 title in 2016. The Jayhawks have won 64-of-70 matches since the start of 2015, including 31-of-33 contests at home.

The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 296-154 record in her 15th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST titles, and four league crowns in the last five years. She has led the Bluejays to their first two Sweet 16's (2015, 2016) and first Elite Eight (2016) in program history. In 2016 she was recognized as VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Coach of the Year and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only six NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached the Jays into the top-25 each of the last six years, another program first.
   Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri's 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
   Booth is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Ryan Meek and Drew Davis.
   Dave Shondell (Ball State, 1981) owns a 306-141 record in his 14th season at Purdue. He has led the Boilermakers to 10 NCAA Tournaments, including seven Sweet 16's and two Elite Eight appearances. He is assisted by John Shondell, Kathy Jewell and Levi Gibson.
   Tony Howell (North Texas, 1996) is 57-44 in his fourth year as head coach at Belmont. He is a former assistant coach with the Bruins, as well. Howell helped BU to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. He is assisted by John Schmidt and Karlee Lursen.
   Ray Bechard owns a 359-232 record in his 20th season at Kansas. He's led Kansas to a pair of Sweet 16's, including the 2015 Final Four in Omaha. He owns a career mark of 1,075-291 in 34 years as a coach, and is assisted by Laura Kuhn, Todd Chamberlain and Skyler Yee.

Series History vs. Purdue
Creighton and Purdue have never met.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never coached against Purdue nor Dave Shondell.
   Creighton is 4-26 all-time against teams that are currently in the Big Ten, including a 3-22 mark under Booth. CU's last match against a Big Ten team came in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, when CU defeated No. 17 Michigan in the Regional Semifinal.

Series History vs. Belmont
Creighton and Belmont have never met.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never coached against Belmont nor Tony Howell.
   Creighton is 4-0 all-time against teams that are currently in the Ohio Valley Conference, including a 2-0 mark under Booth. CU's last meeting against an OVC team came in the 2008, a 3-0 victory at Jacksonville State.

Series History vs. Kansas
Kansas owns an 8-2 lead in the series since CU brought back volleyball in 1994, including a 5-1 record in Lawrence.
   The teams have played four sets or more in each of the last eight meetings, and went five sets while splitting two meetings last fall.
   Creighton's lone win in Lawrence came last December, which saw the Bluejays emerge with a 20-18 fifth set victory in one of the most competitive matches in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 2-7 against Kansas and Ray Bechard.

Last Weekend Recap
With the eyes of the college volleyball world focused on Omaha last weekend, Creighton picked up the Bluejay Invitational title after going 2-1. Creighton swept No. 13 Kentucky and Northern Iowa and lost to No. 18 USC, but won the tiebreaker thanks to the head-to-head win over the Wildcats.
   Lydia Dimke was named Tournament MVP, while Jaali Winters and Marysa Wilkinson joined her on the All-Tournament Team.

Dimke Earns League Honor
Senior setter Lydia Dimke was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 9.67 assists, 2.44 digs, 0.78 aces, 1.00 blocks and 1.56 digs per set at the Bluejay Invitational.
   Dimke was named Tournament MVP after helping Creighton to the crown.
   It's the first time Dimke has been named Offensive Player of the Week by the BIG EAST, though she was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 7, 2016.

Schedule Doesn't Let Up Anytime Soon
Last weekend, Creighton welcomed three teams to Omaha that were 3-0 including No. 13 Kentucky and No. 18 USC.
   This weekend doesn't get any easier in Lawrence, as the Bluejays will meet No. 7 Kansas, No. 17 Purdue and Ohio Valley Conference favorite Belmont.
   Here's a look at the records at the time of each match against Creighton this season, or their record so far. Notably, Creighton's next six opponents are a combined 34-4.
Team   W-L
Saint Mary's   0-0
Pitt   0-1
#3 Washington   2-0
#13 Kentucky   3-0
#18 USC   3-1
Northern Iowa   4-1
#17 Purdue   6-0
Belmont   5-3
#7 Kansas   7-0
#23 Wichita State   6-0
#22 Iowa State   5-0
Georgetown   5-1

Road Tested
Saturday night's match at No. 7 Kansas will mark Creighton's fourth straight true road match that it has faced a top-10 team, a stretch that started last December against the Jayhawks. The Bluejays are 2-1 in this stretch so far, as seen below:
Date   Opponent   Result
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   CU 3-2
12/10/16   at #5 Texas   UT 3-0
08//26/17   at #3 Washington   CU 3-1
09/02/17   at #7 Kansas   7:30 p.m.

Rank & File
Creighton owns a pair of victories over ranked teams this fall, having already toppled No. 3 Washington and No. 13 Kentucky.
   Four of the next five opponents on Creighton's scheduled are ranked (No. 17 Purdue, No. 7 Kansas, No. 23 Wichita State, No. 22 Iowa State), giving the program a chance to beat three ranked teams in the same season for the first time ever.
   Through games of Monday, the only team in the nation with three wins over ranked teams is Florida. Creighton is one of six clubs nationally with two exactly top-25 wins.
Team   Top 25 Wins
Florida   3
Creighton   2
Kentucky   2
Northern Iowa   2
Texas   2
UCLA   2
USC   2

Hickman Returns Home
Naomi Hickman should be familiar with the surroundings this weekend, as the Creighton middle blocker hails from Lawrence, Kan., and attended Free State High School.
   Hickman has started all six matches to open her freshman season, averaging 0.84 blocks, 0.79 kills and 0.53 digs per set.
   Hickman led Creighton in blocks during all three matches of the Bluejay Invitational, amassing 11 blocks in nine sets.
   Hickman's younger sister verbally committed to Kansas last fall and is currently a junior in high school.

Dimke Faces Old School
Senior setter Lydia Dimke will face her old team on Friday morning when Creighton faces off against Purdue.
   Dimke enrolled at Purdue in the spring of 2014 and competed for the Boilermakers in 2014 and 2015, splitting time between setter, outside hitter and serving specialist.
   Dimke transferred to Creighton in the spring of 2016 and has started every match since at setter. She was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year and Third Team All-American last season, and projected as the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year entering this fall.
   Here's a look at the stats for Dimke (at CU) compared to Purdue setter Ashley Evans, since Dimke transferred.
Player   KPS   Hit %   APS   SAPS   DPS   BPS
Dimke   1.15   .305   11.27   0.20   2.63   0.58
Evans   0.85   .256   10.97   0.26   1.99   0.42

4 x 5 For #1
Lydia Dimke did a little bit of everything in Creighton's 3-0 sweep of Northern Iowa on Sept. 2nd.
   The senior setter had 29 assists, 10 digs, four blocks, four kills and four aces against the Panthers.
   She's just the second player in CU history with four or more assists, digs, blocks, kills and aces in the same match, joining Melissa Weisensee (80 assists, 14 digs, 5 blocks, 5 kills, 4 aces) vs. Evansville on Nov. 2, 1996.

Put It In Neutral
Creighton has won each of its last six matches played at neutral sites. That includes two victories en route to the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament title (over Seton Hall and Xavier), NCAA Tournament wins in Lawrence (over UNI) and Austin (over Michigan), and victories to open 2017 in Seattle (over Saint Mary's and Pitt).

Fond Memories From Last Visit to Horejsi
There's few visiting facilities that Creighton should be more familiar with than the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
   This weekend's three contests at the Kansas Invitational will give Creighton nine matches in the building since 2012.
   Creighton and Kansas locked horns in a five-set thriller won by KU at Horejsi in 2012.
   The Bluejays opened the 2014 season with three matches there in the Kansas Invitational, which marked the collegiate debuts of current Creighton seniors Marysa Wilkinson and Kenzie Crawford. CU beat Lipscomb and Utah Valley before losing in four sets to Kansas.
   Last year Creighton was sent to Lawrence for the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays ousted Northern Iowa in five sets before taking on the fourth-ranked and fifth-seeded Jayhawks in what some veterans have called the best match in program history. The teams traded the first four sets before Creighton eliminated KU 20-18 in the fifth set to clinch a second straight Sweet 16 bid.
   Going back even further, Creighton also played three matches at Horejsi in the 2009 Jayhawk Invitational, which means this weekend will give the Bluejays' 12 matches in the facility in the past nine seasons. Creighton also played three matches at Horejsi in the 2003 Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic during Kirsten Bernthal Booth's first season at the helm of the Bluejays.
   Creighton has also played two matches in the 2013 NCAA Tournament in Lawrence next to Horejsi at historic Allen Fieldhouse, and also played in Topeka, Kan. (in a match with KU as host) in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Service With A Smile
Creighton served up a season-high nine aces
against Northern Iowa on Sept. 2 and countered that with a season-low two serving errors.
    The +7 ace/error differential against the Panthers ranks tied for seventh-greatest since the program's 1994 restart.
Diff.   Aces   Errors   Opponent   Date
+11   15   4   vs. NE Illinois   9/23/95
+10   12   2   at DePaul   10/3/14
+9   12   3   at Evansville   10/7/94
+9   15   6   UMKC   11/12/95
+8   13   5   at New Mexico   9/4/04
+8   12   4   DePaul   9/25/16

All About That Ace
For the season, Creighton has 30 aces and 31 service errors in 19 sets played. That is tied for the most aces through six matches in the last 10 seasons, and the tied for the fewest service errors through six matches since the program's reinstatement in 1994.
   Few players embody the improvement better than Lydia Dimke. Dimke had 0 aces and 16 service errors in 74 trips to the service line during Creighton's first six matches in 2016. This season Dimke leads the BIG EAST with 12 aces against just five errors in 72 serves.
   Along those same lines, Brittany Witt has 10 fewer service errors through six matches compared to last season, with the same number of aces.
Serving Stats Through 6 Matches, Under Booth
Year   Aces   Errors   SAPS   Team W-L
2017   30   31   1.58   5-1
2016   23   65   0.92   2-4
2015   25   44   1.09   2-4
2014   19   57   0.83   3-3
2013   27   31   1.35   5-1
2012   30   43   1.43   5-1
2011   20   45   0.83   2-4
2010   19   65   0.83   2-4
2009   17   55   0.85   1-5
2008   21   66   0.91   2-4
2007   32   68   1.68   3-3
2006   34   61   1.55   5-1
2005   22   38   1.22   4-2
2004   58   65   2.64   5-1
2003   34   70   1.55   2-4

Strong Starts After Six
Creighton is off to a 5-1 start for the first time since the 2013 club also started 5-1. It's a marked improvement over the past two Bluejay seasons that both started 2-4, but ended up in the Sweet 16 (2015) and Elite Eight (2016).
   Creighton last started 6-1 in 2013, when it actually began 7-1.
   Creighton hasn't started a season 8-1 since opening 10-1 in 2012. That team suffered its second loss of the season at Kansas, a 15-13 loss in the fifth set.

Fridays Are For The Jays
Creighton's was 16-0 on Friday's last season, winning 48-of-53 sets played.
   Of those 16 wins, five were against teams that went on to reach the NCAA Tournament (Northern Iowa, TCU, Marquette and Kansas, Michigan).
   This year's team is 2-0 in matches on Friday's, and 6-0 in sets, including a victory over a Kentucky team that reached last year's NCAA's.

Round And Round She Goes
Saturday night's win over UNI was the 100th career start for Marysa Wilkinson.
   Wilkinson played all three sets and finished with 11 kills, meaning she's now played in exactly 400 career sets and owns exactly 900 career kills.

Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 100-90 in the 64 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 43-21 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 80-57 in 48 regular-season tournaments, including 11 titles.
   Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
   This year marks the first time since 2004 that Creighton has won back-to-back regular-season tournament titles in the same season.
   Creighton has never won three titles in the same regular-season.

No. 7 Ranking Was A Program Best; Now 9th
Creighton opened the 2017 season ranked ninth in the preseason poll, then moved up to a program-best mark of seventh in the Aug. 28 poll.
   Creighton dropped back to ninth after a 2-1 finish at the Bluejay Invitational.
   Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the last nine seasons, only 161-of-225 teams (71.6 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
   In that same time frame, all but 22 teams named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.2 percent).

Home At Home
Creighton has won 21 straight matches against BIG EAST competition at D.J. Sokol Arena, and is 26-1 in its last 27 matches against all teams at home.
   Below is a look at the program's largest home win streaks in history.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins   Dates   Snapped By
   13   Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013   California, 3-0
   13   Sept. 9, 2016 - Sept. 1, 2017   #18 USC
   12   Sept. 20 - Nov. 28, 2015   #4 Kansas, 3-2
   9   Sept. 20, 2014-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0
   8   Sept. 25-Nov. 20, 2010   Northern Illinois, 3-0

Wilkinson Earns MVP; Honored By BIG EAST
Marysa Wilkinson was named MVP of the Husky Invitational on the opening weekend after averaging 2.90 kills and 1.50 blocks per set while hitting .397.
   Wilkinson had 13 kills and five blocks on .571 hitting in the season-opening win vs. Saint Mary's, and closed the weekend with 11 kills, four blocks and .429 hitting in the win at No. 3 Washington.
   Wilkinson was also honored as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts.

(Now) Streakless In Seattle
Creighton's win at No. 3 Washington on August 26th was historic for a number of reasons.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play since Sept. 13, 2008, snapping a streak of 81 straight victories.
   It was Washington's first regular-season loss in non-conference play at home since Sept. 1, 2001, snapping a streak of 45 straight victories.
   It was also Washington's first regular-season non-conference loss in fewer than five sets since Sept. 7, 2002, a stretch that covered 143 matches.
   Washington had never lost a home match in the month of August (going 16-0), and had not lost in the month of August since August 31, 2006.
   Creighton had been 0-8 in history against teams ranked in the top-3 nationally, meaning the third-ranked Huskies are the Bluejays highest-ranked victim in program history.

Operation Spikeville
Jaali Winters enters Friday with 1,059 career kills, good for 10th-most in Creighton history.
   Here's a look at Creighton's top-17 in career kills, which includes teammate Marysa Wilkinson's 900 kills that rank 16th.
Most Career Kills, Creighton History
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   2.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   3.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   4.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   5.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   6.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   7.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   8.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   9.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   10.   Jaali Winters   277   1,059   2015-Pr.
   11.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   12.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
   13.   Jess Bird   377   965   2013-16
   14.   Erin Swanson   319   955   1998-01
   15.   Ashley Williams   359   941   2001-04
   16.   Marysa Wilkinson   400   900   2014-Pr.
   17.   Megan Bober   480   833   2009-12

Winters Reaches 1,000 Kills
Jaali Winters owns 1,059 career kills. That's second-most nationally among juniors, trailing only Iowa's Taylor Louis (1,235).
   Winters needed just 72 career matches to reach 1,000 career kills, becoming the second-fastest player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill milestone. Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Melissa Walsh reached 1,000 career kills in 70 matches in 2000.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Jaali Winters   72   08/25/17   vs. Saint Mary's
Leah Ratzlaff   76   10/22/04   Missouri State
JoDe Cieloha   83   09/13/97   at Drake
Kelly Goc   87   11/24/06   vs. Northern Iowa
Jessica Houts   90   11/08/08   Illinois State
Leah McNary   96   09/12/14   Pepperdine
Amanda Cvejdlik   99   11/15/08   at Evansville
Shelly Kapler   103   11/18/99   vs. Missouri St.
Allie Oelke   107   10/09/10   Wichita State
Kelli Browning   110   10/26/14   DePaul
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova

Top 25 History
Creighton is 9-68 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 4-2 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
   Creighton's season-opening win at No. 3 Washington is the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays has ever beaten, surpassing a win over No. 4 Kansas last December.
   Creighton is now 3-27 all-time against top-10 foes (3-20 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
   Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 3-34 after wins in the last two seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016) and No. 3 Washington (2017).
   Creighton is 37-11 all-time as a ranked team, and also 5-7 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself.
   Creighton's August 26th win over No. 3 Washington was the first match in program history that then-No. 9 Creighton and its opponent were both in the top-10 at the time of the match.
   Last weekend's matches vs. No. 13 Kentucky and No. 18 USC were be the first time Creighton has played in a match it hosted that involved a pair of top-25 teams.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 22 of Creighton's 39 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 131-17 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 25 straight home matches over unranked teams.
   Creighton 0-3 all-time against teams ranked exactly seventh and 1-0 against teams ranked exactly 17th. That win came over Michigan in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

All-Region Picks Return
Creighton had five All-Region picks, tied for third-most nationally, in 2016.
   Creighton's four first-team choices trailed only Nebraska (6) and Florida (5) and were equal to Kansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin for third-most nationally.
   Creighton is the only team with five All-Region returners for 2017.
School   2016 All-Region   2017 returners
Nebraska   6   3
Minnesota   6   3
Creighton   5   5
Florida   5   4
Kansas   5   4
UCLA   5   2
Wisconsin   5   2
Kentucky   4   4

Some Fab Freshmen
Including Naomi Hickman on August 25th, Creighton has started eight different true freshmen in a season opener in the last eight years, and 14 such players since 2000.
   Since 2000, the only true freshmen to start CU's season-opener have been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005), Allie Oelke (2007), Brooke Boggs (2009), Heather Thorson (2009), Julianne Mandolfo (2010), Katie Neisler (2011), Michelle Sicner (2011), Melanie Jereb (2012), Ashley Jansen (2012), Jess Bird (2013), Jaali Winters (2015) and Naomi Hickman (2017). In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as transfers Maggie Baumert (2014) and Lydia Dimke (2016) in season-openers.
   Seven of those women (Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC's All-Freshman Team (the BIG EAST has no such team). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, while Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016.

Coaching Them Up
Lydia Dimke became Creighton's first setter in six seasons to start the opening match of the season in consecutive seasons.
   Megan Bober was CU's Opening Day setter in 2012 vs. UCF before Michelle Sicner took over in the 2013 lid-lifter vs. BYU. In 2014 Maggie Baumert started the opener at setter against Lipscomb, while Kenzie Crawford got the call versus Miami (Ohio) in 2015. Last year Dimke started against Wichita State in the opener, then repeated at that spot vs. Saint Mary's this fall.
   Bober had owned the distinction of being Creighton's last setter to start consecutive season-openers, having done so all four years from 2009-12.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of those previous five seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and four of them saw Creighton win conference titles.

Some 2016 Highlights
The 2016 season was one full of highlights for Creighton. Consider the following...
-Creighton was ranked ninth in the final AVCA poll, best in program history.
-Creighton owned a year-end NCAA RPI of 12 best in program history.
-Creighton reached its first Elite Eight in program history.
-Creighton won its third straight BIG EAST regular-season title, and third straight BIG EAST Championship title, going a combined 20-0 against league foes in 2016.
-Creighton won the BIG EAST Conference, the nation's ninth-best league, by five full games in the standings.
-Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST history to advance to a Regional Final. League teams had previously been 0-7 in the Regional Semifinal round.
-Creighton ranked tied for fourth nationally with 29 victories, tied for 16th in road victories and 20th in winning percentage (.806).
-Lydia Dimke was named an AVCA Third Team All-American and became the program's first BIG EAST Player of the Year.
-Taryn Kloth and Jaali Winters were both named Honorable Mention All-Americans by the AVCA. Winters was also named Second Team All-American by PrepVolleyball.com and Third Team All-American by VolleyballMag.com. In addition, Lauren Smith was named a First Team Senior CLASS Award All-American.
-Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year, AVCA East Region Coach of the Year and VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year.

Select Company
Creighton is one of 10 teams in the country that has been to the Sweet 16 each of the last two seasons, a list that consists of BYU, Creighton, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.
   Creighton is also one of just 10 schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the previous five seasons (2012-16). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.
   Creighton is also one of 21 teams to have appeared in each of the previous five NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington.

Statistically Speaking
Creighton finished last season ranked first in the nation with 1,868 kills, third nationally with 1,722 assists and fourth with 14.59 kills per set.
   Individually, Lydia Dimke ranked second nationally with 1,454 assists, just 11 behind the 1,465 by Minnesota's Samantha Seliger-Swenson.

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the fifth straight season, Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   CU was a unanimous choice and received 81 points in the poll and all nine possible first-place votes. Butler was picked second, while Marquette was third and earned the remaining first-place vote.
   Creighton also had four women named to the 12 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Lydia Dimke, Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt were all honored. Dimke was selected as Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 12 of the past 14 years, including seven years where it's finished exactly where it was predicted.
Year   Preseason Pick   Finish   Move
1994   11th   9th   #2
1995   9th   7th   #2
1996   9th   6th   #3
1997   8th   3rd   #5
1998   6th   8th   i2
1999   T-7th   5th   #2
2000   4th   T-4th   - -
2001   2nd   4th   i2
2002   7th   9th   i2
2003   9th   T-5th   #4
2004   5th   5th   - -
2005   5th   5th   - -
2006   4th   4th   - -
2007   3rd   T-2nd   #1
2008   3rd   2nd   #1
2009   4th   T-4th   - -
2010   4th   3rd   #1
2011   3rd   4th   i1
2012   4th   1st   #3
2013   1st   T-2nd   i1
2014   1st   1st   - -
2015   1st   1st   - -
2016   1st   1st   - -
2017   1st   ???   ???

Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won eight matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 296-2 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa and two other match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date   Opponent   MP(s) Faced   Final Set 5
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

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 251-9 (.965) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 194-3 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 27 straight when up 2-0, and is 121-1 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
   Conversely, the Jays are 12-189 (.060) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, but did have three comeback victories in 2015.
   Those 12 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

Set 1 Result = Match Result
Creighton is 246-28 (.898) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 50-126 (.284) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 72-1 in its last 73 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific.
   Last year's team was 24-4 when winning the first set and 5-3 when losing the first set.
   This year's team is 5-0 when winning the first set and 0-1 when dropping the first set.

Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-15 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters and libero Brittany Witt.
   From last year's team, only Jess Bird, Mac Conlon, Amanda Foje and Lauren Smith are not back.
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1697 (98.5%)   25 (1.5%)
Digs   1943 (95.0%)   103 (5.0%)
Aces   151 (86.8%)   23 (13.2%)
Kills   1501 (80.4%)   367 (19.6%)
Matches Started   173 (80.1%)   43 (19.9%)
Points   1848.0 (79.9%)   466.0 (20.1%)
Blocks   139 (51.1%)   133 (48.9%)

Challenging Schedule
The NCAA website tracks the nation's toughest schedules played.
   Last year Creighton's opponents were 432-253, and that .631 winning percentage made it the 11th-toughest nationally.
   In 2015 Creighton faced the nation's eighth-toughest schedule per the NCAA, with foes going 466-260 (.642) overall.
   Among the 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers on Creighton's 2017 schedule are Pitt, Washington, Kentucky, USC, Northern Iowa, Purdue, Kansas, Wichita State, Iowa State and Marquette. Nine of the 11 non-conference teams that Creighton will face received votes in the preseason top-25 poll.
   This will be the fifth straight season that Creighton has played at least four non-conference matches against teams ranked in the preseason top-25 poll.
   Nine of Creighton's final 10 non-conference matches this season are against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the Aug. 28 top-25 poll. The lone exception to that group, Belmont, a club that is picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference.

More Schedule Notes
Creighton plays five non-conference matches against teams that were in the top-26 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the most of any team in the nation.
   The Bluejays meet up with No. 3 Washington, No. 8 Kansas, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 25 Purdue and the top receiving vote-getter, USC.
   Other teams that had five non-conference matches against the preseason top-26 are Loyola Marymount, Northern Iowa, Florida, Marquette, San Diego and Utah.

So Good, So Young
Want a scary thought? Of the 10 Creighton women to see time in last December's Regional Semifinal win over 12th-seeded Michigan, the Bluejays used just one senior (Lauren Smith).
   The remainder of Creighton's line-up that was used included three juniors (Lydia Dimke, Marysa Wilkinson and Kenzie Crawford), four sophomores (Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Brittany Lawrence and Jaali Winters) and two freshmen (Brittany Witt and Megan Ballenger).

All-Around Excellence
Last winter Creighton reached the Sweet 16 not only in women's volleyball, but in men's soccer too.
   Creighton joined Stanford, Washington and North Carolina as the only four schools with a Sweet 16 in both sports in 2016.
   In 2015, Creighton and Ohio State were the only teams to reach the Sweet 16 in the same two sports.

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 48-26 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That's impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth's arrival.
   Creighton has won nine of its last 12 true road matches to go five sets, including wins in 2012 over league rivals Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State, wins in 2013 at Denver and at Wichita State, wins in 2014 at Butler and at St. John's, a win at Georgetown in 2015, and an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 10-3 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Below is a list of Creighton's record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year   Set 5 W-L   Total W-L
1994   0-2   5-20
1995   0-2   11-19
1996   2-6   9-19
1997   3-5   15-13
1998   2-3   7-18
1999   3-3   13-15
2000   3-3   16-12
2001   1-1   14-13
2002   1-3   3-23
2003   5-1   12-18
2004   4-0   18-11
2005   3-1   16-14
2006   4-2   21-10
2007   2-0   21-10
2008   2-3   18-9
2009   1-4   14-17
2010   3-3   21-12
2011   5-2   17-14
2012   4-1   29-4
2013   3-2   23-9
2014   3-2   25-9
2015   5-2   27-9
2016   4-3   29-7
2017   0-0   5-1
Total   63-54   389-306

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Creighton's 2016 club beat 10 teams that appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
   The schedule figures to be just as daunting in 2017, as CU plays 11 matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. CU is 4-1 this season against such teams.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 66-85 since.
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   4-1
TOTAL   69-120
TOTAL Under Booth   66-85

Marian Pipeline
This is the 15th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as junior Kelsey O'Connell and sophomore Brittany Witt return.
   Each of the last six years, Creighton's year-end leader in digs has been a player that attended Marian.
   Interestingly, the Bluejays had never had a volleyball player from Marian between 1994-2002. Here's a look at Creighton's pipeline of players from Marian.
2017: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2016: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
2015: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen, Kelsey O'Connell
2014: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2013: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2012: Kate Elman, Ashley Jansen
2011: Julianne Mandolfo
2010: Lisa Greisch, Julianne Mandolfo
2009: Lisa Greisch
2008: Emily Crowley, Korie Lebeda
2007: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2006: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2005: Korie Lebeda, Katie Mehal
2004: Katie Mehal, Emily Greisch
2003: Emily Greisch

Five Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons. They are the first Creighton women's team in any sport to make five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

At Home On The Road
Creighton owns five wins away from home in the last two NCAA Tournaments. Nationally, that's the most in the nation, one more than Hawai'i, Nebraska and Stanford, and two more than Florida State.
   Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Texas, Washington and Purdue are the only six schools with at least one road/neutral win in both the 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments.

3 Straight BIG EAST Tourney Titles
Creighton won a third straight BIG EAST Championship title last year, becoming the first to do so since Louisville won three straight titles from 2008-10.
   It was Creighton's fifth straight league tournament title game appearance dating to the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference title.
   No team has won four straight BIG EAST Volleyball Championships since Notre Dame from 1995-98.

3 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last three BIG EAST regular-season titles.
   St. John's had been the last BIG EAST team to win a share of three straight titles, having done so from 2006-08, while Notre Dame had been the last team to win three or more straight outright BIG EAST regular-season titles, having claimed four in a row from 1999-2002.
   No team has won four straight regular-season titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.

Automatic Bid x 3
Creighton is one of nine schools nationally to earn an automatic bid into the 2014, 2015 and 2016 NCAA Tournaments. That grouping includes New Hampshire, Dayton, Creighton, Coastal Carolina, Western Kentucky, American, Denver and BYU.
   Of those teams, the only six schools to win a conference tournament in three consecutive campaigns have been American, Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Dayton, Denver and New Hampshire.

20 x 5
Last year's 29-7 mark was the fifth straight year the Bluejays have reached 20 wins, and eighth time overall.
   When Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton's modern day school record for wins in a season was 16.
   Creighton is one of 19 schools with five straight seasons of 20+ wins (entering 2017). That list features American, BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UTSA, Washington, Western Kentucky, Wichita State.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Four members of the Creighton Volleyball program gained valuable experience this summer while travelling the world.
   Libero Brittany Witt went to Thailand in May, playing with USA Volleyball's top collegiate team.
   In June, Taryn Kloth was one of 36 women to train with USA Volleyball's at a premier club event in Minneapolis, Minn. Kloth was the only player in the event with 10 or more kills in each match.
   A pair of Bluejays also met up in an unlikely setting in July...Pula, Croatia. Jaali Winters represented USA Volleyball while Jaclyn Taylor played for BP Midwest at the European Global Challenge. Winters' team won the event, while the only two losses by Taylor's team both came to Winters team.
   Creighton will meet the following players in 2017 that at least one Bluejay played with this summer:
Name   Team   CU Teammate
Alyssa Schultejans   Kansas State   Kloth
Stephanie Williams   Pitt   Kloth
Kylee Levers   Pitt   Taylor
Courtney Schwan   Washington   Winters
Kaz Brown   Kentucky   Witt
Olivia Dailey   Kentucky   Kloth
Ashley Evans   Purdue   Kloth
Brooke Peters   Purdue   Kloth
Sherridan Atkinson   Purdue   Kloth
Madison Rigdon   Kansas   Witt
Kelsie Payne   Kansas   Winters
Monique Harris   Iowa State   Kloth
Jenna Rosenthal   Marquette   Winters
Brittany Maxwell   DePaul   Taylor

On A Roll
Creighton won its last six regular-season BIG EAST matches in 2015 and extended that streak to 24 straight with 18 consecutive BIG EAST wins last fall.
   That is the longest league win streak of regular-season matches in program history.
Creighton - Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins
   Wins   Dates   Snapped By   League
   24   Oct. 31, 2015-Present   (not yet)   BIG EAST
   14   Sept. 29, 2012 - End of 2012   Never (left MVC)   MVC
   12   Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015   at Villanova, 3-2   BIG EAST
   11   Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014   Seton Hall, 3-0   BIG EAST
   9   Nov. 4, 2005-Sept. 30, 2006   Northern Iowa, 3-2   MVC
   9   Nov. 17, 2006-Oct. 6, 2007   at Wichita State, 3-0   MVC
   9   Oct. 25, 2008-Sept. 18, 2009   Northern Iowa, 3-1   MVC

Bluejays On The Radio
Creighton has eight upcoming broadcasts on local radio in 2017 that will air on KZOT 1180 AM. Below is a list of the upcoming broadcast schedule:
Sept. 15   1180 AM KZOT   at Wichita State
Sept. 16   1180 AM KZOT   vs. Iowa State
Sept. 22   1180 AM KZOT   Georgetown
Sept. 24   1180 AM KZOT   Villanova
Oct. 15   1180 AM KZOT   Xavier
Oct. 22   1180 AM KZOT   Seton Hall
Nov. 4   1180 AM KZOT   Marquette
Nov. 5   1180 AM KZOT   DePaul

Last Year Summary
Creighton went 29-7 last year, tying a program-record for wins, while advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time. The Bluejays started the fall 6-6 before uncorking a school-record 23-match win streak.
   CU became the first volleyball team in BIG EAST Conference history to finish 18-0, then became the first squad in NCAA Tournament history to open the postseason with three consecutive five-set victories.
   Lydia Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and Third Team All-American, while Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth were named All-BIG EAST and Honorable Mention All-Americans. Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth picked up BIG EAST Coach of the Year, AVCA East Region Coach of the Year and VolleyballMag.com National Coach of the Year accolades.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Megan Ballenger

Jess Bird

Samantha Bohnet

Mac Conlon

Kenzie Crawford

Lydia Dimke

Amanda Foje

Naomi Hickman

Taryn Kloth

Brittany Lawrence

Kelsey O'Connell

Lauren Smith

Jaclyn Taylor

Marysa Wilkinson

Jaali Winters

Brittany Witt