Friday, August 31
Dallas, Texas
10:00 AM
Creighton University
vs
Arkansas State
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Volleyball Heads to Dallas For SMU DoubleTree Classic
8/29/2018 8:45:00 AM | Volleyball
Bluejays will meet Arkansas State, NC State and host SMU
Download Notes as a PDF
This Weekend -- SMU DoubleTree Classic
Aug. 31 10:00 a.m. #15 Creighton vs. Arkansas State Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum) | LIVE STATS
Aug. 31 4:30 p.m. #15 Creighton vs. NC State Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum) | LIVE STATS
Sept. 1 2:30 p.m. #15 Creighton at SMU Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
This Weekend
No. 15 Creighton (1-2) is on the road for the second straight weekend when it heads to Dallas, Texas, for the SMU DoubleTree Classic.
The tournament starts at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 31, when the Bluejays meet Arkansas State (2-1).
CU returns to the court that same day at 4:30 p.m. when it meets up with NC State (1-1).
Play concludes on Saturday, Sept. 1, when Creighton faces tournament host SMU (0-2) at 2:30 p.m. All three matches will be played at Moody Coliseum (7,000) in Dallas, Texas.
Broadcast Information
Neither of Creighton's matches on Friday will be video webcast by SMU, but Saturday afternoon's Creighton contest against the host Mustangs will be at http://www.smumustangs.com/watch/?Live=2344.
Live Stats Information
All matches at the SMU DoubleTree Classic will have free live stats at http://www.sidearmstats.com/smu/wvball/media/.
Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #15 Creighton
Creighton went 1-2 last weekend at the Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles, defeating No. 5 Kentucky (3-2) before losing to both Northern Iowa (3-0) and No. 10 USC (3-2).
Three returning All-Americans pace the Bluejays. Senior outside hitters Taryn Kloth (4.08 kps.) and Jaali Winters (4.08 kps.) each had a match with 25 kills against a top-10 team last weekend, and 2017 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Brittany Witt (4.54 dps.) paced the defense with 59 digs last weekend.
Creighton boasts seven newcomers, including four freshmen who were ranked as the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation, in addition to three transfers. One of those transfers, Madelyn Cole (10.15 aps.) started at setter last weekend.
Creighton has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference and was ranked 13th in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll before dropping to 15th this week.
Scouting Arkansas State
Arkansas State started the season 2-1, sandwiching wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-0) and Memphis (3-0) with a loss to Stephen F. Austin (3-0).
Carlisa May (4.00 kps.), Timber Terrell (2.88 kps.) and Kenzie Fields (2.86 kps.) carried the offensive load, which is directed by setter Ellie Watkins (10.75 aps.).
Tatum Ticknor (5.00 dps.) led SMU along the back row.
The Red Wolves average 13.78 kills, 14.00 digs, 1.72 blocks and 1.78 aces per set on .246 hitting.
Last year's A-State team went 21-12 and advanced to the Second Round of the NIVC.
Scouting NC State
North Carolina State is 1-1 this season, defeating VCU (3-2) before losing to Washington State (3-1).
Melissa Evans tops the Wolfpack with 3.22 kills per set and is second on the team with two aces.
Kylie Pickrell (8.11 aps.) directs the offense, and has a team-high four aces.
Both Pickrell and Evans were named to the 2018 Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team, and the Wolfpack were picked to finish seventh of 15 in the league.
As a team, NC State hits .102 and averages 10.00 kills, 0.78 aces, 14.00 digs and 1.44 blocks per set.
Last year's Wolfpack team went 21-12 and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting SMU
SMU is 0-2 after starting the season after losses against Lipscomb (3-0) and Iowa (3-1) last weekend in Nashville.
The Mustangs are led by Brittany Adams (3.14 kps.) and Rachel Woulfe (3.00 kps.) on the offensive side, and by Montana Watts (5.71 dps.) defensively.
Kendall Patterson (4.14 aps.) and Omaha Marian High School product Lily Heim (6.00 aps.) share setting duties.
Adams as well as Patterson were named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason Team.
SMU averages 12.29 kills, 15.43 digs, 1.29 blocks and 0.71 aces per set on .125 hitting.
The Mustangs have played in the postseason each of the past three years and are seeking a sixth consecutive 20-win campaign after finishing last fall 21-11 and tied for second in the AAC.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who is in her 16th season with a 318-162 record. She's led Creighton to four straight BIG EAST titles, and five league crowns in the last six years. Booth 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 seven NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last seven 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, Craig Dyer and Noel Carpio.
Series History vs. Arkansas State
Creighton is 1-1 all-time against Arkansas State, falling to the Red Wolves in five sets in Omaha in 1997 before sweeping A-State in 2004 (37-35, 30-16, 32-30) at the Quality Inn/Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Mo.
Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-0 against Arkansas State and has never coached against David Rehr at the Division I level.
Series History vs. NC State
Creighton has never faced NC State.
Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced NC State and has never coached against Linda Hampton-Keith.
Series History vs. SMU
Creighton has never faced SMU.
Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth has never faced SMU and has never coached against Lisa Seifert.
Cole Returns To Dallas
Junior setter Madelyn Cole returns to her hometown of Dallas this weekend when Creighton participates in the SMU DoubleTree Classic.
Cole, who prepped at Plano Senior High School, is in her first year at Creighton after spending the first two years of college at Marshall.
Cole's mother, Misty Stern, played club volleyball at SMU.
Cole's father, Ramon Flanigan, is a former SMU quarterback who graduated in 1997 as the program's all-time leader in total offense. He's currently a member of the SMU Football staff, where he serves as Director of Former Player Relations.
Not only does Creighton have a setter from Dallas, but SMU has a setter from Omaha (Lily Heim).
#AskMegan
Got a question for junior Megan Ballenger? You're in luck!
Ballenger will participate in a Q&A on the NCAA Volleyball Twitter account on Monday (Sept. 3) at 1 p.m. Central.
Beginning now, fans can tweet questions to her using the hashtag #AskMegan, and she'll record videos answering those questions on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. on the official
@NCAAVolleyball Twitter account.
Journey To The Tourney
All four teams that played in last week's Trojan Invitational are currently among the top 17 teams in the country, with USC (7), Creighton (15), Kentucky (16) and UNI (17) all ranked in Monday's poll.
The field of this week's SMU DoubleTree Classic features four postseason teams from a year ago, but only Creighton (ranked 15th) is receiving AVCA Top 25 poll votes this week.
That makes this Creighton's first non-conference tournament since the 2014 Bluejay Invitational that none of the Bluejay opponents are receiving votes or are ranked, snapping a streak of 14 straight tourneys with at least one.
In case you're curious, Creighton has not played in a tournament when none of its opponents, nor the Bluejays, were ranked or getting votes (which is NOT the case this week) since the Northern Colorado Classic that was held from Sept. 7-8, 2012.
Kloth Approaches 1,000 Kills
Taryn Kloth shared team-high honors with 53 kills last weekend and now owns 990 career kills.
When she gets to 1,000 kills, Kloth will be the second active Bluejay to reach the 1,000 mark, as Jaali Winters owns 1,445 career kills to rank third in team history.
Winters reached 1,000 in last year's opening match vs. Saint Mary's in her 73rd career match. Kloth enters this weekend having played in 102 career contests.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Kills (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Melissa Walsh 70 10/15/00 Eastern Illinois
Jaali Winters 73 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
Marysa Wilkinson 120 09/30/17 at St. John's
Spike Town
Jaali Winters enters the SMU DoubleTree Classic with 1,445 kills, good for third place on Creighton's all-time career kills list. Taryn Kloth rose from 17th to 14th last weekend, and is likely to ascend another spot or two this weekend.
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. Jaali Winters 390 1,445 2015-Pr.
4. Kelly Goc 394 1,414 2004-07
5. Jessica Houts 451 1,385 2005-09
6. JoDe Cieloha 398 1,375 1994-97
7. Leah McNary 458 1,257 2011-14
8. Marysa Wilkinson 499 1,183 2014-17
9. Lauren Smith 511 1,160 2013-16
10. Allie Oelke 445 1,126 2007-10
11. Kelli Browning 424 1,104 2011-14
12. Amanda Cvejdlik 343 1,029 2005-08
13. Shelly Kapler 388 1,000 1996-99
14. Taryn Kloth 357 990 2015-Pr.
15. Jess Bird 377 965 2013-16
15 Not Enough For These Jays
Normally when a fifth set is contested, a team must reach 15 points (and win by two) to earn a victory.
In both of CU's five-setters on the opening weekend at the Trojan Invitational, that still wasn't enough to decide a victor.
Creighton lost to No. 10 USC by an 18-16 count in the fifth set on Aug. 25.
One day earlier, Creighton saved two match points and eventually converted its sixth match point opportunity to take a 22-20 decision vs. No. 5 Kentucky.
The 22-20 score was the highest-scoring fifth set in program history, eclipsing a 20-18 win in 2016 at No. 4 Kansas and a 20-18 loss to Iowa in St. Louis in 2010.
All Night Long
Creighton played the longest match (by time) in program history on Aug. 25 against No. 10 USC, as its match against the Women of Troy lasted 3:04.
The previous longest matches had been 2:45, done twice in the fall of 2000.
Creighton's Longest Matches (By Length)
Time Opponent, Date Result
3:04 at #10 USC, 8/25/18 USC 3-2
2:45 at Indiana State, 10/14/00 CU 3-2
2:45 at Evansville, 11/4/00 CU 3-2
2:42 at USC, 9/3/16 USC 3-2
Ranked Pair
Last Friday marked just the second time that Creighton Soccer and Creighton Volleyball both beat ranked teams on the same day, as the volleyball team topped No. 5 Kentucky (3-2) just hours before the men's soccer team defeated No. 11 Clemson (2-0).
The only previous day with both teams taking down top-25 foes had been Aug. 30, 2013, when the volleyball team opened its season with a 3-1 win over No. 13 BYU and the men's soccer team followed with a 2-0 triumph over No. 14 Tulsa.
Service Improves
Creighton had 23 service errors in its season-opening victory over No. 5 Kentucky, including nine errors in 20 attempts in the first set of the season.
Creighton's minimized such mistakes in its final two matches of the weekend, finishing with six service errors vs. UNI and eight miscues in five sets against No. 10 USC.
Below is a list of the most service errors in a match in program history:
Most Team Service Errors in a match, Creighton history
SE Opponent Date Aces Result
25 at Wichita State 9/24/04 5 L 3-1
23 vs. #5 Kentucky 8/24/18 5 W 3-2
21 San Francisco 8/27/10 1 W 3-1
20 Drake 10/10/98 9 L 3-2
18 at Evansville 9/12/98 5 L 0-3
18 Drake 10/8/04 5 W 3-1
18 vs. Miami (Ohio) 8/28/15 7 W 3-2
Special K
Taryn Kloth had a career-high 25 kills in Saturday's match at No. 10 USC. It was two more than her previous best, which was set in 2016 at USC the last time she faced the Women of Troy in the Galen Center.
Kloth now owns three career matches of 20+ kills, as seen below:
Taryn Kloth -- Most Kills in a Match
Kills Opponent Date
25 at #10 USC 8/25/18
23 at USC 9/03/16
20 at Villanova 10/07/16
25 Kill Duo
Senior All-American outside hitters Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth each had a match of 25 kills on the opening weekend of the season.
Winters had 25 kills against No. 5 Kentucky on Aug. 24, and one day later Kloth had 25 kills at No. 10 USC.
In all of last season, Winters (with 28 at Butler) was the only Bluejay performer with 20+ kills in any match last season.
This year marks the first time since 2000 that multiple Creighton players have had a match with 25 or more kills. In 2000, Melissa Walsh had three matches while Melanie Keolanui did it once. It also happened in 1998 with Walsh (twice) and Shelly Kapler (once).
Below is a list of Creighton players with the most career matches of 20 or more kills, as well as 25 or more kills.
Most Matches With 20+ Kills, Creighton Career
20+K Name Years
23 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
20 Leah Ratzlaff 2002-05
17 Jaali Winters 2015-Pres.
13 Kelly Goc 2004-07
10 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
5 Jessica Houts 2005-09
5 Leah McNary 2011-14
4 Shelly Kapler 1996-99
4 Alicia Runge 2009-10
3 Michelle Prorock 1994-96
3 Abby Baumann 2004-07
3 Taryn Kloth 2015-Pres.
Most Matches With 25+ Kills, Creighton Career
25+K Name Years
8 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
6 Leah Ratzlaff 2002-05
5 Jaali Winters 2015-Pres.
2 Jessica Houts 2005-09
1 Michelle Prorock 1994-96
1 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
1 Shelly Kapler 1996-99
1 Melanie Keolanui 1997-00
1 Kelly Goc 2004-07
1 Alicia Runge 2009-10
1 Taryn Kloth 2015-Pres.
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 103-95 in the 67 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 46-26 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 83-62 in 52 regular-season tournaments, including 12 titles.
Creighton had won just two of 16 regular-season tournaments prior to Booth's arrival.
Last year marked the first time since 2004 that Creighton won back-to-back regular-season tournament titles in the same season, and is also the first time Creighton has won three tourney titles in the same regular-season.
Season Opening History
Creighton's win over No. 5 Kentucky last weekend improved the Jays to 16-9 in season-opening matches since restarting the program in 1994. Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth improved to 12-4 in season-opening matches.
Booth is also 13-3 in Creighton's first match away from home, helping Creighton improve to 16-9 in such contests all-time.
In five of the last seven years (including 2018), the team to win the first set of Creighton's season-opener went on to lose the match.
Creighton improved to 2-2 all-time against ranked teams in season-openers, including a 2013 triumph over No. 13 BYU before last Friday's victory vs. No. 5 Kentucky.
Lone Star State Memories
Creighton hasn't played many matches in Texas, having made just one trip to the Lone Star State since 2012.
That trip, however, proved to be a memorable one. Creighton defeated Michigan in a Regional Semifinal to advance to the program's only Elite Eight, where it fell to Texas in Austin.
Four For Four For Number Five
Jaali Winters has started each of the last four season openers, becoming the 15th player in school history to start the initial match of the season four times. Below is that list:
Four Opening Day Starts
Name Years
JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
Shelly Kapler 1996-99
Erin Swanson 1998-01
Kailey Reyes 1998-01
Melissa Walsh 1998-01
Carolyn Decker 2004-06, 08
Korie Lebeda 2005-08
Jessica Houts 2006-09
Allie Oelke 2007-10
Heather Thorson 2009-12
Megan Bober 2009-12
Jess Bird 2013-16
Lauren Smith 2013-16
Jaali Winters 2015-18
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including this year's season-opening win over No. 5 Kentucky. Three of those comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
On the other hand, Creighton is 318-2 under Booth when it reaches a math 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
08/24/18 vs. #5 Kentucky 16-15, 19-18 22-20
Hello World!
Five Bluejays made their Creighton debuts last weekend at the Trojan Invitational.
Below is the current Creighton players and how they performed in their regular-season collegiate debuts (as well as at previous schools in the case of Madelyn Cole, Grace Nelson and Megan Sharkey).
Nelson, as well as true freshman Keeley Davis, have yet to appear in a match this fall for CU.
Records for a Bluejay debut can be found at the bottom of page three.
Year Name SP K E TA Pct. A SA DIG TB
2015 Jaali Winters• 5 17 6 49 .224 0 1 14 4
2018 Kari Zumach 5 8 3 19 .263 0 0 2 3
2017 Naomi Hickman• 3 5 2 8 .375 0 0 3 1
2015 Taryn Kloth 2 2 0 2 1.000 0 0 0 1
2015 K. O'Connell 3 1 0 4 .250 0 0 0 4
2016* Madelyn Cole 3 1 1 4 .000 17 0 2 0
2018 Jaela Zimmerman 5 1 1 6 .000 0 0 6 0
2018 Annika Welty 3 1 1 6 .000 0 0 1 0
2018 Madelyn Cole• 5 1 2 3 -.333 53 0 13 2
2016 Brittany Witt 5 0 0 0 --- 5 2 21 0
2017 A. Roumeliotis 3 0 0 0 --- 0 0 3 0
2016 Megan Ballenger 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 2 0
2015 S. Bohnet 1 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 0
2017# Grace Nelson• 3 0 0 0 --- 0 0 2 0
2018 Megan Sharkey 2 0 0 0 --- 9 0 1 0
2016$ Megan Sharkey• 3 0 1 2 -.500 11 2 3 0
#Nelson's stats from debut at Ball State
*Cole's stats from debut at Marshall
Sharkey's stats from debut at Rutgers
European Summer Tour
Creighton got a head start on the 2018 season with an 11-day trip to Europe in mid-June.
The team played five matches while spending time in Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic.
All 15 members of the 2018 team were allowed to participate, including the seven newcomers.
Top 10 Recruiting Class
Creighton's freshman quartet of Keeley Davis, Annika Welty, Jaela Zimmerman and Kari Zumach were named the nation's No. 10 recruiting class by PrepVolleyball.com. That's the highest-ranked class in program history.
The same organization ranked Davis as the nation's No. 42 recruit, with Zimmerman 49th.
Creighton has had just two top-50 recruits previously (No. 18 Taryn Kloth in 2015, No. 41 Jaali Winters in 2015) while No. 50 (in 2014) Lydia Dimke went to Purdue for two years before transferring to Creighton.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces at CU
Rank Year Player
68 2004 Carolyn Decker
55 2008 Laurel Sanford
60 2011 Michelle Sicner
73 2013 Jess Bird
50 2014 Lydia Dimke*
18 2015 Taryn Kloth
41 2015 Jaali Winters
98 2017 Naomi Hickman
99 2017 Steph Gaston
42 2018 Keeley Davis
49 2018 Jaela Zimmerman
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Class Rankings
Year Rank Freshman Recruits
2004 Best of the Rest (Baumann, Decker, Goc, Lahm, Mehal)
2005 Honorable-Mention (Cvejdlik, Houts, Lebeda)
2006 None (Bloemke, Schulze, Workman)
2007 None (Feldman, Oelke, Vrbicky)
2008 Highest Honorable-Mention (Almgren, Bober, Sanford)
2009 Highest Honorable-Mention (Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010 High Honorable-Mention (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011 Highest Honorable-Mention (Browning, McNary, Neisler, Sicner, Stivers)
2012 High Honorable-Mention (Elman, Jansen, Jereb, L. Smith)
2013 None (Bird, Crawford, Foje)
2014 Highest Honorable-Mention (Lawrence, Tupper, Wilkinson)
2015 11th (Ballenger, Bohnet, Kloth, O'Connell, Winters)
2016 High Honorable-Mention (Conlon, Taylor, Witt)
2017 25th (Gaston, Hickman, Roumeliotis)
2018 10th (Davis, Welty, Zimmerman, Zumach)
The Gauntlet
Creighton plays five different non-conference teams that were in the top-25 of the preseason AVCA coaches poll. That's tied for the most in the nation, with Northern Iowa, Texas, USC and Wichita State.
The Bluejays meet up with No. 2 Nebraska, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 10 USC, No. 12 Illinois and No. 21 Iowa State in 2018.
This is the sixth straight season that Creighton will face four or more non-conference foes that are in the preseason Top 25.
Of Creighton's 12 non-conference matches this year, all but one (Lipscomb) is against a team that played in the postseason last fall.
Ranked To Start The Year
Creighton starts the season ranked No. 13 in the AVCA Coaches poll. It's the fifth time in the past six campaigns that CU's been ranked in the preseason AVCA poll, and third straight fall.
Being ranked in the preseason poll is no guarantee of future success, however. In the previous 10 seasons, only 178-of-250 teams (71.2 percent) would be in both the preseason and postseason AVCA Top 25 polls.
Since 2008, all but 25 teams (of 250) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.0 percent).
Creighton's History in the AVCA Preseason Poll
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 TBD ???
Top 25 History
Creighton is 11-72 all-time against teams in the top-25 of the AVCA poll, but 6-6 since the start of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Last year's win at No. 3 Washington was the highest-ranked team that the Bluejays has ever beaten, surpassing a win at No. 4 Kansas the previous December.
Creighton is 5-28 all-time against top-10 foes (5-21 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth).
Creighton lost its first 31 true road matches against top-25 foes, but has 'improved' to 4-35 after wins in recent seasons at No. 23 North Carolina (2015), No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 3 Washington (2017) and No. 7 Kansas (2017).
Creighton is 59-19 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 7-11 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark improves to 2-0 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
Since the start of the 2012 season, 26 of Creighton's 47 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 151-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 35 straight home matches over unranked teams.
This is the third time that Creighton has been ranked exactly 15th, joining September 18, 2017 and November 27, 2017. Creighton is 3-1 in those contests, defeating Georgetown, Villanova and Coastal Carolina but also losing to No. 12 Michigan State. All four matches went exactly four sets.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton started the 2018 campaign ranked 13th and is currently 15th.
This means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 24th straight week. That streak started on Oct. 31, 2016.
Nationally, that's the 14th-longest active streak, as seen below:
Consecutive Active Weeks in AVCA Top 25
Streak Team Current Rank
528 Stanford 1
525 Nebraska 5
445 Penn State 6
418 Florida 4
242 Washington 13
222 Texas 2
77 Wisconsin 8
76 BYU 9
64 UCLA 10
47 Minnesota 3
33 San Diego 19
28 Kentucky 16
27 Utah 22
24 Creighton 15
Setting The Table
For the sixth time in seven years, Creighton had a different opening day setter.
The Jays started the season with Megan Bober 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. Lydia Dimke started the initial contest in both 2016 and 2017, but she has graduated.
This year Madelyn Cole started the season-opener against No. 5 Kentucky, producing a double-double in the five-set victory.
The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous six seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and five of them saw Creighton win conference titles. Creighton also won six of those seven season-opening matches.
Select Company
The BIG EAST's Creighton and Marquette are two of 19 teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments. That group features BYU, Colorado State, Creighton, Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego, Stanford, Texas, USC and Washington.
Creighton is one of 15 teams to win a match in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments. That group includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
Creighton is also one of 19 schools with six straight seasons of 20+ wins (2012-17). 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 and Wichita State.
Creighton is also one of just nine schools nationally who have won 23 matches or more in each of the previous six seasons (2012-17). That group consists of BYU, Creighton, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, Washington and Western Kentucky.
Creighton is also one of 11 teams to be in the year-end AVCA poll in 2015, 2016 and 2017. That list includes BYU, Creighton, Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin.
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
For the first time since Creighton's 2012 season in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bluejays were not picked to win their league. This year a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Marquette with 78 points and six first-place votes, edging out Creighton's 76 points and four first-place votes. Butler was picked third in the league's preseason poll, with Villanova fourth. Creighton also had three women named to the 12 member on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team, as Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt were all honored. It was the second straight preseason honor for Kloth and Witt, and third in a row for Winters.
Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll in 13 of the past 15 years, including eight 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 1st - -
2018 2nd ?? ??
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 265-9 (.967) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 208-3 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 41 straight when up 2-0, and is 135-1 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009.
Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets in 2017 won 97.0 percent of their matches last season.
Conversely, the Jays are 13-193 (.063) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 13 comebacks in program history from down 0-2 are listed below.
Date Opponent Sets 3-5 scores Coach
09/19/97 at Bradley 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 Wallace
10/01/99 at Drake 15-6, 17-15, 15-11 Wallace
09/03/04 vs. Montana 30-20, 30-21, 15-11 Booth
10/15/04 at Bradley 30-22, 30-23, 15-11 Booth
10/15/05 at So. Illinois 30-25, 30-24, 15-8 Booth
09/21/07 at No. Iowa 31-29, 30-26, 15-12 Booth
11/16/12 at Wichita St. 25-16, 25-20, 16-14 Booth
09/05/14 vs. No. Iowa 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Booth
11/08/14 at Butler 25-16, 25-20, 15-13 Booth
09/20/15 Kansas State 25-23, 26-24, 15-13 Booth
10/09/15 DePaul 25-21, 25-12, 15-11 Booth
11/20/15 at Georgetown 30-28, 26-24, 15-7 Booth
10/13/17 Butler 25-21, 25-23, 15-9 Booth
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 263-28 (.904) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 55-134 (.291) under Booth when it drops the first set.
Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2017 won just 20.8 percent of their matches last season.
Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 80-1 in its last 81 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific.
Last year's team was 22-0 when winning the first set and 4-7 when dropping the first set.
Dating back to Sept. 22, 2016, Creighton has won 41 straight matches at all sites when winning the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 53-28 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 12 of its last 16 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, an NCAA Tournament win at No. 4 Kansas in 2016 and 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette.
It's also worth noting that Creighton is 11-3 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 4-1 26-7
2018 1-1 1-2
Total 68-56 411-314
Six Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
4 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Creighton has won each of the last four BIG EAST regular-season titles. No team had won four straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005.
Notre Dame had also been the last team to win four or more straight outright BIG EAST regular-season titles, having claimed four in a row from 1999-2002. No team has ever won five straight outright titles, which CU is striving to do.
The only other team in Creighton history to win four (or more) straight regular-season titles was the men's soccer program, which claimed five straight MVC crowns from 1992-96. All five of those soccer titles were also outright titles.
Back-To-Back-To-Back-To-Back
Creighton won its fourth straight BIG EAST Championship title last year, becoming the first team to do so since Notre Dame won four in a row from 1995-98.
Creighton (2014-Present), Pittsburgh (1988-94) and Notre Dame (1995-98) are the only four schools to ever win back-to-back-to-back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in volleyball.
The only five schools nationally to win a league tournament each of the last four seasons are American, Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Denver and Western Kentucky.
Creighton is 9-1 all-time in five appearances at the BIG EAST Championships, reaching the final each time.
Dating back to its Missouri Valley Conference days, Creighton has made 15 straight appearances in a league tournament after appearing in just 4-of-9 tournaments prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
Creighton's current senior class is 57-3 against BIG EAST opposition, including a 6-0 mark in league tournament play.
Marian Pipeline
This is the 16th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as senior Kelsey O'Connell and junior Brittany Witt return.
Each of the last seven 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.
2018: Kelsey O'Connell, Brittany Witt
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
Production Returns
Creighton returns 8-of-13 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters and libero Brittany Witt.
From last year's team, only Marysa Wilkinson, Lydia Dimke, Kenzie Crawford, Jaclyn Taylor (transferred to Nebraska-Omaha) and Brittany Lawrence (graduated and transferred to Northern Colorado) are not back.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Assists 334 (22.7%) 1203 (77.3%)
Digs 1465 (76.7%) 444 (23.3%)
Aces 123 (80.9%) 29 (19.1%)
Kills 1164 (69.1%) 520 (30.9%)
Matches Started 118 (59.6%) 80 (40.4%)
Points 1428 (68.5%) 656 (31.5%)
Blocks 141 (56.9%) 107 (43.1%)
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played 14 matches against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 8-6 against such teams.
This year's team will play 11 matches against teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including each of the three opponents at last weekend's Trojan Invitational.
After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 71-92 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 8-6
2018 1-2
TOTAL 74-127
TOTAL Under Booth 71-92
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Taryn Kloth gained valuable experience this summer with the US Collegiate National Team, spending 11 days in China in late May.
It's the second straight season that Kloth has been part of USA Volleyball, as in 2017 she was part of USA Volleyball's team that went to Minneapolis, Minn.
Among Kloth's USA Volleyball teammates from 2018 that Creighton will face this season include Madison Lilley (Kentucky), Carlyle Nusbaum (Lipscomb) and Jenna Rosenthal (Marquette).
Lucky Number Seven
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she directed her troops to seven NCAA Tournaments. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
Booth is one of four head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams, and tops among all females.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 7
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Elmar Bolowich Men's Soccer 6
Climbing The List
Kirsten Bernthal Booth became Creighton Volleyball's winningest coach in the program's modern history on August 26, 2007, and hasn't let up.
Booth won her 300th match at CU on Sept. 24 vs. Villanova, and now owns 318 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank sixth in school history.
Coach, Sport Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball 757*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Ed Servais, Baseball 517*
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 427*
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 318*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 312*
*still active coaching at Creighton
All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 108-34 record since the start of the 2014 season. On a national basis, the 108 wins are tied for 12th-most.
Most Wins, Since 2014 (through 8/26)
Rank School Wins
1. Western Kentucky 124
Penn State 124
3. BYU 119
Nebraska 119
5. Washington 118
6. Stanford 115
7. Texas 113
Dayton 113
9. Florida 111
10. American 109
Wisconsin 109
12. Creighton 108
Colorado State 108
Minnesota 108
15. Towson 105
16. North Dakota 104
Italic = 2018 Creighton opponent
Winters Part Of 1,000 & 1,000 Club
Jaali Winters enters the SMU DoubleTree Classic with 1,445 career kills and 1,053 career digs. Last year she became the third player in CU history with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs, and first to get there as a junior.
Melissa Walsh (1,596 kills; 1,240 digs) and Allie Oelke (1,126 kills; 1,382 digs) previously accomplished the feat.
Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Creighton finished non-conference play in 2017 with a 7-4 record, its most wins since 2013 when it opened 9-3.
Creighton Volleyball went 3-3 against ranked non-conference teams last season. Before last fall, CU had been 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
This year's club is 1-2 in non-conference play, and 1-1 against ranked teams in the non-con.
Non-Conference Records, By Year, Under Booth
Year Non-Con W-L vs. Ranked Non-Con Final W-L
2003 3-8 0-0 12-18
2004 8-2 0-1 18-11
2005 6-5 0-3 16-14
2006 8-3 0-1 21-10
2007 6-5 0-3 21-10
2008 3-5 0-3 18-9
2009 3-8 0-3 14-17
2010 5-5 0-1 21-12
2011 5-7 0-1 17-14
2012 9-2 0-1 29-4
2013 9-3 1-2 23-9
2014 7-6 0-5 25-9
2015 6-7 1-4 27-9
2016 6-6 0-4 29-7
2017 7-4 3-3 26-7
2018 1-2 1-1 TBD
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 26-7 last fall, winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles for the fourth straight season. The Bluejays earned the No. 9 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted for the first time, defeating Coastal Carolina before falling to No. 12 Michigan State in the second round.
Lydia Dimke, Brittany Witt and Marysa Wilkinson were named honorable mention All-Americans by the AVCA and joined by Jaali Winters as First Team All-BIG EAST honorees.
Creighton won each of the first three tournaments of the season, picking up wins over No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Kansas and No. 13 Kentucky along the way.
This and That
Amaze your friends and neighbors with these nuggets...
• With three wins in Dallas, Creighton would improve to 414-314 in program history. It'd mark the first time that CU has been 100 or more wins over .500, an impressive feat considering the program was 59 matches under .500 before Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival.
• Creighton's Sept. 6 home opener vs. No. 2 Nebraska will be the program's 300th home match. CU is currently 190-109 at home all-time, but is 0-4 at CHI Health Center Omaha where that contest will be held. A crowd of more than 10,000 fans is expected for the showdown.
• All four of Creighton's seniors will graduate in December.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballAva Martin Highlights - 10/27/25
Monday, October 27
Annalea Maeder Highlights - 10/27/25
Monday, October 27
Creighton Volleyball Pink Out Recap vs. Seton Hall
Wednesday, October 22
Creighton Media Availability Volleyball - 10/21/25
Tuesday, October 21
