Thursday, September 6
CHI Health Center Omaha
7:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
Nebraska
Jaali Winters
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
#14 Volleyball Hosts #7 Nebraska, Iowa State and Wichita State in Busy Week
9/4/2018 11:30:00 AM | Volleyball
Creighton opens home season with three Midwestern powers.
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This Week's Schedule
Sept. 6   7:00 p.m.   #7 Nebraska at #14 Creighton (NET)   Omaha, Neb. (CHI Health Center Omaha) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
Sept. 7   6:00 p.m.   Iowa State at #14 Creighton (NET)   Omaha, Neb.(D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
Sept. 8   4:00 p.m.   Iowa State vs. Wichita State   Omaha, Neb.(D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
Sept. 9   2:00 p.m.   Wichita State at #14 Creighton (FSGO)   Omaha, Neb.(D.J. Sokol Arena) | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
This Week
No. 14 Creighton (4-2) plays its first home matches of the regular-season this week when it hosts three Midwest powers this week.
   The week starts on Thursday, Sept. 6, in a 7 p.m. contest against No. 7 Nebraska (4-1). That contest will take place at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,392) in Omaha, Neb. Doors for that match are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m., and the facility's Clear Bag policy will be in effect.
   One day later, Creighton hosts the 14th edition of the Bluejay Invitational, all of which will take place at D.J. Sokol Arena inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center (2,500).
   That event starts on Friday evening when Creighton hosts Iowa State (5-2) at 6 p.m. The Bluejays will honor Jaali Winters, Brittany Witt and Taryn Kloth prior to the match in recognition of several recent milestones.
   On Saturday at 4 p.m., Iowa State meets up with Wichita State (4-2).
   The event concludes on Sunday at 2 p.m. when Creighton returns to the court to host Wichita State.
Broadcast Information
Thursday's match vs. Nebraska will be televised statewide on NET-1, with Larry Punteney, Kathi Wieskamp and Nancy Metcalf on the call.
   Punteney and Wieskamp will return to broadcast Friday's match, as well, also on NET-1.
   Saturday's Wichita State/Iowa State match will be broadcast on GoCreighton.com/Watch.
   Sunday's Bluejay Invitational finale will be broadcast via the FOX Sports Go app, FoxSportsGo.com and via Facebook on the NCAA's Volleyball Facebook page, with Donny Baarns and Jon Schriner on the call.
   A link to the broadcast of each match can be found on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home matches, as well as the Wichita State/Iowa State match, will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
   Fans can also find the links on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.
Scouting #14 Creighton
Creighton won all nine sets it played last weekend at the SMU DoubleTree Classic in Dallas, sweeping Arkansas State, North Carolina State and host SMU. That moved Creighton's record to 4-2 on the year when you factor in a season-opening win over No. 5 Kentucky (3-2) and losses to Northern Iowa (3-0) and No. 10 USC (3-2).
   Three returning All-Americans pace the Bluejays. Senior outside hitters Jaali Winters (4.00 kps.) and Taryn Kloth (3.95 kps.), as well as 2017 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Brittany Witt (4.50 dps.) all were named Preseason All-BIG EAST this season.
   While those three get plenty of hype, two other juniors joined Witt on the All-Tournament Team at SMU, as Megan Ballenger (3.05 kps., .331 %) and Madelyn Cole (11.18 aps., 2.50 dps.) were recognized.
   Creighton boasts seven newcomers, including four freshmen who were ranked as the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation, in addition to three transfers.
   Creighton has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference and was ranked 13th in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.
Scouting #7 Nebraska
The defending national champion Cornhuskers are 4-1 this season, beating No. 18 Oregon, Ohio, Wake Forest and Santa Clara since falling to No. 7 Florida in the season-opener.
   Mikaela Foecke averages 3.41 kills and 2.53 digs per set on .299 hitting, while Jazz Sweet averages 3.06 kills per set on .294 hitting.
   Callie Schwarzenbach leads NU with 1.35 blocks per set, just ahead of Lauren Stivrins (1.12 bps.).
   Kenzie Maloney tops the club with 3.65 digs per set and Nicklin Hames (9.47 aps., 3.35 dps.) sets the offense.
   The Cornhuskers average 12.76 kills, 1.88 aces, 14.53 digs and 2.50 blocks per set on .252 hitting as a team.
   The preseason Big 10 favorite are currently ranked No. 7 nationally.
Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State is 5-2 on the season, including a 3-0 road win at then-No. 17 Northern Iowa last Wednesday.
   The Cyclones also own wins over Ole Miss, Virginia, Gonzaga and Montana, and have lost to Oregon State and Utah.
   Harlan, Iowa, native Jess Schaben leads the Cyclones with 3.20 kills per set and is second on the team with 2.36 digs per set. She's supported on offense by Eleanor Holthaus (2.92 kps.) and Grace Lazard (2.80 kps., 1.28 bps.).
   Piper Mauck (10.91 aps.) returns as setter, as does star libero Hali Hillegas (5.64 dps.).
   ISU averages 14.00 kills, 16.24 digs, 2.94 blocks and 1.24 aces per set while hitting .256.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State opened the season with victories over James Madison, Howard, VCU and West Virginia before suffering 3-0 losses to No. 1 Stanford and No. 9 BYU in Provo last weekend.
   Tabitha Brown leads WSU with 3.00 kills per set, just ahead of Alex Koon's 2.54 kills per set. Kali Eaken tops the Shockers with 6.12 assists per set, and Giorgia Civita leads the team with 5.25 digs per set.
   The Shockers average 13.25 kills, 14.08 digs, 1.12 blocks and 0.58 aces per set on .199 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who is in her 16th season with a 321-162 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. Nebraska
Since restarting its volleyball program in 1994, Creighton is 0-15 all-time against Nebraska in the fall.
   Only four of those 15 meetings have come in Omaha, as 10 of the 15 matches have taken place in Lincoln. The teams have also met three times at CHI Health Center Omaha, once at D.J. Sokol Arena and once at North Platte High School on the western side of the state.
   Nebraska has been ranked in the top-11 of every meeting, and ranked No. 1 nationally at match time on six occasions.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 0-11 all-time against the Huskers, and 0-11 against John Cook. Cook is 14-0 against Creighton.
   The last time the teams met in Omaha (Sept. 15, 2015), a pair of then-freshmen outside hitters starred in NU's 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 win. Eventual Third Team All-American Jaali Winters led CU with 15 kills, and eventual Final Four MOP Mikaela Foecke led NU with 13 kills on .522 hitting in her CHI Health Center Omaha debut to key the Huskers.
   Creighton did defeat Nebraska on April 12, 2013 (25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-13) in a spring contest that was the final scheduled match at the NU Coliseum. Leah McNary had 15 kills to pace CU, while Katie Neisler had 13 kills in 48 swings to lead CU.
Series History vs. Iowa State
Iowa State leads the all-time series over Creighton by a 5-4 margin, including last year's five-set win in Wichita when the Bluejays played without All-American setter Lydia Dimke.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 3-4 all-time against ISU and Cyclone head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.
   Creighton owns nine all-time NCAA Tournament wins, with the first one coming in five sets over Iowa State in 2010 in Minneapolis.
Series History vs. Wichita State
Creighton and Wichita State have split 46 all-time meetings, but the Bluejays are 6-2 in their last eight meetings with WSU.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-15 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 17-16 vs. Creighton all-time. Of Booth's 12 wins over WSU, three of them have come after surviving a match point for the Shockers.
   Six of the last 12 meetings have gone five sets, and the teams have played 12 five-set matches all-time. Creighton has won seven of the last nine meetings to go the distance, and owns an overall 8-4 edge in those contests.
Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2018 roster boasts four players from the state of Nebraska, including Lincoln product Jaela Zimmerman. Bennington native Grace Nelson and Omaha residents Kelsey O'Connell and Brittany Witt round out the in-state players on the CU roster.
Connections To Lincoln/Nebraska
Two of Creighton's coaches have ties to Lincoln or the University of Nebraska.
   Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth went to high school in Lincoln and is a member of the Lincoln East High School Hall of Fame.
   Creighton assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens was a four-year starter for the Huskers from 1997-2000, including Nebraska's unbeaten NCAA champion team in 2000 that was coached by John Cook. Among her teammates was Lindsay (Wischmeier) Peterson, NU's current Director of Operations.
   Nebraska sophomore Lauren Stivrins is the daughter of former Creighton men's basketball player Alex Stivrins. Stivrins competed for the Bluejays from 1980-82, contributing 408 points and 309 rebounds in 55 games.
   In addition, Creighton freshman Jaela Zimmerman hails from Lincoln and was named Nebraska's Gatorade State Player of the Year last season at Malcolm High School. While at Malcolm, she was a teammate of current Nebraska sophomore Hayley Densberger.
Experience Against Nebraska
Only one member of the current Creighton team played against Nebraska last season, junior setter Megan Sharkey. Sharkey was a setter at Rutgers the previous two seasons.
   Only five Bluejays remain that played in the last Creighton/Nebraska meeting in 2016: Megan Ballenger, Samantha Bohnet, Taryn Kloth, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt.
Largest Crowds To See The Jays
A crowd of more than 10,000 fans is expected for Thursday's tilt at CHI Health Center Omaha. It would mark the fifth time in Creighton's history that more than 5,000 fans attended a home volleyball match.
   In four previous volleyball matches at CHI Health Center Omaha, Creighton has played before an average of 10,840 fans.
   Below is a list of the largest crowds (and home crowds) in Creighton Volleyball history:
Largest Home Crowds
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU W-L   Facility
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   2,578   #13 Kentucky   09/01/17   W 3-0   Sokol Arena
   2,517   Coastal Carolina   12/01/17   W 3-1   Sokol Arena
   2,514   #7 Nebraska   08/31/10   L 0-3   Sokol Arena
   2,415   #12 Michigan St.   12/02/17   L 1-3   Sokol Arena
   2,325   Northern Iowa   10/05/12   W 3-1   Sokol Arena
   2,285   Texas Tech   08/28/09   W 3-0   Sokol Arena
Largest Crowds (All Sites)
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   13,081   #18 Cal Poly   09/02/07   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   12,112   #1 Nebraska   09/24/06   L 1-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   10,131   #4 Nebraska   09/15/15   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   8,627   at #5 Nebraska   09/29/02   L 0-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,277   vs. Montana St.   09/16/16   W 3-0   Devaney Ctr.
   8,249   at #1 Nebraska   09/17/16   L 1-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,060   at #9 Nebraska   09/17/14   L 1-3   Devaney Ctr.
   8,037   #2 Nebraska   10/05/08   L 0-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   7,922   vs. Gonzaga   09/16/16   W 3-0   Devaney Ctr.
   6,297   at #6 Hawaii   09/08/00   L 0-3   Sheriff Ctr.
Previously At CHI Health Center Omaha
Thursday will mark Creighton's fifth volleyball match ever at CHI Health Center Omaha, with all five contests coming against top-20 foes.
   In 2006, Creighton won the first set 30-27 and led the second set 23-22 in a match vs. No. 1 Nebraska before 12,112 fans, eventually losing in four sets.
   In 2007, Creighton was swept by No. 18 Cal Poly before a program-record 13,081 fans. Trailing 1-0 in the match, Creighton led 27-22 in the second set before the fading late and losing 30-28.
   In 2008, Creighton was swept by No. 2 Nebraska before 8,037 fans.
   Most recently on September 15, 2015 it was No. 4 Nebraska sweeping Creighton by scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 in front of 10,131 fans.
   The facility opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha before changing to CenturyLink Center Omaha 2011. It became CHI Health Center Omaha on Saturday, and Thursday's contest will be the first athletic competition for any Creighton team under the CHI Health Center Omaha name.
Against The Champs
Thursday night's showdown against defending national champion Nebraska will mark the fifth time that CU has met the reigning champs in volleyball. CU has been swept in the previous four encounters against a title holder.
   Creighton is 1-8 all-time against teams coming off a Final Four berth, defeating Kansas in Lawrence in 2016 to make the Sweet 16.
   Earlier in 2018 on February 24 Creighton men's basketball defeated eventual national champion Villanova, 89-83, in overtime. It would be the final loss of the season for the Wildcats, who won their final 11 games.
Creighton vs. Defending NCAA Volleyball Champs
Champion   Date of Meeting   Result
Nebraska   9/25/01   Nebraska, 3-0
Stanford   9/10/05   Stanford, 3-0
Nebraska   8/31/07   Nebraska, 3-0
Nebraska   9/17/16   Nebraska, 3-0
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 have 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 62-19 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 154-21 against unranked teams. Creighton has won 35 straight home matches over unranked teams.
   This is the fourth time that Creighton has been ranked exactly 14th, joining September 25, 2017, October 30, 2017 and November 6, 2017. Creighton is 6-0 in those contests with five sweeps.
   In the first two weeks of the season, teams ranked in top-seven have already suffered nine losses, as seen below:
Date   Top 5 Victory   Score
08/24   #13 Creighton def. #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/24   #7 Florida def. #2 Nebraska   3-1
08/24   #10 USC def. #5 Kentucky   3-1
08/25   #3 Texas def. #7 Florida   3-2
08/25   Northern Iowa def. #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/31   #7 USC def. #4 Florida   3-1
08/31   #9 BYU def. #1 Stanford   3-2
09/01   #8 Wisconsin def. #2 Texas   3-1
09/01Â Â Â UCF def. #7 USCÂ Â Â 3-1
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Top 25 Jays
Creighton started the 2018 campaign ranked 13th and is currently 14th.
   This means the Bluejays are in the top 25 of the AVCA poll for the 25th 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
   529   Stanford   4
   529   Nebraska   7
   446   Penn State   5
   419   Florida   8
   243   Washington   12
   223   Texas   6
   78   Wisconsin   2
   77   BYU   3
   65   UCLA   9
   48   Minnesota   1
   34   San Diego   T-16
   29   Kentucky   T-16
   28   Utah   21
   25   Creighton   14
Ranked vs. Ranked
Creighton is 7-11 all-time when playing in a match that involves two ranked teams, including a 1-1 record this season.
   When No. 14 Creighton and No. 7 Nebraska meet on Thursday, it'll be the first time the two schools have met on the volleyball court with both teams being ranked simultaneously.
   According to research from Creighton and Nebraska's Media Relations offices, it's just the sixth time that the two schools have met in any sport while both teams were ranked, and first time in any sport when both were in the top-15:
Date   Sport   NU Rank   CU Rank
4/14/05   Softball   #25 Nebraska   #21 Creighton@
5/10/05   Baseball   #3 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
6/4/05   Baseball   #4 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
6/5/05   Baseball   #4 Nebraska   #30 Creighton%
4/4/06   Baseball   #8 Nebraska   #21 Creighton#
@ USA Softball/ESPN.com poll
% NCBWA ranking
# Baseball America ranking
BIG EAST Honors Ballenger and Hickman
Megan Ballenger was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Naomi Hickman honored as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.
   Ballenger earned MVP honors at the SMU DoubleTree Classic after helping Creighton to three 3-0 sweeps. She averaged 3.89 points, 3.44 kills and 0.78 blocks per set while hitting .529.
   Hickman averaged 1.78 blocks per set to help Creighton win all nine sets it played. She opened the tournament by tying her career-high with six blocks against Arkansas State, then broke that mark hours later with seven blocks against North Carolina State.
   This is Hickman's first career Player of the Week honor from the BIG EAST. Ballenger was previously recognize as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week three times in 2016.
Another Loaded Field
This weekend's Bluejay Invitational field features one team (#14 Creighton) that is ranked in this week's AVCA poll, with Iowa State receiving votes that would place it 26th and Wichita State tied for 31st.
   Below is a list of each team to enter play while being ranked or having received votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll the week of the Bluejay Invitational. Those previous 19 teams are a collective 37-17 with nine titles.
Year   (Rank) Team   W-L at Bluejay Invite
2007   (RV) Middle Tennessee   3-0
2008   #16 Minnesota   3-0
2008Â Â Â #21 LSUÂ Â Â 2-1
2008Â Â Â (RV) Texas A&MÂ Â Â 0-3
2009   #10 Illinois   2-0
2012   #21 Kansas State   3-0
2013   #19 Creighton   2-1
2013   RV) California   3-0
2014   (RV) Creighton   3-0
2015   (RV) Creighton   2-1
2015   (RV) Pacific   3-0
2015   (RV) Lipscomb   0-3
2016   #4 Kansas   2-0
2016   (RV) Creighton   2-1
2016Â Â Â (RV) TCUÂ Â Â 1-1
2017   #7 Creighton   2-1
2017   #13 Kentucky   2-1
2017Â Â Â #18 USCÂ Â Â 1-2
2017   (RV) Northern Iowa   1-2
2018   #14 Creighton   TBD
2018   (RV) Iowa State   TBD
2018   (RV) Wichita State   TBD
Bluejay Invitational History
This will be the 14th edition of the Bluejay Invitational, where host Creighton is 22-15 all-time in the event. The Bluejays have never gone winless in the event, and have gone undefeated just once (2014). CU also boasts a pair of titles, winning the Bluejay Invitational in 2014 and 2017.
   Champions, by year, include Iowa State (2005), Iowa (2006), Middle Tennessee (2007), Minnesota (2008), Illinois (2009), Kansas (2010), Northern Illinois (2011), Kansas State (2012), California (2013), Creighton (2014), Pacific (2015), Kansas (2016) and Creighton (2017).
   Between 13 previous Bluejay Invitationals, (2005-17), two Creighton First Serve Festivals (1996-97), three Creighton Classics (2011, 2014 and 2015), one MVC Tournament (2009) and two BIG EAST Tournaments (2013, 2015), Creighton has won just three of the 21 tournaments it has hosted since the program's 1994 restart. Those were the 2014 Bluejay Invitational, the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament and the 2017 Bluejay Invitational.
More Bluejay Invitational History
There have been 34 previous schools (besides Creighton) to play in the Bluejay Invitational, including two appearances each by Kansas, Northern Colorado and Lipscomb. This year will be the second Bluejay Invitational appearance for both Iowa State (2-0 in 2005) and Wichita State (2-1 in 2014).
   Creighton's 22 wins are most in Bluejay Invitational history, while Kansas' five wins are second-most.
   Creighton and Kansas are the only schools in history to win the event twice, while Iowa State is seeking its second crown after taking the initial title in 2005.
   With a title this weekend, Creighton can become the first program to win consecutive Bluejay Invitational crowns.
Longitude Aptitude
Teams located west of Omaha are a combined 18-30 all-time with three Bluejay Invitational titles, while teams to the east of Omaha are 31-24 with eight titles. Creighton owns the other two titles, and is 22-15 in the event.
   Creighton has gone 2-1 in each of the last three Bluejay Invitationals, and has not had a losing record in the event since going 1-2 in 2010.
   Each of the previous two times the field included just two (instead of three) opponents (2005 and 2009), Creighton won its first match before losing its second match.
   Of this year's field, Iowa State is east of Omaha while Wichita State is located west of Omaha.
Sweep City
Creighton won the SMU DoubleTree Classic by sweeping all three matches last weekend. It's just the third time in program history CU has not dropped a set while winning a tournament, and first time since the 12th Annual Holiday Inn Classic in 2005.
   CU first did it at the SDSU Invitational in 2004.
   On Thursday, Creighton will seek its first stretch of four straight sweeps since Oct. 28-Nov. 11, 2017.
   Creighton has not swept five or more consecutive matches since a stretch of seven sweeps in a row from Oct. 28-Nov. 18, 2016.
How Many MVP's Can They Have?
Creighton has won six different tournaments since the start of the 2016 season, and had five different MVP's honored.
   Three members of this year's team (Jaali Winters, Taryn Kloth and Megan Ballenger) have won at least one tourney MVP in their careers.
Year   Event   MVP
2016   BIG EAST Championship   Jaali Winters
2017   Husky Invitational   Marysa Wilkinson
2017   Bluejay Invitational   Lydia Dimke
2017   Kansas Invitational   Jaali Winters
2017   BIG EAST Championship   Taryn Kloth
2018   SMU DoubleTree Classic   Megan Ballenger
Home Openers
Creighton enters Thursday's match vs. No. 7 Nebraska with a 16-8 mark in home openers, including an 11-4 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. This year will mark the third straight home-opener against a top-25 foe.
   Last year Creighton opened its home campaign with a 3-0 sweep of No. 13 Kentucky. That same Kentucky team went on to share the SEC title and reached the Elite Eight, where it was eliminated by Nebraska.
   Creighton is 7-2 at D.J. Sokol Arena in season lid-lifters.
Home Sweet Home
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.
Kloth Surpasses 1,000 Kills
Taryn Kloth now owns 1,024 career kills after a hot start to her senior season. She's the second active Bluejay to reach the 1,000 mark, as Jaali Winters owns 1,480 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 reached the milestone in her 104th career match, doing so against North Carolina State on August 31st.
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.
Taryn Kloth   104   08/31/18   vs. NC State
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
Winters Is Coming
Jaali Winters enters this week with 1,480 kills, good for third place on Creighton's all-time career kills list. In just two weeks this season, Taryn Kloth has climbed from 17th to 13th. She is likely to ascend another spot this week.
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   398   1,480   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.   Taryn Kloth   366   1,024   2015-Pr.
   14.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
   15.   Jess Bird   377   965   2013-16
Winters Is Coming, Part 2
Jaali Winters ranks second nationally among active players with both 1,480 career kills and 4,097 attack attempts. She trails only Taylor Louis, who has 1,621 kills and 4,219 attack attempts during her career that started at Marquette and has continued at Iowa.
   Winters' Creighton team met Louis' Marquette team three times in 2015 and twice in 2016, with Winters owning more head-to-head kills (92-79) in fewer attack attempts (237-248).
   Creighton won all five matches.
The Most Through Six Matches...
Despite playing a postseason team from a year ago in all six matches to date, Creighton is off to an outstanding start statistically this fall.
   Jaali Winters 88 kills and 4.00 kills per set are the most by a Bluejay through six matches since Alicia Runge's 101 kills and 4.39 kills per set in 2010.
   Last year Winters led CU with 65 kills through six matches. By comparison, this year's club has three players that have done that (Winters, 88; Taryn Kloth 87; Megan Ballenger 67).
   Madelyn Cole's 11.18 assists per set are the most by a Bluejay through six matches since Korie Lebeda's 12.11 assists per set in 2007.
   Creighton's 14.00 kills per set are the team's most through six matches since 14.35 kills per set after six contests in 2013.
   Creighton's 53.5 total blocks through six matches are its most since owning 64.0 at this point in 2013. That team ended up leading the nation in blocks per set.
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. That match was so long that it exceeded the length of the Los Angeles Rams preseason game (3:02) against the Houston Texans that was played just blocks away earlier in the day.
   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
August 24th 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 has minimized such mistakes since then, with a total just 26 service errors in the past five contests.
   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
18Â Â Â vs. Miami (Ohio)Â Â Â 8/28/15Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 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.
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.
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
Regular-Season Tournament History
Creighton is 106-95 in the 68 regular-season tournaments it has participated in all-time, including a 49-26 mark since the start of 2012. Kirsten Bernthal Booth's teams are 86-62 in 53 regular-season tournaments, including 13 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.
   Creighton won its first tournament title of 2018 last weekend by sweeping all three matches at the SMU DoubleTree Classic in Dallas.
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 321-2 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
08/26/11Â Â Â vs. UTSAÂ Â Â 12-14, 13-14Â Â Â 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
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
68Â Â Â 2004Â Â Â Carolyn Decker
55Â Â Â 2008Â Â Â Laurel Sanford
60Â Â Â 2011Â Â Â Michelle Sicner
73Â Â Â 2013Â Â Â Jess Bird
50Â Â Â 2014Â Â Â Lydia Dimke*
18Â Â Â 2015Â Â Â Taryn Kloth
41Â Â Â 2015Â Â Â Jaali Winters
98Â Â Â 2017Â Â Â Naomi Hickman
99Â Â Â 2017Â Â Â Steph Gaston
42Â Â Â 2018Â Â Â Keeley Davis
49Â Â Â 2018Â Â Â 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 started 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   ???
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 268-9 (.968) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 211-3 mark (.986) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU has won 44 straight when up 2-0, and is 138-1 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 266-28 (.905) 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.
   This year's team is 3-0 when winning the first set and 1-2 when dropping the opener.
   Dating back to Sept. 22, 2016, Creighton has won 44 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
1994Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 5-20
1995Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â 11-19
1996Â Â Â 2-6Â Â Â 9-19
1997Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 15-13
1998Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 7-18
1999Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 13-15
2000Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 16-12
2001Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 14-13
2002Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 3-23
2003Â Â Â 5-1Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 4-3Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 4-2
Total   68-56   414-314
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.
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).
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 4-of-6 opponents so far this fall, and all three foes this week.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 72-92 since.
Year   W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994Â Â Â 0-4
1995Â Â Â 0-2
1996Â Â Â 0-2
1997Â Â Â 0-3
1998Â Â Â 0-5
1999Â Â Â 2-4
2000Â Â Â 0-4
2001Â Â Â 1-6
2002Â Â Â 0-5
2003Â Â Â 0-3
2004Â Â Â 2-2
2005Â Â Â 0-6
2006Â Â Â 4-6
2007Â Â Â 4-9
2008Â Â Â 6-8
2009Â Â Â 1-11
2010Â Â Â 4-7
2011Â Â Â 2-6
2012Â Â Â 8-3
2013Â Â Â 6-6
2014Â Â Â 4-5
2015Â Â Â 11-5
2016Â Â Â 10-7
2017Â Â Â 8-6
2018Â Â Â 2-2
TOTALÂ Â Â 75-127
TOTAL Under Booth   72-92
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 321 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   321*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   312*
*still active coaching at Creighton
All They Do Is Win
Creighton owns a 111-34 record since the start of the 2014 season. On a national basis, the 111 wins are tied for 10th-most.
Most Wins, Since 2014 (through 9/2)
   Rank   School   Wins
   1.   Western Kentucky   126
      Penn State   126
   3.   BYU   122
      Nebraska   122
   5.   Washington   119
   6.   Stanford   118
   7.   Texas   114
      Dayton   114
   9.   Florida   113
   10.   Creighton   111
      Wisconsin   111
      Colorado State   111
      Minnesota   111
   14.   American   110
   15.   Towson   107
      North Dakota   107
Italic = 2018 Creighton opponent
Winters Part Of 1,000 & 1,000 Club
Jaali Winters enters this week with 1,480 career kills and 1,091 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 4-2 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
2003Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-18
2004Â Â Â 8-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 18-11
2005Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 16-14
2006Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-10
2007Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 21-10
2008Â Â Â 3-5Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 18-9
2009Â Â Â 3-8Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â 14-17
2010Â Â Â 5-5Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 21-12
2011Â Â Â 5-7Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 17-14
2012Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â 29-4
2013Â Â Â 9-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 23-9
2014Â Â Â 7-6Â Â Â 0-5Â Â Â 25-9
2015Â Â Â 6-7Â Â Â 1-4Â Â Â 27-9
2016Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 0-4Â Â Â 29-7
2017Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 26-7
2018Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 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...
• This week marks the first time since Nov. 26, 2007 that two BIG EAST teams are both in the top-25 of the same AVCA poll. On that occasion, St. John's was ranked 18th and Louisville ranked 24th.
• Creighton has won four sets this season after an opponent owned a set point.
• With three wins in Dallas last weekend, Creighton improved to 414-314 in program history. It marks 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.
• Jaali Winters has played in 398 sets in her career, two shy becoming the 16th player in program history to reach 400 sets played.
   Winters also owns 4,097 career attack attempts, putting her 253 attempts shy of passing Leah Ratzlaff's school record of 4,349.
• All four of Creighton's seniors will graduate in December.
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
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MB/RS
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OH
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MB/RS
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MB
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MB/RS
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OH
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OH
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RS
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball Highlights vs. USC, 9/7/25
Sunday, September 07
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. UCSB - 9/6/25
Sunday, September 07
Creighton Volleyball Postgame Interview vs. UCSB - 9/6/25
Sunday, September 07
Creighton Volleyball's Brian Rosen Postgame Interview vs. San Diego - 9/5/25
Saturday, September 06
