#17 Volleyball Closes Non-Conference Play at Shocker Volleyball Classic

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Shocker Volleyball Classic
Sept. 17   4:30 pm   Wyoming vs. #17 Creighton   Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
LIVE STATS

Sept. 18   12 pm   South Dakota vs. #17 Creighton   Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
LIVE STATS

Sept. 18   7 pm   Wichita State vs. #17 Creighton (ESPN+)   Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
LIVE STATS | ESPN+

This Weekend
No. 17 Creighton (9-1) closes out non-conference play this weekend with a trip to Wichita, Kan., for the Shocker Volleyball Classic.
   The trip starts on Friday at 4:30 p.m. with a contest against Wyoming (6-3).
   On Saturday at Noon, the Bluejays meet South Dakota (3-3).
   Play concludes on Saturday at 7 p.m. when Creighton squares off against tournament host Wichita State (5-1).
   All the action will take place inside Charles Koch Arena.

Broadcast Information
Wichita State is only broadcasting its own matches during the Shocker Volleyball Classic, so fans wishing to watch Creighton's matches vs. Wyoming and South Dakota are out of luck unless they buy a ticket to attend in person.
   Saturday night's contest vs. Wichita State will air on ESPN+. A subscription is required to view.

Live Stats Information
Every match this week will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com. Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting No. 17 Creighton
Ranked 17th nationally, Creighton has equaled its best 10-match start in program history (9-1), including wins over No. 3 Kentucky (3-0), USC (3-2), Illinois (3-1), Northern Iowa (3-0) and Missouri (3-0). CU's only loss came to No. 3 Nebraska (3-0).
   Creighton has won a tournament title in each of the first three weeks of the season. The Jays won the Mizzou Invitational (hosted by Missouri), the Bluegrass Battle (hosted by Kentucky) and the Bluejay Invitational (hosted by Creighton) to start the year.
   A Creighton team that returned all six starters from last year's team that won a seventh straight BIG EAST title and made a ninth straight NCAA Tournament trip has had huge contributions from a top-10 class of newcomers.
   Leading the Bluejay returnees are Preseason All-BIG EAST selections Jaela Zimmerman (3.67 kps., 2.67 dps.) and Naomi Hickman (1.61 kps., 1.33 bps., .282%), while Keeley Davis (.294%, 2.39 dps.) was also an All-BIG EAST choice each of the past two seasons. The 2020 AVCA East Region Player of the Year, Zimmerman was named MVP of the Bluegrass Battle and the Bluejay Invitational.
   Outside hitter Norah Sis (3.55 kps., 2.55 dps.) has become the first freshman in school history to be named All-Tournament after each of the first three events of her career. Classmate Kendra Wait (10.45 aps., 2.97 dps., 0.97 bps., 1.18 kps., .319%) was named MVP of the Mizzou Invitational.
   A third newcomer, High Point transfer Abby Bottomley, leads CU with 5.00 digs per set and 0.30 aces per set. She earned All-Tournament Team honors in Lexington and has double-figure digs in each of her last 23 matches overall.
   Creighton averages 14.24 kills, 1.30 aces, 16.94 digs and 2.71 blocks per set while hitting .250 as a team.

Scouting Wyoming
Wyoming is 6-3 this season, a mark highlighted by wins over UC Santa Barbara (3-2) and Missouri (3-0). The only teams to beat the Cowgirls have been Saint Mary's (twice) and Northwestern.
   KC McMahon (2.81 kps.) and Hailey Zuroske 92.20 kps.) are two of five women to be averaging multiple kills per set, while Kyra Slavik (4.68 aps.) and Payton Chamberlain (4.63 aps.) share setting duties.
   Kaitlyn Gehler (2.66 dps.) owns the club lead in digs and Lexie Collins (1.43 bps.) and Lydeke King (1.11 bps.) are the top blockers.
   As a team, Wyoming averages 12.56 kills, 1.09 aces, 11.72 digs and 2.63 blocks per set while hitting .251 as a team.

Scouting South Dakota
After losing its first three matches this season to Northern Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri, South Dakota got wins vs. Bradley, Central Arkansas and Milwaukee last weekend to even its record after six contests.
   Elizabeth Juhnke (3.50 kps., 2.86 dps.) and Sami Slaughter (2.68 kps.) lead the USD attack, which is directed by Madison Jurgens (9.50 aps., 0.36 saps.).
   Lolo Weideman (3.91 dps.) leads in digging and Madison Harms (3.00 kps., 1.55 bps.) is the leading blocker.
   As a team, South Dakota averages 12.27 kills, 1.41 aces, 12.73 digs and 2.73 blocks per set on .215 hitting.

Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is off to a 5-1 start, with the only setback coming at the hands of Kansas last weekend.
   The Shockers did not play the second weekend of the season due to COVID-19 protocols and were still missing several key contributors last weekend as well.
   Brylee Kelly averages 3.45 kills per set on .341 hitting but did not play last weekend, while Kailin Newsome owns 3.26 kills per set.
   Kacye Litzau averages 9.35 assists per set and Lauren Phillips has collects 8.56 assists per set.
   Lily Liekweg owns 4.83 digs per set and Lauren McMahon averages 1.10 blocks per frame.
   As a team, Wichita State averages 12.78 kills, 1.26 aces, 16.13 digs and 2.00 blocks per set on .252 hitting.

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 392-176 record in her 19th season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to seven straight outright BIG EAST titles, and eight league crowns in the previous nine 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. Booth was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the third time in 2019.
   The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only 10 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 10 seasons (including 2021), 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 Justin Dueck.

Series History vs. Wyoming
Creighton and Wyoming have split two previous meetings, both of which were held in Omaha. The Cowgirls won a four-set battle in 2003 before Creighton swept Wyoming in 2019.
   When these two programs met in 2019, Jaela Zimmerman had 16 kills on .448 hitting and Megan Ballenger had nine of CU's 14 blocks.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-1 all-time against Wyoming.

Series History vs. South Dakota
Creighton is 5-2 against South Dakota in the Division I era, with the first such meeting taking place in 2011. The teams have alternated wins and losses in the past five meetings, and three of the past four encounters have gone five sets.
   Creighton won the only previous neutral-site meeting against the Coyotes, which came in 2013 at the Shocker Invitational in Wichita.
   The teams traded reverse sweeps last season, with Creighton squandering a 2-0 lead in Omaha before the Coyotes wasted a 2-0 lead of their own in Vermillion 43 hours later.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 5-2 all-time against USD and 2-2 against Leanne Williamson. Williamson is 2-2 against Creighton.
   The records above do account for scores from four meetings in the 1970's dug up by USD SID Jason Cowley, each of which was won by Creighton.
   In 10 sets over two meetings last season, Keeley Davis (34) and Jaela Zimmerman (33) combined for 67 kills while Ellie Bolton dug 43 balls.

Series History vs. Wichita State
Creighton is 25-23 in 48 meetings against Wichita State since 1994, but the Bluejays are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings with WSU. CU is 7-14 all-time on the road against Wichita State.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 14-15 vs. Wichita State and Chris Lamb, while Lamb is 17-18 vs. Creighton all-time. Of Booth's 14 wins over WSU, three of them have come after surviving a match point for the Shockers. CU has swept WSU just twice in 29 matches under Booth, and hasn't swept the Shockers in Wichita since 2001.
   Six of the last 14 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.
   When these teams last met in 2019 in Omaha, Creighton swept the Shockers behind 12 kills on .409 hitting from Keeley Davis.

Recapping The Bluejay Invitational
Creighton won the Bluejay Invitational last weekend with wins over SMU (3-0), Illinois (3-1) and Nebraska-Omaha (3-0).
   Jaela Zimmerman was named MVP of the event after averaging 4.30 kills, 2.40 digs and 0.70 blocks per set on .307 hitting.
   Norah Sis landed on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.00 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.70 blocks per set on .297 hitting.
   Kendra Wait was also voted to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 10.60 assists, 3.00 digs, 1.50 blocks and 1.00 digs per set.
   Last weekend marked the fourth time in 16 renditions of the Bluejay Invitational that Creighton has won the title, and third time its done so with an undefeated record.

Wait Returns To Wichita
Kendra Wait will return to Wichita for three volleyball matches this weekend, but it's extremely unlikely she'll be able to replicate what accomplished in late May just a few blocks from Charles Koch Arena inside Cessna Stadium after a performance for ages that had comparisons being made to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
   In a span of three hours, Wait won the Kansas Class 6A state titles in the 100 meters (12.02), shot put (42-2.5), long jump (18-5) and pole vault (11-0). She became the first female in state history to win four state track titles in Class 6A in the same year and was named Kansas High School Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
   A top-10 recruit in volleyball, Wait also won eight state track titles in three years (there was no track meet in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19) as she picked up three titles in the 100, three in the pole vault and one each in the long jump and shot put.

Lucky Number 3
Creighton has won a tournament title each of the past three weekends, matching a school record that was also done in 2017 when Creighton won the Husky Invitational, Bluejay Invitational and Kansas Invitational to open the year. The streak was snapped in week four when Creighton went 0-2 at the Shocker Volleyball Classic in Wichita.
   That being said, the 2017 team lost matches at both the Bluejay Invitational as well as the Kansas Invitational, only to win both events via tiebreaker. This year's team is 3-0 in all three events, winning 27-of-30 sets played.

Zimmerman Playing At An MVP Level
Jaela Zimmerman has been named Most Valuable Player at both the Bluegrass Battle and the Bluejay Invitational over the past two weekends.
   It gives her three career MVP honors, having also won the 2019 Creighton Classic MVP accolade in an event that featured Wyoming and Wichita State.
   Zimmerman is Creighton's first player to be named MVP of a tournament on back-to-back weekends in Kirsten Bernthal Booth's 19 years at Creighton.
   Creighton's only other player under Booth with multiple MVP honors in non-conference play of the same season had been Korie Lebeda in 2006, who took home MVP honors in the 12th Annual Holiday Inn Classic to start the season as well as the Blue Raider Bash in the third week of the fall.

Diaper Dandies
Creighton freshmen Kendra Wait and Norah Sis were both named to the Mizzou Invitational All-Tournament Teams, with Wait bringing home MVP honors after averaging 10.22 assists, 3.56 digs, 1.33 kills and 1.11 blocks per set on .440 hitting.
   Wait is the first freshman in CU history to be named MVP of an event to start the season.
   Wait and Sis were just the second and third true freshmen in Creighton history to be named All-Tournament following their first event, joining JoDe Cieloha in 1994 at the Tulane Invitational.
   One week later, Sis was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Bluegrass Battle, becoming the first freshman in program history to be All-Tourney after each of her first two events.
   Sis is the first Bluejay (of any class) to be named to an All-Tourney Team in each of CU's first three tournaments of a season since Lydia Dimke in 2017. That streak was snapped in week four at the Shocker Volleyball Classic. Creighton's last player to be named to an All-Tournament Team in four straight weeks was Lauren Smith in the fall of 2015.
   Both Sis and Wait were also named to the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team in CU's third week of the year.

Weekly Honors For Bottomley & Wait
Abby Bottomley was named Defensive Player of the Week and Kendra Wait recognized as Freshman of the Week as Creighton Volleyball had a pair of women earn weekly BIG EAST honors on Monday. The duo helped Creighton go 3-1 last week as the Bluejays tied their best 10-match record in history at 9-1.
   Bottomley averaged a league-high 6.00 digs per set last week, and her 80 digs tied for the most in the BIG EAST.
   She started her week with a match-best 20 digs in just three sets against No. 3 Nebraska, helping to hold the Cornhuskers to a season-low .177 hitting percentage. Bottomley then had 18 digs in a three-set sweep vs. SMU, adding a kill and an ace. The fifth-year senior had a season-best 28 digs as well as six assists and an ace in a 3-1 win vs. Illinois, including 10 digs in the clincher. She wrapped up her week with 14 digs, four assists and an ace vs. Nebraska-Omaha as Creighton clinched its third tournament title in a row.
   This is Bottomley's first BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week award, though was honored 14 times as Big South Defensive Player of the Week from 2017-20 while at High Point University.
   Wait averaged 9.46 assists, 3.23 digs, 1.38 blocks and 1.08 kills per set. She had double-doubles in three of the four matches and was named to the All-Tournament Team after helping Creighton to the Bluejay Invitational title. She was also the league's only player to average at least 1.30 digs and 1.30 blocks per set last week.
   Her week started with 17 assists, 12 digs, four kills and three blocks on .400 hitting in a match vs. No. 3 Nebraska. She followed that with 34 assists, five blocks, three digs and three kills in a 3-0 sweep vs. SMU. Wait approached a triple-double on Saturday vs. Illinois, compiling 47 assists, 15 digs, seven blocks and four kills in CU's first win in six tries against Illinois. Her seven blocks were a season-best while her 15 digs tied a season-high. In CU's 33-31 fourth set win to clinch the match, Wait had 20 assists, five digs and a kill.
   Wait ended her week with 25 assists, 12 digs, three blocks and three kills on .333 hitting as Creighton swept Nebraska-Omaha, 3-0.
   This is the second time in three weeks that Wait has been honored as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, having also won a similar honor on Aug. 30.

Hickman Seeks Century Club
Naomi Hickman has played in 97 wins as a Bluejay, and with three more appearances in victories this weekend can be the ninth player in Creighton Volleyball's modern history to reach the century mark.
Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player
   111   Jaali Winters   2015-18
   109   Taryn Kloth   2015-18
   109   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   107   Megan Ballenger   2016-19
   106   Marysa Wilkinson   2014-17
   104   Lauren Smith   2013-16
   102   Melanie Jereb   2012-15
   101   Ashley Jansen   2012-15
   97   Naomi Hickman   2017-Present
   95   Kate Elman   2012-15

Non-Conference Comes to a Close
Armed with a 9-1 mark to date, Creighton will finish non-conference play with a record of .500 or better regardless of this week's results.
   It's the seventh straight year of a .500 or better non-conference record, no small feat considering the degree of difficulty that head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth regularly challenges her team with prior to league play.
   This season also clinches a 12th straight campaign of five or more non-league victories.

Year-By-Year In Non-Conference Play
Despite annually facing one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules, Creighton has continued to excel against elite competition.
   Creighton is 7-10 against ranked non-conference foes over the last four seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
   Creighton owns nine non-conference wins this season to tie a program record for a regular-season. A win on Friday or Saturday would mark CU's first season with 10 wins prior to league play.
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   8-4   1-3   29-5
2019   7-3   2-3   25-6
2020   3-2   0-0   12-4
2021   9-1 so far   1-1   TBD

Don't I Know You?
Creighton junior Emily Bressman was a high school teammate at Marian High School of Wyoming junior Hailey Zuroske, where the two teamed up to win a pair of state titles for the Crusaders.
   Bressman was also a high school teammate of South Dakota senior Maddie Wiedenfeld, and identified the Coyote middle blocker as one of her best friends on another college volleyball team in a preseason questionnaire.
   Creighton freshman Abbey Milner is a former prep teammate of South Dakota junior Elizabeth Juhnke at Lakeville North in Lakeville, Minn. The duo won a state title in 2017.
   Creighton freshman Norah Sis is a former prep teammate of South Dakota sophomore Brooklyn Schram at Papillion-La Vista (Neb.) High School.

Best Starts Ever
Creighton started this season 6-0 for the first time ever, eclipsing the start by the 2006 team that opened 5-0. Of Creighton's six teams to start 4-0 or better, the first loss for five of those teams came during a home contest and on four occasions, it came against a ranked foe.
   Creighton's 9-1 mark entering the Shocker Volleyball Classic matches the program's best mark through 10 contests ever, with the Jays having also started 9-1 in both 2006 and 2012.
   Creighton has never started 11-1, something it can do this weekend with wins vs. both Wyoming and South Dakota.
Most Wins Before First Loss, CU History
   Wins   Season   Lost to
   6   2021   #3 Nebraska
   5   2006   Iowa
   4   2000   at #6 Hawai'i
   4   2012   #21 Kansas State
   4   2013   California
   4   2017   #18 USC

Most Wins With 1 Loss To Start A Season
   Start   Season   Lost to
   10-1   2006   Iowa
   10-1   2012   #21 Kansas State
   9-1 so far   2021   #3 Nebraska
   8-1   2004   Northern Colorado

Double-Double x 4
Creighton had four women finish with a double-double in its Sept. 11 win vs. Illinois as Norah Sis (20 kills, 11 digs), Keeley Davis (12 kills, 13 digs), Jaela Zimmerman (21 kills, 13 digs) and Kendra Wait (46 assists, 15 digs) all had double-doubles.
   It marked the first time since Feb. 5, 2021 that Creighton had four players with a double-double in the same match. Back then, it was Ally Van Eekeren, Keeley Davis, Jaela Zimmerman and Mahina Pua'a with double-dips vs. No. 25 Marquette.
   Prior to Feb. 5, it hadn't happened since Nov. 20, 2015, when Jaali Winters, Samantha Bohnet, Jess Bird and Lauren Smith did it at Georgetown.

Largest Crowds To See The Jays
Creighton hosted 11,279 fans on Sept. 8 for its match vs. No. 3 Nebraska at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   In addition to being the largest crowd in the nation this season, it was the fourth-biggest home crowd in Creighton history and the 10th-largest volleyball-only regular-season crowd in NCAA history.
   In six all-time volleyball matches at CHI Health Center Omaha, Creighton has played before an average of 11,444 fans. That includes 14,022 fans in 2018 for a match vs. Nebraska, a figure that remains the largest regular-season volleyball-only crowd in NCAA history.
   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
   14,022   #6 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   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.
   11,279   #3 Nebraska   09/08/21   L 0-3   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
   2,552   South Dakota   11/30/18   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

Largest Crowds (All Sites)
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   14,022   #6 Nebraska   09/06/18   L 2-3   CHI Health Ctr.
   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.
   11,279   #3 Nebraska   09/08/21   L 0-3   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.
   8,450   at #2 Nebraska   08/30/19   L 1-3   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.
   8,237   vs. #20 Baylor (@NU)   08/31/19   L 0-3   Devaney Ctr.

Historically Speaking
Here's a look at the top volleyball-only regular-season crowds in NCAA history. Of note, each of the 12 figures of 11,000 or more have been in the state of Nebraska.
Largest Regular-Season NCAA VB-Only Crowds In History
   Att.   Opponent   Date   CU Result   Facility
   14,022   Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2   9/6/18   Omaha, NE
   13,870   UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-2   9/13/09   Lincoln, NE
   13,412   Nebraska def. LSU, 3-0   9/12/08   Lincoln, NE
   13,396   Nebraska def. Hawai'i, 3-0   10/21/07   Lincoln, NE
   13,081   Cal Poly def. Creighton, 3-0   9/2/07   Omaha, NE
       Nebraska def. Penn State, 3-0
   12,504   Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0   11/4/00   Lincoln, NE
   12,112   Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-1   9/24/06   Omaha, NE
   11,892   Dayton def. W. Michigan, 3-0   9/11/10   Lincoln, NE
       Nebraska def. Illinois, 3-2
   11,529   Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0   10/22/95   Lincoln, NE
   11,279   Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-0   9/8/21   Omaha, NE
   11,076   Nebraska def. UCLA, 3-1   8/25/07   Omaha, NE
       Tennessee def. Utah, 3-2
   11,032   UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-1   9/14/91   Lincoln, NE
   10,927   Minnesota def. Illinois, 3-1   10/16/04   Minneapolis, MN
   10,645   Purdue def. W. Michigan, 3-1   10/29/85   W. Lafayette, IN
   10,576   Penn St. def. Hawai'i, 3-0   8/27/05   Omaha, NE
       Nebraska def. Stanford, 3-0
   10,570   Purdue def. Wisconsin, 3-2   10/17/08   W. Lafayette, IN

Hometown Flavor
Creighton's 2021 roster boasts five players from the state of Nebraska, including Omaha-area products Emily Bressman, Norah Sis and Megan Skovsende. Grand Island native Katie Maser and Lincoln's Jaela Zimmerman round out the in-state natives.

Dear Abby
High Point transfer Abby Bottomley transferred to Creighton this fall and has had 10 or more digs in all 10 matches to start this season. She's just the fifth Bluejay ever to start a year that way, and the third to start her Bluejay career in that fashion.
   Bottomley needed just seven matches to surpass 100 digs with the Bluejays, third-fastest in program history.
   With 35 additional digs this weekend, she can surpass 200 digs.
Consec. Matches, 10 or More Digs, To Start Season
   32#   Kate Elman   2012
   29   Janeen Piller   (every match) 2004
   27#   Bianca Rivera   2007
   18   Brittany Witt   2018
   10*#   Abby Bottomley   2021
   9   Nayka Benitez   2010
*active #streak during first season at CU

Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Digs (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Bianca Rivera   6   09/02/07   Cal Poly
Brittany Witt   6   09/08/16   #4 Kansas
Abby Bottomley   7   09/08/21   #3 Nebraska
Nayka Benitez   8   09/12/09   Connecticut
Ellie Bolton   8   03/06/21   DePaul

Creighton's Quickest Players To 200 Digs (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Bianca Rivera   11   09/15/07   vs. Charlotte
Nayka Benitez   13   09/25/09   at Indiana State
Kate Elman   13   09/22/13   Drake
Brittany Witt   13   09/23/16   Marquette
Julianne Mandolfo   15   10/01/10   at Illinois State
Ellie Bolton   15   04/03/21   Marquette

Sis-ter Act
Freshman Norah Sis had 20 kills in the fourth match of her career, a 3-2 win vs. USC on Sept. 3rd, and then added 20 more vs. Illinois on Sept. 11th in her ninth match.
   She's just the second freshman in program history to have a match with 20 or more kills in one of her first 10 matches, joining Carolyn Decker in 2004. Decker did it in her second match. Sis is the first Bluejay to ever have multiple contests of 20+ kills in her first 10 matches.
   Sis is the 11th Bluejay freshman ever to have a match with 20 or more kills, and first since Keeley Davis in 2019.
Creighton Freshmen With 20+ Kills in a Match
   Times   Name (High)   MP Before 1st Time     Year
   9   Jaali Winters (28)   13     2015
   4   Melissa Walsh (30)   15     1998
   3   JoDe Cieloha (23)         12     1994
   2   Norah Sis (20)   4    2021
   1   Michelle Prorock (23)   21     1994
   1   Shelly Kapler (22)   16     1996
   1   Jodi Bjoin (21)   18     1999
   1   Kelly Goc (20)   11     2004
   1   Carolyn Decker (22)   2     2004
   1   Allie Oelke (23)   14     2007
   1   Keeley Davis (31)      16     2019

Speaking of Sis
While we're on the topic of Norah Sis, the freshman surpassed 100 career kills in her ninth match of the season vs. Illinois.
   That matches Jaali Winters for second-fastest in program history to that milestone, trailing only JoDe Cieloha (8 in 1994).
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Kills (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
JoDe Cieloha   8   09/23/94   at Drake
Jaali Winters   9   09/12/15   Pacific
Norah Sis   9   09/11/21   Illinois
Melissa Walsh   10   09/26/98   at Bradley
Carolyn Decker   10   09/18/04   Illinois State
Keeley Davis   10   09/21/19   Wyoming

Against The Champs
Creighton improved to 1-5 all-time against defending national champions with a 3-0 win at No. 3 Kentucky on Sept. 4, 2021.
   CU was swept by Nebraska (2001 and 2005) and Stanford (2005), lost in four sets to Nebraska (2016) and in five sets to Nebraska (2018) prior to this year's victory in Lexington.
   Creighton also improved to 2-10 all-time against teams the season after a Final Four appearance, and 2-6 on the road. Prior to UK, the lone victory came on Dec. 2, 2016, when CU outlasted Kansas to clinch the program's second Sweet 16 trip in program history.
CU vs. Previous Year Final Four Teams
Date   Result                Previous Year Finish
09/25/01   Nebraska 3, CU 0   NCAA Champion
09/10/05   Stanford 3, CU 0   NCAA Champion
09/24/06   Nebraska 3, CU 1   NCAA Runner-Up
08/31/07   Nebraska 3, CU 0   NCAA Champion
09/01/09   Nebraska 3, CU 0   Final Four
09/17/15   Nebraska 3, CU 1   NCAA Champion
09/08/16   Kansas 3, CU 2   Final Four
12/02/16   CU 3, Kansas 2   Final Four
12/10/16   Texas 3, CU 0   NCAA Runner-Up
09/06/18   Nebraska 3, CU 2   NCAA Champion
08/30/19   Nebraska 3, CU 1   NCAA Runner-Up
09.04/21   CU 3, Kentucky 1   NCAA Champion

Booth Earns 500th Career Win
Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth picked up her 500th career victory on Sept. 4 when Creighton defeated No. 3 Kentucky.
   It came in the fifth match of her 22nd season, and improved her to 500-216 as a head coach and 388-175 in 19 years at Creighton.
   Booth's 392 Division I wins rank 55th-most among active I coaches, but are second-most among coaches who have spent 19 years or less at the Division I level, and one behind Purdue's Dave Shondell.

More Tidbits From Kentucky
A few additional leftover notes from the win over Kentucky that will impress your friends and neighbors, but don't fit in elsewhere in these notes.
- Since the start of 2015, Kentucky is 154-37, but just 1-5 against Creighton. No other program has beaten the Wildcats more than three times.
- Kentucky First Team All-American Alli Stumler's six kills vs. Creighton were her least in a match since she had five on Nov. 8, 2019 at Georgia, which was 39 matches ago.
- Creighton's 3-0 win snapped a streak of 59 matches in a row for UK without being swept    .
- Creighton's 3-0 win also snapped Kentucky's nation-leading win streak of 12 matches and was Kentucky's first loss at home in 18 straight matches.
- Creighton's 3-0 win was the first home sweep for Kentucky since Nov. 1, 2017 vs. Florida (49 matches).

Top 25 History
Creighton is 123-32 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 15-20 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark improves to 2-1 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
   Since the start of the 2012 season, 35 of Creighton's 61 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 216-25 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but one of its past 72 home matches over unranked teams and all but five of its last 70 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
   After a total of three total top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last seven seasons (2015-21). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 15-20)
Home: 5-7   Away: 5-7    Neutral: 5-6
Date   Winner   Loser   CU Score
11/19/12   #11 Minnesota   #21 Creighton   1-3
08/30/13   #25 Creighton   #13 BYU   3-1
09/14/13   #11 UCLA   #24 Creighton   1-3
09/16/13   #7 Hawaii   #23 Creighton   2-3
08/30/14   #22 Kansas   #23 Creighton   1-3
09/03/16   #23 Kentucky   #22 Creighton   0-3
12/02/16   #21 Creighton   #4 Kansas   3-2
12/09/16   #21 Creighton   #17 Michigan   3-2
12/10/16   #5 Texas   #21 Creighton   0-3
08/26/17   #9 Creighton   #3 Washington   3-1
09/01/17   #7 Creighton   #13 Kentucky   3-0
09/02/17   #18 USC   #7 Creighton   0-3
09/08/17   #17 Purdue   #9 Creighton   1-3
09/09/17   #9 Creighton   #7 Kansas   3-0
09/16/17   #19 Iowa State   #8 Creighton   2-3
12/12/17   #12 Michigan St.   #15 Creighton   1-3
08/24/18   #13 Creighton   #5 Kentucky   3-2
08/25/18   #10 USC   #13 Creighton   2-3
09/06/18   #7 Nebraska   #14 Creighton   2-3
09/15/18   #8 Illinois   #10 Creighton   1-3
09/23/18   #10 Creighton   #21 Marquette   3-0
10/26/18   #10 Creighton   #18 Marquette   3-1
11/24/18   #9 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-1
12/01/18   #22 Washington   #9 Creighton   0-3
08/30/19   #2 Nebraska   #18 Creighton   1-3
08/31/19   #20 Baylor   #18 Creighton   0-3
09/06/19   #23 Creighton   #12 Kentucky   3-1
09/07/19   #23 Creighton   #15 USC   3-1
09/14/19   #12 Washington   #17 Creighton   1-3
10/12/19   #13 Creighton   #10 Marquette   3-2
11/22/19   #12 Creighton   #9 Marquette   3-1
12/07/19   #7 Minnesota   #15 Creighton   2-3
02/05/21   #19 Creighton   #25 Marquette   3-2
02/06/21   #25 Marquette   #19 Creighton   0-3
09/08/21   #3 Nebraska   #19 Creighton   0-3

Some Fab Freshmen
Including Kendra Wait and Norah Sis on Aug. 27 vs. Kansas City, Creighton has started 14 different true freshmen in its season opener since 2009, and 18 such players since 2000.
   Since 2000, the only true freshmen to start CU's season-opener have been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005), Allie Oelke (2007), Brooke Boggs (2009), Heather Thorson (2009), Julianne Mandolfo (2010), Katie Neisler (2011), Michelle Sicner (2011), Melanie Jereb (2012), Ashley Jansen (2012), Jess Bird (2013), Jaali Winters (2015), Naomi Hickman (2017), Emily Bressman (2019), Kiara Reinhardt (2020), Kendra Wait (2021) and Norah Sis (2021), with Coleman, Lebeda and Wait the only freshmen to start at setter in the season-opener.
   In addition, CU also started redshirt freshmen Lauren Smith (2013) and Brittany Lawrence (2015), as well as transfers Maggie Baumert (2014), Lydia Dimke (2016), Madelyn Cole (2018), Erica Kosetelac (2019) and Mahina Pua'a (2020) in season-openers.
   Eight of those women (Reinhardt, Coleman, Decker, Lebeda, Oelke, Mandolfo, Sicner and Jereb) went on to land a spot on the MVC or BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team (though the BIG EAST had no such team from 2013-19). Winters was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2015, Dimke was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2016 and Davis was BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2019.
   This year marked the first time that Creighton started multiple true freshmen in a season-opener since 2012, when Ashley Jansen and Melanie Jereb both earning a starting nod.

Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Eve Magill, Abbey Milner, Norah Sis and Kendra Wait was recognized as the nation's No. 5 class last fall by PrepVolleyball.
   Wait was tabbed the nation's No. 7 freshman recruit, making her the program's most-decorated recruit since 2004. Sis, at No. 28, is the program's third-highest recruit (behind Wait and No. 18 in 2015's Taryn Kloth), with No. 31 Eve Magill not far behind.
   In the summer, Volleyball Magazine recognized CU's group of newcomers (which included the four freshmen and Abby Bottomley) as the No. 8 incoming class in the nation.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004)
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
77   2016   Erica Kostelac#
98   2017   Naomi Hickman
99   2017   Steph Gaston
49   2018   Jaela Zimmerman
42   2018   Keeley Davis
46   2020   Kiara Reinhardt
97   2020   Ellie Bolton
7   2021   Kendra Wait
28   2021   Norah Sis
31   2021   Eve Magill
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton

PrepVolleyball.com Recruiting Rankings
(list started in 2004)
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 HM   Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010   High HM   (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011   Highest HM   (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)
2019   Highest HM   (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)

Familiar Face
Senior Naomi Hickman has started Creighton's season opener each of the past five years. She's the 16th player to start four season openers, but the only one to do so five times.
Four or More 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
Naomi Hickman   2017-21

You Can Count On Her
As a junior Naomi Hickman averaged 1.97 kills and 1.09 blocks per set while hitting .394 in eight matches against top-25 competition.
   Last season, Hickman averaged 1.83 kills and 1.67 blocks per set while hitting .463 in regular-season matches against top-50 competition. She was also named MVP of the BIG EAST Championship while helping CU to the title.
   When Hickman excels, it usually leads to good things for her team. The Bluejays are 28-3 in her career when she has seven or more kills,

Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-15 letterwinners to the court from last season, including all six starters, as well as returning libero Ellie Bolton.
   From last year's team, only Grace Nelson, Mahina Pua'a, Erica Kostelac and Makenna Krause are not back.
   Creighton returns 98.4 percent of its blocks, its most since 2007 (99.3).
   Creighton returns 94.3 percent of its kills, most since 2016 (94.7).
   Creighton returns 93.7 percent of its points, most since 2014 (99.1).
   Creighton returns 86.5 percent of its starts, most since 2014 (98.1).
   Creighton returns 81.7 percent of its digs, most since 2017 (95.0).
   All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 595.5 of a possible 700% back (85.1 percent), which would be its highest since 2014 (99.1).
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   153 (98.4%)   2.5 (1.6%)
Kills   763 (94.3%)   46 (5.7%)
Points   987.0 (93.7%)   66.5 (6.3%)
Matches Started   83 (86.5%)   13 (13.5%)
Digs   734 (81.7%)   164 (18.3%)
Aces   71 (79.8%)   18 (20.2%)
Assists   462 (61.5%)   289 (38.5%)

Nine Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008.
   Creighton is one of nine teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments (2012-20). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.

Setting The Table
Kendra Wait started Creighton's season-opener at setter, the eight different Bluejay to earn that role in the past 10 seasons.
   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, before graduating, while Madelyn Cole started in 2018 and 2019. Last season Mahina Pua'a earned the nod on opening night, while Wait started this season.
   The revolving door at setter hasn't hurt the team in that time, as each of the previous nine seasons ended in the NCAA Tournament, and eight of them saw Creighton win conference titles.
   Creighton won eight of those 10 season-opening matches.

Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won nine matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent's match point, including season-opening wins over No. 5 Kentucky in 2018 and vs. UTSA in 2011. Three of those other comeback wins have come against Wichita State.
   On the other hand, Creighton is 392-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
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

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 62-32 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including a 1-0 mark this season 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 16 of its last 21 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, 2017 victories at Butler, Georgetown and Marquette, a 2018 win at Butler, wins at UNI and No. 10 Marquette in 2019 and at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 15-4 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   3-2   29-5
2019   2-1   25-6
2020   4-2   12-4
2021   1-0   9-1
Total   77-60   485-328

Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won eight conference regular-season titles. All eight of Creighton's crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared four.
   Creighton has also won seven conference tournament titles since 2012, tied for the most in the nation with Dayton and Western Kentucky.
Most Conference Titles Since 2012
Regular-Season   League Tournament
8 (0 shared) Creighton   7 Creighton
8 (1) Texas   7 Dayton
8 (4) Western Kentucky   7 Western Kentucky
7 American   6 American
7 BYU   6 Fairfield
7 Colorado State   6 LIU
7 Fairfield
7 Florida A&M

Block Around The Clock
Naomi Hickman is in the top-10 of every one of Creighton's career blocking records. She is currently sixth with 375 block assists, ninth with 1.00 blocks per set, and ninth with 403 total blocks.
Career Records
Block Assists
       Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Kelli Browning   424   547   2011-14
   2.   Jessica Houts   451   536   2005-09
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   499   2013-16
   4.   Megan Bober   480   380   2009-12
   5.   Laurel Sanford   369   376   2008-11
   6.   Naomi Hickman   403   375   2017-Pr.
   7.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   374   2014-17

Total Blocks
       Name   Sets   BS   BA   Tot.   Years
   1.   Jessica Houts   451   73   536   609   2005-09
   2.   Kelli Browning   424   55   547   602   2011-14
   3.   Lauren Smith   511   61   499   560   2013-16
   4.   Ashley Williams   359   100   347   447   2001-04
   5.   JoDe Cieloha   398   106   331   437   1994-97
   6.   Megan Bober   480   42   380   422   2009-12
   7.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   47   374   421   2014-17
   8.   Laurel Sanford   369   43   376   419   2008-11
   9.   Naomi Hickman   403   28   375   403   2017-Pr.
   10.   Megan Ballenger   450   29   343   372   2016-19

Blocks Per Set (Min. 80 Blocks)
       Name   Sets   No.   Avg.   Years
   1.   Kelli Browning   424   602   1.42   2011-14
   2.   Jessica Houts   451   609   1.35   2005-09
   3.   Ashley Williams   359   447   1.25   2001-04
   4.   Taffy Smart   73   88   1.21   1998
   5.   Laurel Sanford   369   419   1.14   2008-11
   6.   JoDe Cieloha   398   437   1.098   1994-97
   7.   Lauren Smith   511   560   1.096   2013-16
   8.   Sarah Beulke   299   307   1.03   2001-04
   9.   Naomi Hickman   403   403   1.00   2017-Pr.
   10.   Megan Waldren   87   81   0.93   1994

Bottoms Up
Abby Bottomley compiled an incredible 2,158 digs in four seasons at High Point University. Those 2,158 digs at High Point are more than Brittany Witt's Creighton record (2,079), and helped her lead the Big South Conference in digs each of the previous four seasons.
   Bottomley ranks second among the nation's active Division I players with her 2,323 career digs, trailing only Valparaiso's Rylee Cookerly's 2,713.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
Last season Creighton played four matches against 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, going 3-1 against such teams.
   This year's team owns four matches (Missouri, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota) scheduled against teams that made the 2020 NCAA Tournament, and they're currently 2-1 vs. that gauntlet.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 88-101 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   8-5
2019   5-4
2020   3-1
2021   2-1
TOTAL   91-136
TOTAL Under Booth   88-101

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball has been picked to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Last season CU was picked to win the Midwest Division and went 7-1 in league play en route to a seventh straight regular-season title.
   This spring, a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches tabbed Creighton as the favorite with 8-of-11 first place votes and 97 of a possible 100 points. That was just ahead of Marquette's 93 points and the other three votes for first place.
   St. John's (83) was picked third, just ahead of Xavier (68) and Villanova (56). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were UConn (48), DePaul (48), Providence (44), Butler (31), Seton Hall (27) and Georgetown (10).
   Creighton also had two women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Naomi Hickman and unanimous selection Jaela Zimmerman.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 16 of 18 years under Booth, including eight years where it's finished exactly where it was picked.
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   1st   #1
2019   2nd   1st   #1
2020   1st (MW)   1st (MW)   - -
2021   1st   ???   ???

Home Sweet Home
Creighton enters its ninth season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 72-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (65-3 in the regular-season, 7-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 56-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 50-1 league mark and a 6-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021) was played as a non-conference match, only to be flipped to a league contest 19 days later.
   Put another way, since enrolling at Creighton in 2017, Bluejay senior Naomi Hickman is 35-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, winning 105-of-126 sets played.

BIG EAST's Best
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, Creighton, Marquette and St. John's are the only teams to win any sort of BIG EAST volleyball title.
   Marquette won the regular-season and tournament title in 2013, while Creighton swept both titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. CU won the 2019 regular-season crown, while St. John's upset nationally-ranked Creighton and Marquette to bring home the 2019 tournament title. In 2020, Creighton won the Midwest Division regular-season title, while St. John's claimed the East Division crown.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since the league's realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings Since 2013 (through 9/13/21)
             BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)   W   L   W   L
Creighton (8)   121   11   205   57
Marquette (7)   104   25   189   65
Xavier   78   52   122   114
Butler   71   61   129   109
Villanova (1)   70   62   136   103
St. John's (1)   65   67   144   109
Seton Hall (1)   60   69   119   124
Georgetown   30   94   80   142
DePaul   28   104   85   145
Providence*   18   98   75   135
Connecticut#   4   4   9   11
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
#Connecticut rejoined the league in 2020 and
its record from 2013-19 (96-121) is not included above.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 324-11 (.967) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 267-5 mark (.982) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 193-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 100-1 all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when up 2-0 at the break.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets won 95.0 percent of their matches from 2009-18.
   Conversely, the Jays are 15-201 (.069) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. Those 15 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
10/18/18   Xavier   25-17, 25-17, 15-13   Booth
01/31/21   at So. Dakota   25-20, 25-23, 15-7   Booth

Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 328-32 (.911) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 64-144 (.308) under Booth when it drops the first set.
   Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set in 2018 won just 20.7 percent of their matches that season, and 20.2 percent of their matches from 2009-18.
   Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 113-3 in its last 116 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only on Sept. 12, 2015 to Pacific, on Sept. 6, 2018 to No. 7 Nebraska and on Jan. 29, 2021 to South Dakota.
   Creighton has gone 60-2 in its last 62 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 7-10 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 102-2 in its last 104 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Third Set's A Charm
Since an Oct. 10, 2014 loss at Seton Hall, Creighton is a perfect 101-0 against BIG EAST teams (91-0 in the regular-season and 10-0 in league tournament play) when winning the third set.

Marian Pipeline
This is the 19th straight season that Creighton Volleyball had at least one product of Omaha Marian High School on the roster, as junior Emily Bressman keeps the streak alive.
   Last season was the first time since 2010 that Creighton's year-end leader in digs wasn't 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.
2021: Emily Bressman
2020: Emily Bressman
2019: Emily Bressman, Brittany Witt
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

7 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
With its 2020 title, Creighton became the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win seven straight outright regular-season titles.
   No team had won seven straight regular-season BIG EAST titles (including shares) since Notre Dame won seven in a row from 1999-2005, though the Irish shared the title in 2003 (with Pittsburgh) and 2005 (with Louisville)
   The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win seven or more consecutive league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).

Perfect Ten
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 10 NCAA Tournaments. That puts her in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   Booth is the second head coach in Creighton history to lead 10 different NCAA Tournament teams, trailing only former men's soccer coach Bob Warming.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   10
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   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 owns 392 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history.
Coach, Sport   Victories (as of 9/15/21)
Brent Vigness, Softball   804*
Ed Servais, Baseball   587*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   478*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   392*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   356*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton

Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning record against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 134 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 26 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   CU still has not lost to five league foes (Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Seton Hall (3), Marquette (4), Villanova (3) and St. John's (2) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   15-1   -   15-1
Connecticut   0-0   1-0   1-0
DePaul   16-0   -   16-0
Georgetown   14-0   -   14-0
Marquette   13-3   4-1   17-4
Providence   12-0   -   12-0
Seton Hall   11-3   2-0   13-3
St. John's   13-1   0-1   13-2
Villanova   11-3   3-0   14-3
Xavier   16-0   3-0   19-0
Total   121-11   13-2   134-13

Last Season Summary
Creighton won the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles while returning to the NCAA Tournament in a most unusual season. The global COVID-19 pandemic pushed an abbreviated season into the spring, with limited crowds and face coverings required during the regular-season.
   Creighton went 3-1 in non-conference play before opening BIG EAST play by splitting two matches with No. 25 Marquette. The Bluejays won their final six league matches to finish atop the Midwest Division, then defeated UConn and Marquette for their sixth BIG EAST Tournament title in seven seasons.
   The entire NCAA Tournament was held in Omaha, but CU fell in five sets to Ohio Valley Conference champ Morehead State in the First Round.
   Jaela Zimmerman earned East Region Player of the Year honors from the AVCA and joined on the All-Conference Team alongside Keeley Davis and Naomi Hickman. Hickman was named Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament, with Annika Welty and All-Freshman Team honoree Kiara Reinhardt also being named All-Tourney.

#17 Volleyball Closes Non-Conference Play at Shocker Volleyball Classic

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Players Mentioned

Ellie Bolton

Abby Bottomley

Emily Bressman

Keeley Davis

Naomi Hickman

Erica Kostelac

Makenna Krause

Eve Magill

Katie Maser

Abbey Milner

Grace Nelson

Mahina Pua'a

Kiara Reinhardt

Norah Sis

Megan Skovsende

Ally Van Eekeren

Kendra Wait

Annika Welty

Jaela Zimmerman