Friday, September 22
Indianapolis, Ind.
5 PM
Creighton University
at
Butler
Creighton has won nine straight BIG EAST titles
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
#11 Volleyball Opens BIG EAST Play With Road Trip To Butler & Xavier
9/19/2023 9:40:00 AM | Volleyball
Nine-time defending champions were picked second in league's preseason poll
Match #12: #11 Creighton at Butler • Hinkle Fieldhouse • Friday, Sept. 22 • 5 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | BU NOTES (PDF) |
Match #13: #11 Creighton at Xavier • Cintas Center • Saturday, Sept. 23 • 4 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | XU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Up
No. 11 Creighton (9-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) opens its 11th season in the BIG EAST Conference with the same road trip it took to start its very first season in the league back in 2013.
   On Friday, Sept. 22, the Bluejays take on Butler (6-5, 0-0 BIG EAST before Wednesday's home match vs. Xavier) for a 5 p.m. Central match at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
   On Saturday, CU visits Xavier (7-4, 0-0 BIG EAST before Wednesday's road match at Butler) for a 4 p.m. Central match at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Broadcast Information
Both matches will be broadcast on FloSports, which requires a subscription. Exact links can be found on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
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Live Stats Information
Both matches will have live stats available. Links will be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page
Scouting #11 Creighton
Creighton returns five starters from last season's 27-5 squad that reached an 11th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and its eighth BIG EAST Tournament crown in the past nine years. Despite all that success, CU is picked to finish second by league coaches in 2023.
   The Bluejays return four All-BIG EAST selections from a year ago, a group led by 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (4.13 kps., 3.35 dps.). Sis was named BIG EAST Tournament MVP in both 2021 and 2022 and Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. The two-time All-American, however, has missed CU's last five matches.
   Also back are all-league picks Ava Martin (4.24 kps., .260%), Kiana Schmitt (2.67 kps., .349%, 0.95 bps.) and Kendra Wait (10.45 aps., 3.48 dps., .354%). Senior Ellie Bolton (4.50 dps.) won a tight battle for libero in fall camp and was named MVP of the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier to open the season.
   Creighton picked up transfers Ellie Bichelmeyer (Rice) and Emma Ziegler (Denver) to bolster a top-25 recruiting class led by top-40 recruits Destiny Ndam-Simpson (2.39 kps.) and Ava TeStrake, but it's been Sydney Breissinger (2.40 dps., 0.31 saps.) who has seen the most consistent action thus far.
    CU averages 14.60 kills, 1.10 aces, 17.07 digs and 2.04 blocks per set while hitting .247.
Scouting Butler
Butler entered Wednesday's match vs. Xavier with a 6-5 record, including a 3-0 mark inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-2 win over Cincinnati last Saturday.
   Mariah Grunze (3.36 kps.) and Abby Maesch (3.38 kps.) lead the Bulldogs offensively as Cora Taylor (10.47 aps.) directs the attack.
   Two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley (5.05 dps.) spearheads the defense, with assistance up front from Grace Boggess (1.13 bps.).
   The Bulldogs average 12.95 kills, 15.60 digs, 1.12 aces and 2.02 blocks per set while hitting .192 as a team.
Scouting Xavier
Xavier is 7-4 this season and enters Wednesday's match at Butler with a three-match win streak.
   With All-BIG EAST setter Carrigan O'Reilly (8.38 aps., 2.38 dps., 1.35 kps.) directing the offense, the Musketeers get much of their production from Emma Grace (2.87 kps.), Delaney Hogan (2.63 kps.) and Brooklyn Cink (1.81 kps.).
   Stevie Wolf (4.05 dps.) is the libero and leads the Muskies with 12 aces.
   As a team, Xavier averages 12.80 kills, 14.38 digs, 1.56 blocks and 1.45 aces per set on .224 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 450-186 record in her 21st season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to nine straight BIG EAST titles (2014-22), and 10 league crowns in the last 11 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 12 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 12 seasons (including 2023), 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, Brian Rosen and Adam Kessenich.
Series History vs. Butler
Creighton is 18-1 all-time against Butler, including five-set victories in three of the past 11 meetings.
   Butler ruined Creighton's BIG EAST debut on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all 18 meetings since then.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 18-1 vs. Butler but has never faced Butler head coach Kyle Shondell.
Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 23-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Creighton's won the last 17 sets against the Musketeers and 14 of the last 16 meetings have been 3-0 CU sweeps. The two exceptions that weren't sweeps were 3-2 Creighton wins in Omaha in 2018 and the spring of 2021.
   Thanks in part to a 4-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has more wins against Xavier (23) than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
   Creighton's victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 23-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 17-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
Like Father, Like Son?
New Butler head coach Kyle Shondell is the son of Purdue head coach Dave Shondell, and his uncle John Shondell is an assistant with the Boilermakers.
   Creighton's second match this season was a 3-0 sweep over then-No. 16 Purdue.
X Marks The Spot
Creighton owns 23 straight victories vs. Xavier, its longest win streak ever against any team.
   The Bluejays have also won 18 in a row against Butler, tied for its fourth-longest stretch of dominance over another program.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   23   Xavier   2013-Present
   21   DePaul   2013-Present
   19   Southern Illinois   2003-11
   18   Butler   2013-Present
   18   Georgetown   2013-Present
   16   Indiana State   2005-Present
Xavier Connection
Xavier freshman middle blocker Annie Eschenbach was a high school teammate in 2020 and 2021 with Creighton sophomore middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes.
   Creighton freshman Sydney Breissinger is a Cincinnati native who won a state title last fall at Ursuline Academy.
The BIG EAST Beasts
The latest unofficial RPI has the BIG EAST as the nation's sixth-best conference, trailing only the Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12.
League Opener Histories
Including last year's sweep of Georgetown, Creighton owns a 21-8 record all-time in conference openers, including an 18-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and nine straight wins since a 2013 loss at Butler.
   Each of the previous 10 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 161-11 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won nine of the last 10 conference tournament titles during those years, going 18-1 in those seasons.
   In the 21 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .775 (290-84) winning percentage (entering 2023) in league matches.
   In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
   In conference home openers, Creighton is 24-5 overall and 18-2 under Booth, with 12 straight wins.
   In league road openers, Creighton is 20-9 overall and 17-3 under Booth, with nine straight wins.
   The last team to win a BIG EAST regular-season or tournament title without winning its regular-season opener in conference play was Cincinnati in the fall of 2008.
Hitting Pretty
Creighton hit .442 in last Friday's sweep against High Point, the eighth-best figure in program history, and best mark since hitting .467 vs. Seton Hall in November of 2019.
Best Attack Percentage, Creighton History
   .536   vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s)   10-27-95
   .495   vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s)   9-2-05
   .476   at DePaul (46-6-84) (3s)   10-6-17
   .471   vs. Providence (36-4-68) (3s)   10-19-14
   .467   vs. Seton Hall (48-5-92) (3s)   11-3-19
   .4463   vs. Georgetown (62-8-121) (4s)   9-22-17
   .4459   vs. Belmont (38-5-74) (3s)   9-8-17
   .442   vs. High Point (48-10-86) (3s)   9-15-23
Bolting Down The Defense
After doing it five total times in the first three years of her career, senior Ellie Bolton owns six matches of 20 or more digs this season.
   Only six players in program history have more than 11 career matches with 20+ digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-15
   32   Julianne Mandolfo    2010-11
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   27   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   20   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   19   Nayka Benitez   2009-10
   11   Katie Mehal   2004-07
   11   Ellie Bolton   2020-Pres.
   9   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Bolton One Of A Kind
Ellie Bolton has been doing damage of late behind the service line and in the back row. Not only has the senior libero had an ace in each of the last 10 matches, but she's also had 10 or more digs in each of the last 10 contests as well.
   Bolton is the first player in CU history to have a streak of 10 matches or more with 10 digs and an ace at the same time.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
   15   Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
   12   Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27, 2018-Aug. 30, 2019
   12   Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14-Oct. 25, 2019
   11   Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
   11   Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
   11   Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, 2023 - Present
   9   Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995
   9   Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 - Sept. 21, 2018
   9   Norah Sis, Sept. 17-Oct. 14, 2022
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
   43   Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
   32   Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
   30   Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
   27   Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
   23   Julianne Mandolfo, Sept. 9-Nov. 24, 2011
   21   Brittany Witt, Nov. 25, 2017 - Oct. 7, 2018
   19   Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
   18   Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009-Aug. 28, 2010
   16   Abby Bottomley, Aug. 27-Oct. 1, 2021
   15   Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
   15   Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
   15   Nayka Benitez, Nov. 13, 2009-Sept. 10, 2010
   15   Allie Oelke, Sept. 3-Oct. 16, 2010
   14   Mallory Lahm, Oct. 4-Nov. 25, 2005
   13   Nayka Benitez, Sept. 12-Oct. 23, 2009
   12   Melanie Jereb, Oct. 12-Dec. 5, 2014
   12   Kate Elman, Oct. 25-Dec, 11, 2015
   12   Brittany Witt, Oct. 5-Nov. 12, 2017
   11   Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24, 2000-Aug. 31, 2001
   10   Kate Elman, Sept. 20-Oct. 17, 2015
   10   Brittany Witt, Oct. 26 - Nov. 24, 2018
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, 2023 - Present
Starting Fast
Creighton has started exactly 9-2 after 11 matches for the first time in program history, though the 2006, 2012 and 2021 teams each opened 10-1.
   A big part of that is getting out to early leads. This year's Creighton team is 10-1 in the opening set this season, and 9-1 when owning a 1-0 lead.
   Of this weekend's competition, Butler is 5-0 when winning the first set this season while Xavier is 7-0 when taking the opener.
Booth Earns 450th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 450-186 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 97 different schools while at Creighton.
   Coaching alongside Booth for each of those wins is assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens, who is also in her 21st season at CU.
   Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-1   vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)   08/30/03
50-43   Jacksonville State   09/01/06
100-71   at Drake   10/31/08
150-108   Illinois State   09/30/11
200-123   Xavier   10/18/13
250-144   at Xavier   10/17/15
300-157   Villanova   09/24/17
350-167   Nebraska-Omaha   09/13/19
400-178   Marquette   10/10/21
450-186   at #9 Minnesota   09/16/23
Do You Remember A Better September?
Creighton is 7-1 this month, the 13th straight September with matches it has won seven or more times.
   With three matches still to play, Creighton has a chance for its third 10-win September ever, joining 2006 (10-3) and 2021 (11-1).
   All-time, Creighton owns more wins in the month of September (188) than any other. A distant second is the month of October (160).
Breiss As Nice
Freshman Sydney Breissinger tied a school-record for aces in a five set match in last Saturday's victory at No. 9 Minnesota when she authored five service winners.
   Breissinger joined Brittany Witt (in 2018) as the only Bluejays to do that since 2000, as Shelly Kapler did it three times from 1996-98.
Most Aces, Five Set Match
   5   Shelly Kapler at Western Illinois   11-10-96
   5   Shelly Kapler at Drake   09-13-97
   5   Shelly Kapler vs. Drake   10-10-98
   5   Brittany Witt vs. Xavier   10-18-18
   5   Sydney Breissinger at Minnesota   09-16-23
Chasing 3,000
Junior setter Kendra Wait owns 2,924 career assists and will look to become the fifth player in Bluejay history to reach 3,000 in her career if she can dish 76 more helpers.
   Three previous times in her career Wait has played Xavier and Butler back-to-back, accounting for 77, 79 and 75 assists in those three situations.
   Wait has played in 77 career matches to date and is on pace to be the third-fastest Bluejay player to that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 3,000 Assists (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   65   08/28/07   at Iowa State
Kailey Reyes   72   11/17/00   at Wichita State
Melissa Weisensee   88   09/05/97   vs. UTSA
Megan Bober   90   11/04/11   Wichita State
All They Do Is Win
Creighton has ranked as some of the nation's most successful programs since the start of the 2015 season.
   Through matches of Sept. 17th, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 215 wins and eighth-best with an .814 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 9/17)
   Rk.   Wins   Team
   1.   235   Western Kentucky
   2.   229   Nebraska
   3.   224   BYU
   4.   222   Pittsburgh
   5.   217   Texas
   6.   215   Creighton
   7.   212   Wisconsin
   8.   211   Florida
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 9/17)
   Rk.   Pct.   Team   W-L
   1.   .886   Texas   217-28
   2.   .882   BYU   224-30
   3.   .874   Western Kentucky   235-34
   4.   .851   Nebraska   229-40
   5.   .835   Pittsburgh   222-44
   6.   .828   Wisconsin   212-44
   7.   .824   Florida   211-45
   8.   .814   Creighton   215-49
   9.   .802   Stanford   199-49
   10.   .801   Minnesota   205-51
Up To 11th
Creighton ascended three spots to a season-best 11 in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25 poll. It's the highest ranking in the month of September for the program since it was 10th the final three weeks in September of 2018.
   The Bluejays started the season 18th in the AVCA Preseason Top 25.
   Creighton is one of two teams nationally to move up multiple spots each of the past three weeks, joining Washington State.
   Creighton's best ranking ever is No. 7, done on Aug. 28, 2017. CU was last ranked in the top 10 on Nov. 25, 2019 when it was No. 10.
Handful Named To All-Tournament Team
Creighton had five different student-athletes named to the All-Tournament Team at the Diet Coke Classic, which recognized players who were the best at each position.
   Outside hitter Ava Martin was named Tournament MVP and joined on the list by middle blockers Ann Marie Remmes and Kiana Schmitt, libero Ellie Bolton and setter Kendra Wait.
   En route to winning four preseason tournaments, Creighton's Ellie Bolton (Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier), Norah Sis (Bluejay Invitational) and Ava Martin (Diet Coke Classic) each picked up Tournament MVP accolades. It would have almost certainly been more, but the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge did not recognize an All-Tournament Team.
Martin Honored Again
Creighton Volleyball's Ava Martin was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after earning Tournament MVP honors at the Diet Coke Classic last weekend.
   Martin helped Creighton to its fourth tournament title of the fall, averaging 4.50 kills, 1.75 digs, 0.25 aces and 0.25 blocks per set on .282 hitting, in wins over High Point and No. 9 Minnesota.
    The Overland Park, Kan., native started her week with 14 kills, three digs and a career-high two aces on season-high .542 hitting against defending Big South champion High Point.
    On Saturday Martin tied her career high with 22 kills and matched her season-high with 11 digs in a 3-2 victory at No. 9 Minnesota. Four of Martin's kills came in the final set, including three in the first 10 points as the Bluejays surged to a 9-1 lead.
   Martin owned three or more kills in all eight sets played this weekend and leads the BIG EAST in kills per set.
Bouncing Back
The Creighton staff is quick to credit athletic performance coach Brad Schmidt for helping the team get stronger during the off-season and maintaining that strength during the season.
   Need evidence of that? Since Aug. 25, 2018, Creighton is 18-2 in the match following a five-setter since Aug. 25, 2018.
   Friday's contest at Butler will mark CU's first match since beating No. 9 Minnesota on Sept. 16th.
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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. In both 2021 and 2022, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tourney title.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - Sept. 18, 2023
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (10)Â Â Â 154Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 263Â Â Â 67
Marquette (9)Â Â Â 137Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 242Â Â Â 80
Xavier   97   69   158   144
Butler   91   77   164   142
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 85Â Â Â 163Â Â Â 138
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 81Â Â Â 87Â Â Â 182Â Â Â 141
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 95Â Â Â 147Â Â Â 159
DePaul   46   122   117   176
Georgetown   35   125   95   189
Connecticut#Â Â Â 27Â Â Â 17Â Â Â 50Â Â Â 39
Providence*Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 173
*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.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a record better than .500 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 171 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 28 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Marquette (5), Villanova (3), Seton Hall (3) and St. John's (3) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   18-1   -   18-1
Connecticut   2-1   1-0   3-1
DePaul   20-0   1-0   21-0
Georgetown   18-0   -   18-0
Marquette   16-4   6-1   22-5
Providence   15-0   -   15-0
Seton Hall   15-3   2-0   17-3
St. John's   16-2   0-1   16-3
Villanova   15-3   3-0   18-3
Xavier   19-0   4-0   23-0
Total   154-14   17-2   171-16
9 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-22, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win nine straight regular-season titles.      The previous record had been seven by Notre Dame from 1999-2005.
   The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win nine or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
   The only other teams nationally with an active streak of more than four straight regular-season league titles are Texas (Big 12) and Kentucky (SEC), both with six.
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 10 conference regular-season titles. All but two of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
   Creighton has also won nine conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2022
Regular-Season   League Tournament
10 (2 shared) Creighton   9 Creighton
10 (1) Texas   8 Dayton
10 (5) Western Kentucky   8 Western Kentucky
9 Fairfield   7 Fairfield
8 BYUÂ Â Â 6 American
8 (1) Colorado State   6 LIU
Wait Shows Off Versatility
Kendra Wait was named the BIG EAST's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11 after helping Creighton to a pair of wins..
   The recognition came one week after Wait earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week accolade, making her the first player since the league began splitting up its Player of the Week awards in 2017 to win Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in the same or back-to-back weeks. Previously, only Creighton's Jaela Zimmerman (in March of 2021) had won both awards in the same month.
   Wait averaged 9.91 assists, 3.18 digs, 1.18 kills and 0.73 blocks per set while hitting .440 in three matches.
    The two-time All-BIG EAST selection had 32 assists, eight digs, five kills, one block and one assist in Creighton's 3-1 loss to No. 4 Nebraska. The Bluejays became the first team all season to win a set over the Cornhuskers, as well as the lone team to hit over .100 versus NU.
    On Friday Wait notched a double-double with 30 assists, 15 digs, two blocks and two kills on .667 hitting in a 3-0 sweep over Omaha.
    She closed the week with 47 assists, 12 digs, six kills and five blocks on .267 hitting as Creighton handed Iowa State its first loss of the fall.
    It was the first time in Wait's career that she's been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, though the Gardner, Kan., native is a three-time Defensive Player of the Week honoree (once each in 2021, 2022 and 2023).
Hunting The Top 10
Including last Saturday's win at No. 9 Minnesota, Creighton is 9-35 all-time against top-10 teams, including a 9-28 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Eight of the nine victories came away from home, including three sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
   The list of top-10 wins is below. Notably, Creighton is also 6-2 in the match after a top-10 victory, falling only after the win at Kansas in 2017 and vs. Kentucky in 2018.
Date   Opponent   Score
09/05/15Â Â Â vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)Â Â Â W 3-0
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   W 3-2
08/26/17   at #3 Washington   W 3-1
09/09/17   at #7 Kansas   W 3-0
08/24/18Â Â Â vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)Â Â Â W 3-2
10/12/19   at #10 Marquette   W 3-2
11/22/19   #9 Marquette   W 3-1
09/04/21   at #3 Kentucky   W 3-0
09/16/23   at #9 Minnesota   W 3-2
112 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked in the most recent AVCA poll for the 112th time in program history. That's 41st-most of all programs in NCAA history, and close behind Loyola Marymount (114) and Santa Clara (113).
   All 112 rankings have occurred since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   The Bluejays are one of 17 schools (along with Baylor, BYU, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 35 polls.
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 18 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 13 of them.
   The only events that CU has not won were the '2020 NCAA Tournament (won by Kentucky) , the 2022 Bluejay Invitational (won by Kentucky), the 2021 NCAA Tournament (won by Wisconsin), the 2022 NCAA Tournament (won by Texas) and the 2022 Rice adidas Invitational (won by Rice). Kentucky, Wisconsin and Texas are the last three NCAA champions.
   Let's take a closer look:
Creighton Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021
Year   Event   CU Record (Place)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-25th)
2021   Mizzou Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluegrass Battle   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Shocker Volleyball Classic   3-0 (1st)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   1-1 (T-17th)
2022   Rumble in the Rockies   3-0 (1st)
2022   Bluejay Invitational   2-1 (2nd)
2022   Omaha Invitational   2-0 (1st)
2022   Rice adidas Invitational   1-1 (2nd)
2022   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2022   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-33rd)
2023   Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier   2-1 (1st)
2023   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2023   MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge   2-0 (1st)
2023   Diet Coke Challenge   2-0 (1st)
Collecting Hardware
Creighton has won each of its first four tournaments of a season for the second time (2021, 2023) in the last three seasons after having never done it from 1994-2020.
   Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton had been 17-33 in 15 regular-season tournaments all-time, with just one tournament title (the 2000 Iowa State Heritage Classic).
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has opened the season by winning the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier at Purdue on Aug. 25-27, followed by the Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 1-3, the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge on Sept. 8-10 and then the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 15-16.
   It's the 12th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that started in 2012. During that span, the Bluejays have won 29 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year   Titles Won   Tourney Hosts
2012Â Â Â 3Â Â Â USF, UNC, MVC
2013Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BGSU
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â CU, BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 4Â Â Â WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 3Â Â Â SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 2Â Â Â UNI, CU
2020Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2021Â Â Â 5Â Â Â MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 3Â Â Â WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN
Destined For Greatness?
Destiny Ndam-Simpson led Creighton with 13 kills in her first start on Sept. 6 at No. 4 Nebraska.
   It was the most kills by a Bluejay in their first career start since sixth-year senior transfer Jazz Schmidt had 17 vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 28, 2015.
   Creighton's last freshman with 13 or more kills in their first career start was the woman that Ndam-Simpson replaced in the starting line-up that day, Norah Sis. Sis had 13 kills vs. Kansas City in her collegiate debut on Aug. 27, 2021.
   Ndam-Simpson's 13 kills were the second-most ever against a ranked team by a Bluejay in their first career start, trailing only the 14 by Jess Bird in 2013 against No. 13 BYU.
Most Kills, First Career Start
   K   Name   Opponent   Date
   17   Jaali Winters   vs. Miami (Ohio)   8/28/15
   17   Jazz Schmidt   at Rice   9/18/22
   15   Shannon Scrutton   UW-Green Bay   8/31/96
   15   Jessica Houts   at Colorado   9/9/05
   14   Jess Bird   vs. #13 BYU   8/30/13
   13   JoDe Cieloha   vs. Chattanooga   9/2/94
   13   Norah Sis   vs. UMKC   8/27/21
   13   Destiny Ndam-Simpson   at #4 Nebraska   9/6/23
   11   Megan Ballenger   vs. Northern Iowa   9/2/16
   11   Taryn Kloth   Seton Hall   9/25/15
   10   Jaden Custer   at Drake   9/29/01
   10   Rachelle Von   vs. UTSA   9/5/97
Simpson Starts Strong
Destiny Ndam-Simpson has made four starts this season (at #4 Nebraska, at Omaha, vs. Iowa State, at #9 Minnesota), and had double-figure kills in each contest.
   She's just the second player in program history with 10 or more kills in each of her first four starts, joining JoDe Cieloha (8 straight in 1994).
Depth And More Depth
Though the season is just four weeks old, head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth hasn't hesitated when it comes to using her full 18-woman roster.
   All but one of CU's 18 women have played at least one set, and 13 of those ladies have appeared in nine sets or more. Eleven of the players have started at least one match, a list that doesn't include libero Ellie Bolton.
Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last decade has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
   The Bluejays have won their last 20 contests immediately following a loss and have not dropped consecutive matches since opening the season 0-2 to begin the 2019 campaign with back-to-back losses to No. 2 Nebraska and No. 20 Baylor in Lincoln, Neb.
   Creighton has also won its last 12 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
Shake It Off
While the opening set wasn't anything to write home about, Creighton's offense started to click in the final three sets against Nebraska.
   After just four kills in the opener, the Bluejays had 38 kills on .237 hitting in the final three sets, a healthy number considering that the Huskers hadn't surrendered a hitting percentage better than .220 in any of its first 16 sets of the season.
   Nebraska entered the day leading the nation by allowing foes to just 8.40 kills per set and .037 hitting percentage.
   Creighton finished the evening hitting .109, the first team all season to hit better than .100 for an entire match against the Huskers. Creighton's 15 kills and .355 hitting percentage -- both in the third set -- were also season-highs by an NU opponent.
Nationally Elite
The season is just a few weeks old, but Creighton has already soared into the top 10 in three different team categories in the NCAA stat rankings.
   The Bluejays are among the nation's best in kills per set (4th), assists per set (6th) and attacks per set (7th) All three per set averages are well above CU's marks last fall.
Category   2022 Rank (Total)   2023 Rank (Total)
Attacks Per Set   57th (36.32)   7th (37.81)
Assists Per Set   8th (13.37)   6th (13.43)
Kills Per Set   8th (14.39)   4th (14.60)
Junior Duo Honored
Juniors Norah Sis and Kendra Wait were honored by the BIG EAST Conference on Sept. 4th after helping the Creighton Volleyball team to the Bluejay Invitational title. Sis was named Offensive Player of the Week while Wait brought home Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Both women were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Bluejay Invitational.
   Sis is a four-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the week honoree after picking up three such accolades last season. It's the third time in Wait's career that she has been named Defensive Player of the Week, having earned the honor once in 2021, 2022 and now 2023.
   Sis earned Bluejay Invitational MVP honors after averaging 4.08 kills, 3.33 digs, 0.58 blocks and 4.54 points per set in victories over Ball State, LSU and Northern Iowa. It was the fourth Tournament MVP recognition of her career, and seventh time she's been named to an All-Tournament Team.
   The Papillion, Neb,. product started her week with 19 kills and 16 digs in a 3-2 win vs. defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State, adding a pair of blocks and a pair of aces. Sis owned five kills and four digs in the fifth set, a 15-11 victory. In CU's 3-0 sweep over LSU, Sis finished with 14 kills, eight digs and three blocks. The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year also surpassed 1,000 career digs in her 70th career match, tying a program record for fewest matches to reach that milestone. She concluded the week with 17 kills and 16 digs in a 3-1 win over defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa.
   Wait did a little bit of everything, earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Bluejay Invitational for the third straight season after averaging 11.67 assists, 3.50 digs, 1.00 blocks and 1.00 kills per set. It was the eight different time that the Gardner, Kan., native has picked up All-Tournament Team acclaim.
   Wait had 56 assists, 13 digs, five blocks and four kills in Friday's 3-2 win over Ball State. On Saturday, Wait contributed 42 assists, seven digs and two blocks while setting the Bluejay offense to .381 hitting. All five of CU's primary attackers hit .350 or better against LSU. She concluded the weekend with 43 assists, 22 digs, seven kills and five blocks on .583 hitting in a 3-1 win over Northern Iowa.
Higher & Higher
Creighton has had no shortage of pressure-packed situations thus far, as 13 of its 42 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 9-4). That doesn't include three drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-1).
   On Sept. 3rd vs. Northern Iowa, Creighton played in a 36-34 set that was its second-highest scoring set in program history. The only one with more points was a 38-36 second set win at Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
   The match vs. Northern Iowa featured 44 ties and 20 lead changes. That was the most ties since there were 46 on Oct. 12, 2019 at Marquette and the most lead changes since there were 23 vs. Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
Dynamic Duo
In Ava Martin (4.24 kps.) and Norah Sis (4.13 kps.), the Bluejays boast one of the top outside hitting tandems in the nation.
   Creighton has never had two players both average more than 3.85 kills per set for an entire season, with the 2018 pairing of All-Americans Taryn Kloth (4.15) and Jaali Winters (3.82) coming closest.
   By comparison, Martin was averaging 1.57 kills per set (58 kills in 37 sets) after 11 matches a year ago.
The Gauntlet Continues
Creighton faced another challenging non-conference schedule this fall.
   All told, nine of Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents owned 20 or more wins last season, combining to go 240-112 (.682). Just four of the 11 non-conference matches were at home.
   All 11 of the foes owned a top-85 RPI, 10 appeared in the postseason and four won a conference title last season. Creighton went 4-0 against league champs and 9-1 against the postseason qualifiers.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 181-42 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 20-24 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, 39 of Creighton's 71 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 269-32 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 97 home matches over unranked teams and all but 11 of its last 129 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
   After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (2015-23). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
   Creighton is 25-85 all-time against ranked teams and 13 of those top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (8) or Kentucky (5).
   The highest ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten at any site were No. 3 Washington (8/26/17 in Seattle) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21 in Lexington). CU's highest-ranked opponent it has defeated at home was a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 Marquette on Nov. 22, 2019.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 20-24)
Home: 8-9Â Â Â Away: 7-9 Â Â Â 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
09/02/22   #17 Creighton   #25 USC   3-1
09/03/22   #16 Kentucky   #17 Creighton   1-3
09/07/22   #2 Nebraska   #17 Creighton   2-3
10/14/22   #21 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-2
11/19/22   #16 Marquette   #11 Creighton   0-3
11/26/22   #15 Creighton   #14 Marquette   3-2
08/26/23   #18 Creighton   #16 Purdue   3-0
09/06/23   #4 Nebraska   #16 Creighton   1-3
09/16/23   #14 Creighton   #9 Minnesota   3-2
Sis Ties Record At 1,000 Kill Milestone
Norah Sis became the 16th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone when she did it on Sept. 2 vs. LSU.
   Sis achieved the milestone in her 70th career match, tying Melissa Walsh for reaching 1,000 kills the fastest in program history.
Career Kills
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Jaali Winters   494   1,843   2015-18
   2.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   3.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   4.   Taryn Kloth   462   1,427   2015-18
   5.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   6.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   7.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   8.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   9.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   1,183   2014-17
   10.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   11.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   12.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   13.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   14.   Norah Sis   252   1,019   2021-Pr.
   15.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
      Jaela Zimmerman   357   1,000   2018-22
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Norah Sis   70   09/02/23   LSU
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   103   08/31/18   vs. NC State
Allie Oelke   107   10/09/10   Wichita State
Kelli Browning   110   10/26/14   DePaul
Jaela Zimmerman   111   11/13/22   Seton Hall
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson   120   09/30/17   at St. John's
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin started her sophomore season with matches of 14 (Loyola), 15 (Purdue), 20 (Duke), 16 (Ball State), 16 (LSU) and 22 (UNI) kills. Martin also finished her freshman season last fall with matches of 22 (Marquette) and 14 (Auburn) kills.
   Both those items put her in select company.
   Martin is the first Bluejay ever with four (or more...she ended at six) straight matches of 14 or more kills to start the season.
   She's also the first Bluejay with eight straight matches of 14 or more kills in program history.
   In those eight matches, Martin averaged 4.21 kills per set while hitting .287. Seven of the eight opponents were in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the ninth time in the past 11 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason.
   The No. 18 slotting was tied for the fourth-best preseason ranking in program history.
   Over the last 15 seasons, 275-of-375 teams (73.3 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 340-of-375 teams (90.7 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois and No. 22 Utah reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
   This year marks the 12th straight season that CU has been ranked at least one week, extending a program record.
   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   29-5   13th
   2019   18th   25-6   16th
   2020   16th   12-4   NR
   2022   18th   27-5   21st
   2023   18th   TBD   TBD
A Head Start
Creighton got a leg up on the competition thanks to having 10 extra practices in May and a trip to Italy and Slovenia from May 31 - June 11th.
   Every member of the current team except Emma Ziegler was on the trip, which also included four matches.
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton owned 58 wins during the previous two seasons, fourth-most in the nation in that span and trailing only Final Four qualifiers Louisville (63), Pitt (61) and Wisconsin (59).
   The only teams with 27 or more wins each of the past two campaigns are Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCF, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
No Losers Here
Creighton has been nearly as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
   Creighton, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Texas, Towson, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin were the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
   If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Sydney Breissinger, Audrey Clark, Jaya Johnson, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Ava TeStrake was recognized as the nation's No. 22 class by PrepVolleyball.
   Ndam-Simpson was listed as the nation's No. 21 recruit, TeStrake was tabbed 37th-best and Breissinger No. 139. Creighton now owns nine players on its 2023 roster who were Top 150 recruits by PrepVolleyball.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004; expanded to 150 in 2021)
   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
   41   2022   Ava Martin
   55   2022   Sky McCune
   21   2023   Destiny Ndam-Simpson
   37   2023   Ava TeStrake
   139   2023   Sydney Breissinger
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
current Bluejays in bold italic
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)
2009Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010Â Â Â High HMÂ Â Â (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (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)
2019Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022   24th   (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
2023   22nd   (Breissinger, Clark, Johnson, Ndam-Simpson, TeStrake)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters.
   From last year's team, only Emily Bressman, Bethany Clapp, Keeley Davis, Jazz Schmidt, Megan Skovsende, Allison Whitten and Jaela Zimmerman are not back.
   All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 524.3 of a possible 700% back (74.9 percent).
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1,384 (86.2%)   221 (13.8%)
Blocks   204 (84.3%)   38 (15.7%)
Matches Started   154 (80.2%)   192 (19.8%)
Kills   1,329 (77.6%)   383 (22.4%)
Points   1648 (76.9%)   494 (23.1%)
Aces   115 (61.2%)   73 (38.8%)
Digs   1142 (57.9%)   830 (42.1%)
11 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 11 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make 11 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 previous 11 NCAA Tournaments (2012-22). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
   There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 12 of the last 13 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford.
   Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.
A Great Start
Norah Sis entered her junior season with 924 kills in her career. The 924 kills was the second-most ever by a Bluejay in their first two seasons, trailing only Jaali Winters' 994.
   Winters ended her career with a school-record 1,843 kills.
   Sis currently owns 1,019 kills in 71 career matches played, while Winters owned 983 kills after 71 career matches and had 11 in her 72nd contest.
Most Kills, After 2 Seasons at Creighton
   Kills   Yr1   Yr2   Name   Year
   994   546   448   Jaali Winters   2015 & 2016
   924   435   489   Norah Sis   2021 & 2022
   769   341   428   Melissa Walsh   1998 & 1999
   733   270   463   Alicia Runge   2009 & 2010 (Jr. & Sr.)
   696   180   516   Leah Ratzlaff   2002 & 2003
   653   267   386   Jessica Houts   2005 & 2006
   640   225   415   Amanda Cvejdlik   2005 & 2006
Setting The Table
Two-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 77 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 67-10 in those contests.
   Against Loyola (Chicago), Wait became the first Bluejay setter to start three straight season-openers since Megan Bober did so all four years of her career from 2009-12.
   Besides Wait and Bober, the only other women to start three or more season-openers at setter have been Korie Lebeda (2005-08), Kailey Reyes (1998-2001) and Melissa Weisensee (1994-97).
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 450-3 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
08/26/11Â 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
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 70-37 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 19 of its last 26 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, at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign, at Omaha and UConn in 2022 and at No. 9 Minnesota in 2023.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 19-5 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's six victories in five-set matches last season broke the program record of five previously done in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The nine five-set matches in 2022 was also a record.
   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 3-2Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 9-2
Total   85-65   543-338
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Creighton earned 4-of-11 first place votes and 94 of a possible 100 points. That was just behind of Marquette's 97 points and the other seven votes for first place.
   Xavier (78) was picked third, just ahead of St. John's (64) and Connecticut (63). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were DePaul (59), Villanova (46), Butler (40), Seton Hall (30), Providence (18) and Georgetown (16).
   Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Ava Martin as well as unanimous selections Kendra Wait and Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight fall.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 18 of 20 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including 10 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
2020Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â - -
2021   1st   1st   - -
2022   1st   1st   - -
2023   2nd   ???   ???
A Dozen, Cousin
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 12 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Jim Flanery   Women's Basketball   6
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 371-11 (.971) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 312-5 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 237-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 121-1 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 17-205 (.077) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-106 (.124) under Booth. Those 17 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
10/07/22   at UConn   25-15, 25-12, 15-13   Booth
10/14/22   #16 Marquette   25-19, 25-16, 15-8   Booth
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 450 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories (thru 9/20/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball   819
Ed Servais, Baseball   643*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   450*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   401*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women's tennis coach
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 381-35 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 69-151 (.314) 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 139-5 in its last 144 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, on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky and on Dec. 2, 2022 to Auburn.
   Creighton has gone 113-5 in its last 118 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 12-17 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 153-3 in its last 156 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has at least 11 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Minnesota and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 8-1 against that group.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 100-106 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 8-5
2019Â Â Â 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
2021Â Â Â 3-1
2022Â Â Â 5-4
2023Â Â Â 8-1 so far
TOTALÂ Â Â 105-141
TOTAL Under Booth   102-106
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 11th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 92-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (83-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 76-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 68-1 league mark and a 8-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021 vs. Marquette) 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 2018, Bluejay fifth-year senior Kiana Schmitt is 35-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (with 26 straight wins), and 105-22 in sets.
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 10-13 against ranked non-conference foes over the last seven seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
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 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 12-1Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 9-2 so far
President Elect Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President-Elect of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
   Booth began her service on January 1, 2023 then will become AVCA President in 2024. She is part of the 17-member AVCA Board of Directors, which includes elected representatives, appointed voting members for Diversity Development and Legislation, and non-voting members for Education and Awards.
   She will finish out her term as Past President in 2026.
   Booth is in her 21st season as the head women's volleyball coach at Creighton.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 27-5 last season, won a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title, won its eight BIG EAST Tournament in the past nine seasons, and played in its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
   Norah Sis was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-BIG EAST squad by Kiana Schmitt, Kendra Wait and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin.
   CU posted three top-25 victories in the season, topping No. 25 USC (Sept. 2), No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) and No. 14 Marquette (Nov. 26).
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | BU NOTES (PDF) |
Match #13: #11 Creighton at Xavier • Cintas Center • Saturday, Sept. 23 • 4 p.m. CST
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | XU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Up
No. 11 Creighton (9-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) opens its 11th season in the BIG EAST Conference with the same road trip it took to start its very first season in the league back in 2013.
   On Friday, Sept. 22, the Bluejays take on Butler (6-5, 0-0 BIG EAST before Wednesday's home match vs. Xavier) for a 5 p.m. Central match at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
   On Saturday, CU visits Xavier (7-4, 0-0 BIG EAST before Wednesday's road match at Butler) for a 4 p.m. Central match at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Broadcast Information
Both matches will be broadcast on FloSports, which requires a subscription. Exact links can be found on the Creighton Volleyball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
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Live Stats Information
Both matches will have live stats available. Links will be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page
Scouting #11 Creighton
Creighton returns five starters from last season's 27-5 squad that reached an 11th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and its eighth BIG EAST Tournament crown in the past nine years. Despite all that success, CU is picked to finish second by league coaches in 2023.
   The Bluejays return four All-BIG EAST selections from a year ago, a group led by 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (4.13 kps., 3.35 dps.). Sis was named BIG EAST Tournament MVP in both 2021 and 2022 and Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. The two-time All-American, however, has missed CU's last five matches.
   Also back are all-league picks Ava Martin (4.24 kps., .260%), Kiana Schmitt (2.67 kps., .349%, 0.95 bps.) and Kendra Wait (10.45 aps., 3.48 dps., .354%). Senior Ellie Bolton (4.50 dps.) won a tight battle for libero in fall camp and was named MVP of the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier to open the season.
   Creighton picked up transfers Ellie Bichelmeyer (Rice) and Emma Ziegler (Denver) to bolster a top-25 recruiting class led by top-40 recruits Destiny Ndam-Simpson (2.39 kps.) and Ava TeStrake, but it's been Sydney Breissinger (2.40 dps., 0.31 saps.) who has seen the most consistent action thus far.
    CU averages 14.60 kills, 1.10 aces, 17.07 digs and 2.04 blocks per set while hitting .247.
Scouting Butler
Butler entered Wednesday's match vs. Xavier with a 6-5 record, including a 3-0 mark inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-2 win over Cincinnati last Saturday.
   Mariah Grunze (3.36 kps.) and Abby Maesch (3.38 kps.) lead the Bulldogs offensively as Cora Taylor (10.47 aps.) directs the attack.
   Two-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year Jaymeson Kinley (5.05 dps.) spearheads the defense, with assistance up front from Grace Boggess (1.13 bps.).
   The Bulldogs average 12.95 kills, 15.60 digs, 1.12 aces and 2.02 blocks per set while hitting .192 as a team.
Scouting Xavier
Xavier is 7-4 this season and enters Wednesday's match at Butler with a three-match win streak.
   With All-BIG EAST setter Carrigan O'Reilly (8.38 aps., 2.38 dps., 1.35 kps.) directing the offense, the Musketeers get much of their production from Emma Grace (2.87 kps.), Delaney Hogan (2.63 kps.) and Brooklyn Cink (1.81 kps.).
   Stevie Wolf (4.05 dps.) is the libero and leads the Muskies with 12 aces.
   As a team, Xavier averages 12.80 kills, 14.38 digs, 1.56 blocks and 1.45 aces per set on .224 hitting.
Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 450-186 record in her 21st season with the Bluejays. She's led Creighton to nine straight BIG EAST titles (2014-22), and 10 league crowns in the last 11 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 12 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 12 seasons (including 2023), 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, Brian Rosen and Adam Kessenich.
Series History vs. Butler
Creighton is 18-1 all-time against Butler, including five-set victories in three of the past 11 meetings.
   Butler ruined Creighton's BIG EAST debut on Oct. 4, 2013 in Indianapolis, handing the Bluejays a four-set loss, but Creighton has won all 18 meetings since then.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 18-1 vs. Butler but has never faced Butler head coach Kyle Shondell.
Series History vs. Xavier
Creighton is 23-0 all-time against Xavier, with all the matches having occurred since 2013. Creighton's won the last 17 sets against the Musketeers and 14 of the last 16 meetings have been 3-0 CU sweeps. The two exceptions that weren't sweeps were 3-2 Creighton wins in Omaha in 2018 and the spring of 2021.
   Thanks in part to a 4-0 record in league tourney action against the Musketeers, Creighton has more wins against Xavier (23) than any other team since joining the BIG EAST.
   Creighton's victory on Oct. 5, 2013 in Cincinnati was the program's first BIG EAST win in history.
   Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 23-0 vs. Xavier, and she is 17-0 against Christy Pfeffenberger.
Like Father, Like Son?
New Butler head coach Kyle Shondell is the son of Purdue head coach Dave Shondell, and his uncle John Shondell is an assistant with the Boilermakers.
   Creighton's second match this season was a 3-0 sweep over then-No. 16 Purdue.
X Marks The Spot
Creighton owns 23 straight victories vs. Xavier, its longest win streak ever against any team.
   The Bluejays have also won 18 in a row against Butler, tied for its fourth-longest stretch of dominance over another program.
Most Consecutive Match Wins Over One Team
   Wins   Opponent   Dates
   23   Xavier   2013-Present
   21   DePaul   2013-Present
   19   Southern Illinois   2003-11
   18   Butler   2013-Present
   18   Georgetown   2013-Present
   16   Indiana State   2005-Present
Xavier Connection
Xavier freshman middle blocker Annie Eschenbach was a high school teammate in 2020 and 2021 with Creighton sophomore middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes.
   Creighton freshman Sydney Breissinger is a Cincinnati native who won a state title last fall at Ursuline Academy.
The BIG EAST Beasts
The latest unofficial RPI has the BIG EAST as the nation's sixth-best conference, trailing only the Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12.
League Opener Histories
Including last year's sweep of Georgetown, Creighton owns a 21-8 record all-time in conference openers, including an 18-2 record under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That includes a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, and nine straight wins since a 2013 loss at Butler.
   Each of the previous 10 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 161-11 in regular-season league action. Creighton also won nine of the last 10 conference tournament titles during those years, going 18-1 in those seasons.
   In the 21 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .775 (290-84) winning percentage (entering 2023) in league matches.
   In the eight years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have had a losing record on five occasions and owns a combined .363 (53-93) winning percentage during league contests.
   In conference home openers, Creighton is 24-5 overall and 18-2 under Booth, with 12 straight wins.
   In league road openers, Creighton is 20-9 overall and 17-3 under Booth, with nine straight wins.
   The last team to win a BIG EAST regular-season or tournament title without winning its regular-season opener in conference play was Cincinnati in the fall of 2008.
Hitting Pretty
Creighton hit .442 in last Friday's sweep against High Point, the eighth-best figure in program history, and best mark since hitting .467 vs. Seton Hall in November of 2019.
Best Attack Percentage, Creighton History
   .536   vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s)   10-27-95
   .495   vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s)   9-2-05
   .476   at DePaul (46-6-84) (3s)   10-6-17
   .471   vs. Providence (36-4-68) (3s)   10-19-14
   .467   vs. Seton Hall (48-5-92) (3s)   11-3-19
   .4463   vs. Georgetown (62-8-121) (4s)   9-22-17
   .4459   vs. Belmont (38-5-74) (3s)   9-8-17
   .442   vs. High Point (48-10-86) (3s)   9-15-23
Bolting Down The Defense
After doing it five total times in the first three years of her career, senior Ellie Bolton owns six matches of 20 or more digs this season.
   Only six players in program history have more than 11 career matches with 20+ digs.
Matches With 20+ Digs, Career
   20+D   Name   Years
   41   Kate Elman   2012-15
   32   Julianne Mandolfo    2010-11
   27   Bianca Rivera   2007-08
   27   Brittany Witt   2016-19
   20   Janeen Piller   2001-04
   19   Nayka Benitez   2009-10
   11   Katie Mehal   2004-07
   11   Ellie Bolton   2020-Pres.
   9   Kailey Reyes   1998-01
Bolton One Of A Kind
Ellie Bolton has been doing damage of late behind the service line and in the back row. Not only has the senior libero had an ace in each of the last 10 matches, but she's also had 10 or more digs in each of the last 10 contests as well.
   Bolton is the first player in CU history to have a streak of 10 matches or more with 10 digs and an ace at the same time.
Consecutive Matches With An Ace
   15   Amanda Cvejdlik, Sept. 29-Nov. 18, 2006
   12   Madelyn Cole - Oct. 27, 2018-Aug. 30, 2019
   12   Madelyn Cole, Sept. 14-Oct. 25, 2019
   11   Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998
   11   Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000
   11   Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, 2023 - Present
   9   Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995
   9   Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 - Sept. 21, 2018
   9   Norah Sis, Sept. 17-Oct. 14, 2022
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
   43   Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
   32   Kate Elman, Aug. 24 - Nov. 30, 2012
   30   Kate Elman, Sept. 30, 2013 - Sept. 12, 2014
   27   Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
   23   Julianne Mandolfo, Sept. 9-Nov. 24, 2011
   21   Brittany Witt, Nov. 25, 2017 - Oct. 7, 2018
   19   Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
   18   Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009-Aug. 28, 2010
   16   Abby Bottomley, Aug. 27-Oct. 1, 2021
   15   Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
   15   Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
   15   Nayka Benitez, Nov. 13, 2009-Sept. 10, 2010
   15   Allie Oelke, Sept. 3-Oct. 16, 2010
   14   Mallory Lahm, Oct. 4-Nov. 25, 2005
   13   Nayka Benitez, Sept. 12-Oct. 23, 2009
   12   Melanie Jereb, Oct. 12-Dec. 5, 2014
   12   Kate Elman, Oct. 25-Dec, 11, 2015
   12   Brittany Witt, Oct. 5-Nov. 12, 2017
   11   Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24, 2000-Aug. 31, 2001
   10   Kate Elman, Sept. 20-Oct. 17, 2015
   10   Brittany Witt, Oct. 26 - Nov. 24, 2018
   10   Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26, 2023 - Present
Starting Fast
Creighton has started exactly 9-2 after 11 matches for the first time in program history, though the 2006, 2012 and 2021 teams each opened 10-1.
   A big part of that is getting out to early leads. This year's Creighton team is 10-1 in the opening set this season, and 9-1 when owning a 1-0 lead.
   Of this weekend's competition, Butler is 5-0 when winning the first set this season while Xavier is 7-0 when taking the opener.
Booth Earns 450th Win at CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters this weekend with a 450-186 record on the Creighton sideline, reaching the 450-win milestone on Sept. 16 with a road win at No. 9 Minnesota. Booth has beaten 97 different schools while at Creighton.
   Coaching alongside Booth for each of those wins is assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens, who is also in her 21st season at CU.
   Here's a look at Booth's record at the time of some of her milestone victories at Creighton:
W-L   Opponent   Date   1-1   vs. Auburn (in Ames, Iowa)   08/30/03
50-43   Jacksonville State   09/01/06
100-71   at Drake   10/31/08
150-108   Illinois State   09/30/11
200-123   Xavier   10/18/13
250-144   at Xavier   10/17/15
300-157   Villanova   09/24/17
350-167   Nebraska-Omaha   09/13/19
400-178   Marquette   10/10/21
450-186   at #9 Minnesota   09/16/23
Do You Remember A Better September?
Creighton is 7-1 this month, the 13th straight September with matches it has won seven or more times.
   With three matches still to play, Creighton has a chance for its third 10-win September ever, joining 2006 (10-3) and 2021 (11-1).
   All-time, Creighton owns more wins in the month of September (188) than any other. A distant second is the month of October (160).
Breiss As Nice
Freshman Sydney Breissinger tied a school-record for aces in a five set match in last Saturday's victory at No. 9 Minnesota when she authored five service winners.
   Breissinger joined Brittany Witt (in 2018) as the only Bluejays to do that since 2000, as Shelly Kapler did it three times from 1996-98.
Most Aces, Five Set Match
   5   Shelly Kapler at Western Illinois   11-10-96
   5   Shelly Kapler at Drake   09-13-97
   5   Shelly Kapler vs. Drake   10-10-98
   5   Brittany Witt vs. Xavier   10-18-18
   5   Sydney Breissinger at Minnesota   09-16-23
Chasing 3,000
Junior setter Kendra Wait owns 2,924 career assists and will look to become the fifth player in Bluejay history to reach 3,000 in her career if she can dish 76 more helpers.
   Three previous times in her career Wait has played Xavier and Butler back-to-back, accounting for 77, 79 and 75 assists in those three situations.
   Wait has played in 77 career matches to date and is on pace to be the third-fastest Bluejay player to that milestone.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 3,000 Assists (Career)
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Korie Lebeda   65   08/28/07   at Iowa State
Kailey Reyes   72   11/17/00   at Wichita State
Melissa Weisensee   88   09/05/97   vs. UTSA
Megan Bober   90   11/04/11   Wichita State
All They Do Is Win
Creighton has ranked as some of the nation's most successful programs since the start of the 2015 season.
   Through matches of Sept. 17th, Creighton ranks sixth nationally with 215 wins and eighth-best with an .814 win percentage.
Most Wins, Since Start of 2015 (through 9/17)
   Rk.   Wins   Team
   1.   235   Western Kentucky
   2.   229   Nebraska
   3.   224   BYU
   4.   222   Pittsburgh
   5.   217   Texas
   6.   215   Creighton
   7.   212   Wisconsin
   8.   211   Florida
Best Win Pct,. Since Start of 2015 (through 9/17)
   Rk.   Pct.   Team   W-L
   1.   .886   Texas   217-28
   2.   .882   BYU   224-30
   3.   .874   Western Kentucky   235-34
   4.   .851   Nebraska   229-40
   5.   .835   Pittsburgh   222-44
   6.   .828   Wisconsin   212-44
   7.   .824   Florida   211-45
   8.   .814   Creighton   215-49
   9.   .802   Stanford   199-49
   10.   .801   Minnesota   205-51
Up To 11th
Creighton ascended three spots to a season-best 11 in this week's AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25 poll. It's the highest ranking in the month of September for the program since it was 10th the final three weeks in September of 2018.
   The Bluejays started the season 18th in the AVCA Preseason Top 25.
   Creighton is one of two teams nationally to move up multiple spots each of the past three weeks, joining Washington State.
   Creighton's best ranking ever is No. 7, done on Aug. 28, 2017. CU was last ranked in the top 10 on Nov. 25, 2019 when it was No. 10.
Handful Named To All-Tournament Team
Creighton had five different student-athletes named to the All-Tournament Team at the Diet Coke Classic, which recognized players who were the best at each position.
   Outside hitter Ava Martin was named Tournament MVP and joined on the list by middle blockers Ann Marie Remmes and Kiana Schmitt, libero Ellie Bolton and setter Kendra Wait.
   En route to winning four preseason tournaments, Creighton's Ellie Bolton (Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier), Norah Sis (Bluejay Invitational) and Ava Martin (Diet Coke Classic) each picked up Tournament MVP accolades. It would have almost certainly been more, but the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge did not recognize an All-Tournament Team.
Martin Honored Again
Creighton Volleyball's Ava Martin was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after earning Tournament MVP honors at the Diet Coke Classic last weekend.
   Martin helped Creighton to its fourth tournament title of the fall, averaging 4.50 kills, 1.75 digs, 0.25 aces and 0.25 blocks per set on .282 hitting, in wins over High Point and No. 9 Minnesota.
    The Overland Park, Kan., native started her week with 14 kills, three digs and a career-high two aces on season-high .542 hitting against defending Big South champion High Point.
    On Saturday Martin tied her career high with 22 kills and matched her season-high with 11 digs in a 3-2 victory at No. 9 Minnesota. Four of Martin's kills came in the final set, including three in the first 10 points as the Bluejays surged to a 9-1 lead.
   Martin owned three or more kills in all eight sets played this weekend and leads the BIG EAST in kills per set.
Bouncing Back
The Creighton staff is quick to credit athletic performance coach Brad Schmidt for helping the team get stronger during the off-season and maintaining that strength during the season.
   Need evidence of that? Since Aug. 25, 2018, Creighton is 18-2 in the match following a five-setter since Aug. 25, 2018.
   Friday's contest at Butler will mark CU's first match since beating No. 9 Minnesota on Sept. 16th.
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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. In both 2021 and 2022, Creighton and Marquette shared the regular-season title and CU won the tourney title.
   Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - Sept. 18, 2023
           BIG EAST only   All   matches
Team (NCAA Bids)Â Â Â WÂ Â Â LÂ Â Â WÂ Â Â L
Creighton (10)Â Â Â 154Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 263Â Â Â 67
Marquette (9)Â Â Â 137Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 242Â Â Â 80
Xavier   97   69   158   144
Butler   91   77   164   142
Villanova (1)Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 85Â Â Â 163Â Â Â 138
St. John's (1)Â Â Â 81Â Â Â 87Â Â Â 182Â Â Â 141
Seton Hall (1)Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 95Â Â Â 147Â Â Â 159
DePaul   46   122   117   176
Georgetown   35   125   95   189
Connecticut#Â Â Â 27Â Â Â 17Â Â Â 50Â Â Â 39
Providence*Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 173
*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.
Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a record better than .500 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays own 171 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 28 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
   CU still has not lost to four league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier) since joining the BIG EAST, and Marquette (5), Villanova (3), Seton Hall (3) and St. John's (3) are the only BIG EAST programs to top the Bluejays multiple times since 2013.
Opponent   Reg. Season   BE Tourney   Total
Butler   18-1   -   18-1
Connecticut   2-1   1-0   3-1
DePaul   20-0   1-0   21-0
Georgetown   18-0   -   18-0
Marquette   16-4   6-1   22-5
Providence   15-0   -   15-0
Seton Hall   15-3   2-0   17-3
St. John's   16-2   0-1   16-3
Villanova   15-3   3-0   18-3
Xavier   19-0   4-0   23-0
Total   154-14   17-2   171-16
9 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-22, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win nine straight regular-season titles.      The previous record had been seven by Notre Dame from 1999-2005.
   The Bluejay volleyball team is also the first Creighton program in any sport to win nine or more straight league titles, surpassing the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96).
   The only other teams nationally with an active streak of more than four straight regular-season league titles are Texas (Big 12) and Kentucky (SEC), both with six.
Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 10 conference regular-season titles. All but two of Creighton's nine crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
   Creighton has also won nine conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2022
Regular-Season   League Tournament
10 (2 shared) Creighton   9 Creighton
10 (1) Texas   8 Dayton
10 (5) Western Kentucky   8 Western Kentucky
9 Fairfield   7 Fairfield
8 BYUÂ Â Â 6 American
8 (1) Colorado State   6 LIU
Wait Shows Off Versatility
Kendra Wait was named the BIG EAST's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11 after helping Creighton to a pair of wins..
   The recognition came one week after Wait earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week accolade, making her the first player since the league began splitting up its Player of the Week awards in 2017 to win Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in the same or back-to-back weeks. Previously, only Creighton's Jaela Zimmerman (in March of 2021) had won both awards in the same month.
   Wait averaged 9.91 assists, 3.18 digs, 1.18 kills and 0.73 blocks per set while hitting .440 in three matches.
    The two-time All-BIG EAST selection had 32 assists, eight digs, five kills, one block and one assist in Creighton's 3-1 loss to No. 4 Nebraska. The Bluejays became the first team all season to win a set over the Cornhuskers, as well as the lone team to hit over .100 versus NU.
    On Friday Wait notched a double-double with 30 assists, 15 digs, two blocks and two kills on .667 hitting in a 3-0 sweep over Omaha.
    She closed the week with 47 assists, 12 digs, six kills and five blocks on .267 hitting as Creighton handed Iowa State its first loss of the fall.
    It was the first time in Wait's career that she's been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, though the Gardner, Kan., native is a three-time Defensive Player of the Week honoree (once each in 2021, 2022 and 2023).
Hunting The Top 10
Including last Saturday's win at No. 9 Minnesota, Creighton is 9-35 all-time against top-10 teams, including a 9-28 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   Eight of the nine victories came away from home, including three sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
   The list of top-10 wins is below. Notably, Creighton is also 6-2 in the match after a top-10 victory, falling only after the win at Kansas in 2017 and vs. Kentucky in 2018.
Date   Opponent   Score
09/05/15Â Â Â vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)Â Â Â W 3-0
12/02/16   at #4 Kansas   W 3-2
08/26/17   at #3 Washington   W 3-1
09/09/17   at #7 Kansas   W 3-0
08/24/18Â Â Â vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)Â Â Â W 3-2
10/12/19   at #10 Marquette   W 3-2
11/22/19   #9 Marquette   W 3-1
09/04/21   at #3 Kentucky   W 3-0
09/16/23   at #9 Minnesota   W 3-2
112 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked in the most recent AVCA poll for the 112th time in program history. That's 41st-most of all programs in NCAA history, and close behind Loyola Marymount (114) and Santa Clara (113).
   All 112 rankings have occurred since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
   The Bluejays are one of 17 schools (along with Baylor, BYU, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 35 polls.
Tournament Tested
Creighton has played in 18 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 13 of them.
   The only events that CU has not won were the '2020 NCAA Tournament (won by Kentucky) , the 2022 Bluejay Invitational (won by Kentucky), the 2021 NCAA Tournament (won by Wisconsin), the 2022 NCAA Tournament (won by Texas) and the 2022 Rice adidas Invitational (won by Rice). Kentucky, Wisconsin and Texas are the last three NCAA champions.
   Let's take a closer look:
Creighton Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021
Year   Event   CU Record (Place)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-25th)
2021   Mizzou Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluegrass Battle   3-0 (1st)
2021   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2021   Shocker Volleyball Classic   3-0 (1st)
2021   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2021   NCAA Tournament   1-1 (T-17th)
2022   Rumble in the Rockies   3-0 (1st)
2022   Bluejay Invitational   2-1 (2nd)
2022   Omaha Invitational   2-0 (1st)
2022   Rice adidas Invitational   1-1 (2nd)
2022   BIG EAST Tournament   2-0 (1st)
2022   NCAA Tournament   0-1 (T-33rd)
2023   Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier   2-1 (1st)
2023   Bluejay Invitational   3-0 (1st)
2023   MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge   2-0 (1st)
2023   Diet Coke Challenge   2-0 (1st)
Collecting Hardware
Creighton has won each of its first four tournaments of a season for the second time (2021, 2023) in the last three seasons after having never done it from 1994-2020.
   Keep in mind that when Kirsten Bernthal Booth was hired in 2003, Creighton had been 17-33 in 15 regular-season tournaments all-time, with just one tournament title (the 2000 Iowa State Heritage Classic).
Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton has opened the season by winning the Reamer Club Xtra Special Premier at Purdue on Aug. 25-27, followed by the Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 1-3, the MN Hospitality Omaha Challenge on Sept. 8-10 and then the Diet Coke Classic on Sept. 15-16.
   It's the 12th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that started in 2012. During that span, the Bluejays have won 29 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year   Titles Won   Tourney Hosts
2012Â Â Â 3Â Â Â USF, UNC, MVC
2013Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BGSU
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â CU, BIG EAST
2015Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2016Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2017Â Â Â 4Â Â Â WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018Â Â Â 3Â Â Â SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019Â Â Â 2Â Â Â UNI, CU
2020Â Â Â 1Â Â Â BIG EAST
2021Â Â Â 5Â Â Â MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022Â Â Â 3Â Â Â WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN
Destined For Greatness?
Destiny Ndam-Simpson led Creighton with 13 kills in her first start on Sept. 6 at No. 4 Nebraska.
   It was the most kills by a Bluejay in their first career start since sixth-year senior transfer Jazz Schmidt had 17 vs. Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 28, 2015.
   Creighton's last freshman with 13 or more kills in their first career start was the woman that Ndam-Simpson replaced in the starting line-up that day, Norah Sis. Sis had 13 kills vs. Kansas City in her collegiate debut on Aug. 27, 2021.
   Ndam-Simpson's 13 kills were the second-most ever against a ranked team by a Bluejay in their first career start, trailing only the 14 by Jess Bird in 2013 against No. 13 BYU.
Most Kills, First Career Start
   K   Name   Opponent   Date
   17   Jaali Winters   vs. Miami (Ohio)   8/28/15
   17   Jazz Schmidt   at Rice   9/18/22
   15   Shannon Scrutton   UW-Green Bay   8/31/96
   15   Jessica Houts   at Colorado   9/9/05
   14   Jess Bird   vs. #13 BYU   8/30/13
   13   JoDe Cieloha   vs. Chattanooga   9/2/94
   13   Norah Sis   vs. UMKC   8/27/21
   13   Destiny Ndam-Simpson   at #4 Nebraska   9/6/23
   11   Megan Ballenger   vs. Northern Iowa   9/2/16
   11   Taryn Kloth   Seton Hall   9/25/15
   10   Jaden Custer   at Drake   9/29/01
   10   Rachelle Von   vs. UTSA   9/5/97
Simpson Starts Strong
Destiny Ndam-Simpson has made four starts this season (at #4 Nebraska, at Omaha, vs. Iowa State, at #9 Minnesota), and had double-figure kills in each contest.
   She's just the second player in program history with 10 or more kills in each of her first four starts, joining JoDe Cieloha (8 straight in 1994).
Depth And More Depth
Though the season is just four weeks old, head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth hasn't hesitated when it comes to using her full 18-woman roster.
   All but one of CU's 18 women have played at least one set, and 13 of those ladies have appeared in nine sets or more. Eleven of the players have started at least one match, a list that doesn't include libero Ellie Bolton.
Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last decade has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
   The Bluejays have won their last 20 contests immediately following a loss and have not dropped consecutive matches since opening the season 0-2 to begin the 2019 campaign with back-to-back losses to No. 2 Nebraska and No. 20 Baylor in Lincoln, Neb.
   Creighton has also won its last 12 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
Shake It Off
While the opening set wasn't anything to write home about, Creighton's offense started to click in the final three sets against Nebraska.
   After just four kills in the opener, the Bluejays had 38 kills on .237 hitting in the final three sets, a healthy number considering that the Huskers hadn't surrendered a hitting percentage better than .220 in any of its first 16 sets of the season.
   Nebraska entered the day leading the nation by allowing foes to just 8.40 kills per set and .037 hitting percentage.
   Creighton finished the evening hitting .109, the first team all season to hit better than .100 for an entire match against the Huskers. Creighton's 15 kills and .355 hitting percentage -- both in the third set -- were also season-highs by an NU opponent.
Nationally Elite
The season is just a few weeks old, but Creighton has already soared into the top 10 in three different team categories in the NCAA stat rankings.
   The Bluejays are among the nation's best in kills per set (4th), assists per set (6th) and attacks per set (7th) All three per set averages are well above CU's marks last fall.
Category   2022 Rank (Total)   2023 Rank (Total)
Attacks Per Set   57th (36.32)   7th (37.81)
Assists Per Set   8th (13.37)   6th (13.43)
Kills Per Set   8th (14.39)   4th (14.60)
Junior Duo Honored
Juniors Norah Sis and Kendra Wait were honored by the BIG EAST Conference on Sept. 4th after helping the Creighton Volleyball team to the Bluejay Invitational title. Sis was named Offensive Player of the Week while Wait brought home Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Both women were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Bluejay Invitational.
   Sis is a four-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the week honoree after picking up three such accolades last season. It's the third time in Wait's career that she has been named Defensive Player of the Week, having earned the honor once in 2021, 2022 and now 2023.
   Sis earned Bluejay Invitational MVP honors after averaging 4.08 kills, 3.33 digs, 0.58 blocks and 4.54 points per set in victories over Ball State, LSU and Northern Iowa. It was the fourth Tournament MVP recognition of her career, and seventh time she's been named to an All-Tournament Team.
   The Papillion, Neb,. product started her week with 19 kills and 16 digs in a 3-2 win vs. defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State, adding a pair of blocks and a pair of aces. Sis owned five kills and four digs in the fifth set, a 15-11 victory. In CU's 3-0 sweep over LSU, Sis finished with 14 kills, eight digs and three blocks. The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year also surpassed 1,000 career digs in her 70th career match, tying a program record for fewest matches to reach that milestone. She concluded the week with 17 kills and 16 digs in a 3-1 win over defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa.
   Wait did a little bit of everything, earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Bluejay Invitational for the third straight season after averaging 11.67 assists, 3.50 digs, 1.00 blocks and 1.00 kills per set. It was the eight different time that the Gardner, Kan., native has picked up All-Tournament Team acclaim.
   Wait had 56 assists, 13 digs, five blocks and four kills in Friday's 3-2 win over Ball State. On Saturday, Wait contributed 42 assists, seven digs and two blocks while setting the Bluejay offense to .381 hitting. All five of CU's primary attackers hit .350 or better against LSU. She concluded the weekend with 43 assists, 22 digs, seven kills and five blocks on .583 hitting in a 3-1 win over Northern Iowa.
Higher & Higher
Creighton has had no shortage of pressure-packed situations thus far, as 13 of its 42 sets have been decided by exactly two points (going 9-4). That doesn't include three drama-filled fifth sets (going 2-1).
   On Sept. 3rd vs. Northern Iowa, Creighton played in a 36-34 set that was its second-highest scoring set in program history. The only one with more points was a 38-36 second set win at Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
   The match vs. Northern Iowa featured 44 ties and 20 lead changes. That was the most ties since there were 46 on Oct. 12, 2019 at Marquette and the most lead changes since there were 23 vs. Butler on Nov. 12, 2017.
Dynamic Duo
In Ava Martin (4.24 kps.) and Norah Sis (4.13 kps.), the Bluejays boast one of the top outside hitting tandems in the nation.
   Creighton has never had two players both average more than 3.85 kills per set for an entire season, with the 2018 pairing of All-Americans Taryn Kloth (4.15) and Jaali Winters (3.82) coming closest.
   By comparison, Martin was averaging 1.57 kills per set (58 kills in 37 sets) after 11 matches a year ago.
The Gauntlet Continues
Creighton faced another challenging non-conference schedule this fall.
   All told, nine of Creighton's 11 non-conference opponents owned 20 or more wins last season, combining to go 240-112 (.682). Just four of the 11 non-conference matches were at home.
   All 11 of the foes owned a top-85 RPI, 10 appeared in the postseason and four won a conference title last season. Creighton went 4-0 against league champs and 9-1 against the postseason qualifiers.
Top 25 History
Creighton is 181-42 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 20-24 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, 39 of Creighton's 71 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 269-32 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 97 home matches over unranked teams and all but 11 of its last 129 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
   After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (2015-23). That includes a record-tying four top-25 victories in 2019.
   Creighton is 25-85 all-time against ranked teams and 13 of those top 25 wins all-time have come against either Marquette (8) or Kentucky (5).
   The highest ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten at any site were No. 3 Washington (8/26/17 in Seattle) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21 in Lexington). CU's highest-ranked opponent it has defeated at home was a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 Marquette on Nov. 22, 2019.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 20-24)
Home: 8-9Â Â Â Away: 7-9 Â Â Â 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
09/02/22   #17 Creighton   #25 USC   3-1
09/03/22   #16 Kentucky   #17 Creighton   1-3
09/07/22   #2 Nebraska   #17 Creighton   2-3
10/14/22   #21 Creighton   #16 Marquette   3-2
11/19/22   #16 Marquette   #11 Creighton   0-3
11/26/22   #15 Creighton   #14 Marquette   3-2
08/26/23   #18 Creighton   #16 Purdue   3-0
09/06/23   #4 Nebraska   #16 Creighton   1-3
09/16/23   #14 Creighton   #9 Minnesota   3-2
Sis Ties Record At 1,000 Kill Milestone
Norah Sis became the 16th Bluejay ever to reach the 1,000 kill milestone when she did it on Sept. 2 vs. LSU.
   Sis achieved the milestone in her 70th career match, tying Melissa Walsh for reaching 1,000 kills the fastest in program history.
Career Kills
      Name   Sets   No.   Years
   1.   Jaali Winters   494   1,843   2015-18
   2.   Leah Ratzlaff   409   1,622   2002-05
   3.   Melissa Walsh   394   1,596   1998-01
   4.   Taryn Kloth   462   1,427   2015-18
   5.   Kelly Goc   394   1,414   2004-07
   6.   Jessica Houts   451   1,385   2005-09
   7.   JoDe Cieloha   398   1,375   1994-97
   8.   Leah McNary   458   1,257   2011-14
   9.   Marysa Wilkinson   499   1,183   2014-17
   10.   Lauren Smith   511   1,160   2013-16
   11.   Allie Oelke   445   1,126   2007-10
   12.   Kelli Browning   424   1,104   2011-14
   13.   Amanda Cvejdlik   343   1,029   2005-08
   14.   Norah Sis   252   1,019   2021-Pr.
   15.   Shelly Kapler   388   1,000   1996-99
      Jaela Zimmerman   357   1,000   2018-22
Creighton's Quickest Players To 1,000 Career Kills
Name   MP   Date   Opponent
Melissa Walsh   70   10/15/00   Eastern Illinois
Norah Sis   70   09/02/23   LSU
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   103   08/31/18   vs. NC State
Allie Oelke   107   10/09/10   Wichita State
Kelli Browning   110   10/26/14   DePaul
Jaela Zimmerman   111   11/13/22   Seton Hall
Lauren Smith   119   10/07/16   at Villanova
Marysa Wilkinson   120   09/30/17   at St. John's
My Favorite Martin
Ava Martin started her sophomore season with matches of 14 (Loyola), 15 (Purdue), 20 (Duke), 16 (Ball State), 16 (LSU) and 22 (UNI) kills. Martin also finished her freshman season last fall with matches of 22 (Marquette) and 14 (Auburn) kills.
   Both those items put her in select company.
   Martin is the first Bluejay ever with four (or more...she ended at six) straight matches of 14 or more kills to start the season.
   She's also the first Bluejay with eight straight matches of 14 or more kills in program history.
   In those eight matches, Martin averaged 4.21 kills per set while hitting .287. Seven of the eight opponents were in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 18th in the AVCA preseason poll. It's the ninth time in the past 11 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason.
   The No. 18 slotting was tied for the fourth-best preseason ranking in program history.
   Over the last 15 seasons, 275-of-375 teams (73.3 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 340-of-375 teams (90.7 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois and No. 22 Utah reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
   This year marks the 12th straight season that CU has been ranked at least one week, extending a program record.
   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   29-5   13th
   2019   18th   25-6   16th
   2020   16th   12-4   NR
   2022   18th   27-5   21st
   2023   18th   TBD   TBD
A Head Start
Creighton got a leg up on the competition thanks to having 10 extra practices in May and a trip to Italy and Slovenia from May 31 - June 11th.
   Every member of the current team except Emma Ziegler was on the trip, which also included four matches.
A Bunch of Winners
Creighton owned 58 wins during the previous two seasons, fourth-most in the nation in that span and trailing only Final Four qualifiers Louisville (63), Pitt (61) and Wisconsin (59).
   The only teams with 27 or more wins each of the past two campaigns are Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, UCF, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
No Losers Here
Creighton has been nearly as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
   Creighton, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Texas, Towson, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin were the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
   If you go back two years more, the nation's only teams to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
Believe The Hype
Creighton's recruiting class of freshmen Sydney Breissinger, Audrey Clark, Jaya Johnson, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Ava TeStrake was recognized as the nation's No. 22 class by PrepVolleyball.
   Ndam-Simpson was listed as the nation's No. 21 recruit, TeStrake was tabbed 37th-best and Breissinger No. 139. Creighton now owns nine players on its 2023 roster who were Top 150 recruits by PrepVolleyball.
Top-100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces
(list started in 2004; expanded to 150 in 2021)
   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
   41   2022   Ava Martin
   55   2022   Sky McCune
   21   2023   Destiny Ndam-Simpson
   37   2023   Ava TeStrake
   139   2023   Sydney Breissinger
* signed with Purdue and later transferred to Creighton
# signed with Cincinnati and later transferred to Creighton
current Bluejays in bold italic
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)
2009Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â Boggs, Greisch, Moon, Templeton, Thorson)
2010Â Â Â High HMÂ Â Â (Fliss, Hackbarth, Malm, Mandolfo, S. Smith)
2011Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (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)
2019Â Â Â Highest HMÂ Â Â (Bressman, Krause, Schmitt, Van Eekeren)
2020   27th   (Bolton, Maser, Reinhardt, Skovsende)
2021   5th   (Magill, Milner, Sis, Wait)
2022   24th   (Colangelo, Martin, McCune, Remmes)
2023   22nd   (Breissinger, Clark, Johnson, Ndam-Simpson, TeStrake)
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including five starters.
   From last year's team, only Emily Bressman, Bethany Clapp, Keeley Davis, Jazz Schmidt, Megan Skovsende, Allison Whitten and Jaela Zimmerman are not back.
   All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 524.3 of a possible 700% back (74.9 percent).
   Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Assists   1,384 (86.2%)   221 (13.8%)
Blocks   204 (84.3%)   38 (15.7%)
Matches Started   154 (80.2%)   192 (19.8%)
Kills   1,329 (77.6%)   383 (22.4%)
Points   1648 (76.9%)   494 (23.1%)
Aces   115 (61.2%)   73 (38.8%)
Digs   1142 (57.9%)   830 (42.1%)
11 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 11 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
   The only other sport in Creighton history to make 11 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 previous 11 NCAA Tournaments (2012-22). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington.
   There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 12 of the last 13 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford.
   Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, San Diego, Texas and Washington have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.
A Great Start
Norah Sis entered her junior season with 924 kills in her career. The 924 kills was the second-most ever by a Bluejay in their first two seasons, trailing only Jaali Winters' 994.
   Winters ended her career with a school-record 1,843 kills.
   Sis currently owns 1,019 kills in 71 career matches played, while Winters owned 983 kills after 71 career matches and had 11 in her 72nd contest.
Most Kills, After 2 Seasons at Creighton
   Kills   Yr1   Yr2   Name   Year
   994   546   448   Jaali Winters   2015 & 2016
   924   435   489   Norah Sis   2021 & 2022
   769   341   428   Melissa Walsh   1998 & 1999
   733   270   463   Alicia Runge   2009 & 2010 (Jr. & Sr.)
   696   180   516   Leah Ratzlaff   2002 & 2003
   653   267   386   Jessica Houts   2005 & 2006
   640   225   415   Amanda Cvejdlik   2005 & 2006
Setting The Table
Two-time All-BIG EAST selection Kendra Wait has started all 77 matches she's played in during her career, with Creighton going 67-10 in those contests.
   Against Loyola (Chicago), Wait became the first Bluejay setter to start three straight season-openers since Megan Bober did so all four years of her career from 2009-12.
   Besides Wait and Bober, the only other women to start three or more season-openers at setter have been Korie Lebeda (2005-08), Kailey Reyes (1998-2001) and Melissa Weisensee (1994-97).
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 450-3 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
08/26/11Â 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
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 70-37 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 19 of its last 26 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, at South Dakota in the 2020 campaign, at Omaha and UConn in 2022 and at No. 9 Minnesota in 2023.
   It's also worth noting that Creighton is 19-5 all-time in five-set home matches at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   Creighton's six victories in five-set matches last season broke the program record of five previously done in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The nine five-set matches in 2022 was also a record.
   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 3-2Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 9-2
Total   85-65   543-338
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
   Creighton earned 4-of-11 first place votes and 94 of a possible 100 points. That was just behind of Marquette's 97 points and the other seven votes for first place.
   Xavier (78) was picked third, just ahead of St. John's (64) and Connecticut (63). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were DePaul (59), Villanova (46), Butler (40), Seton Hall (30), Providence (18) and Georgetown (16).
   Creighton also had three women among the 12 members on the BIG EAST's preseason all-conference team in Ava Martin as well as unanimous selections Kendra Wait and Norah Sis. Sis was also tabbed the BIG EAST's Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight fall.
   Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 18 of 20 years under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, including 10 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
2020Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â 1st (MW)Â Â Â - -
2021   1st   1st   - -
2022   1st   1st   - -
2023   2nd   ???   ???
A Dozen, Cousin
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 12 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Elmar Bolowich   Men's Soccer   6
Jim Flanery   Women's Basketball   6
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 371-11 (.971) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 312-5 mark (.984) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 237-3 when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 121-1 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 17-205 (.077) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-106 (.124) under Booth. Those 17 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
10/07/22   at UConn   25-15, 25-12, 15-13   Booth
10/14/22   #16 Marquette   25-19, 25-16, 15-8   Booth
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 450 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport   Victories (thru 9/20/23)
Brent Vigness, Softball   819
Ed Servais, Baseball   643*
Mary Higgins, Softball   564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis   528*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball   450*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball   401*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis   347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball   327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women's tennis coach
Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 381-35 (.916) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 69-151 (.314) 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 139-5 in its last 144 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, on Sept. 3, 2022 to No. 16 Kentucky and on Dec. 2, 2022 to Auburn.
   Creighton has gone 113-5 in its last 118 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 12-17 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
   Creighton has gone 153-3 in its last 156 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.
Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has at least 11 matches (Loyola Chicago, Purdue, Ball State, LSU, UNI, Nebraska, Iowa State, High Point, Minnesota and Marquette 2x) scheduled against teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. So far, they're 8-1 against that group.
   After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 100-106 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 8-5
2019Â Â Â 5-4
2020Â Â Â 3-1
2021Â Â Â 3-1
2022Â Â Â 5-4
2023Â Â Â 8-1 so far
TOTALÂ Â Â 105-141
TOTAL Under Booth   102-106
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 11th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
   Since then, the Bluejays are 92-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (83-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
   Since November of 2014, Creighton is 76-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 68-1 league mark and a 8-0 mark in the conference tournament. The only setback (on Feb. 6, 2021 vs. Marquette) 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 2018, Bluejay fifth-year senior Kiana Schmitt is 35-1 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (with 26 straight wins), and 105-22 in sets.
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 10-13 against ranked non-conference foes over the last seven seasons after going 2-43 all-time vs. ranked teams in regular-season non-conference matches.
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 8-4Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â 29-5
2019Â Â Â 7-3Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â 25-6
2020Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 12-4
2021Â Â Â 12-1Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 31-4
2022Â Â Â 8-3Â Â Â 1-2Â Â Â 27-5
2023Â Â Â 9-2Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â 9-2 so far
President Elect Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President-Elect of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
   Booth began her service on January 1, 2023 then will become AVCA President in 2024. She is part of the 17-member AVCA Board of Directors, which includes elected representatives, appointed voting members for Diversity Development and Legislation, and non-voting members for Education and Awards.
   She will finish out her term as Past President in 2026.
   Booth is in her 21st season as the head women's volleyball coach at Creighton.
Last Season Summary
Creighton went 27-5 last season, won a ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title, won its eight BIG EAST Tournament in the past nine seasons, and played in its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
   Norah Sis was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP. She was joined on the All-BIG EAST squad by Kiana Schmitt, Kendra Wait and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ava Martin.
   CU posted three top-25 victories in the season, topping No. 25 USC (Sept. 2), No. 16 Marquette (Oct. 14) and No. 14 Marquette (Nov. 26).
Players Mentioned
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OH
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OH
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RS/S
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RS/OH
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OH
/ Volleyball#18 Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Rice - 9/13/25
Saturday, September 13
Creighton Volleyball Postgame vs. Rice, 9/13/25
Saturday, September 13
#18 Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. #4 Louisville - 9/12/25
Saturday, September 13
Creighton Volleyball Press Conference vs. Louisville
Saturday, September 13
