#9 Volleyball To Close Non-Conference With Top 10 Foes in Lawrence

Jayhawk Classic • Lawrence, Kan. • Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena
Match #10: #9 Creighton vs. #6 Purdue • Friday, Sept. 20 • 4 p.m. | VIDEO ($) | STATS | PUR RADIO | CU NOTES | PUR NOTES |
Match #11: #9 Creighton at #10 Kansas • Saturday, Sept. 21 • 3 p.m. | VIDEO ($) | STATS | CU NOTES |

This Week
No. 9 Creighton Volleyball concludes non-conference play with a pair of matches against unbeaten Top 10 teams at the Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan.
    The weekend starts on Friday at 4 p.m. when the Bluejays meet up with No. 6 Purdue (8-0) in a match with free admission.
    One day later at 3 p.m., Creighton squares off against No. 10 Kansas (7-0).
    The tournament begins on Thursday with the Boilermakers meeting the Jayhawks. Tulsa (8-2) is also in the event, but does not meet Creighton.
    Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena (2,265) will host the action.

Broadcast Information
Both of Creighton's matches this weekend will be streamed on ESPN+, a subscription-based service, with Leif Lisec and Jill Dorsey on the call.
    The broadcasts can be viewed at
http://watchespn.com.
    Purdue will also have a radio broadcast Friday at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/purdue/.

Live Stats Information
Both matches will have free live stats, with links at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
    Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #9 Creighton
Creighton is off to a 7-2 start this season, with both losses coming in five sets on the road to top-five teams Nebraska (Sept. 10) and Louisville (Sept. 15). The performances on the road against those two national powers helped Creighton remain No. 9 in this week's AVCA rankings.
    The program started the season with titles at the Bluejay Invitational and Creighton Classic before a runner-up finish at last week's Cardinal Classic in Louisville, Ky., that also included 3-0 wins vs. both UNI and Rice.
    The 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year Kendra Wait (10.28 aps., 2.97 dps., 0.91 kps., 0.72 bps., .354%) opened her senior campaign by collecting MVP honors at the Bluejay Invitational, while 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis (3.84 kps., .274%) was named MVP of the Creighton Classic.
    Junior Ava Martin (3.19 kps.) was named Preseason All-BIG EAST, and transfers Maddy Bilinovic (4.09 dps.) and Elise Goetzinger (2.41 kps., 1.09 bps., .319%) have made an immediate impact.
    CU returns four starters from last season's 29-5 squad that reached a 12th straight NCAA Tournament and saw the Bluejays win a 10th straight BIG EAST regular-season title and its ninth BIG EAST Tournament crown in the past decade. CU was a unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST by league coaches in 2024.
     CU averages 13.50 kills, 1.44 aces, 15.22 digs and 2.62 blocks per set and has hit .255.

Scouting #6 Purdue
Purdue is off to an 8-0 start, including wins over No. 10 Kentucky, Utah, Houston and Kansas State, while dropping just three sets in the process.
    Eva Hudson (4.37 kps.,) and Chloe Chicoine (3.33 kps., 2.85 dps.) give Purdue one of the top pair of pin hitters in the country, and Raven Colvin (2.44 kps., .455%, 2.04 bps.) is playing like a National Player of the Year candidate while pacing the country in blocks per set.
    Taylor Anderson (10.96 aps., 1.11 bps.) quarterbacks the offense, and Ali Hornung (4.00 dps.) is the libero to direct the defense.
    The Boilermakers average 13.96 kills, 15.15 digs, 3.52 blocks (second-best nationally) and 1.48 aces per set while hitting .296 as a team.

Scouting #10 Kansas
Kansas is 7-0 this season, dropping just two sets. The Jayhawks own victories over South Carolina, Duke, Colgate, Wichita State, Marquette, Western Michigan and Lipscomb.
    Ayah Elnday (3.57 kps., .300%), Toyosi Onabanjo (3.26 kps., .508%, 1.39 bps.) and Caroline Bien (2.83 kps., .318%) lead the KU attackers.
    Camryn Turner (11.26 aps.) runs the offense and Raegan Burns (3.87 dps.) is the libero.
    The Jayhawks average 14.52 kills, 14.35 digs, 2.78 blocks and 1.70 aces per set while hitting .346 as a team (tops nationally).

Creighton Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 477-191 record in her 22nd season with the Bluejays.
    She's led Creighton to 10 straight BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014-23), and 11 league crowns in the previous 12 years. Booth guided the Bluejays to their first three Sweet 16's (2015, 2016, 2023) 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 fourth time in 2023.
    The winningest coach in school history, Booth has taken Creighton to its only 13 NCAA Tournament bids in the program's modern history. She's also coached CU into the top-25 each of the last 13 seasons (including 2024), another program first.
    She is also currently serving as President of the AVCA.
    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. Purdue
Creighton is 1-1 all-time against Purdue, sweeping the Boilermakers last year in West Lafayette after losing a 3-1 decision in 2017 in Lawrence, Kan.
    In 2017, Danielle Cuttino (21 kills, .576%) and Sherridan Atkinson (21 kills, .500%) helped Purdue hit .411 in the victory, while Creighton was paced by 14 kills and Marysa Wilkinson, and Jaali Winters added 13 kills, 10 digs and four service aces.
    Last year Creighton became the first visiting non-conference team to ever swep Purdue, beating the Boilermakers 28-26, 25-21, 25-20 on Aug. 26th. Eva Hudson had 10 kills for Purdue. Ava Martin had 15 kills for CU, Ellie Bolton added 22 digs and Kendra Wait notched 34 assists, 10 digs, five blocks and five kills.
    Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 1-1 against Purdue and coach Dave Shondell.

Series History vs. Kansas
Kansas owns a 9-3 lead in the all-time series against Creighton, including a 5-2 advantage in Lawrence. The Bluejays, however, have won their past two trips to KU, including an epic five-set NCAA Tournament match in 2016 and a 3-0 sweep vs. No. 7 Kansas in 2017.
    The teams have not met since Kansas stunned No. 20 Creighton in the Second Round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Omaha, the third time the programs met in the postseason between 2013-21.
    In that 2021 meeting, Norah Sis had 17 kills and 10 digs and Kendra Wait had 45 assists and 15 digs, but it wasn't enough to overcome21 kills by Caroline Bien and 51 assists by Camryn Turner.
    Creighton's most recent win in the series came in its last trip to Lawrence, a 3-0 sweep over the seventh-ranked Jayhawks on Sept. 9, 2017. Jaali Winters had 14 kills and 12 digs for CU in the win to offset 11 kills and 14 digs b y Madison Rigdon.

With A Win On Friday...
- Improve to 2-1 all-time against Purdue, beating a nationally-ranked Boilermaker squad for the second straight fall.
- Earn multiple Top 25 wins for the third straight season, improving to 2-2 against the Top 25 this fall.
- Improve to 23-27 when ranked and playing against another ranked foe, and 3-3 in battles between Top 10 teams.
- Earn its ninth Top 10 win ever (in 44 tries), with eight of those coming away from home.
- Extend their win streak to 24 straight in the contest immediately following a loss.
- Extend their win streak to 16 in the match immediately following a five-set loss.

With A Win On Saturday...
- Improve to 4-9 all-time against Kansas.
- Improve to 4-0 this season on Saturday's while winning its 11th straight match on that day of the week.
- Earn its ninth (or 10th if CU beats Purdue on Friday) win ever (in 45 tries) over a Top 10 team, with eight (or nine if CU beats Purdue on Friday) of those coming away from home.

KC's Finest
Several of Creighton's most decorated players have direct connections to Kansas.
    Ava Martin (Overland Park), Kendra Wait (Gardner), Ava TeStrake (Olathe) and Jaya Johnson (Olathe) are all from the Kansas City-metro area.
    Ava Martin's father Chris Martin played in 29 games with Kansas basketball from 1997-99.
    Norah Sis' mom played Tracie (Walt) Sis played volleyball at Kansas from 1992-95, where she had 629 kills, 872 digs, 147 blocks and 97 aces.
    Kendra Wait's sister, Cassie Wait, played at libero Kansas from 2013-16, helping the Jayhawks to the 2015 Final Four. Wait shares the program record for matches played (127), ranks second in both digs (1,958) and sets played (466), and was named Big 12 Libero of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American in 2016.

The Gauntlet
Coming off a week that featured a Sept. 10 match at No. 5 Nebraska and a Sept. 15 contest at No. 4 Louisville, Creighton's non-conference gauntlet continues this week as it meets up with No. 6 Purdue (Sept. 20) and No. 10 Kansas (Sept. 21). For good measure, Creighton also hosted No. 20 USC on Sept. 5.
    This is the fifth time in program history that Creighton has played five or more Top 25 opponents prior to conference play, also doing so in 2014 (going 0-5), 2015 (1-4), 2017 (3-3) and 2019 (2-3).
    This will be the first time that Creighton has ever played three consecutive matches against Top 10 foes.
    This will also be the first time Creighton has played four Top 10 teams in the same month.
    The only other Bluejay teams to play four Top 10 teams in the same season were in 2015 (5, with one of those in the NCAA Tournament), 2016 (4, with two of those in the NCAA Tournament), 2018 (4) and 2019 (4, with one of those in the NCAA Tournament). The challenging schedule paid off in each case, as those previous four teams went a combined 70-2 in league play and 8-0 in league tournament action and 7-4 in NCAA Tournament play.
    The only other time Creighton has previously played five ranked teams in the same month was September of 2017, a stretch that also featured matches on consecutive days against ranked Purdue and Kansas teams in Lawrence.

Spoilermakers
Then-No. 18 Creighton swept then-No. 16 Purdue in the second match of the 2023 season, doing so inside a sold out Holloway Gymnasium.
    The victory made Creighton the first non-conference team to beat Purdue in West Lafayette since Kentucky on Aug. 27, 2016, snapping a 35-match win streak, as well as the first non-conference club to sweep the Boilermakers at home since Dayton on Aug. 31, 2007.

Stepping Up
Creighton's played three ranked teams in the past two weeks and has two more coming up this weekend.
    Maddy Bilinovic has averaged 4.64 digs per set, compared to 3.67 digs per set versus unranked foes.
    Sydney Breissinger averages 2.57 digs per set against Top 25 competition compared to 1.72 digs per set in the remaining contests.

Bilinovic Earns BIG EAST Honor
Creighton libero Maddy Bilinovic has been named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after pacing the conference with 69 digs last week.
    In addition to averaging 4.31 digs per set, Bilinovic contributed 13 assists and was aced just once in 65 service receptions across the four matches. She landed a spot on the Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team on Sunday.
    Bilinovic opened the week with 18 digs and five assists in a 3-2 loss at No. 5 Nebraska, then had 11 digs and four assists vs. Northern Iowa.
    The Independence, Ohio, native added 13 digs and a pair of aces on Saturday vs. Rice before concluding her busy week with a career-high 27 digs in addition two three assists in a 3-2 match at No. 4 Louisville. That pushed her over 900 career digs.
    This is the first BIG EAST honor for Bilinovic, who spent the first four seasons of her career at Penn State before transferring to Creighton in January.

All-Tourney Pair
Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger both represented Creighton on the Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team.
    Bilinovic averaged 4.64 digs per set while also adding eight assists and two aces.
    Goetzinger owned 23 kills (2.09 kps.) and 12 blocks (1.09 bps.) and hit .308.

4,000 And Counting
Kendra Wait surpassed the 4,000 assist mark in Sunday's match at No. 4 Louisville and heads to the Jayhawk Classic with 4,016 in her career.
    That puts her just three helpers shy of fourth in program history, and less than 200 assists away from third place.
Career Assists
        Name    Sets    No.    Years
    1.    Korie Lebeda    428    5,281    2005-08
    2.    Megan Bober    480    4,359    2009-12
    3.    Kailey Reyes    368    4,207    1998-01
    4.    Melissa Weisensee    411    4,018    1994-97
    5.    Kendra Wait    378    4,016    2021-Pr.
    6.    Brittany Coleman    259    2,711    2003-05
    7.    Lydia Dimke    237    2,614    2016-17
    8.    Madelyn Cole    225    2,469    2018-19
    9.    Michelle Sicner    384    2,014    2011-14
    10.    Maggie Baumert    191    1,975    2014-15

Doubling Up
Kendra Wait has had a double-double in six matches this season, and finished one dig shy in each of the three others.
    Wait's 59 double-doubles (in 109 matches played) rank fourth-most in program history with at least 20 matches still on the schedule.
Career Matches With a Double-Double, Career
    D-D    Name    Years
    65    Melissa Weisensee    1994-97
    64    Kailey Reyes    1998-01
    60    Melissa Walsh    1998-01
    59    Kendra Wait    2021-Present
    58    Jaali Winters    2015-18
    57    Megan Bober    2009-12
    56    Korie Lebeda    2005-08

Familiar Faces
Creighton's Norah Sis played alongside Purdue's Chloe Chicoine and Raven Colvin while winning a Gold Medal at the U21 Women's NORCECA Pan American Cup in the summer of 2022, as well as Eva Hudson and Chicoine in the summer of 2023. In 2023, Chicoine was named the Tournament's Best Spiker, while Sis was named Second Best Spiker.
    Purdue sophomore Grace Heaney hails from Omaha and starred at Elkhorn North High School. One of Heaney's teammates with the Wolves in both volleyball and basketball was Reese Booth, the daughter of Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who is now a setter at Northern Iowa. Another teammate was Creighton sophomore Destiny Ndam-Simpson.

Milestone Watch
Creighton's student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones.
    Norah Sis owns 899 career digs, one shy of 900.
    Ava Martin has 783 kills, 17 short of 800.
    Kiara Reinhardt owns 296 career blocks, just four away from 300.
    Kendra Wait enters the weekend 10 blocks back of Reinhardt with 286 career rejections.

Can You Dig It?
Maddy Bilinovic led the BIG EAST with 69 digs last week, which helped her reach 100 digs at Creighton in her eighth match as a Bluejay (vs. Rice).
    Bilinovic is one of seven Bluejays to reach the century mark in her first eight matches or less.
Creighton's Quickest Players To 100 Digs (Career)
Name    MP    Date    Opponent
Bianca Rivera    6    09/02/07    Cal Poly
Brittany Witt    6    09/08/16    #4 Kansas
Abby Bottomley    7    09/08/21    #3 Nebraska
Nayka Benitez    8    09/12/09    Connecticut
Ellie Bolton    8    03/06/21    DePaul
Allison Whitten    8    09/09/22    vs. Florida State
Maddy Bilinovic    8    09/14/24    vs. Rice

Avoiding Losing Streaks
One key to Creighton's extended success over the last dozen years has been its ability to bounce back after a loss.
    The Bluejays have won their last 24 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.
    And if that's not enough, EVERY SINGLE OTHER TEAM in the country (all 347 of them) has had a multi-match losing streak since Creighton's last skid and every other team in the BIG EAST had a multi-match losing streak last season alone.
    Creighton has also won its last 16 matches after a five-set loss, a streak that dates back to early in the 2016 campaign.
    With the Bluejays coming off a 3-2 loss on Sunday at No. 4 Louisville, both streaks are on the line on Friday vs. No. 6 Purdue.
    And while not in jeopardy on Friday, it's still worth bragging about that Creighton has also not lost back-to-back matches against conference foes since a three-match losing streak in November of 2011.

No Losers Here
Creighton has been as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.
    Creighton, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Texas, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin are the nation's only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 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, 2022 and 2023 seasons are Creighton, Pittsburgh and Texas.
    Creighton is one of just two schools nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-23 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year). That group consists of BYU and Creighton.

Hunting The Top 10
Creighton is 8-36 all-time against top-10 teams, including an 8-29 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
    Seven of the eight victories came away from home, including three sweeps. All four top-five triumphs were also away from home.
    The highest-ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten are No. 3 Washington (8/26/2017) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/2021), both on the road.
Date    Opponent    Score
09/05/15    vs. #10 Kentucky (Cedar Falls, Iowa)    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
08/24/18    vs. #5 Kentucky (Los Angeles, Calif.)    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

I'm Nationwide
With a 176-13 record against BIG EAST teams since 2014, it's safe to say the 10-time defending BIG EAST champion Creighton Volleyball program has proven itself over the last decade in league play.
    This year, it's going national. The Bluejays have beaten a team from each of the other "Power Four" conferences, as well as two teams from its former league, the MVC. The Bluejays are...
    1-0 vs. American Athletic Conference teams
    1-1 vs. Atlantic Coast Conference teams
    1-0 vs. Big 12 Conference teams
    1-1 vs. Big Ten Conference teams
    2-0 vs. Missouri Valley Conference teams
    1-0 vs. Southeastern Conference teams

A Bunch of Winners
Creighton's 29 victories last season were tied for sixth-most in the nation and its .853 win percentage was tied for ninth-best.
    Additionally, Creighton's 87 victories in the previous three seasons (2020-22) are tied for fourth in the country (behind only Louisville, Pitt and Wisconsin) and its 312 wins in the previous 12 campaigns is sixth-most (behind only WKU, Nebraska, Texas, Penn State and BYU).
    Creighton also ranked tied for first nationally in fewest sets lost (22) last year with Nebraska and Dayton. Creighton has won 63-of-74 sets in its past 22 matches dating to midway through last season.
    This weekend, Creighton will play two teams that enter the week having lost a combined five sets, which ranks among the national leaders.
Fewest Sets Lost in 2023
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    22    Creighton
    22    Nebraska
    22    Dayton
4.    23    Wisconsin
    23    Tennessee
    23    Western Michigan

Fewest Sets Lost in 2024 (through 9/15)
Rk.    Sets Lost    Team
1.    0    Pittsburgh
2.    2    Kansas
    2    Tennessee Tech
4.    3    Purdue
    3    Penn State
    3    Texas A&M
    3    Syracuse

Set-tle Down
Sunday's loss in Louisville was just Creighton's 16th loss in 110 matches since the start of the 2021 season.
    Since the start of the 2021 season, Creighton is 72-3 in three-set matches, 13-4 in four-set matches and 9-9 in five set contests.

The Streak At Home
Creighton had its first unbeaten home season in program history last year, going a perfect 13-0 in matches and 39-3 in sets.
    With five more wins this season, the Bluejays have set a program record with 18 straight home wins, surpassing a 15-match home win streak from Sept. 7-Nov. 30, 2018 that had been the standard.
    Creighton's 18-match home win streak is the fifth-ongest active streak in the country.
    Creighton has won 47 of its last 48 sets played at D.J. Sokol Arena overall.
Creighton's Longest Home Win Streaks
Wins    Dates    Snapped By
    18    Sept. 1, 2023 - Present    TBD
    15    Sept. 7 - Nov. 30, 2018    #22 Washington, 3-0
    13    Sept. 1, 2012 - Sept. 7, 2013    California, 3-0
    13    Sept. 9, 2016-Sept. 1, 2017    #18 USC, 3-0

Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks (9/17)
Wins    Team    Next Home Match
    30    Nebraska    9/18 vs. #2 Stanford
    29    Stephen F. Austin    9/19 vs. Boise State
    27    Yale    10/5 vs. Princeton
    19    Wisconsin    9/20 vs. Troy
    18    Creighton    9/27 vs. Providence
    17    Pittsburgh    9/18 vs. #3 Penn State

Birds Of A Feather
Creighton has showcased a pair of new jerseys this season, as Nike designed some custom-made uniforms.
    Both the white and navy ("Midnight Jays") jerseys are sleeveless in a drastic change from past years.
    The uniforms also feature several different colors of "Hyper-Elite" arm sleeves, which the players wear on their arms and can be mix & matched for a number of uniform combinations.
    If you look closely, the arms sleeves also have a feather design pattern, a nod to Creighton's Bluejay nickname.

Top 25 History
Creighton is 208-47 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 22-27 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark is 2-3 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.
    Since the start of the 2012 season, 42 of Creighton's 76 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 294-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 110 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 156 matches at all sites against unranked teams.
Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 22-27)
Home: 10-9    Away: 7-11     Neutral: 5-7
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
11/05/23    #17 Creighton    #25 Marquette    3-0
12/07/23    #7 Louisville    #17 Creighton    2-3
09/05/24    #11 Creighton    #20 USC    3-1
09/10/24    #5 Nebraska    #9 Creighton    2-3
09/15/24    #4 Louisville    #9 Creighton    12-3
09/20/24    #9 Creighton vs. #6 Purdue    4 p.m.
09/21/24    #9 Creighton at #10 Kansas    3 p.m

127 Weeks As A Ranked Team
Creighton is ranked ninth in this week's AVCA poll, the 127th time in program history it's been ranked. That's 41st-most of all programs in NCAA history.
    This week is Creighton's 23rd week as a Top 10 team, something the program hadn't done since 2019 before this year.
    The No. 9 ranking matches the program's top mark since 2019, when it was No. 9 on Nov. 4, 2019. CU's best ranking ever was No. 7 on Aug. 28, 2017.
    All 127 rankings have occurred since 2012 and under the direction of Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
    The Bluejays are one of 15 schools (along with Baylor, BYU, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 50 polls.
    Since the start of the 2017 season, here's which teams have been ranked the most weeks:
Most Weeks Ranked Since 2017
    Rk.    Weeks    Team
    1.    122*    Florida
        122*    Kentucky
        122*    Texas
    4.    113    Nebraska
        113    Penn State
        113    BYU
        113    Purdue
        113    Wisconsin
    9.    111*    Baylor
    10.    107    Creighton
    11.    106*    Pittsburgh
    12.    105    Stanford
        105    Minnesota
    14.    98    Oregon
    15.    91    Washington
    16.    86*    Louisville
* includes 9 weeks in Fall of 2020 when most schools didn't play

Her Kind Of City
Kentucky transfer Elise Goetzinger is a perfect 13-0 in matches played in Omaha in her career.
    Goetzinger started all five of UK's matches en route to the 2020 national title (in the spring of 2021), which were played in CHI Health Center Omaha's convention center and arena. The Wildcats beat UNLV, No. 18 Western Kentucky, No. 9 Purdue, No. 7 Washington and No. 5 Texas en route to the championship.
    In 2022 Goetzinger was named to the All-Tournament Team while helping the Wildcats to the Bluejay Invitational title with wins over UNI, No. 17 Creighton and No. 25 USC.
    During those 13 wins, Goetzinger owns 86 kills and 46 blocks while hitting .425 in 43 sets played.

Jays Earn Tourney Titles
Creighton's Bluejay Invitational title on the opening weekend of the fall season marked the 13th straight season that Creighton has won at least one tournament, a streak that dates to 2012. The Jays added to their haul last weekend with the Creighton Classic crown.
     During that span, the Bluejays have won 33 tournament titles, not to mention 10 regular-season league crowns.
    Creighton has also now won at least one home tournament each of the last eight seasons.
    Creighton won five different tournaments last season, tying a program record, and outside of the NCAA Tournament has now won seven of the eight tournaments it has played in.
Creighton's Tournament Titles Since 2012
Year    Titles Won    Tourney Hosts
2012    3    USF, UNC, MVC
2013    1    BGSU
2014    1    CU, BIG EAST
2015    1    BIG EAST
2016    1    BIG EAST
2017    4    WASH, CU, KU, BIG EAST
2018    3    SMU, CU, BIG EAST
2019    2    UNI, CU
2020    1    BIG EAST
2021    5    MIZZ, UK, CU, WSU, BIG EAST
2022    3    WYO, UNO, BIG EAST
2023    5    Purdue, CU, UNO, MINN, BIG EAST
2024    2    CU, CU

Packed House
Creighton announced in July that it had sold out of season tickets, and fans have shown up in a big way this fall.
    The Bluejays are averaging 2,346 fans per home match (21st-best nationally), including a crowd of 2,569 on Aug. 30 vs. NC State that was the third-largest volleyball crowd ever inside D.J. Sokol Arena.
Creighton Volleyball's Largest Home Crowds
    Att.    Opponent    Date    CU Result    Facility
    15,797    #2 Nebraska    09/07/22    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    14,022    #7 Nebraska    09/06/18    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    13,081    #18 Cal Poly    09/02/07    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    12,112    #1 Nebraska    09/24/06    L 1-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    11,279    #3 Nebraska    09/08/21    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    10,131    #4 Nebraska    09/15/15    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    8,037    #2 Nebraska    10/05/08    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.
    2,653    Auburn    12/02/22    L 2-3    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,578    #13 Kentucky    09/01/17    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,569    NC State    08/30/24    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,568    Minnesota    12/02/23    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,563    Colgate    12/01/23    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,552    South Dakota    11/30/18    W 3-0    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,517    Coastal Carolina    12/01/17    W 3-1    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,514    #7 Nebraska    08/31/10    L 0-3    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,509    #22 Washington    12/01/18    L 0-3    D.J. Sokol Arena
    2,504    #9 Marquette    11/22/19    W 3-1    D.J. Sokol Arena

Any Stat Will Do
Since joining the BIG EAST a dozen years ago, Creighton has been dominant when it wins just about any stat category, as seen below:
Statistic    W    L    Pct.
With Better Hitting Pct.    281    9    .969
When Hitting .250+    198    6    .971
When Hitting .300+    108    0    1.000
When Serving 10+ Aces    17    2    .895
When Owning More Kills    270    21    .928
When Owning More Aces    202    21    .906
When Owning More Digs    233    21    .917
When Owning More Blocks    213    17    .926

Olympians Made Here
Taryn Kloth made history earlier this summer when the 2018 graduate became the first former Creighton student-athlete to compete in the Olympics.
    The South Dakota native paired with Kristen Nuss to tie for ninth place in Beach Volleyball, winning their first three matches before losing to a team from Canada that went on to win the silver medal.
    Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth and associate head coach Angie Oxley Behrens both made the trip to Paris to watch three of Kloth's matches.
    Kloth was a First Team All-BIG EAST choice in 2016 and 2018 and named BIG EAST Tournament MVP in 2017. She ranks fourth in CU history with 1,427 career kills and won four BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles.

61*
Creighton Volleyball traditionally owns one of the nation's top non-conference schedules, but head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth might have outdone herself this year.
    All 11 of Creighton's non-conference matches are against teams with a Top 61 RPI last year.
    Each of the top four teams that Creighton plays from that list will be faced outside of Omaha.
2023 RPI    School    2024 CU Result
1    at Nebraska    L 2-3
6    at Louisville    L 2-3
13    vs. Purdue
15    at Kansas
30    USC    W 3-1
34    Missouri    W 3-0
35    vs. Northern Iowa    W 3-0
43    NC State    W 3-0
52    Drake    W 3-0
60    vs. Rice    W 3-0
61    Kansas State    W 3-0

12 Straight NCAA's
Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous 12 seasons. They are the first women's team in any sport at Creighton to make 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
    The only other sport in Creighton history to make 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances is the men's soccer program, which qualified in 17 straight seasons from 1992-2008.
     Creighton is one of seven teams nationally to have appeared in each of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments (2012-23). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.
    There are also 13 schools that have appeared in 13 of the last 14 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai'i, Minnesota, Purdue, San Diego, Stanford and Washington. Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, and Texas have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.

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 11-15 against ranked non-conference foes over the last eight 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
2003    3-8    0-0    12-18
2004    8-2    0-1    18-11
2005    6-5    0-3    16-14
2006    8-3    0-1    21-10
2007    6-5    0-3    21-10
2008    3-5    0-3    18-9
2009    3-8    0-3    14-17
2010    5-5    0-1    21-12
2011    5-7    0-1    17-14
2012    9-2    0-1    29-4
2013    9-3    1-2    23-9
2014    7-6    0-5    25-9
2015    6-7    1-4    27-9
2016    6-6    0-4    29-7
2017    7-4    3-3    26-7
2018    8-4    1-3    29-5
2019    7-3    2-3    25-6
2020    3-2    0-0    12-4
2021    12-1    1-1    31-4
2022    8-3    1-2    27-5
2023    9-2    2-1    29-5
2024    7-2    1-2    TBD

Starting At Home?
Creighton started the season with the Bluejay Invitational, the first time since the COVID-affected 2020 season (in the spring of 2021) that the Jays began at home.
    Take away that most unusual campaign and you'll find that Creighton hadn't started a fall season at home since 2010.
    This year marked the first time ever that Creighton has started a season with five straight home matches.

Preseason Ranking
Creighton was ranked 12th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 19th. It's the 10th time in the past 12 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and third year in a row.
    The No. 12 slotting was the second-best preseason ranking in program history.
    Over the last 16 seasons, 295-of-400 teams (73.8 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and since 2008 362-of-400 teams (90.5 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but preseason No. 13 San Diego, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 23 Rice reached the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
    This year marks the 13th 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    29-5    15th
    2024    12th    TBD    TBD

Sis Is Killing It
Norah Sis enters Friday ranked eighth in Creighton history with 1,349 career kills.
    She has a chance to move into the top four by early October.
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.    Norah Sis    338    1,349    2021-Pr.
    9.    Leah McNary    458    1,257    2011-14
    10.    Marysa Wilkinson    499    1,183    2014-17

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 477-3 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity, falling only when it wasted two match points on Sept. 4, 2010 to Iowa, two match points on Nov. 1, 2013 in a loss to St. John's, and two match points on Dec. 7, 2019 in an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 7 Minnesota.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date    Opponent    MP(s) Faced    Final Set 5
08/30/03    vs. McNeese State    13-14, 15-16    18-16
10/10/03    Wichita State    13-14    16-14
10/13/06    at Wichita State    12-14, 13-14, 14-15    17-15
09/11/07    at Drake    13-14, 14-15    17-15
08/26/11    vs. UTSA    12-14, 13-14    16-14
11/16/12    at Wichita State    13-14    16-14
09/20/15    Kansas State    23-24 (4th set)    15-13
11/20/15    at Georgetown    23-24, 26-27 (4th set)    15-7
08/24/18    vs. #5 Kentucky    16-15, 19-18    22-20

Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 70-41 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 29 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 in 2022 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
1994    0-2    5-20
1995    0-2    11-19
1996    2-6    9-19
1997    3-5    15-13
1998    2-3    7-18
1999    3-3    13-15
2000    3-3    16-12
2001    1-1    14-13
2002    1-3    3-23
2003    5-1    12-18
2004    4-0    18-11
2005    3-1    16-14
2006    4-2    21-10
2007    2-0    21-10
2008    2-3    18-9
2009    1-4    14-17
2010    3-3    21-12
2011    5-2    17-14
2012    4-1    29-4
2013    3-2    23-9
2014    3-2    25-9
2015    5-2    27-9
2016    4-3    29-7
2017    4-1    26-7
2018    3-2    29-5
2019    2-1    25-6
2020    4-2    12-4
2021    1-1    31-4
2022    6-3    27-5
2023    2-3    29-5
2024    0-2    7-2 so far
Total    85-69    570-343

Champions Among Champions
Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, Texas and Western Kentucky are the nation's only schools to have won 11 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton's 11 crowns were outright titles, whereas Texas shared one title and WKU shared five.
    Creighton has also won 10 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.
Most Conference Titles 2012-2023
Regular-Season    League Tournament
11 (3 shared) Creighton    10 Creighton
11 (1) Texas    9 Dayton
11 (5) Western Kentucky    9 Western Kentucky
10 (1) Fairfield    8 Fairfield
8 (8) Florida A&M    7 LIU
8 (4) Yale
8 (2) BYU
8 (1) Colorado State

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
Creighton Volleyball was the unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches.
    Creighton earned 10 first place votes to earn the maximum 100 points. Marquette earned Creighton's first place vote (coaches can't vote for their own teams) as well as nine other second-place votes to finish second in the poll with 91 points.
    St. John's (80) was picked third, just ahead of DePaul (74) and Butler (58). Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were Xavier (49), Seton Hall (40), Villanova (39), Connecticut (33), Georgetown (27) and Providence (14).
    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 third straight fall.
    Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of it or better in the preseason poll in 19 of 21 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
2020    1st (MW)    1st (MW)    - -
2021    1st    T-1st    - -
2022    1st    T-1st    - -
2023    2nd    T-1st    #1
2024    1st    ???    ???

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 22-2 in the match following a five-setter.

Home Sweet Home
Creighton is in its 12th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
    Since then, the Bluejays are 100-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (91-3 in the regular-season, 9-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).
    Since November of 2014, Creighton is 84-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 76-1 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 the fall of 2020, Bluejay seniors Abbey Milner, Kendra Wait and Norah Sis are 28-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 84-8 in sets.
    Creighton has won 34 straight regular-season sets against BIG EAST opponents inside D.J. Sokol Arena, as well as 34 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.

BIG EAST'S Best
Since the reconfigufration 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.
    Creighton owns 10 regular-season titles (3 shared) in that time, while Marquette owns four regular-season (3 shared) crowns.
    As it relates to BIG EAST Tournament titles, Creighton has won nine, Marquette one and St. John's one.
    Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:
BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 - Sept. 15, 2024
             BIG EAST only    All     matches
Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L
Creighton (11)    170    16    290    72
Marquette (10)    153    30    262    87
Xavier    108    76    171    158
Butler    98    88    173    160
St. John's (1)    94    92    205    151
Villanova (1)    91    95    176    153
Seton Hall (1)    80    105    160    173
DePaul    55    131    134    190
Georgetown    40    138    107    204
Connecticut#    30    32    62    54
Providence*    29    141    109    191
*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and
its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.
#Connecticut rejoined the league in 2020 and
its record from 2013-19 (96-121) is not included above.

2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 396-11 (.973) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 339-5 mark (.985) under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. CU is 262-3 (.989) when up 2-0 dating to September of 2009, and 135-1 (.993) 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 94.9 percent of their matches from 2014-23.
    Conversely, the Jays are 17-208 (.076) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, and 15-109 (.121) 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

Set 1 Result A Strong Indicator
Creighton is 406-36 (.919) overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when it wins set one. In that same time span, CU is just 71-155 (.314) under Booth when it drops the first set.
    Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that lost the first set won just 20.3 percent of their matches from 2014-23.
    Since Aug. 29, 2010, Creighton has gone 153-5 in its last 158 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 138-6 in its last 144 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 14-21 record in that same span when dropping the opener.
    Creighton has gone 177-4 in its last 181 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening set.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
This year's team has nine matches scheduled against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament with contests scheduled against Marquette (2x), Nebraska, Kansas, Purdue, Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC and Missouri.
    After going 3-35 against teams coming off NCAA Tournament bids prior to Kirsten Bernthal Booth's arrival, the Jays are 107-109 since, including a 3-2 record this year.
Year    W-L vs. Previous Season NCAA Teams
1994    0-4
1995    0-2
1996    0-2
1997    0-3
1998    0-5
1999    2-4
2000    0-4
2001    1-6
2002    0-5
2003    0-3
2004    2-2
2005    0-6
2006    4-6
2007    4-9
2008    6-8
2009    1-11
2010    4-7
2011    2-6
2012    8-3
2013    6-6
2014    4-5
2015    11-5
2016    10-7
2017    8-6
2018    8-5
2019    5-4
2020    3-1
2021    3-1
2022    5-4
2023    11-3
2024    3-2 so far
TOTAL    111-145
TOTAL Under Booth    108-110

Lucky 13
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in some select company, as she has directed her team to 13 NCAA Tournaments. That's more than any other coach in Creighton history.
Name    Sport    NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth    Volleyball    13
Bob Warming    Men's Soccer    11
Greg McDermott    Men's Basketball    9
Dana Altman    Men's Basketball    7
Brent Vigness    Softball    7
Jim Flanery    Women's Basketball    7
Elmar Bolowich    Men's Soccer    6

10 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles
Regular-season champions from 2014-23, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 10 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 10 or more straight league titles, doubling the five in a row by the men's soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.

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 477 victories on the Bluejay sideline to rank fifth in school history across all sports.
Coach, Sport    Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball    819
Ed Servais, Baseball    678*
Mary Higgins, Softball    564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis    542*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball    477*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball    427*
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

Against The BIG EAST
Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning percentage better than .750 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.
    The Bluejays own 189 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 30 more wins than Marquette for most in the league.
    CU still has not lost to three league foes (DePaul, Georgetown, Providence) since joining the BIG EAST, and Marquette (6), 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    20-1    -    20-1
Connecticut    3-1    1-0    4-1
DePaul    22-0    2-0    24-0
Georgetown    20-0    -    20-0
Marquette    17-5    6-1    23-6
Providence    16-0    -    16-0
Seton Hall    17-3    2-0    19-3
St. John's    18-2    1-1    19-3
Villanova    17-3    3-0    20-3
Xavier    20-1    4-0    24-1
Total    170-16    19-2    189-18

Production Returns
Creighton returns 13-of-18 letterwinners to the court from last season, including four starters.
    From last year's team, only Kiana Schmitt, Ellie Bichelmeyer, Ann Marie Remmes, Ellie Bolton and Morgan Colangelo are not back.
    All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 516.2 of a possible 700% back (73.7 percent).
    Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat    Returners    Departures
Assists    1,457 (93.3%)    105 (6.7%)
Aces    155 (87.1%)    23 (12.9%)
Digs    1486 (79.4%)    385 (20.6%)
Points    1434.0 (67.5%)    691.5 (32.5%)
Kills    1,134 (67.3%)    552 (32.7%)
Matches Started    135 (66.2%)    69 (33.8%)
Blocks    145.0 (55.4%)    116.5 (44.6%)

President Booth
Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth is the current President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, having started her service on January 1, 2024.
    She is also 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.

#9 Volleyball To Close Non-Conference With Top 10 Foes in Lawrence

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ellie Bichelmeyer

Maddy Bilinovic

Ellie Bolton

Sydney Breissinger

Morgan Colangelo

Elise Goetzinger

Jaya Johnson

Ava Martin

Abbey Milner

Destiny Ndam-Simpson

Kiara Reinhardt

Ann Marie Remmes

Kiana Schmitt

Norah Sis

Ava TeStrake

Kendra Wait