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#11 Volleyball Opens NCAA Tourney Thursday vs. UNC

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2025 NCAA Tournament – First Round

Omaha, Neb. • D.J. Sokol Arena • Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

4:30 PM: Utah Utes (15-14) vs. Northern Iowa Panthers (25-5)

| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | PROGRAM | UNI NOTES | UTAH NOTES |

30 minutes after the 4:30 p.m. match ends: Northern Colorado Bears (17-15) at #11 Creighton Bluejays (25-5)

| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UNC NOTES | PROGRAM |

Next Up

Tenth-seeded and No. 11 ranked Creighton will host the First and Second Rounds of the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Tournament inside D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.

    Play gets underway on Thursday, Dec. 4, when Utah (15-14) faces sixth-seeded Northern Iowa (25-5) in the first match of the day at 4:30 p.m.

    Approximately thirty minutes after that match ends, third-seeded Creighton (25-5) takes on Northern Colorado (17-15).

    Thursday’s First Round winners will face off on Friday in the Second Round at 6:30 p.m., with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line for the victor.

Broadcast Information

All three matches will be streamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription and can be watched at http://watchespn.com.

    Jon Schriner and Shannon Smolinski will broadcast the action.

 

Live Stats Information

Links to live stats for the NCAA Tournament will be placed on the Creighton Volleyball Schedule page at GoCreighton.com.

Scouting #11 Creighton

Ranked No. 11 nationally and the No. 10 overall seed, Creighton enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-5 record thanks to 20 straight victories. The Bluejays went 16-0 in BIG EAST play, dropping just four sets in league action, en route to a 12th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, then swept both BIG EAST Tournament matches to win a sixth straight postseason title.

    Seniors Ava Martin (4.43 kps., 0.42 saps., .328%), Kiara Reinhardt (2.51 kps., .435%, 0.98 bps.) and Annalea Maeder (10.66 aps., 0.44 saps.) are playing at an All-American level to lead the Bluejays.

    Saige Damrow (2.76 dps.) and Sydney Breissinger (2.91 dps., 0.37 saps.) have both seen time at libero and along with Nora Wurtz (0.64 saps.) have helped the Bluejays rank third nationally with 2.25 aces per set as a team.

     CU averages 14.07 kills, 13.50 digs and 2.14 blocks per set while hitting .292.. 

Scouting Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado is 17-15 on the season and earned the automatic bid from the Big Sky Conference after winning its league tournament last week.

    The Bears started the schedule 3-10 but have finished strong, including six wins in their last seven outings.

    Highlighting the UNC slate was five-set wins over Washington and Colorado State, as well as a five-set losses at BYU and to Colorado.

    Northern Colorado is paced by the potent four-headed attack of Alayna Tessena (3.14 kps.), Brynn Reines (2.77 kps.), Zoe Gibbs (2.16 kps.) and Isabel Bennett (2.08 kps.).

    Nerea Alvarez-Jorge (8.29 aps.) and Mia Liddiard (3.67 aps.) have each handled the setting role, and Bella LePore (3.60 dps.) is the libero. Bennett’s 1.02 blocks per set lead the Bears.

    The Bears average 12.75 kills, 1.28 aces, 14.08 digs an 2.16 blocks per set on .213 hitting.

Series History vs. Northern Colorado

Creighton is 3-1 all-time against Northern Colorado in the regular-season, including a 2-0 record in Omaha.

    CU lost the initial meeting in 2004 in four sets at the Comcast Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, but have since swept the Bears in 2005, 2012 and 2013.

    Brian Rosen has never faced Lyndsey Oates, nor Northern Colorado. Oates is 0-3 against Creighton. Her first match as UNC head coach came in Omaha against the Bluejays on Aug. 26, 2005 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

    The teams also met on Aug. 19, 2023 in an exhibition match inside D.J. Sokol Arena. Creighton won that contest 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20, 15-10 in a battle that was predetermined to play the full five sets no matter what.

Creighton Coaches

Brian Rosen was named the fourth head coach in modern Creighton Volleyball history on April 6, 2025, as he was promoted following the departure of 22-year head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. He is 25-5 as Creighton head coach, defeating No. 14 Kansas on Aug. 31 for his first win on the Bluejay sideline, and becoming the BIG EAST’s first rookie head coach since 2014 to win 20+ matches in his first year in the league.

    Named the 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Rosen served as a Creighton assistant from 2022-24, during which time CU went 88-13, swept the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament tiles each fall, and defeated 10 Top 25 opponents.

    Rosen led Creighton to the BIG EAST regular-season and Tournament titles in 2025 and a return to the NCAA Tournament.

    The 2008 South Carolina grad went 45-17 as head coach at Division II Nova Southeastern from 2019-21, though the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 without playing a match.

    Rosen is assisted by Angie Oxley Behrens, Adam Kessenich and Izzy Ashburn.

With A Win…

With a win on Thursday against Northern Colorado, Creighton would…

– Win its 68th straight match against an unranked team.

– Win its 56th straight non-televised match.

– Stretch its season-high win streak to 21, tied for the third-longest win streak in program history.

– Improve to 18-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round.

– Improve to 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament with its fifth straight win.

– Win its 11th straight home match this fall.

– Improve to 4-1 against Northern Colorado.

– Win 26 or more matches for the 10th time.

– Earn itself a Second Round home match against either Utah or Northern Iowa, to be held on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

Milestone Watch

Creighton’s student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones heading into the week…

Ava Martin owns 124 career aces, one behind Melissa Weisensee for third place in CU history.

Eloise Brandewie owns 297 career blocks and is three shy of 300. She’s also four kills shy of 450.

Nora Wurtz owns 55 aces. She can pass  Ava Martin (56 in 2024) and Molly Moran (59 in 2000) to set the CU single-season record. Her 34 aces inside D.J. Sokol Arena are one behind Ava Martin’s record 35 set last fall.

Destiny Ndam-Simpson is one kill shy of 250.

Brian Rosen can become the BIG EAST’s first rookie head coach to win an NCAA Touranment match since Louisville’s Anne Kordes in 2011.

Creighton’s NCAA Tournament History

Creighton is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past 16 years after earning a 14th straight bid to the Big Dance. The Bluejays made their NCAA debut in 2010 and have been in every tournament since then with the exception of 2011.

    The Bluejays are 17-14 in those first 14 appearances, and have knocked off the likes of Iowa State (2010 and 2019), Marquette (2012), Arkansas (2013), Coastal Carolina (2015 and 2017),  No. 23 North Carolina (2015), Northern Iowa (2016),  No. 4 Kansas (2016), No. 17 Michigan (2016), South Dakota (2018 and 2024), Ole Miss (2021 and 2024), Colgate (2023), Minnesota (2023) and No. 13 Texas (2024).

    Creighton is 11-3 in First Round play, 4-7 in the Second Round, 2-2 in the Regional Semifinals and 0-2 in the Regional Finals. The Bluejays are 7-4 at home, 8-4 in neutral-site matches and 2-6 in true road matches. 

    Brian Rosen is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time as Creighton head coach.

NCAA Tourney Streak

The inclusion of Creighton Volleyball into the 2025 NCAA Tournament extends an impressive  streak for Bluejay athletics.

    This year marks the 39th straight academic calendar year that Creighton has had at least one NCAA Tournament team.

14 Straight NCAA’s

Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 14 seasons. They are the first women’s team in any sport at Creighton to make 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

    The only other sport in Creighton history to make even 10 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 14 NCAA Tournaments (2012-25). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.

    There are also nine schools that have appeared in 15 of the last 16 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford. Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, and Texas have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.

Against NCAA Tournament Teams

Creighton is 11-5 so far this fall against teams in the field of 64, while Northern Colorado went 0-4 against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, losing 

    In 16 matches this fall against NCAA Tournament teams, Ava Martin averaged 4.52 kills per set and hit .314, Kiara Reinhardt averaged 2.48 kills and 0.96 blocks per set while hitting .423, Annalea Maeder averaged 10.96 assists per set and Saige Damrow averaged 3.48 digs per set.

    The Jays hit .262 and averaged 14.00 kills, 1.59 aces, 14.57 digs and 2.22 blocks per set.

vs. NCAA Tournament Teams

Opponent    CU Score    UNC Score

Kansas    W 3-2    —

    W 3-0    —

Louisville    L 1-3    —

Marquette    W 3-0    —

    W 3-2    —

    W 3-0    —

Nebraska    L 2-3    —

Penn State    L 0-3    —

Rice    W 3-0    —

San Diego    W 3-1    —

South Florida    W 3-0    —

Texas    L 0-3    —

UNI    W 3-0    —

USC    L 0-3    —

Xavier    W 3-0    —

    W 3-0    —

BYU    —    L 2-3

Cal Poly    —    L 0-3

Colorado    —    L 2-3

Kansas State    —    L 0-3

Common Opponents

Creighton and Northern Colorado share just one common opponent this fall. Creighton defeated UC Santa Barbara in five sets in Los Angeles, while Northern Colorado lost to the Gauchos on the road in four sets.

vs. Common Opponents

Opponent    CU Score    UNC Score

UC Santa Barbara    W 3-1    L 1-3

UNC/Creighton Connections

Creighton and Northern Colorado don’t have much in common.

    Creighton’s Jaya Johnson and Ava TeStrake are both from Olathe, Kan., as is Northern Colorado’s Cy Rae Campbell, though they all attended different high schools.

    Northern Colorado’s Maddie Rink is a Lincoln native and attended Southwest High School.

    Creighton Athletics Assistant AD Joe Willman, who will produce this weekend’s matches for ESPN+, is a Northern Colorado grad and former student-athlete for the Bears.

We Meet Again

Creighton and Northern Colorado met on Aug. 19, 2023 in an exhibition match inside D.J. Sokol Arena. 

    Creighton won that contest 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20, 15-10 in a battle that was predetermined to play the full five sets no matter what.

    Current Creighton student-athletes who played in that match include Sky McCune, Kiara Reinhardt, Ava Martin, Ava TeStrake, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Sydney Breissinger.

    Additionally, Creighton setter Ivy Leuck played Northern Colorado once each in 2023 and 2024 while a member of the Omaha Volleyball program. The Bears won in 2023 while the Mavericks won in 2025.

Seed Value

Creighton is a top 16 national seed in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons. Only 10 schools in the country can say that, as seen below:

    Rk.    School    Top 16 Seeds Since 2015

    1.    Nebraska    11

        Texas    11

    3.    Wisconsin    10

    4.    Minnesota    9

        Kentucky    9

        Stanford    9

    7.    Creighton    8

        BYU    8

        Florida    8

        Penn State    8

Host With The Most

Creighton is hosting the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history, all of which have come since 2017.

    It’s also the fifth straight year that the Bluejays have hosted the opening weekend, something only seven schools (Creighton, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Texas and Wisconsin) can claim.

    Creighton is 5-1 in the First Round and 2-3 in the Second Round as host, advancing to the Sweet 16 in both 2023 and 2024.

Tourney Veterans

Eight members on this year’s Creighton team have previously played for the Bluejays in the NCAA Tournament. Kiara Reinhardt has played in four tournaments, Ava Martin and Sky McCune in three each, Sydney Breissinger and Destiny Ndam-Simpson in two tourneys and Jaya Johnson, Alivia Hausmann and Ava TeStrake in one tourney each as Bluejays.

    Additionally, Ivy Leuck played for Omaha’s NCAA Tournament team in 2023.

Advance In The Dance

Creighton has won a First Round match at the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous two seasons. Nationally, only 24 schools have done that, and three of those (Dayton, Missouri and Oregon) did not make the 2025 field.

    Here’s who is looking to win an NCAA Tournament match for the third straight year (or longer): Arizona State, Baylor, Creighton, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.

    Northern Colorado is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and seeking its first victory. The Bears were swept in 2011 (Hawaii), 2012 (Oregon) and 2021 (Washington State) and lost in four sets in 2009 (Washington), 2014 (Colorado), 2019 (Hawaii) and 2022 (San Diego).

Seed History

No fewer than 10-of-16 seeds have reached the Sweet 16 in each of the previous 24 seasons..

    On average in that time, 12.83 of the 16 seeds have advanced each year, or roughly 80.2 percent.

    The only times that all 16 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 was in both 2001 and 2003.

    Last year’s 11 seeded teams to advance was the fewest since 2017, when 11 advanced then too.

Year    Seeds to Sweet 16?

2024    11/16

2023    13/16

2022    15/16

2021    14/16

2020    14/16

2019    13/16

2018    12/16

2017    11/16

2016    12/16

2015    13/16

2014    13/16

2013    11/16

2012    12/15

2011    11/16

2010    11/16

2009    12/16

2008    13/16

2007    10/16

2006    15/16

2005    13/16

2004    14/16

2003    16/16

2002    13/16

2001    16/16

How Sweet It Is

Creighton has made four Sweet 16s, all of which have come in the previous 10 seasons.

    Creighton is one of 43 schools to have made a Sweet 16 since 2015, but only 19 of those teams have been there four times or more in that span.

    Here’s that list:

Most Sweet 16s, Previous 10 Years (2015-24)

    Sweet 16s    School

    10    Nebraska

    10    Texas

    10    Wisconsin

    9    Penn State

    8    Florida

    8    Minnesota

    7    Kentucky

    7    Stanford

    6    BYU

    6    Kentucky

    6    Washington

    5    Ohio State

    5    Oregon

    5    Pittsburgh

    5    Purdue

    4    Creighton

    4    Baylor

    4    Illinois

    4    UCLA

BIG EAST Goes Big Time

The BIG EAST tied a league record as three teams made the NCAA Tournament field. Creighton, Xavier and Marquette all earned a bid.

    Last year the league combined for five NCAA Tournament victories, a single-season high.

    The only BIG EAST team to ever reach the Regional Final were the 2016 and 2024 Creighton teams.

Crowd Report

Creighton attracted crowds of 2,517 and 2,665 fans last season when hosting the NCAA Tournament, two of the top 10 crowds in the 17-year history of D.J. Sokol Arena.

    That ranked eighth-best of 16 sites that hosted NCAA Tournament play last fall.

Host School    Rd. 1    Rd. 2    Total

Nebraska     8,702      8,684      17,386 

Wisconsin     6,050      7,229      13,279 

Pittsburgh     5,943      6,647      12,590 

Louisville     4,416      4,399      8,815 

Texas      3,918      4,137      8,055 

Utah      3,089      2,290      5,379 

Oregon      2,531      2,684      5,215 

Creighton      2,517      2,665      5,182 

Kentucky      2,308      2,715      5,023 

Penn State     2,516      2,470      4,986 

Arizona State     1,613      3,322      4,935 

Stanford     2,392      2,497      4,889 

Purdue      2,415      2,415      4,830 

SMU     1,911      1,957      3,868 

Kansas     1,910      1,806      3,716 

Baylor      836      1,022      1,858 

12 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles

Creighton (2014-25) is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 12 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 more than five straight league titles, more than doubling the previous high of five in a row by the men’s soccer program (1992-96) in the MVC.

    The only other volleyball team nationally with an active streak of more than six straight regular-season league titles is Kentucky, which won its ninth consecutive SEC crown this year.

Champions Among Champions

Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, and Western Kentucky are the nation’s only schools to have won 13 or more conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton’s 12 crowns were outright titles, whereas WKU has shared six championships..

    Creighton has also won 12 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.

Most Conference Titles 2012-2025

Regular-Season    League Tournament

13 (3 shared) Creighton    12 Creighton

13 (6) Western Kentucky    11 Western Kentucky

12 (1) Fairfield    10 Fairfield

11 (1) Texas    

All-Tourney Trio

Creighton had three women named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team, as Ava Martin, Annalea Maeder and Jaya Johnson were recognized.

    Martin brought home MVP honors as she averaged 6.83 kills and 1.83 digs per set on .438 hitting. It’s her fourth career All-BIG EAST Tournament accolade, joining Kendra Wait as the second Bluejay to do so four times.

    Maeder averaged 15.00 assists, 3.00 digs, .50 blocks, .33 kills and .33 aces per set. Creighton hit .369 as a team and averaged 17.67 kills per set en route to the title.

    Johnson hit .562 and averaged 3.33 kills and 1.17 digs per set. 

Martin Named National Player of the Week

Ava Martin picked up National Player of the Week honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Nov. 25th, the latest milestone in a whirlwind week for the senior outside hitter from Overland Park, Kan.

    Martin was named MVP of the BIG EAST Tournament on Nov. 23 after helping Creighton to a sixth straight league tournament title. 

    Martin averaged 6.83 kills per set on .438 hitting while also contributing 11 digs and three blocks. Martin had 24 kills and hit .432 in three sets in a semifinal win at Marquette, then put down 17 more kills on .444 hitting vs. Xavier in the final. Her 24 kills were Creighton’s most ever in a BIG EAST Tournament match and 41 overall kills a CU best for a single BIG EAST Tournament.

    The Tournament MVP recognition came two days after she was honored as BIG EAST Player of the Year. On Nov. 24th, roughly 12 hours after returning home with her fourth BIG EAST Tournament title and All-Tournament Team recognition, Martin was the second overall pick in the Major League Volleyball Draft by the Atlanta Vibe.

    Martin is the fourth player in program history to earn AVCA National Player of the Week recognition, joining Michelle Sicner (Oct. 15, 2013), Keeley Davis (Oct. 15, 2019) and Kendra Wait (Sept. 22, 2024).

Creighton’s The First With Two First Rounders

Two seniors within the Creighton Volleyball program were selected in the Major League Volleyball Draft on Nov. 24th. Ava Martin was the second overall section by the Atlanta Vibe, while Kiara Reinhardt was selected No. 8 overall in the first round by the Omaha Supernovas.

    The selections made Creighton the first school in league history to have two picks in the First Round of the same draft.

    Martin was named 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after an incredible season that sees her averaging 4.43 kills per set on .328 hitting so far this year. She’s a four-time All-BIG EAST selection, and four-time honoree on the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team, after helping the Bluejays to a 12th straight BIG EAST regular-season title and sixth consecutive BIG EAST Tournament crown. 

    This season, Martin ranks 22nd in the country in points per set, 24th in total points, 24th in kills per set, 36th in total kills and 50th in aces per set. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Overland Park, Kan., ranks fifth in CU history with 1,561 kills, fourth with 124 aces and 10th with a .297 hitting percentage. She was an AVCA Third Team All-American in 2024 after picking up Honorable Mention All-American honors as a sophomore in 2023.

    Martin was the second pick in the first round, behind only Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer to the Dallas Pulse.

    A 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Cedarburg, Wis., Reinhardt ranks 10th nationally in hitting percentage (.435), which leads the BIG EAST. She averages 2.51 kills per set and tops the team 0.98 blocks per set this fall. In her career, Reinhardt owns 781 kills and ranks fourth in CU history with 517 blocks. She also owns 59 aces and is a career .330 hitter. Reinhardt has played in a school-record 121 wins at Creighton, helping the Bluejays to six BIG EAST regular-season titles as well as six BIG EAST Tournament titles as well.

    Both Martin and Reinhardt were named All-BIG EAST Nov. 21st. It’s the fourth consecutive honor for Martin, and second straight recognition for Reinhardt.

    Martin and Reinhardt are Creighton’s third and fourth professional draft picks in the past two years, joining Norah Sis and Kendra Wait last year in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Sis was the No. 3 overall pick last year in the first round to the eventual 2025 league champion Orlando Valkyries, while Wait went 37th overall and was a fifth round selection of the defending league champion Omaha Supernovas.

Looking For More

Creighton Volleyball picked up the school’s 14th different BIG EAST Tournament title won by the school since joining the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013. All but three of those titles have been won by the volleyball program.

Creighton’s BIG EAST Tournament Titles (14)

Volleyball (11): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Baseball (2): 2019, 2025

Men’s Soccer (1): 2022

Winners Win

Through matches of Dec. 3rd, Creighton owns 265 wins over the past 10 seasons, which coincides with the start of the 2016 season.

    That ranks fourth-most nationally, and among some of the most storied programs in all the land. CU is also fifth in win percentage in the last decade.

Last 10 Seasons (2016 – Nov. 30, 2025)

     Sorted By Wins                                   Sorted By Win Percentage

1.    284    Nebraska    1.    .875    Texas    253-36

2.    279    Pittsburgh    2.    .874    Nebraska    284-41

3.    278    Western Kentucky    3.    .866    Western Kentucky    278-43

4.    265    Creighton    4.    .864    Pittsburgh    279-44

5.    257    Wisconsin    5.    .839    Creighton    265-51

6.    253    Texas    6.    .834    BYU    251-50

    253    Stephen F. Austin    7.    .832    Wisconsin    257-52

    253    Stanford    8.    .827    Stanford    253-53

What’s The Difference?

While this is Creighton’s fourth team to go unbeaten in BIG EAST play, the domination this season has been especially noteworthy, as seen in the chart below:

Year    Sets Lost    5 Setters    Pts For-Against    % of Pts.

2016    5    1    1,457-1,088    57.2

2018    6    2    1,474-1,092    57.4

2024    3    0    1,418-884    61.6

2025    4    1    1,281-883    59.2

Unbeaten in League Play

Creighton was one of eight teams in the country that did not lose a regular-season conference match this fall.

    Of those teams, Creighton’s four league sets lost trails only Nebraska.

    Set W-L    Team    League

    60-1    Nebraska    Big Ten

    48-4    Creighton    BIG EAST

    48-8    Northern Iowa    Missouri Valley

    45-9    Kentucky    Southeastern

    54-10*    Dayton    Atlantic 10

    41-13    San Diego    West Coast

    48-12*    South Dakota State    Summit

    54-13    Utah State    Mountain West

*lost in league tournament

Tough at Home

Creighton boasts one of the nation’s longest home matches with 10 straight victories inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

Nation’s  Longest Active Home Win Streaks (12/3)

Wins    Team    Next Home Match

    60    Nebraska    12/5 vs. LIU

    47    Pittsburgh    12/5 vs. UMBC

    19    Cal Poly    Next year

    18    Kentucky    12/4 vs. Wofford

    14    Arizona State    12/4 vs. Coppin State

    13    Eastern Illinois    Next year

    13    Northern Arizona    Next year

    12    Northern Iowa    Next year

    11    Fairfield    Next year

    11    Prairie View A&M    Next year

    10    Creighton    12/4 vs. Northern Colorado

    10    Utah State    Next year

    10    UTEP    Next year

Road Dubs

Creighton has won nine consecutive true road matches, a streak that started on October 2nd.  with a 3-0 win at Marquette.

    Both of CU’s previous teams to win nine straight road matches went on to reach the Elite Eight.

Creighton’s Longest Road Win Streaks

Wins    Dates    Snapped By

    9    Sept. 30-Dec. 2, 2016    at #5 Texas, 3-0

    9    Sept. 21-Nov. 24, 2024    at #2 Penn State, 3-2

    9    Oct. 2, 2025 – Present    ? ? ?

    8    Sept. 29 – Nov. 30, 2012    at #11 Minnesota, 3-1

    8    Sept. 28 – Nov. 3, 2018    at #2 Nebraska, 3-1

    8    Oct. 2, 2021-Sept. 10, 2022    at Rice, 3-2

Nation’s  Longest Active Road Win Streaks (12/3)

Wins    Team    Next Road Match

    13    Nebraska    Next year

    11    San Diego    TBD

    11    Stanford    TBD

    10    Kentucky    Next year

    10    Utah State    TBD

    10    Ball State    Next year

    9    Northern Iowa    TBD

    9    Creighton    TBD

    9    Stephen F. Austin    TBD

    8    Texas A&M    TBD

    8    American    TBD

    9    Western Kentucky    TBD

    8    South Dakota State    TBD

    8    Rice    TBD

Ava Makes History

Ava Martin joined some rare air in Creighton Athletics history as a four-time First Team All-Conference pick.

    She’s just the sixth student-athlete in school history in any sport to be named First Team All-Conference four times, joining Tara Oltman (Softball), Doug McDermott (Men’s Basketball), Jaali Winters (Volleyball), Kendra Wait (Volleyball) and Norah Sis (Volleyball).

    Additionally, Martin and Wait are the only Bluejays to be a four-time first team all-conference pick, as well as a four-time all-tournament team selection.

Back For More (Awards)

Ava Martin was named to the All-Tournament Team at the BIG EAST Championships for the fourth straight season.

    The only previous Creighton player in program history to be named a four-time All-BIG EAST Tournament honoree was Kendra Wait (2021-24). Wait earned Tournament MVP accolades as a senior last fall, while Martin earned MVP honors as a senior this fall.

    Martin was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Jaya Johnson and Annalea Maeder.

CU’s BIG EAST All-Tournament Team Picks

Maggie Baumert – 2015

Jess Bird – 2015 (MVP)

Kelli Browning – 2013

Lydia Dimke – 2016

Kate Elman – 2015

Naomi Hickman – 2018, ’20 (MVP)

Jaya Johnson – 2025

Taryn Kloth – 2017 (MVP), ’18

Annalea Maeder – 2025

Ava Martin – 2022, ’23, ’24, ’25 (MVP)

Leah McNary – 2014

Kiara Reinhardt – 2020

Kiana Schmitt – 2023 (MVP)

Norah Sis – 2021 (MVP), ’22 (MVP), ’24

Lauren Smith – 2013, ’14 (MVP), ’16

Kendra Wait – 2021, ’22, ’23, ’24 (MVP)

Annika Welty – 2020

Marysa Wilkinson – 2014, ’17

Jaali Winters – 2016 (MVP), ’18 (MVP)

Brittany Witt – 2017, ’19

Jaela Zimmerman – 2021

Streakin’

Ava Martin owns 10 or more kills in each of Creighton’s last 24 matches, the second-longest streak in program history. She already owns a 19-match streak that was snapped earlier this season. Martin is the only player in Bluejay history with multiple streaks 10-kill streaks of 14 or longer.

    Martin has led or tied for the Creighton in kills in each of the last 23 matches.

Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Kills

    58    Leah Ratzlaff, Sept. 13, 2003-Sept. 9, 2005

    24    Ava Martin, Sept. 12, 2025 – Present

    21    Jaali Winters, Oct. 6, 2015 – Aug. 28, 2016

    19    JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 26-Nov. 21, 1997

    19    Ava Martin, Oct. 18, 2024-Aug. 23, 2025

    18    Jaela Zimmerman, Nov. 16, 2019 – March 27, 2021

    15    Norah Sis, Oct. 7 – Dec. 2, 2022

    14    Kelly Goc, Sept. 8-Oct. 19, 2007

    13    JoDe Cieloha, Sept. 7-Oct. 18, 1996

    13    Jaali Winters, Nov. 12, 2016-Sept. 1, 2017

The Amazing Ava

Ava Martin had a career-high 30 kill in Creighton’s five-set win over Marquette on Nov. 1st.

    Martin owns 12 matches with 20+ kills in her career, including four times overall against Marquette.

    Martin (against Marquette) also joined Kelly Goc as the second Bluejay to post 20+ kills against the same opponent three times in the same season. Goc did it vs. Illinois State in 2006.

    Just how good has Martin been against Marquette? A whopping 174 of her 1,561 career kills (11.1 percent) have come against the Golden Eagles, even though only 11 of her 130 career matches have been against MU.

Ava Martin’s 20-Kill Matches

    Kills    Pct.    Opponent    Date

    30    .464    Marquette    11/01/25

    24    .286    vs. UC Santa Barbara    09/06/25

    24    .432    at Marquette    11/22/25

    23    .286    Villanova    11/07/25

    22    .333    #14 Marquette    11/26/22

    22    .396    Northern Iowa    09/03/23

    22    .180    at #9 Minnesota    09/16/23

    21    .230    at Xavier    09/23/23

    20    .400    at DePaul    11/22/24

    20    .405    vs. Duke    08/27/23

    20    .472    Rice    09/13/25

    20    .514    at Marquette    10/02/25

30 Kills For Martin

Ava Martin became the fifth different player in Creighton Volleyball history with 30 or more kills in a match when she did it on Nov. 1, 2025 vs. Marquette.

    Of those women, Martin’s .464 hitting percentage was the best mark. She was also the fourth Bluejay with a double-double in a match with 30+ kills.

    Martin’s 30 kills also tied the D.J. Sokol Arena record, which opened in 2009.

Creighton Players With 30+ Kills

    K    Pct.    D    Player, Opponent (Sets)    Date

    32    .406    10    Michelle Prorock, Evansville (4)    11/02/96

    31    .390    7    Keeley Davis, Marquette (5)    10/12/19

    30    .404    22    Melissa Walsh, Indiana St. (5)    10/16/98

    30    .273    13    Norah Sis, Auburn (5)    12/02/22

    30    .464    10    Ava Martin, Marquette (5)    11/01/25

Most Kills, D.J. Sokol Arena History

    K    Player, Opponent    Date

    30    Wichita St.’s Emily Stockman vs. Missouri St.    11/27/09

    30    Creighton’s Norah Sis vs. Auburn    12/02/22

    30    Creighton’s Ava Martin vs. Marquette    11/01/25

    29    USD’s Kendall Kritenbrink vs. Creghton    09/20/14

    29    UConn’s Hanna Tylska vs. Villanova    11/27/24

The 400 Club

Ava Martin is the fourth player in CU history with three different seasons of 400 kills or more, and has joined Leah Ratzlaff as just the second woman to do it in three consecutive campaigns.

    It’s not a coincidence that Jaali Winters (1,843), Norah Sis (1,664) and Ratzlaff (1,622) own the top three spots on Creighton’s career kills list. Melissa Walsh (1,596) is fourth, with Martin (1,561) currently fifth.

Most 400-Kill Seasons, Creighton History

Name    Year 1    Year 2    Year 3    Year 4

Jaali Winters (3x)    546    448    398    451

Norah Sis (3x)    435    489    302    438

Leah Ratzlaff (3x)    180    516    479    447

Ava Martin (3x)    264    417    428    452

Miss Consistent

Ava Martin produced 10 or more kills in each of her final 34 matches against BIG EAST competition. Even more impressively, she’s hit .250 or better in each of those contests, as well.

    Martin led the BIG EAST with 4.52 kills per set and was fourth with a .376 hitting percentage in league play this fall.

    Last year Martin was second with 3.88 kills per set and second with a .408 hitting percentage in league action.

    In 70 career regular-season BIG EAST matches, Martin averaged 3.61 kills per set and hit .348 to help her team go 67-3.

Hitting With A Purpose

Creighton started its Nov. 15 match at Seton Hall with 31 kills in 48 swings before its first attack error on the fourth point of the third set.

    It was just the second time in program history that CU went back-to-back sets in the same match without an attack error, joining the second and third sets at Bradley on Sept. 29, 2000.

    Creighton finished the afternoon hitting a program-record .551 against the Pirates.

Best Attack Percentage, CU History

    Hit. %    Opponent (K-E-TA), sets    Date

    .551    at Seton Hall (41-3-69), 3 sets    11-15-25

    .548    vs. Georgetown (46-6-73), 3 sets    11-17-24

    .536    vs. Tulsa (41-4-69), 3 sets    10-27-95

    .495    vs. Liberty (57-8-99), 3 sets    9-2-05

    .493    at Villanova (41-5-73), 3 sets    10-27-23

The .400 Club

Creighton had hit .400 or better in four of its past five matches, hitting .418 vs. Georgetown, .417 against St. John’s, .551 versus Seton Hall and .413 vs. Xavier, as well as hitting .327 vs. Marquette. Combined, that’s good for a .413 hitting percentage. It’s also the first time since the program’s 1994 reinstatement that it has hit .400 or better in three straight contests.

    Creighton has now hit .400 or better in seven of its last 15 matches, and 17 different times against BIG EAST opponents during its current 53-match win streak over league foes.

Wurtz Serves Up A Record

Two days after serving up five aces in the first set of a Nov. 7 win over Villanova, Nora Wurtz once again dealt five aces during 12-0 serving run to end the first set vs. Georgetown. Wurtz remained behind the serving line to start the second set, opening with back-to-back aces, and eventually broke the school-record with nine aces in the match.

Most Aces, Creighton Match

    9    Nora Wurtz vs. Georgetown (3s)    11-09-25

    8    Carolyn Decker at New Mexico (3s)    09-04-04

    8    Ava Martin vs. Seton Hall (3s)    11-15-24

    7    Molly Moran vs. Drake (3s)    09-22-00

    7    Kelli Koochi at Indiana State (4s)    10-19-01

    7    Nayka Benitez vs. Bradley (4s)    09-25-10

    7    Michelle Sicner vs. McNeese State (3s)    09-17-11

    7    Madelyn Cole at Georgetown (3s)    11-09-19

Best of Wurtz

Nora Wurtz’s nine aces are tied for the most in the nation this season in any three-set match.

    Wurtz served 31 times in the Nov. 9 match vs. Georgetown, with Creighton winning the point 27 times. By comparison, Georgetown’s entire team served 34 times and won just seven of those points.

    Wurtz (at 6-foot-4) is the nation’s only player middle blocker, as well as the only player 6-foot-2 or taller, to average more than 0.53 aces per set.

Who Else Has Been Unbeaten?

At 16-0, Creighton was the 15th team to finish BIG EAST play unbeaten and just the fourth unbeaten team with 16 or more league wins.

    Thirteen of those 15 unbeaten teams went on to win the BIG EAST Tournament.

Finishing Unbeaten in BIG EAST Play

    W-L    Sets Lost    School    Year

    18-0    3    Creighton*    2024

    18-0    6    Creighton*    2018

    18-0    5    Creighton*    2016

    16-0    4    Creighton*    2025

    14-0    8    Notre Dame    2009

    14-0    4    Louisville*    2006

    12-0    3    Notre Dame*    2001

    11-0    4    Notre Dame*    2000

    11-0    4    Notre Dame    1999

    11-0    2    Notre Dame*    1997

    11-0    2    Notre Dame*    1996

    11-0    1    Notre Dame*    1995

    7-0    6    Pittsburgh*    1993

    7-0    1    Pittsburgh*    1991

    7-0    2    Pittsburgh*    1990

*also won league tournament

Best League Starts

Creighton started 16-0 in conference play for the fifth time in the last 10 seasons. The Bluejays, who only played 16 league contests this fall, went 18-0 in 2016, 2018 and 2024.

Most Wins Before First League Loss

    Wins    Year (League)    First League Loss

    18-0    2018 (BIG EAST)    None

    18-0    2016 (BIG EAST)    None

    18-0    2024 (BIG EAST)    None

    17    2022 (BIG EAST)    11/19 at #16 Marquette

    16    2025 (BIG EAST)    None

    12    2019 (BIG EAST)    11/8 at Villanova

    11    2015 (BIG EAST)    10/30 at Villanova

All They Do Is Win

Creighton has won its last 47 BIG EAST regular-season matches to establish a program and league record.

    It breaks the record for the longest streak in BIG EAST history, surpassing the 45 in a row done from Oct. 1, 1999 to Nov. 15, 2002 by Notre Dame.

Creighton’s Most Consecutive Regular-Season League Wins

    Wins    Dates    Snapped By    League

    47    Oct. 7, 2023 – Present    ? ? ?    BIG EAST

    31    Nov. 18, 2017 – Nov. 3, 2019     at Villanova, 3-0    BIG EAST

    28    Oct. 31, 2015 – Sept. 30, 2017    at Marquette, 3-0    BIG EAST

    28    Oct. 17, 2021- Nov. 18, 2022    at #16 Marquette, 3-0      BIG EAST

    14    Sept. 29, 2012 – End of 2012    Never (left MVC)    MVC

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.

    Creighton owns 12 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 11, Marquette one and St. John’s one since 2013.

    Below is a look at the record of each BIG EAST team since league realignment in 2013:

BIG EAST VB Standings, 2013 – Nov. 30, 2025

             BIG EAST only    All     matches

Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L

Creighton (13)    204    16    340    78

Marquette (12)    180    37    301    103

Xavier (1)    130    88    205    174

Villanova (1)    111    109    208    171

St. John’s (1)    110    110    232    180

Butler    108    112    190    193

Seton Hall (1)    86    133    173    207

DePaul    72    148    163    214

Georgetown    51    161    125    236

Connecticut#    50    46    98    71

Providence*    33    171    124    226

*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.

Getting Better and Better

It’s scary to see the numbers for Creighton’s first 10 matches compared to its last 20 matches. The Bluejay numbers are up across the board on the offensive end.

First 10 Matches vs. Last 20 Matches

When    W-L    KPS    HIT%    SAPS    DPS    BPS

First 10    5-5    12.84    .215    1.63    14.26    2.17

Last 20     20-0    14.80    .342    2.63    13.05    2.13

All They Do Is Win

Creighton has won 20 straight matches, its 13th double-digit win streak in program history and one of the nation’s longest active win streaks.

    Consecutive Creighton Wins, Program History

    Wins    Dates    Snapped By

    25    Sept. 20-Dec. 13, 2024    at #2 Penn State, 3-2

    23    Sept. 23-Dec. 9, 2016    at #5 Texas, 3-0

    21    Sept. 21 – Nov. 30, 2018    #22 Washington, 3-0

    20    Sept. 19, 2025 – Present    TBD

    17    Sept. 29-Nov. 30, 2012    at #11 Minnesota, 3-1

    17    Sept. 23-Nov. 18, 2022    at #16 Marquette, 3-0

    17    Oct. 7-Dec. 2, 2023    vs. #7 Louisville, 3-2

    14    Sept. 19-Nov. 3, 2019    at Villanova, 3-0

    14    Oct. 17-Dec. 2, 2021    Kansas, 3-1

    12    Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2015    at Villanova, 3-2

    11    Oct. 11-Nov. 21, 2014    Seton Hall, 3-0

    11    Oct. 6-Nov. 12, 2017    at Villanova, 3-0

    10    Oct. 31-Dec. 5, 2015    vs. #2 USC, 3-1

NCAA’s Longest Active Winning Streaks

    Wins    School    Next Match

    30    Nebraska    12/5 vs. LIU

    22    Kentucky    12/4 vs. Wofford

    21    Northern Iowa    12/4 vs. Utah

    21    Utah State    12/4 vs. Tennessee

    20    Creighton    12/4 vs. Northern Colorado

There Weren’t Many

Georgetown managed just 15 kills in Creighton’s 3-0 win over the Hoyas on Nov. 9th. That was tied for the second-fewest by a Bluejay opponent in program history.

Fewest Kills by a Creighton Opponent, Match

    14    Villanova    11/21/14

    15    Drake    9/22/06

    15    Montana State    8/25/07

    15    Georgetown    11/09/25

    16    Seton Hall    11/19/21

    17    Providence    10/19/14

    17    South Dakota    12/5/24

    17    Providence    9/27/24

What’s Your 20?

Creighton has clinched its fifth straight 20-win season.

    Including 2025, Creighton has won 20 or more matches in 13 of the last 14 years (CU only played 16 times in the spring of 2021, going 12-4), and has 16 different 20-win campaigns to its ledger all-time.

    Brian Rosen is the first volleyball head coach to win 20+ matches in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Ryan Theis won 24 matches at Marquette in 2014.

    All 16 times that Creighton has won its 19th match, it won its next match as well to reach the 20-victory milestone.

Year    MP to 20 W    Date of 20th Win

2006    29    11/18

2007    29    11/16

2010    30    11/26

2012    23    10/27

2013    27    11/22

2014    27    11/08

2015    28    11/07

2016    26    11/06

2017    25    11/05

2018    24    10/27

2019    24    11/09

2021    23    10/24

2022    23    10/30

2023    24    11/03

2024    22    11/01

2025    25    11/07

Special Group of Seniors

Creighton recognized Annalea Maeder, Ava Martin, Sky McCune and Kiara Reinhardt after its Nov. 9 win over Georgetown.

    Maeder is in her first season at Creighton, but fifth overall in college after four years at Cal. In her lone season with the Bluejays, Maeder has was a seven-time BIG EAST Setter of the Week and leads the league with 10.66 assists per set. Maeder also ranks fourth in the BIG EAST witih 0.44 aces per set and directs a Bluejay offense that hits a league-best .292. Maeder was named All-BIG EAST and named BIG EAST Setter of the Year.

    Martin is the BIG EAST’s only player on the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List, and lived up to the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year hype she was annoited by league coaches before the fall. Martin finished in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in league play in points per set (5.16), kills per set (4.52), aces per set (0.50) and hitting percentage (.376). In her career, she’s fifth in CU history with 1,561 kills and fourth with 124 aces.

    McCune owns 452 career digs and 44 aces as a Bluejay. The Gretna product has appeared in 89 matches as a defensive specialist or libero and had a career-high 22 digs vs. No. 2 Nebraska as a freshman in 2022.

    Reinhardt is a sixth-year senior who became the winningest player in program history and in position to set a CU single-season record for hitting percentage. She owns 781 career kills, is fourth in program history with 517 blocks and fifth with a .330 hitting percentage.

Rosen Chasing More History

Brian Rosen is the first volleyball head coach to go unbeaten in BIG EAST play in their first season as head coach at a school since Pitt’s Cindy Alvear went 7-0 in 1993.

    Rosen is the first volleyball head coach to win a BIG EAST regular-season title in their first season as head coach at a school since Louisville’s Anne Kordes in 2011.

    Rosen has already become the first volleyball head coach to win 20+ matches in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Ryan Theis won 24 matches at Marquette in 2014.

    Rosen is the first volleyball head coach to win a BIG EAST Tournament title in their first season as head coach at a school since Georgetown’s Li Liu in 1999.

    Rosen is the first male head coach to win a BIG EAST Tournament title since Marquette’s Bond Shymansky in 2013.

    Rosen is seeking to become the first volleyball head coach to win an NCAA Touranment match in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Louisville’s Anne Kordes in 2011. No rookie BIG EAST Volleyball coach has ever won multiple NCAA Tournament matches in the same season.

Coming Up Clutch

Creighton hit .370 in its Nov. 1 win over Marquette, easily its best hitting percentage ever in a five-set match.

    CU hit .571 (12-0-21) in the fifth set against the Golden Eagles and .473 in the final two frames (29-3-55) after falling behind 2-1 in the match.

Best Creighton Hitting Percentage, Five Set Match

    Pct.    Opponent (K-E-TA)    Date

    .370    Marquette (72-15-154)    11-01-25

    .333    at Evansville (69-18-153)    10-04-96

    .322    vs. DePaul ((69-21-149)    10-09-15

    .308    at Georgetown (67-18-159)    11-18-17

    .294    at Bradley (77-22-187)    10-15-04

A Perfect Set

Creighton’s offense clicked on all cylinders in the  third set of its Oct. 25 win at Connecticut, as the Bluejays were credited with 15 kills on 15 swings to hit a perfect 1,000. That means UConn didn’t own a single dig or block during the set.

    Jaya Johnson had five kills, Abbey Hayes, Ava Martin and Annalea Maeder each had three kills and Kiara Reinhardt had one kill in the frame.

    It’s the best hitting percentage in program history that Creighton has hit better than .818 in any set. Per @Evollve on Twitter, Creighton was the nation’s first team to hit 1.000 in a set since Florida A&M did against Mississippi Valley State went 10-for-10 in the first set of a 2022 meeting.

Best Creighton Team Hitting Percentage in a Set

    %    K-E-TA    Opponent (Set #)    Date

    1.000    15-0-15    at Connecticut (3)    10/25/25

    .818    18-0-22    at DePaul (1)    10/6/17

    .737    14-0-19    at Providence (1)    10/21/23

.722    13-0-18    at Georgetown (5)    11/20/15

    .714    10-0-14    vs. Northern Iowa (5)    9/5/14

    .714    15-0-21    at DePaul (3)    10/11/19

Setting Them Straight

Creighton’s streak of 24 straight set wins was snapped on Nov. 1 by Marquette. The streak was the sixth-longest in program history, all of which have come in the past decade.

Consecutive Sets Won

    Set Wins    Dates    Snapped By

    31    Oct. 1 – Nov. 8, 2024    at Marquette

    30    Oct. 7 – Nov. 10, 2023    at St. John’s

    29    Oct. 16-Nov. 18, 2022    at #16 Marquette

    25    Oct. 22-Nov. 20, 2016    Villanova

    25    Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 2018    #16 Marquette

    24    Oct. 4, 2025 – Nov. 1, 2025    Marquette

    22    Nov. 7-Dec. 2, 2021    Kansas

    21    Nov. 10 – Dec. 2, 2023    vs. #7 Louisville

    19    Oct. 12-Nov. 3, 2019    at Villanova

    18    Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2024    vs. #13 Texas

    17    Nov. 7, 2025-Present    ? ? ?

    16    Sept. 20-Oct. 4, 2025    at DePaul

    15    Oct. 7-21, 2016    at Marquette

    15    Sept. 28-Oct. 13, 2018    at Villanova

    15    Sept. 11-24, 2021    at Butler

League Leaders

Not only did Creighton finish alone atop the BIG EAST standings, but the Bluejays also dominated many of the team and individual statistical categories in league play, as well.

    Individually, Kiara Reinhardt led the BIG EAST with a .438 hitting percentage. Annalea Maeder was tops with 10.79 assists per set, Nora Wurtz was first with 0.88 aces per set and Ava Martin was first with 4.52 kills per set and 5.22 points per set.

    As a team, Creighton was first in hitting percentage (.349), opponent hitting percentage (.150), assists per set (13.19), kills per set (14.56) and aces per set (2.90).

The .500 Club

Senior Kiara Reinhardt is hitting .435 this fall, a figure that ranks 10th in the nation, and she’s hit .500 or better in 14-of-30 matches this fall.

    Not only has she hit a robust .369 against Top 25 foes, but she’s hitting an insane .460 (192-42-326) against unranked foes.

Reinhardt’s Matches Hitting .500+ This Season

    Pct.    K    E    TA    Opponent    CU Result

    .833    5    0    6    at Seton Hall    W 3-0

    .789    15    0    19    vs. San Diego    W 3-1

    .750    10    1    12    at Villanova    W 3-0

    .722    14    1    18    at DePaul    W 3-1

    .700    7    0    10    RIce    W 3-0

    .667    10    0    15    Seton Hall    W 3-0

    .636    8    1    11    at Georgetown    W 3-0

    .571    5    1    7    at St. John’s    W 3-0

    .560    16    2    25    #4 Louisville    L 1-3

    .529    9    0    17    vs. #5 Texas    L 0-3

    .526    11    1    19    #1 Nebraska    L 2-3

    .500    6    1    10    at Marquette    W 3-0

    .500    9    2    14    at Marquette    W 3-0

    .500    8    0    16    vs. Xavier    W 3-0

Reinhardt’s Peers

Kiara Reinhardt’s .435 hitting percentage ranks 10th-best nationally, and is on pace to shatter the Creighton single-season record in that category.

2025 NCAA Leaders in Attack Pct. (min. 3.33 attacks per set) 

        Name, School    K    E    Att.    Pct.

    1.    Andi Jackson, Nebraska    253    48    435    .471

    2.    Haley Yount, Jacksonville    206    34    379    .454

    3.    Yasmeen Muhammad, LIU    225    36    417    .453

    4.    Tierney Barlow, Utah State    299    50    561    .444

    5.    Lucie Blazkova, Washington St.    280    45    531    .443

    6.    Lizzy Andrew, Stanford    272    45    516    .440

    7.    Ifenna Cos-Akpalla, Texas A&M    201    40    368    .438

    8.    Mackenzie Parsons, Cornell    246    43    465    .437

    9.    Carter Booth, Wisconsin    184    28    358    .436

    10.    Kiara Reinhardt, Creighton    251    56    448    .435

Single-Season Creighton Records

Individual Attack Percentage (Min. 200 kills)

        Name    K    E    Att.    Pct.    Year

    1.    Kiara Reinhardt    251    56    448    .435    2025

    2.    Kiana Schmitt    307    75    612    .379    2023

    3.    Elise Goetzinger    266    73    513    .376    2024

    4.    Kelli Browning    350    87    710    .370    2012

    5.    Marysa Wilkinson    340    74    720    .369    2017

Creighton Career Records

Individual Attack Percentage (Min. 250 kills)

        Name    K    E    Att.    Pct.    Years

    1.    Elise Goetzinger    266    73    513    .376    2024

    2.    Kendra Wait    511    78    1,194    .363    2021-24

    3.    Kelli Browning    1,104    325    2,327    .335    2011-14

    4.    Lydia Dimke    297    77    659    .334    2016-17

    5.    Kiara Reinhardt    781    231    1,665    .3303    2020-Pr.

    6.    Kiana Schmitt    806    237    1,726    .3296    2019-23

    7.    Lauren Smith    1,160    365    2,460    .323    2013-16

    8.    Marysa Wilkinson    1,183    307    2,771    .316    2014-17

    9.    Megan Ballenger    965    317    2,176    .298    2016-19

    10.    Ava Martin    1,561    432    3,797    .297    2022-Pr.

    11.    Kelly Goc    1,414    414    3,374    .296    2004-07

Ava Elevates Up The Chart

Ava Martin enters this weekend with 1,561 career kills, good for fifth in program history.

Career Kills, Creighton History

        Name    Sets    No.    Years

    1.    Jaali Winters    494    1,843    2015-18

    2.    Norah Sis    422    1,664    2021-24

    3.    Leah Ratzlaff    409    1,622    2002-05

    4.    Melissa Walsh    394    1,596    1998-01

    5.    Ava Martin    441    1,561    2022-Pr.

    6.    Taryn Kloth    462    1,427    2015-18

    7.    Kelly Goc    394    1,414    2004-07

    8.    Jessica Houts    451    1,385    2005-09

    9.    JoDe Cieloha    398    1,375    1994-97

    10.    Leah McNary    458    1,257    2011-14

The Reveal

The NCAA Volleyball Selection Committee revealed its Top 16 as of Oct. 19th. The in-season reveal offers fans an early look at potential NCAA tournament seedings ahead of Selection Sunday on Nov. 30.  Creighton was 10th in that listing.

    Last year Creighton was sixth in the early reveal, and would enter the NCAA Tournament sixth as well.

1. Nebraska    9. TCU

2. Texas    10. Creighton

3. Pittsburgh    11. Stanford

4. Kentucky    12. Wisconsin

5. SMU    13. Texas A&M

6. Louisville    14. Indiana

7. Arizona State    15. Penn State

8. Purdue    16. Minnesota

Syd The Kid

Sydney Breissinger first wore the libero jersey this fall in the fourth set against Nebraska on Sept. 16th. She put it back on to begin the Sept. 21 win over No. 17 Kansas, and hasn’t relinquished it in 19 matches since. That means Creighton is 58-5 in sets and outscored teams 1,545-1,113 when she dons the alternate jersey.

    When Breissinger was a freshman in 2023, she played libero in the final 13 matches of the season. Creighton went 12-1 in those contests, winning 38-of-42 sets and outscoring teams 1,031-738.

    Add it all up and Creighton is 31-2 all-time in matches Breissinger serves as libero at any point, losing only to No. 7 Louisville (2023 Regional Semifinal) and to No. 1 Nebraska (2025). CU has won 96-of-105 sets when she’s donned the alternate jersey and outscored foes 2,576-1,851 in points, a whopping 58.2 percent of the points played.

    

The Gauntlet

Creighton has played the nation’s secod-toughest schedule, and also ranks among the national leaders in Top 25 wins, Top 50 wins, matches vs. Top 25 opponents and matches vs. Top 50 opponents.

Most RPI Top 25 Wins in 2025 (12/3)

    Top 25 W’s    School

    9    Nebraska, Texas

    7    Kentucky, Arizona State, Pitt, Purdue

    6    Creighton, SMU

Most RPI Top 25 Matches in 2025 (12/3)

    Top 25 MP’s    School

    13    Penn State

    12    Texas

    11    Louisville, UCLA, Georgia Tech

    10    Creighton, Pitt, SMU, Purdue, Utah, Washington

Most RPI Top 50 Wins in 2025 (12/3)

    Top 50 W’s    School

    16    Nebraska, Arizona State

    13    Creighton

    12    Pittsburgh

Most RPI Top 50 Matches in 2025 (12/3)

    Top 50 MP’s    School

    19    Arizona State, Kansas

    18    Creighton, TCU

    17    Utah

More Than a Decade of Dominance

Thirteen years in the BIG EAST gives Creighton a pretty good set of data to compare its yearly performance in league matches. 

    Here’s how the 2025 campaign compares to previous seasons:

Creighton’s Year-By-Year BIG EAST Stats

Year    W-L    KPS    HIT%    SAPS    DPS    BPS

2013    12-4    13.75    .213    1.00    16.20    3.13

2014#    16-2    14.89    .242    1.30    17.09    2.86

2015#    17-1    15.02    .271    1.33    16.97    2.47

2016#    18-0    15.37    .317    1.69    16.08    2.41

2017#    16-2    14.81    .302    1.31    16.62    2.05

2018#    18-0    14.45    .294    2.13    15.67    2.38

2019#    17-1    14.61    .269    2.07    15.80    2.25

2020#    7-1    12.93    .249    1.30    14.17    2.75

2021#    16-2    13.95    .242    1.82    18.02    2.86

2022#    17-1    14.80    .299    1.85    16.10    2.33

2023#    16-2    14.40    .313    1.89    15.91    2.30

2024#    18-0    14.79    .371    2.32    14.18    2.75

2025    16-0    14.56    .349    2.90    12.42    2.13

#won league’s regular-season title

Down The Stretch They Come

Creighton reached the midpoint of league play with an 8-0 record, and finished 16-0. The Bluejays were unbeaten at the halfway mark of league play for the seventh time since 2015 (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025).

    The Bluejays have suffered one league loss or fewer in the second half of conference play during each of the last 12 seasons (including 2025).

League Record by Year

Year    1st Half    2nd Half    Place

1994    2-8    1-9    T-9th MVC

1995    3-7    3-7    T-7th MVC

1996    2-7    3-6    T-6th MVC

1997    6-3    4-5    T-3rd MVC

1998    2-7    3-6    8th MVC

1999    5-4    4-5    5th MVC

2000    5-4    5-4    T-4th MVC

2001    7-2    5-4    4th MVC

2002    1-8    1-8    T-9th MVC

2003    5-4    4-5    T-5th MVC

2004    5-4    5-4    5th MVC

2005    4-5    6-3    5th MVC

2006    7-2    5-4    4th MVC

2007    7-2    7-2    T-2nd MVC

2008    7-2    8-1    2nd MVC

2009    4-5    6-3    T-4th MVC

2010    7-2    6-3    3rd MVC

2011    6-3    6-3    4th MVC

2012    8-1    9-0    1st MVC

2013    6-2    6-2    T-2nd BIG EAST

2014    8-1    8-1    1st BIG EAST

2015    9-0    8-1    1st BIG EAST

2016    9-0    9-0    1st BIG EAST

2017    8-1    8-1    1st BIG EAST

2018    9-0    9-0    1st BIG EAST

2019    9-0    8-1    1st BIG EAST

2020    3-1    4-0    1st BIG EAST (Midwest)

2021    7-2    9-0    T-1st BIG EAST

2022    9-0    8-1    T-1st BIG EAST

2023    7-2     9-0     T-1st BIG EAST

2024    9-0    9-0    1st BIG EAST

2025    8-0    8-0    1st BIG EAST

Total    194-89    194-89    —

    

Reinhardt & Martin Pass Century Mark

Kiara Reinhardt is 121-22 (.846) all-time in matches that she’s appeared in. Her 121 victories are two more than Kendra Wait for most in program history. Reinhardt’s winning percentage is fifth-best.

    Ava Martin is 112-18 (.862) all-time when appearing in a match, making her tied for fitth in wins and fourth in win percentage.

Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player

    121    Kiara Reinhardt    2020-Pres.

    119    Kendra Wait    2021-24

    116    Naomi Hickman    2017-21

    112    Ava Martin    2022-Pres.

    111    Jaali Winters    2015-18

    110    Kiana Schmitt    2019-23

    109    Taryn Kloth    2015-18

    109    Brittany Witt    2016-19

    109    Norah Sis    2021-24

    107    Megan Ballenger    2016-19

    106    Marysa Wilkinson    2014-17

    104    Lauren Smith    2013-16

    102    Melanie Jereb    2012-15

    101    Ashley Jansen    2012-15

    98    Jaela Zimmerman    2018-22

Best Win Pct. in Matches Appeared In As A Player (min. 100 wins)

    W-L    Pct.    Name    Years

    109-14    .886    Norah Sis    2021-24

    119-16    .881    Kendra Wait    2021-24

    110-16    .873    Kiana Schmitt    2019-23

    112-18    .862    Ava Martin    2022-Pres.

    121-22    .846    Kiara Reinhardt    2020-Pres.

    109-24    .820    Taryn Kloth    2015-18

    116-26    .817    Naomi Hickman    2017-21

    109-25    .813    Brittany Witt    2016-19

    107-25    .811    Megan Ballenger    2016-19

    111-28    .799    Jaali Winters    2015-18

    106-32    .768    Marysa Wilkinson    2014-17

    102-31    .767    Melanie Jereb    2012-15

    101-31    .765    Ashley Jansen    2012-15

    104-34    .754    Lauren Smith    2013-16

Most Wins, Four-Year Span

    W-L    Years

    119-17    2021-24

    113-18    2022-Pres.

    111-28    2015-18

    109-25    2016-19

    107-32    2014-17

    104-31    2012-15

    104-34    2013-16

    99-18    2020-23

    97-19    2018-21

    95-19    2019-22

Nice Work, Ace

Creighton tied a program-record with 15 service aces on Oct. 4 vs. DePaul, with Ava Martin (6), Alivia Hausmann (3), Jaya Johnson (3), Sydney Breissinger (2) and Annalea Maeder (1) all getting in the act.

    It was the fourth time in program history that CU has recorded 15 aces or more, and first time it’s done so in a true road match.

    Creighton set a school-record with 224 aces in 35 matches last season (6.40 per match) and averaged a league-record 2.32 aces per set in league play. This year’s team has a school-record 230 aces in 30 matches (7.67 per match) and averaged 2.90 aces per set in league action.

    Creighton’s 2.25 aces per set ranks third the nation.

Most Creighton Service Aces, Match

    15    vs. Northeastern Illinois (3s)    09-23-95

    15    vs. UMKC (4s)    11-12-95

    15    vs. Seton Hall (3s)    11-15-24

    15    at DePaul (4s)    10-04-25

    14    at UMKC (4s)    10-30-94

    14    vs. UNC-Greensboro (4s)    09-02-00

    14    vs. Butler (3s)    10-20-18

    14    vs. DePaul (4s)    11-24-19

    14    vs. UMKC (5s)    09-28-04

    14    at Seton Hall (3s)    11-15-25

A Smashing Success

Kiara Reinhardt had 14 kills and one error in 18 swings on Oct. 4 at DePaul, the second-best mark in program history for a four-set match.

    The only performance that’s been better was Reinhardt’s .789 hitting (15-0-19) vs. San Diego earlier this year on Sept. 5, 2025.

Best Hitting Percentage, Four Sets (min. 12 kills)

    .789    Kiara Reinhardt (15-0-19) vs. San Diego    09-05-25

    .722    Kiara Reinhardt (14-1-18) at DePaul    10-04-25

    .684    Kelli Browning (14-1-19) vs. Southern Illinois    10-27-12

    .640    Naomi Hickman (17-1-25) vs. Kentucky    09-06-19

    .636    Megan Bober (14-0-22) vs. Bradley    10-06-12

    .625    Kelly Goc (26-1-40) vs. Drake    11-16-07

    .615    Alicia Runge (17-1-26) vs. Bradley    09-25-10

    .600    Kelli Browning (16-1-25) vs. Wisconsin    08-25-12

Jaya Does It All

Since moving into a role that has her playing all six rotations on Sept. 20 vs. South Florida, sophomore Jaya Johnson has played like a star.

    Johnson has averaged 2.66 kills, 1.34 digs, 0.75 blocks and 0.09 aces per set while hitting .322. Creighton is 20-0 in that time, dropping just four sets.

    Before the move, Johnson averaged 1.84 kills, 0.74 digs, 0.92 blocks and 0.00 aces per set while hitting .191. Creighton was 5-5 in those matches (18-18 in sets), though six of them came against top-25 foes.

    Johnson is the only player in the BIG EAST (min. 50% of sets played) to average at least 0.80 blocks and 0.80 digs per set this season.

RPI Update

The final NCAA Volleyball RPI of the regular-season was released on November 30th and Creighton came in at No. 6, easily the best rank in the BIG EAST.

    The Bluejays are one of five BIG EAST teams in the top 75, joining Xavier (22), Marquette (33), Villanova (37) and Connecticut (74).

Against The BIG EAST

Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning percentage better than .800 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.

    The Bluejays own 227 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 40 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    23-1    –    23-1

Connecticut    5-1    1-0    6-1

DePaul    26-0    3-0    29-0

Georgetown    24-0    –    24-0

Marquette    21-5    8-1    29-6

Providence    18-0    –    18-0

Seton Hall    21-3    2-0    23-3

St. John’s    22-2    1-1    23-3

Villanova    21-3    3-0    24-3

Xavier    23-1    5-0    28-1

TOTAL    204-16    23-2    227-18

Putting The 0 In October And November

Creighton is 89-6 in the 10th month of the year since Oct. 1, 2016, including 23 straight wins, and victories in 37 of its past 38 such matches.

    Creighton’s been awfully good in the month of November too. Since Nov. 1, 2014, CU is 79-4 in the 11th month of the year with 28 straight victories.

    Creighton has won 45 straight October home matches (since 10/15/11) and 48 consecutive home matches in November (since 11/23/14). Incredibly, Creighton is 141-13 in sets in those home November contests.

Streaking In League Play

Add in conference tournament play and Creighton has won 53 straight matches against BIG EAST teams since October 7, 2023, dropping just eight sets to league opponents.

    The only team with a longer active win streak against league competition is Northern Iowa (58).

Best Starts With A New Coach

Brian Rosen is the first coach since Creighton brought back volleyball in 1994 to win at least 25 of his first 30 matches.

    Rosen is 23-5, well ahead of Howard Wallace (14-16), Kirsten Bernthal Booth (12-18) and Ben Guiliano (7-23).

    Rosen is also the only coach in program history to win his or her first four (or more) conference matches. He’s currently 16-0.

Pink Out Raises $21,496.50

The Creighton Volleyball team hosted its 18th Annual Pink Out match on Oct. 19, using the competition as an opportunity to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Nebraska.

    Last year’s Pink Out Jersey auction raised $9,106.23, plus an additional $10,017 on matchday via donations. This year’s auction brought in $10,239.50, as well as $11,257 in donations.

    The winning bidders get the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer. The warm-up shirt to be worn could be personalized by the winning bidder.

    Shortly after the match, the family members of the winning bidders had the opportunity to meet the student-athletes of the jersey they bid on.

    The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Nebraska provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers who must travel to Omaha to receive their lifesaving treatment.

    Below is the final numbers for each jersey/item in the auction this year.

#1    $405    #2    $910    #3    $405

#5    $355    #6    $525    #7    $570

#8    $1,167    #9    $350    #10    $365

#11    $405    #12    $200    #13    $365

#17    $395    #18    $345    #19    $710

#22    $455    #24    $800      

Courtside Seats  $237.50    Autographed Balls $435, $840

Sokol Milestone Unlocked

Creighton owns a 207-34 record (.859) all-time inside D.J. Sokol Arena, as CU picked up its 200th home win in the facility on Sept. 26.

    Creighton started 50-17 (.746) in the facility, which means it is 157-17 (.902) since then in its on-campus home.

Milestone Wins at D.J. Sokol Arena

    W-L    Opponent    Date

    1-0    Texas Tech (W 3-0)    8/28/09

    50-17    Villanova (W 3-0)    11/24/13

    100-25    DePaul (W 3-0)    11/5/17

    150-31    #25 USC (W 3-1)    9/2/22

    200-34    Xavier (W 3-0)    9/26/25

Home Sweet Home

Creighton is in its 13th season as a member of the BIG EAST since joining the league in the summer of 2013.

    Since then, the Bluejays are 120-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (109-3 in the regular-season, 11-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).

    Since the start of the 2015 season, Creighton is 104-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 94-1 mark in league play and a 10-0 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 2022, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Ava Martin and Sky McCune went 40-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 120-10 in sets.

    Creighton has won 54 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.

    Since the start of the 2023 season, Creighton  has won 84-of-88 sets at home against BIG EAST teams, dropping only the third set on Oct. 1, 2024 to Marquette, the second and third sets to Marquette on Nov. 1, 2025, and the second set to Villanova on Nov. 7, 2025.

League Opener Histories

Creighton’s 3-0 win vs. Xavier on Sept. 26 improved the Jays to 24-8 all-time in conference openers, and 1-0 under Brian Rosen. That includes an 12-1 mark in BIG EAST lid-lifters, with 12 straight wins.

    Including 2025, each of the last 13 times that Creighton won its league opener (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), the Bluejays went on to win the regular-season title, going a combined 211-13 (including 2025) in regular-season league action. Creighton also won 12 conference tournament titles during those years (including 2025), going 24-1 at the league tournament in those seasons.

    In the 23 seasons (including 2025) that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has never finished worse than .500 in league play and it owns a combined .798 (340-86) winning percentage (including 2025) 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 27-5 overall with 15 straight wins.

    In league road openers, Creighton is 23-9 overall with 12 straight wins after this year’s 3-0 win at Marquette.

    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, which will continue beyond 2025.

Wurtz On A Run

Standing at 6-foot-4, Nora Wurtz isn’t your typical serving specialist, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been a tremendous weapon behind the service line.

    Earlier this fall Wurtz had a streak of 11 straight matches with an ace, tied for the ffith-longest streak in program history. Wurtz’s streak tied Julianne Mandolfo’s 11 straight matches with an ace in 2010 for the longest ever by a Bluejay freshman.

    Teammate Annalea Maeder also had an 11-match streak with an ace that ended in November.

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

    12    Ellie Bolton, Aug. 26-Sept. 23, 2023

    11    Kim Whitman, Sept. 5-Oct. 4, 1998

    11    Molly Moran, Oct. 7-Nov. 10, 2000

    11    Julianne Mandolfo, Oct. 2-Nov. 13, 2010

    11    Nora Wurtz, Sept. 5-27, 2025

    11    Annalea Maeder, Sept. 27 – Nov. 3, 2025

    9    Melissa Weisensee, Sept. 1-20, 1995

    9    Madelyn Cole, Aug. 31 – Sept. 21, 2018

    9    Norah Sis, Sept. 17-Oct. 14, 2022

Don’t Fret

The combination of losing four All-Americans off a 32-3 team, plus a grueling schedule featuring seven top-25 opponents in its 12 non-conference matches, helped Creighton start “just” 7-5 through 12 matches.

    Each of the two previous times that Creighton has lost at least five of its first 12 matches, the Bluejays rebounded quite nicely.

    In 2016 Creighton ended non-conference play with a 6-6 mark. That squad rebounded to win its next 23 matches and finished 29-7, reaching the Elite Eight for the first time. 

    The year before in 2015 Creighton finished the non-conference slate 5-7. That team won 22 of its next 23 matches, including a 17-1 mark in BIG EAST play, and qualified for the program’s first Sweet 16 berth.

Attendance Update

Creighton ranks 15th nationally in total home attendance (47,635) and 15th in average fans per home match (3,402).

    Creighton has led the BIG EAST in average home attendance in all but one non-COVID year since joining the league.

    Creighton’s 47,635 home fans this fall are a program record. 

    The 3,402 fans per home match so far put CU on pace to shatter a program record.

Most Home Fans, Season

    Rk.    Fans    Dates    Year

    1.    47,635    14    2025

    2.    47,632    17    2018

    3.    44,518    19    2024

    4.    41,805    17    2022

    5.    30,211    14    2021

Highest Home Attendance Average, Season

    Average Rk.    Fans    Dates    Year

    1.    3,402    47,635    14    2025

    2.    2,802    47,632    17    2018

    3.    2,459    41,805    17    2022

    4.    2,343    44,518    19    2024

    5.    2,161    28,089    13    2023

Overwhelming The Unranked

Creighton is 23-0 this season against unranked teams, and the serve and pass game has been a major reason why.

    In those 23 matches (76 sets), CU has served 197 aces (2.59 saps.) compared to 198 service errors. Its opponents have just 56 aces (0.74 saps.) but made 163 serving miscues.

Report Card

Creighton is 204-16 all-time in regular-season BIG EAST matches.

    Here’s a report card of how CU has done in 50 match segments in the BIG EAST, which includes a 165-9 mark (.948) in its last 174 matches.

    Matches    W-L    

    1-50    43-7

    51-100    48-2

    101-150    46-4

    151-200    47-3

    201-220    20-0

Watch This!

Twelve of Creighton’s 30 matches this fall have aired on television (four on FS1, three on BTN, three on Nebraska Public Media, one on SNY, one on ESPN2). 

    Creighton has also won 55 straight non-televised matches, since an Oct. 6, 2023 loss at Marquette.

Historically Speaking

Here’s a look at the top indoor volleyball-only regular-season crowds in NCAA history after Creighton smashed a record on Sept. 16th at CHI Health Center Omaha.

Top Reg.-Season Indoor Volleyball-Only Crowds in NCAA History

    Att.    Opponent        Date    Site

    17,675    Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2    9/16/25    Omaha, NE

    17,037    Wisconsin def. Marquette, 3-1    9/13/23    Milwaukee, WI

    16,833    Florida def. Wisconsin, 3-2    9/16/22    Madison, WI

    15,797    Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2    9/7/22    Omaha, NE

    15,734    Florida vs. Pittsburgh, 3-2    8/24/25    Lincoln, NE

    15,734    Nebraska def. Stanford, 3-0    

    15,576    Nebraska def. Pittsburgh, 3-1    8/22/25    Lincoln, NE

    15,576    Stanford vs. Florida, 3-1    

    15,084    Wisconsin def. Marquette, 3-1    9/17/24    Madison, WI

    14,876    Wisconsin def. Purdue, 3-0    10/26/24    West Lafayette, IN

    14,876    Purdue def. Indiana, 3-0    10/19/24    West Lafayette, IN

    14,126    Nebraska def. Louisville, 3-0    9/22/24    Louisville, KY

    14,035    Texas def. Wisconsin, 3-1    9/1/24    Milwaukee, WI

    14,035    Stanford def. Minnesota, 3-2    

    14,022    Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-2    9/6/18    Omaha, NE

    13,870    UCLA def. Nebraska, 3-2    9/13/09    Lincoln, NE

    13,412    Nebraska def. LSU, 3-0    9/12/08    Lincoln, NE

    13,396    Nebraska def. Hawai’i, 3-0    10/21/07    Lincoln, NE

    13,081    Cal Poly def. Creighton, 3-0    9/2/07    Omaha, NE

        Nebraska def. Penn State, 3-0

    13,071    Nebraska def. Maryland, 3-1    11/30/24    College Park, MD

    12,760    Louisville def. Kentucky, 3-0    9/13/23    Louisville, KY

    12,707    Nebraska def. Michigan, 3-0    10/19/25    Ann Arbor, MI

    12,510    Pittsburgh def. Louisville, 3-1    11/27/24    Louisville, KY

    12,504    Nebraska def. Colorado, 3-0    11/4/00    Lincoln, NE

    12,277    Wisconsin def. Florida, 3-1    9/21/25    Madison, WI

    12,112    Nebraska def. Creighton, 3-1    9/24/06    Omaha, NE

Largest Crowds To See The Jays

Sept. 16th marked the fourth time in eight matches at CHI Health Center Omaha that Creighton broke an all-time NCAA attendance record.

    In 2007 CU played in front of 13,081 in a match against Cal Poly that was part of a doubleheader. In 2018 CU met Nebraska before 14,022 fans. In 2022, CU welcomed 15,797 fans against Nebraska. And on Sept. 16 the crowd was 17,675.

    Below is a list of the largest crowds (and home crowds) in Creighton Volleyball history, which includes four crowds of 10,000 or more this fall.

Creighton’s Largest Home Crowds All-Time

    Att.    Opponent    Date    CU Result    Facility

    17,675    #1 Nebraska    09/16/25    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    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.

    2,665    Ole Miss    12/06/24    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,658    #4 Louisville    09/12/25    L 1-3    Sokol

    2,653    Auburn    12/02/22    L 2-3    Sokol

    2,578    #13 Kentucky    09/01/17    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,570    DePaul    10/20/24    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,569    NC State    08/30/24    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,568    Minnesota    12/02/23    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,563    Colgate    12/01/23    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,552    South Dakota    11/30/18    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,517    Coastal Carolina    12/01/17    W 3-1    Sokol

    2,517    South Dakota    12/05/24    W 3-0    Sokol

    2,514    #7 Nebraska    08/31/10    L 0-3    Sokol

    2,509    #22 Washington    12/01/18    L 0-3    Sokol

    2,504    #9 Marquette    11/22/19    W 3-1    Sokol

Creighton Volleyball’s Largest Crowds (All Sites)

    Att.    Opponent    Date    CU Result    Facility

    17,675    #1 Nebraska    09/16/25    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    15,797    #2 Nebraska    09.07/22    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    14,022    #6 Nebraska    09/06/18    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    13,081    #18 Cal Poly    09/02/07    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    12,112    #1 Nebraska    09/24/06    L 1-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    11,678    vs. #14 Kansas    08/31/25    W 3-2    Kohl Center

    11,279    #3 Nebraska    09/08/21    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    10,438    vs. #2 Penn St.    08/23/25    L 0-3    Pinn Bank Arena

    10,131    #4 Nebraska    09/15/15    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    10,072    vs. #5 Texas    08/29/25    L 0-3    Kohl Center

    8,924    at #5 Nebraska    09/06/23    L 1-3    Devaney Ctr.

    8,656    at #4 Nebraska    09/10/24    L 2-3    Devaney Ctr. 

    8,627    at #5 Nebraska    09/29/02    L 0-3    Devaney Ctr.

    8,450    at #2 Nebraska    08/30/19    L 1-3    Devaney Ctr.

    8,277    vs. Montana St.    09/16/16    W 3-0    Devaney Ctr.

    8,249    at #1 Nebraska    09/17/16    L 1-3    Devaney Ctr.

    8,237    vs. #20 Baylor (@NU)    08/31/19    L 0-3    Devaney Ctr.

    8,060    at #9 Nebraska    09/17/14    L 1-3    Devaney Ctr.

The Friendly Confines

Creighton had its first unbeaten home season in program history in 2023, going a perfect 13-0 in matches and 39-3 in sets.

    Last year CU did even better, going 19-0 and losing just two sets at home.

    Though its 32-match win streak was snapped on Sept. 12 against No. 4 Louisville, that still means the Bluejays are 44-1 in its last 45 contests at D.J. Sokol Arena.

    All told, Creighton has won 126 of its last 134 home sets at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Creighton’s Longest Home Win Streaks

Wins    Dates    Snapped By

    32    Sept. 1, 2023 – Dec. 6, 2024    #4 Louisville, 3-1

    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

Creighton Introduces New Taraflex Court

Creighton Volleyball introduced a new Taraflex® court at its 2025 regular-season home debut on Sept. 12 against Louisville.

    The court was designed by GLGR out of Portland, Ore., in working with Specialty Floors out of Parkville, Mo., representatives of Taraflex Sports.

    The new court features a royal blue outline with a feather pattern similar to what is on the Creighton men’s basketball court that was unveiled last October at CHI Health Center Omaha. More than 6/10ths of a mile of stencils were used to create the blue feather border that features more than a dozen “Easter eggs” hidden throughout.

    The words Creighton and Bluejays flank the end lines in white lettering. The East sideline features the words D.J. Sokol Arena on one side of the court and a BIG EAST Conference logo on the other, both shaded in light blue. The Northeast side of the court, where the team runs in and out when returning to or from the locker room, features the words “Fly Together”, while Creighton’s popular C-Bird logo adorns the Northwest and Southeast corners of the court

    The West sideline features 14 smaller Bluejay bird outlines, seven on each side of the court. Inside those logo decals are years to designate NCAA Tournament appearances, with different colors used to highlight the program’s previous trips to the first weekend, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Room to add future postseason appearances is available, if necessary.

    The middle of the court features a gray outline of a Bluejay bird head. The hue of the two-tone court helps put the focus on the action and will make the players in uniform stand out, in addition to making it easier for officials to discern in/out calls along the sidelines.  The matte finish on the court adds to the sharpness.

    The perimeter of the court features no less than 14 hidden messages within the design, ranging from Heritage logos to honor Creighton’s history, a map of the state of Nebraska, the year Creighton University was founded (1878), the year the Creighton Volleyball program was restarted (1994), and donor acknowledgements.

    The court is a FIVB-certified playing surface and is up to the same high standards that it used in international competitions such as the Olympics. The design process for one of the most unique and complex designed courts in the world began in January, with the full painting process taking a little over a month in application and curing.

Against Ranked Foes

After a total of three top-25 wins from 1994-2014, Creighton has earned at least one top-25 win each of the last 11 seasons (2015-25). 

    Creighton is 32-94 all-time against ranked teams, with 30 wins coming under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and two under Brian Rosen.

    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.

    This year is the ninth season that CU owned multiple Top-25 victories. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022 and 2023, and a record four in 2018, 2019 and 2024.

Top 25 Sweeps

Creighton owns 32 top 25 victories in its history, but its Sept. 21 sweep of Kansas was just its ninth sweep of a ranked foe.

    Three of those wins have come against Kansas, another three against Kentucky, two vs. Marquette and one at Purdue.

Creighton’s 3-0 Wins vs. Top 25 Teams

Opponent    Date

vs. #10 Kentucky    09/05/15

#13 Kentucky    09/01/17

at #7 Kansas    09/09/17

#21 Marquette    09/23/18

at #3 Kentucky    09/04/21

at #16 Purdue    08/26/23

#25 Marquette    11/05/23

at #10 Kansas    09/21/24

#17 Kansas    09/21/25

Top 25 History

Creighton is 258-53 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 27-33 all-time against ranked teams when ranked itself. That mark is 4-4 when both Creighton and its opponent are ranked in the top 10.

    Since the start of the 2012 season, 48 of Creighton’s 82 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 337-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 133 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 198 matches at all sites against unranked teams.

Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 27-33)

Home: 11-11    Away: 8-13    Neutral: 8-9

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    2-3

09/20/24    #9 Creighton    #6 Purdue    3-1

09/21/24    #9 Creighton    #10 Kansas    3-0

12/13/24    #6 Creighton     #13 Texas    3-1

12/15/24    #2 Penn State    #6 Creighton    2-3

08/23/25    #2 Penn State    #12 Creighton    0-3

08/29/25    #5 Texas    #12 Creighton    0-3

08/31/25    #12 Creighton    #14 Kansas    3-2

09/07/25    #22 USC    #13 Creighton    0-3

09/12/25    #4 Louisville    #18 Creighton    1-3

09/16/25    #1 Nebraska    #18 Creighton    2-3

09/21/25    #18 Creighton    #17 Kansas    3-0

The Defense Never Rests

Creighton has led the country in opponents hitting percentage in two of the last four seasons, doing so in both 2021 (.124) and 2024 (.130).

    Creighton is holding foes to .175 this year, a figure that plummeted to .151 in league action.

High FIve

Brian Rosen is Creighton’s first volleyball coach since the program’s 1994 reinstatement to pick up his first victory in a five set match, as Ben Guiliano, Howard Wallace and Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s first wins all came in 3-0 sweeps.

Record in 5-Set Matches

Coach    Years    Set 5 W-L

Ben Guiliano    1994-1996    2-10

Howard Wallace    1997-2002    13-18

Kirsten Bernthal Booth    2003-2024    70-42

Brian Rosen    2025-Pres.    3-1

Twice For Breissinger

Junior defensive specialist Sydney Breissinger helped Creighton erase a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set on Aug. 31 vs. Kansas, serving up a 9-0 run that helped the Bluejays take the lead for good. She also served a 9-0 run in the fourth set vs. San Diego on Sept. 5.

    Breissinger’s heroics were eerily similar to the 9-0 serving run she had in the fifth set on Sept. 16, 2023 in a win over No. 9 Minnesota. That win over the Gophers had been CU’s last previous five-set win.

    Since enrolling at Creighton in 2023, Breissinger owns 51 service runs of five or longer, easily the most of any Bluejay.

154 Weeks As A Ranked Team

Creighton is ranked 11th in the December 1st edition of the AVCA poll, the 154th time in program history it’s been ranked and its best mark all season long. That’s 37th-most of all programs in NCAA history.

    All 154 rankings have occurred since 2012.

    The Bluejays are one of 11 schools (along with Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 77 polls.

    Creighton’s 77 weeks in a row being ranked dates began on Sept. 6, 2021 and sets a program-record, breaking the previous-high of 64 from Oct. 31, 2016 to March 15, 2021. 

Preseason Ranking

Creighton was ranked 12th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 7th. It was the 11th time in the past 13 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and fourth year in a row.

    The No. 12 slotting tied last year’s team for the second-best preseason ranking in program history, trailing only the 2017 team that was ranked ninth.

    Over the previous 17 seasons, 315-of-425 teams (74.1 percent) of teams have been in both the preseason and final polls, and in the 18 seasons from 2008-2025, 408-of-450 teams (90.7 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but preseason No. 17 Missouri and No. 24 Dayton reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

    This year marks the 14th 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    32-3    5th

    2025    12th    TBD    TBD

Production Returns

Creighton returns 11-of-19 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters.

    From last year’s team, Norah Sis, Elise Goetzinger, Kendra Wait, Abbey Milner, Maddy Bilinovic, Audrey Clark, Katie Maser and Emma Ziegler are not back.

    All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 294.5 of a possible 700% back (42.1 percent), the smallest amount returning since it headed into Howard Wallace’s final season in 2002.

    Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:

Stat    Returners    Departures

Assists    119 (7.6%)    1,450 (92.4%)

Aces    115 (51.3%)    109 (48.7%)

Digs    598 (35.7%)    1,076 (64.3%)

Points    1,115.5 (50.2%)    1,107.0 (49.8%)

Kills    843 (50.1%)    841 (49.9%)

Matches Started    104 (49.5%)    106 (50.5%)

Blocks    157.5 (50.1%)    157.0 (49.9%)

One Tough Schedule

Of Creighton’s 12 non-conference matches, seven were against ranked teams and three others against programs that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll.

    Creighton is the only team in the preseason Top 25 with 10 or more non-conference matches against teams getting votes, as Texas and TCU are next-closest with eight each.

No Losers Here

Creighton has been as good as anyone at avoiding losses in recent seasons.

    Creighton and Pittsburgh are the nation’s only teams with five losses or less in the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 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, 2023 and 2024 seasons are also Creighton and Pittsburgh.

    Creighton is also the only school nationally who have won 25 matches or more in every season between 2014-25 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year, when CU only played 16 times).

Survival of the Fittest

Since the move to rally scoring in 2001, Creighton has won 10 matches when surviving a match point and lost four contests when holding a match point of its own.

Surviving Match Points Since 2001

Date    Opponent    MP(s) Faced    Final Set 5

09/27/02    Evansville    13-14, 14-15    19-17

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

Tournament Tested

Creighton has played multiple matches in 30  tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 20 of them. 

    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).

CU’s Multi-Match Tournaments Since Jan. 1, 2021

Year    Event    CU Record (Place)

2021    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)

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)

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)

2023    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)

2023    NCAA Tournament    2-1 (T-9th)

2024    Bluejay Invitational    3-0 (1st)

2024    Creighton Classic    2-0 (1st)

2024    Cardinal Classic    2-1 (2nd)

2024    Jayhawk Classic    2-0 (1st)

2024    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)

2024    NCAA Tournament    3-1 (T-5th)

2025    Opening Spike Classic    1-1 (T-2nd)

2025    Trojan Invitational    2-1 (2nd)

2025    Bluejay Invitational    2-1 (2nd)

2025    Creighton Classic    2-0 (1st)

2025    BIG EAST Tournament    2-0 (1st)

Jays Earn Tourney Titles

Creighton has won at least one tournament each of the last 14 seasons, a streak that dates to 2012.

     During that span, the Bluejays have won 37 tournament titles, not to mention 12 regular-season league crowns.

    Creighton has also now won at least one home tournament each of the last nine seasons.

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    4    CU, CU, KU, BIG EAST

2025    2    CU, BIG EAST

2-0 Better Than 0-2

Creighton is 440-11 (.976) all-time when leading a match 2-0, and 161-1 (.994) 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.

    Creighton has won 127 matches in a row when taking a 2-0 lead.

    Conversely, the Jays are 17-211 (.075) all-time when trailing a match 0-2. 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 has gone 185-6 in its last 191 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 18-26 record in that same span when dropping the opener.

    Creighton has gone 217-4 (.982) in its last 221 matches against unranked foes when winning the opening 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 179-6 in its last 185 home matches when taking a 1-0 lead, losing only to Pacific (Sept. 12, 2015), No. 7 Nebraska (Sept. 6, 2018), South Dakota (Jan. 29, 2021), No. 16 Kentucky (Sept. 3, 2022), Auburn (Dec. 2, 2022) and No. 4 Louisville (Sept. 12, 2025). 

    The Jays have won their last 43 of their last 44 home matches following a first set victory.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers

This year’s team has played 11 matches against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (3x), Nebraska, Kansas (2x), Louisville, Northern Iowa, USC, Texas and Penn State.

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    9-3

2025    6-5 so far

TOTAL    122-150

TOTAL Before Booth    3-35

TOTAL Under Booth    113-110

TOTAL Under Rosen    6-5



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BURR, ZGONC NAMED AVCA ALL-REGION

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – South Dakota State volleyball’s Madison Burr and Sylvie Zgonc were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Northwest Region First Team Tuesday.

Burr was one of the best blockers in the country, as well as one of the most efficient attackers this past season. She ultimately finished the year with 139 blocks (1.34 blocks/set), including 25 solo blocks.

Offensively, the Goodhue, Minn., native totaled 259 kills and a .283 hitting percentage. Burr was named First Team All-Summit and made the Summit League All-Tournament team last month.

Zgonc, a native of Hartford, Wis., ranks 47th nationally in kills (451), 55th in points (4.34), and 39th in total attacks (1,233), while leading the league in kills per set (4.34) and points per set (4.77).

The junior was named the Summit League Player of the Year for the second season in a row and ended the season with 14 double-doubles for SDSU, a 23-5 overall record, and 16-0 mark in conference play.

Burr is the third Jackrabbit in the Division I era to earn an all-region honor, while Zgonc was recognized for the second straight season. Sydni Schetnan was a first-team honoree last season. 

In total, there are 14 first-team All-Region members and an additional group of honorable mention selections for each of the 10 regions. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year were selected for every region. The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools. Nebraska leads the way with seven All-Region selections, followed by Pittsburgh and Stanford with six apiece. Florida,  Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin all have five All-Region first-team or honorable mention selections.

-GoJacks.com-



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Colorado Volleyball’s Burilovic Named to AVCA All-West Region First Team

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Colorado volleyball junior pin attacker Ana Burilovic (Split, Croatia) was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) All-West Region First Team on Tuesday, Dec. 9. 
 
Burilovic’s all-region selection marks the program’s 30th postseason regional selection all-time. This is also her second postseason award after being named to the 2025 All-Big 12 First Team last week. The last time Colorado was named to the All-Region First Team was middle blocker Naghede Abu and outside hitter Alexa Smith in 2018. Colorado’s last all-region selection was an honorable mention for middle blocker Meegan Hart in 2020. Colorado’s first appearance on the all-region team was the first team for setter Nicole Vranesh in 1992. 
 
Burilovic leads the Big 12 in points per set (5.47) and kills per set (4.71). She is also third in conference for aces per set (0.43). This is Burilovic’s first all-region selection of her career. In her 32 matches in 2025, she has accumulated 565 kills, 211 digs, 51 aces, 64 blocks and 19 assists. Burilovic has four kill-dig double-doubles on the season, now totaling 10 in her career. She has had 13 matches with 20 or more kills this season (a CU VB record), including two 30+ kill matches against UCF (Oct. 2) and at Northern Colorado (Oct. 28) – she is only the second player in Colorado Volleyball history to have two matches in one season with over 30 kills. On Sept. 30, Burilovic was named AVCA Player of the Week after aiding the Buffs in their road-sweep over then-No.14 BYU, and then-No.23 Utah. She was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4, after leading Colorado’s win over Northern Colorado with 30 kills, hitting .329, nine digs, two blocks and one ace (Oct. 28). Burilovic surpassed 1,000 career kills at West Virginia, becoming the 19th Buff to total over 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,061 career kills, 521 career digs, 118 career aces and 116 career blocks.
 
Fourteen student-athletes were selected to the AVCA All-West Region First Team, and six were named Honorable Mention. A full list of the honorees can be found after this release.
 
Under 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado finished the 2025 season 23-9 and went 12-6 against Big 12 opponents. Coach Mahoney has led the Buffs to a 164-135 record in his 10 seasons at the helm. The Buffs made their 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament after the conclusion of the regular season, sweeping American in the first round before falling to four-seed Indiana in the second round. The Buffs’ last match against the Hoosiers marks the 12th second round appearance in program history. Colorado has 20 wins this season, marking the program’s 13th 20-win season and its first since 2022. With 23 wins this season, this is the most in a season since 2017 and ties for the third-most wins in a season in program history.
 
For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
 
 
West Region
1st       Rebekah Allick             University of Nebraska             MB       Sr
1st       Tierney Barlow             Utah State University               MB       Sr
1st       Ana Burilovic               University of Colorado             OH       Jr
1st       Laney Choboy             University of Nebraska             L          Jr
1st       Suli Davis                    Brigham Young University       OH       Fr
1st       Kamryn Gibadlo           University of Utah                    OH       Jr
1st       Andi Jackson               University of Nebraska             MB       Jr
1st       Brielle Kemavor           Brigham Young University       MB       Jr
1st       Kaylie Kofe                  Utah State University               S          So
1st       Annalea Maeder          Creighton University                S          Sr
1st       Ava Martin                   Creighton University                OH       Sr
1st       Harper Murray             University of Nebraska             OH       Jr
1st       Bergen Reilly               University of Nebraska             S          Jr
1st       Kiara Reinhardt           Creighton University                MB       Sr
                                                           
Honorable Mention
HM      Virginia Adriano           University of Nebraska             RS       Fr
HM      Alex Bower                  Brigham Young University       S          So
HM      Loryn Helgesen           Utah State University               RS       So
HM      Taylor Landfair             University of Nebraska             OH       Sr
HM      Claire Little Chambers Brigham Young University       OH       Jr
HM      Avery Page                  Utah Valley University             OH       Sr
                                                           
West Region Award Winners
Region Player of the Year: Bergen Reilly, University of Nebraska, S, Jr
Region Freshman of the Year: Suli Davis, Brigham Young University, OH
Region Coach of the Year: Dani Busboom Kelly, University of Nebraska
 
 



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Big 12 Prepares for NCAA Volleyball Sweet 16

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Arizona State and Kansas advanced to the Regional Semifinal round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. This is the fifth time in the last seven years that the Big 12 has sent at least two programs to the Sweet 16 and the first time since 2022. Additionally, the Big 12 finished with eight wins in the first round, the most in Conference history, surpassing the previous high of six (2004, 2006, 2023).
 
No. 2 seed Arizona State defeated Coppin State and Utah State to make its fourth trip to the regional semifinals in program history, and the second time in the last three years. The Sun Devils improved to 28-3 on the year, the second-most wins in school history. This marks the first time in the NCAA era that Arizona State has finished the year undefeated at home and the second time in Arizona State history. The 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Noemie Glover, recorded 17 kills, the second-most for the Sun Devils behind only Bailey Miller (18 kills). Arizona State will next play No. 3 seed Creighton on Thursday, Dec. 11 at Noon CT/11 a.m. MST.
 
No. 4 seed Kansas will play in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021, and the fourth time in program history after two wins at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The Jayhawks swept High Point (3-0) before taking down No. 5 seed Miami (3-1) behind seniors Rhian Swanson and Katie Dalton. Swanson increased her season total to 19 games with double-digit kills, while Dalton added 59 assists across the two matches. Kansas will play top-seeded Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 12 at 8:30 p.m. CT.
 





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Players to watch at NCAA volleyball tournament’s Sweet 16

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The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament is down to its final 16 teams. But countless pressing questions remain as the tournament makes its way to the final four in Kansas City. Can Nebraska, the No. 1 overall seed, finish undefeated and claim the program’s sixth national title? Can Pitt advance to its fifth straight final four appearance? Will SEC champion Kentucky return to the final four for the first time since winning its first national championship in 2020? Is a young Texas team ready to cash in ahead of schedule?

Here are the 10 (OK, 11) players who will have a major say in answering those questions and more.

Olivia Babcock, Pitt: If the volleyball gods could issue a warning for the NCAA tournament’s stretch run, it would read something like this: “Do not take your eyes off Olivia Babcock, or else…” Arguably the most dynamic player in the college game, the 6-foot-4 Babcock averages 5.9 points per set and 5.1 kills per set for a team that is looking to return to the final four for the fifth straight time. The ACC Player of the Year had more than 40 kills in two matches this season from her opposite hitter position. With springy legs and a powerful arm from the front row, back row and behind the service line, Babcock, the 2024 AVCA Player of the Year, is magic in motion. Look away at your own risk.

Ella Swindle, Texas: Surrounded by strangers at the start of the season, the Longhorns’ junior setter holds the key to the powerful Texas attack. The 6-foot-3 Swindle led Texas to the national title in 2023 but then played a backup role a year ago when Texas fell to Creighton in the regional semifinals. This year, she has 898 assists — mostly to hitters she had never played with before the season. Texas’ top three hitters are Pitt transfer Torrey Stafford (488 kills) and freshmen Cari Spears (338 kills) and Abby Vander Wal (268 kills), and Swindle has the offense hitting at a .316 clip, tied for third-best in the nation.

Rebekah Allick, Nebraska: The top-seeded Cornhuskers take the court with a pick-your-poison approach. Every attacker around Big Ten Player and Setter of the Year Bergen Reilly can terminate (see: Andi Jackson, Taylor Landfair, Harper Murray). Every defender on the court can dig (see: Laney Choboy, Olivia Mauch, Teraya Sigler). On volleyball’s balanced behemoth, Allick stands out for her passion. Make no mistake: Allick, a 6-foot-4 senior middle blocker, is having the best statistical season of her career, hitting .437 (eighth-best in the country but seven slots below fellow middle blocker Jackson) with 235 kills. But nothing fires up the No. 1 overall seed more than an Allick roar after a stuffed block or a kill on an opponent’s overpass. The Huskers will be tested. And when they are, they’ll turn to Allick for inspiration.

Brookeva DeHudson, Kentucky: Don’t google her. It’s impossible to pick one Kentucky superstar outside hitter over the other. Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson are both that good, so we merged them into one spot. DeLeye was the SEC Player of the Year in 2024. Hudson, in her first year with the Wildcats after transferring from Purdue, is the SEC Player of the Year in 2025. The 6-foot-2 DeLeye has 495 kills on the season and averages 4.7 per set. The 6-foot-1 Hudson has 482 kills and averages 4.6 per set. Slow down one? Maybe. Stop both? Nearly impossible. Together they are the most lethal pair of pin hitters in the tournament and the engine driving Kentucky toward a shot at a second national title.

Chloe Chicoine, Louisville: Now we come upon the rarest of all sightings in the latter half of the NCAA tournament: a 5-foot-10 outside hitter. Chicoine, a transfer-portal addition to the reigning national runners-up, brings her impressive vertical leap and feisty play from Purdue to Louisville. She comes into the regional semifinals with her arm blazing. Chicoine crushed a season-high 28 kills in a five-set win over Marquette in the second round. She leads the balanced Cardinals with 387 kills and is second in digs with 332.

Mimi Colyer, Wisconsin: Two words: Instant. Offense. The 6-foot-3 senior outside hitter and Oregon transfer was a unanimous all-Big Ten selection in her first season with the Badgers. How could she not be? Colyer averages 5.32 kills per set, tops among players remaining in the tournament, and hits .340. She spent her free time getting 220 digs and 67 blocks. With setter extraordinaire Charlie Fuerbringer healthy and back on the court, the Badgers bring an offense that can pose problems for anyone and everyone.

Averi Carlson, SMU: The 5-foot-11 setter started for two seasons at Baylor, then started at Texas, then led the U.S. U23 national team to gold at the Pan American Cup, and now she orchestrates a high-powered Mustangs attack. The ACC Setter of the Year runs an offense that hits .316, tied for third-best (with Texas) in the country. She has developed a quick and lethal connection with fellow transfer Malaya Jones (503 kills) from Colorado State. She also puts up a strong block, with 85 on the season.

Noemie Glover, Arizona State: Since transferring from Oregon before the season, the Sun Devils’ opposite hitter has had exactly one match in which she didn’t produce double-digit kills — but even in that match she hit .444. The 6-foot-2 Glover has 406 kills, 108 blocks and 80 digs. Fun fact: Her dad, La’Roi Glover, played 13 seasons in the NFL and was a six-time Pro Bowler.

Elia Rubin, Stanford: The senior and four-year Cardinal starter has become synonymous with Stanford volleyball over the past four seasons. She brings a host of awards — AVCA All-America, All-ACC, All-Pac 12 — and 1,607 career kills into the regional semifinals. This season, she leads the second-seeded Cardinal in kills (378) and aces (45) and is second in digs (296). About the only thing Rubin hasn’t done in her Stanford career is play in the final four.

Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M: The 6-foot-3 senior opposite hitter is as steady as they come. She has been killing it for the Aggies for four straight seasons, and she’s poised to go out with a bang in her final NCAA tournament run. Through her first two tournament games, she has 39 kills on a .429 percentage and is averaging 6.21 points per set. The AVCA Player of the Year semifinalist plays some mean defense too — she has 83 blocks and 275 digs this season, both second-most among the Aggies.



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NIL’s marketing success proves the value of athletes as creators

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Brands have long turned to professional athletes for their star power in big-budget commercials, but recent shifts in name, image, and likeness (NIL) policy have pushed marketers to widen the talent pool.

On July 1, the House v. NCAA settlement took effect, allowing colleges to compensate athletes for their NIL usage. Marketers expect that these athletes, many of whom have built-in communities and an engaged digital fanbase, can help brands stand out in the influencer space.

  • Student athletes boast a social media engagement rate 3.7x higher than traditional influencers (5.6% compared to 1.9%), according to a June Opendorse report.

“College athletes bring a new edge by commanding hyper-loyal, local communities,” said Alison Bringé, CMO of Launchmetrics, “shaping culture on campuses and connecting with younger consumers with a level of authenticity traditional influencers can’t reach.”

Why college athletes resonate

NIL compensation has shown that sports influence functions like creator influence, as fans want more from their favorite players than just highlight reels. US sports fans look for personal life updates (31%) almost as much as game highlights (34%), according to an April YouGov survey.

“With jam-packed schedules, they don’t always fit the mold of the ‘always-on’ influencer, which makes the glimpses they share into their daily lives, routines, and preferences even more special and exciting to fans,” said Ajalin Williamson, strategy director at The Goat Agency in an October report.

Inside the sports creator economy

With the NIL settlement giving new opportunities to athletes and marketers, brands are reconsidering who is influential, recognizing that considering the full sports sphere can lead to more memorable work.

Cameo, an app where consumers buy personalized videos from celebrities, is recognizing the value of expanding athlete partnerships through a partnership with the Pro Athlete Community (PAC). The goal is to highlight how “brand deals have historically been limited to only the most prominent names,” according to a press release.

You no longer need to be in the big leagues to be a top sports creator. The Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team that is known for their choreographed dances and social presence, has 11.1 million TikTok followers. The Yankees have 1.8 million, and The Mets only 801.7 thousand.



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NCAA women’s volleyball players with famous NBA, NFL dads

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Dec. 10, 2025, 6:02 a.m. ET



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