#4 Louisville at #18 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Friday, Sept. 12 • 8 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |

Rice at #18 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Saturday, Sept. 13 • 4 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |

Northern Iowa vs. #4 Louisville • Omaha, Neb. • Saturday, Sept. 13 • 6:30 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |

#4 Louisville vs. Rice • Omaha, Neb. • Sunday, Sept. 14 • 12:00 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |

Northern Iowa at #18 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • Sunday, Sept. 14 • 3:30 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |

This Weekend

After three straight weekends in Big Ten arenas, No. 18 Creighton Volleyball returns to Omaha to start a busy stretch of six home matches in a span of 10 days against some of the nation’s teams.

    First up is this weekend’s Bluejay Invitational, which starts on Friday, Sept. 12th and involves No. 4 Louisville, Rice and Northern Iowa.

    The event begins on Friday at 4:30 p.m. when Rice (2-3) faces off against Northern Iowa (3-3), followed by a nationally-televised Top 25 battle when No. 4 Louisville (4-0 before Wednesday) visits No. 18 Creighton (3-3) at 8 p.m.

    Saturday’s action starts with No. 18 Creighton  meeting Rice at 4 p.m., followed by No. 4 Louisville vs. Northern Iowa at 6:30 p.m.

    Play concludes on Sunday when Rice takes on  No. 4 Louisville at 12 p.m., and Northern Iowa meets No. 18 Creighton at 3:30 p.m.

Recognitions & Promotions

Brian Rosen will be honored before Friday’s match in recognition of his first win as Creighton head coach (Aug. 31 vs. No. 14 Kansas). The match will be a Powder Blue Stripe Out, with alternating sections highly advised to wear the appropriate color in a map to be viewed at http://GoCreighton.com/25pbstripes.



    Ava Martin will be honored prior to Saturday’s match in recognition of her recording her 1,000th career kill last November. Saturday is also a camper reunion, as any camper from the past year can claim a discounted ticket to this match. Additionally, the first 500 fans can claim a tie headband from the marketing table.

    Sunday is a Throwback Day as we Rally in the Valley. Join us for another throwback game as we reminisce on the Missouri Valley Conference days! The first 200 fans and 50 students can grab a retro-reversible bucket hat upon entry.

Broadcast Information

All six matches from the Bluejay Invitational will be either televised or video webcast.

    Friday’s Louisville/Creighton match will be nationally-televised by FS1, with Elise Woodward and Jill Dorsey-Hall on the call.

    Creighton’s matches on Saturday vs. Rice and Sunday vs. Northern Iowa will be streamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. Visit http://watchespn.com, then click on schedule, to find the exact link.

    The three matches of the Bluejay Invitational not including Creighton will be video webcast at no charge on Creighton’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@gocreighton/streams.

    Connor Happer and Shannon Smolinski will call Friday’s Rice/UNI contest.

    Jon Schriner and Jaclyn Taylor will broadcast both of Saturday’s matches, while Schriner and Shannon Smolinski will announce both of Sunday’s battles.

    

Live Stats Information

Every match this weekend will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com. 

    Links will also be on the GoCreighton.com volleyball schedule page.

Scouting #18 Creighton

Creighton is 3-3 on the season and ranked 18th nationally after a challenging schedule that has featured No. 2 Penn State, No. 5 Texas, No. 14 Kansas and No. 22 USC, among others. 

    The Bluejays, who return three starters from  last year’s team that went 32-3 and reached the Elite Eight, are still adjusting to the loss of All-Americans Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger as well as the departure of head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

    Reigning AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Rosen was promoted to head coach after three seasons assisting Booth, and he’s relied on senior starters Ava Martin (3.70 kps., 0.39 saps) and Kiara Reinhardt (2.22 kps., 0.83 bps., .398%) to lead a talented group.

    Three transfers who have made an immediate impact are setter Annalea Maeder (9.35 aps.), middle blocker Eloise Brandewie (1.70 kps., 1.25 bps.) and libero Saige Damrow (4.04 dps.).

     CU averages 12.61 kills, 1.39 aces, 14.70 digs and 2.30 blocks per set while hitting .179.

Scouting #4 Louisville

Louisville is 4-0 and ranked fourth nationally heading into Wednesday night’s top-five showdown with No. 2 Texas. Last year’s NCAA runner-up, the Cardinals swept Auburn, Morehead State and St. John’s before a 3-1 victory over Illinois on Sunday.

    Payton Petersen (4.08 kps., .342%, 3.17 dps.) has stepped into a starring role and is supported by Purdue transfer Chloe Chicoine (3.67 kps., 2.92 dps.), Kalyssa Blackshear (2.70 kps., 1.10 bps.), Reese Robins (2.50 kps., 1.50 bps.) and Addison Makun (2.00 kps., .333%).

    Nayellis Cabello (11.70 aps., 3.00 dps., .40 saps.) is setting for the Cards, and Kamden Schrand (5.77 dps.) has filled in admirably for former All-American libero Elena Scott.

    Louisville ranks in the top 10 nationally with 15.23 kills per set (2nd), 18.15 digs per set (3rd) and 3.08 blocks per set (8th) while hitting .289 as a team.

    Louisville was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Poll with Cabello, Chicoine and Cresse named to the All-ACC’s Preseason team.

Series History vs. Louisville

Louisville has won all three previous meetings against Creighton, with each contest lasting five sets.

    The meetings came on Aug. 29, 2015 in Champaign, Ill., Dec. 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh in the NCAA Regional Semifinals, and last Sept. 15 in Louisville as part of the Cardinal Classic.

    Brian Rosen is 0-0 vs. Louisville and Dan Meske is 0-0 vs. Creighton. Rosen and Meske have never met as head coaches.

Scouting Rice

Rice is 2-3 on the season after alternating wins and losses through five matches this season. The Owls have losses against Top 25 foes Texas A&M, Texas and Baylor but have defeated Central Arkansas and Saint Mary’s.

    Michigan State transfer Taylor Preston (4.38 kps.) is the lone Rice player averaging at least 2.00 kills per set, but six other Owls average between 1.00 and 1.93 kills per set.

    Gaby Mansfield and Darby Harris share team-high honors with 3.44 digs per set, Arissa Smith averages a team-leading 1.06 blocks per set and Savannah Skopal averages 7.33 assists per set.

    The Owls average 11.75 kills, 15.00 digs, 1.94 blocks and 1.06 aces per set while hitting .177 as a team.

    Rice was picked to win the American Conference, with Lademi Ogunlana and Cindy Tchouangwa joining Preston and Skopal on the American’s Preseason All-Conference team.

Series History vs. Rice

Creighton is 1-2 all-time against Rice. 

    Rice won in four sets in 1995 in Manhattan and in five sets in Houston in 2022 before CU handed the Owls a 3-0 loss in Louisville last September.

    Brian Rosen has never faced Rice, while Rice coach Genny Volpe is 1-1 all-time against Creighton. Volpe has not faced Rosen as a head coach.

Scouting Northern Iowa

UNI owns a 3-3 record. The Panthers have beaten South Dakota State, Stony Brook and Iowa State but were swept by Arizona State, SMU and Washington.

    Lily Dykstra (3.85 kps.) and Cassidy Hartman (3.85 kps.) have accounted for more than half of UNI’s kills, and Jadyn Petersen (0.45 saps., 3.90 dps.) leads the defense.

    Reese Booth (5.95 aps.) and Kate Shafer (4.85 aps.) share the setting responsibilities and Lindsay Oldendorf (0.83 bps.) tops the team in blocks.

    As a team, UNI averages 14.10 kills, 15.95 digs, 1.65 blocks and 1.20 aces per set while hitting .211.

    The Panthers, who went 26-8 a season ago, were unanimous picks to win the MVC and Hartman was named Preseason All-Valley.

Series History vs. Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa owns a 42-16 record all-time against Creighton, including an 18-6 mark in Omaha.

    After winning just three of the first 43 meetings, Creighton has won 13 of the last 15 match-ups in the series, including seven in a row. CU’s 13 wins are the most against the Panthers since 2012, two more than UNI’s 11 losses to Illinois State.

    Six of CU’s 16 wins against the Panthers have come in five sets.  Creighton’s last 11 victories over Northern Iowa have come in six different states (four times in Nebraska, three times in Kentucky, and once each in Iowa, California, Kansas and Illinois).

    Brian Rosen has never faced UNI as a head coach. Bobbi Petersen is 30-16 all-time against Creighton.

    Northern Iowa is 14-0 all-time when ranked and facing Creighton. Creighton is 10-1 all-time when ranked when facing UNI. Oddly, the teams have never met when both were ranked.

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 3-3 as Creighton head coach, defeating No. 14 Kansas on Aug. 31 for his first win on the Bluejay sideline.

    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.

    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 Friday…

– Creighton would improve to 1-3 all-time against Louisville.

– Creighton would extend its school-record home win streak to 33.

– Creighton would improve to 2-3 this season against ranked teams, the ninth time CU has defeated multiple ranked foes in the same year.

– Creighton would defeat a top-five team at home for the first time in eight tries.

– Creighton would improve to 4-13 all-time against teams that made the Final Four the previous season.

– Creighton would improve to 22-10 all-time in its home opener, and 15-2 all-time in its first match of the season inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

– Kiara Reinhardt would become the 13th Bluejay to play in 100 career wins.

Milestone Watch

Creighton’s student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones as the 2025 season the home portion of its schedule gets underway…

    Kiara Reinhardt has played in 99 career wins and is one shy of 100 victories.

    Kiara Reinhardt is sixth in program history with 438 career blocks, nine behind Ashley Williams (447) to move into the top five.

    Annalea Maeder owns 2,974 career assists and is 26 shy of 3,000 for her career. All but 110 of her assists came at California.

    Ava Martin owns 1,194 career kills and is six shy of 1,200. Martin is also 11 attack attempts away from 3,000 in her career. Martin’s 90 aces are three shy of Madelyn Cole’s 93 for 10th-most in CU history.

Family Ties

There are a ton of connections between many of the schools in this weekend’s Bluejay Invitational.

    Northern Iowa sophomore Reese Booth (5.95 aps., 2.30 dps.) is the daughter of former Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

    Louisville sophomore Payton Petersen (4.08 kps., 3.17 dps.) and UNI redshirt freshman Jadyn Petersen (0.45 saps., 3.90 dps.) are twins and  daughters of Northern Iowa head coach Bobbi Petersen.

    Louisville head coach Dan Meske is married to former Creighton middle blocker Laurel Sanford, who accumulated 761 kills and 419 blocks (10th in CU history) in 107 matches from 2008-11.

    Creighton men’s basketball coach Greg McDermott played (1984-88) at and served as a head coach (2001-06) at Northern Iowa.

    Former Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen is a 1971 graduate of Northern Iowa. He had been at Creighton since 1980, ascending to the Athletic Director  position in 1994, before retiring in August of 2021.        Northern Iowa women’s basketball head coach Tanya Warren played at Creighton and has spent two stints as an assistant coach with the Bluejays. Warren played for Rasmussen and is one of two Bluejay women’s basketball players with her name in the rafters inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

    Creighton Sports Information Director and volleyball contact Rob Anderson worked as Northern Iowa’s Volleyball SID in 2000 and 2001.

    The top women’s beach volleyball team in the United States features Taryn (Kloth) Brasher and Kirsten Nuss, as the duo tied for ninth place at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kloth starred indoors at Creighton from 2015-18 before transferring to LSU as a grad student to pursue a beach volleyball career. At LSU, she was part of the top volleyball team in the country with Nuss. Nuss is engaged to Rice assistant coach Trey Cruz.     

Old MVC Rivals Get Reacquainted

Sunday’s match-up with Northern Iowa will be Creighton’s 59th against the Panthers since the program’s restart in 1994, the most of any opponent.

    The only other teams that Creighton has played more than 40 times are Wichita State (50) and Illinois State (43).

    UNI is the only opponent to defeat Creighton more than 30 times, something the Panthers have done 42 times.

    Creighton and Northern Iowa have played all but one season (2013) since the Bluejays restarted volleyball in 1994.

    The teams were Missouri Valley Conference rivals who played twice annually from 1994-2012, plus six more MVC Tournament meetings.

    Creighton is 11-2 against Northern Iowa since leaving the MVC, compared to a 5-40 mark when the two were Valley rivals.

Two Of The Best

Few teams in the country have been as successful in recent years as Creighton and Louisville.

    Since the start of the 2018 season, Creighton ranks fourth with 188 victories. Louisville is seventh with 183 wins. If you base success only by win percentage since 2018, Creighton (188-35) is sixth by winning at an .843 clip. Louisville (183-37) is eighth with a .832 win percentage in that era.

    Narrow the window to the start of the 2021 campaign and it’s even better. Louisville is tied for second with 124 wins while Creighton is fourth with 122 victories. When it comes to win percentage since the start of the 2021 season, Louisville (124-15) is tops nationally with an .892 winning percentage while Creighton (122-20) is sixth with an .859 mark.

The Streak At Home

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.

    That extends its program record to 32 straight home wins, surpassing a 15-match home win streak from Sept. 7-Nov. 30, 2018 that had been the standard.  Creighton’s 32-match home win streak is the third-longest active streak in the country. In that time, CU has lost just five sets total.

    Creighton has also won 34 straight sets at home dating to a third set loss to Marquette on Oct. 1, 2024, seven shy of the program record of 41 from Sept. 3, 2023 to Sept. 1, 2024

    . All told, Creighton has won 89 of its last 91 sets played at D.J. Sokol Arena overall, where it lost just one set in 12 matches against BIG EAST opponents last fall.

Creighton’s Longest Home Win Streaks

Wins    Dates    Snapped By

    32    Sept. 1, 2023 – Present    TBD

    15    Sept. 7 – Nov. 30, 2018    #22 Washington, 3-0

    13    Sept. 1, 2012 – Sept. 7, 2013    California, 3-0

    13    Sept. 9, 2016-Sept. 1, 2017    #18 USC, 3-0

Nation’s  Longest Active Home Win Streaks

Wins    Team    Next Home Match

    47    Nebraska    Sept. 12 vs,. #22 Utah

    37    Pittsburgh    Sept. 28 vs. #10 SMU

    32    Creighton    Sept. 12 vs. #4 Louisville

    16    UT Arlington    Sept. 13 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock

Home Openers

Creighton enters Friday’s match vs. Louisville with a 21-10 mark in home openers. That mark improves to 14-2 all-time in its first home match of the season at D.J. Sokol Arena, which opened in 2009.

    Since Creighton brought back volleyball in 1994, coaches are 2-1 in their home debut. Ben Guiliano lost his 1995 home debut to Bradley, while Howard Wallace swept Kansas City in 1997 and Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s 2003 team opened at home with a 3-2 win vs. Southern Illinois.

Another Loaded Field

This weekend’s Bluejay Invitational field features two teams (No. 4 Louisville and No. 18 Creighton) included in this week’s AVCA poll.

    Below is a list of each team to enter play while being ranked or having received votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll the week of the Bluejay Invitational. Those previous 32 teams are a collective 63-27 with 15 titles.

    Each of the past 12 (and 15 of 19 overall) Bluejay Invitationals have been won by a team that entered the weekend in the Top 25 or receiving votes. 

    In all but one occasion (2013) there’s been at least one team getting votes, the team to win it was the highest-ranked team coming in, though it’s worth noting that in 2010 and 2011 none of the participants were receiving votes.

Year    (Rank) Team    W-L at Bluejay Invite

2007    (RV) Middle Tennessee    3-0

2008    #16 Minnesota    3-0

2008    #21 LSU    2-1

2008    (RV) Texas A&M    0-3

2009    #10 Illinois    2-0

2012    #21 Kansas State    3-0

2013    #19 Creighton    2-1

2013    (RV) California    3-0

2014    (RV) Creighton    3-0

2015    (RV) Pacific    3-0

2015    (RV) Creighton    2-1

2015    (RV) Lipscomb    0-3

2016    #4 Kansas    2-0

2016    (RV) Creighton    2-1

2016    (RV) TCU    1-1

2017    #7 Creighton    2-1

2017    #13 Kentucky    2-1

2017    #18 USC    1-2

2017    (RV) Northern Iowa    1-2

2018    #14 Creighton    2-0

2018    (RV) Iowa State    1-1

2018    (RV) Wichita State    0-2

2019    #12 Washington    3-0

2019    #17 Creighton    2-1

2021    #19 Creighton    3-0

2022    #16 Kentucky    3-0 

2022    #17 Creighton    2-1 

2022    #25 USC    1-2

2023    #20 Creighton    3-0

2023    (RV) LSU    1-2

2024    #12 Creighton    3-0

2024    (RV) Missouri    2-1

2025    #4 Louisville    TBD

2025    #18 Creighton    TBD

Bluejay Invitational History

This will be the 20th edition of the Bluejay Invitational, where host Creighton is 37-17 all-time in the event. The Bluejays have never gone winless in the event, and have gone undefeated five times (2014, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024). CU boasts six titles, winning the Bluejay Invitational in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2024.

    Champions, by year, include Iowa State (2005), Iowa (2006), Middle Tennessee (2007), Minnesota (2008), Illinois (2009), Kansas (2010), Northern Illinois (2011), Kansas State (2012), California (2013), Creighton (2014), Pacific (2015), Kansas (2016), Creighton (2017), Creighton (2018), Washington (2019), Creighton (2021), Kentucky (2022), Creighton (2023) and Creighton (2024).

    Between 19 previous Bluejay Invitationals, (2005-24), two Creighton First Serve Festivals (1996-97), six Creighton Classics (2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024), one MVC Tournament (2009) and six BIG EAST Tournaments (2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024), Creighton has won 14 of the 34 tournaments (excluding NCAA Tournament action) it has hosted since the program’s 1994 restart. 

    CU has won at least one home tournament each of the previous eight seasons.

    Creighton has won each of the last five tournaments it has hosted and is on a 13-match home win streak in those contests.

More Bluejay Invitational History

Entering this fall there have been 36 schools (besides Creighton) to play in the Bluejay Invitational, including three appearances by UNI and two appearances each by Drake, Kentucky, USC, Omaha, Illinois, Kansas, Northern Colorado, Iowa State, Wichita State and Lipscomb. 

    This will be the first appearance in the Bluejay Invitational for both Lousville and Rice.

    Creighton’s 37 wins are the most in Bluejay Invitational history, far ahead of Kansas’ five wins that are second-most. Northern Iowa is 3-6 in the event in three previous trips.

    Creighton (6 titles) and Kansas (2) are the only schools in history to win the event more than once.

    Creighton is the only program to win consecutive Bluejay Invitational crowns (2017-18 and 2023-24), and will try to become the first team to win three in a row.

Longitude Aptitude

Teams located west of Creighton are a combined 24-38 all-time with four Bluejay Invitational titles, while teams to the east of Creighton are 43-49 with nine titles. Creighton owns the other six titles, and is 37-17 in the event. Of this year’s field, Northern Iowa, Rice and Louisville are all east of Omaha.

    Creighton has won two or more matches in every Bluejay Invitational since going 1-2 in 2011, and has never been winless in the event.

Facing Final Four Teams

Creighton is 3-13 all-time against teams that reached the Final Four in the previous season, but 0-5 against runner-ups. Louisville finished as the 2024 NCAA runner-up, falling to Penn State.

Creighton is 3-13 Against Teams That Made 

The Final Four The Previous Year

(Home: 0-4, Away: 2-7, Neutral: 1-2)

Date     Winner     Loser      Previous Year Finish

9/25/01    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion 

9/10/05    Stanford 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion

9/24/06    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Runner-Up

8/31/07    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion

9/1/09    Nebraska 3    Creighton 0    Final Four

9/17/16    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Champion

9/8/16    Kansas 3    Creighton 2    Final Four

12/2/16    Creighton 3    Kansas 2    Final Four

12/10/16    Texas 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Runner-Up

9/6/18    Nebraska 3    Creighton  2    NCAA Champion

8/30/19    Nebraska 3    Creighton 1    NCAA Runner-Up

9/4/21    Creighton 3    Kentucky 0    NCAA Champion

9/7/22    Nebraska 3    Creighton 2    NCAA Runner-Up

9/10/24    Nebraska 3    Creighton 2    NCAA Runner-Up

12/13/24    Creighton 3    Texas 1    NCAA Champion

8/23/25    Penn State 3    Creighton 0    NCAA Champion

Damrow Digs It

Saige Damrow has owned 10 or more digs in each of her first six matches as a Bluejay, just the 13th time in program history a player has done that, and the fifth to do it in her first season witih the Jaysl.

    Damrow has owned 12 or more digs in each of her first six matches as a Bluejay.  She’s one of four women to do that, and just the second to start her CU career like that.

Consec. Matches, 10 or More Digs, To Start Year

    32*    Kate Elman    2012

    29    Janeen Piller     (every match) 2004

    27*    Bianca Rivera    2007

    18    Brittany Witt    2018

    16*    Abby Bottomley    2021

    9    Nayka Benitez    2010

    8    Brittany Witt    2019

    7    Erin Swanson    1999

    7    Kate Elman    2014

    6    Jaden Custer    2003

    6*    Julianne Mandolfo    2010

    6    Julianne Mandolfo    2011

    6*    Saige Damrow    2025

*first season at Creighton

Consec. Matches, 12 or More Digs, To Start Year

    27*    Bianca Rivera    2007

    18    Janeen Piller     2004

    9    Nayka Benitez    2010

    6*    Saige Damrow    2025

*first season at Creighton

All-Tourney Duo

Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt both picked up All-Tournament Team honors following the Trojan Invitational on Sunday.

    Martin led CU by averaging 3.50 kills and 0.42 aces per set, also contributing 1.67 digs per set.

    Reinhardt hit .457 and aveaged 2.33 kills and 0.83 blocks per set in the three matches.

    This is the ninth career All-Tournament Team accolade for Martin and second for Reinhardt.

High Five

Creighton and Louisville have played three times previously and all of those meetings have gone five sets.

    The Cardinals are the only opponent in CU history that that Bluejays have opened a series with three straight five-set matches against.

    Creighton once had five consecutive meetings with Evansville go five sets (from 1998-2000).

    The only other programs to play CU in a five-set match in three straight meetings have been Bradley (twice), Butler and Louisville.

    In case you’re wondering, Creighton is 19-5 all-time in five-set matches inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

    Creighton has also won its last four meetings at all sites against UNI to go five sets.

Kiara’s Weekend

Kiara Reinhardt was an unstoppable force in the first two matches of the Trojan Invitational as the sixth-year senior averaged 2.67 kills per set on .618 hitting.

    Reinhardt tied her career-high with 15 kills on Friday night vs. San Diego while setting a CU record for hitting percentage in a four-set match (.789).

    She followed that up with nine kills in 14 swings on Saturday, hitting .429 in a win over UCSB.

    Reinhardt is now hitting .398 this season while averaging 2.22 kills per set.

Reinhardt Eyes Century Mark

Kiara Reinhardt has played in 99 victories as a Bluejay and can become the 13th woman to reach the century mark with a victory this weekend.

    Creighton is 99-20 (.832) all-time in the matches Reinhardt has appeared in (they’re 35-4 in matches she doesn’t play in, including her redshirt year). Her current .832 win percentage ranks fourth-best in program history among those with 99 or more victories.

Most Wins, Appeared In As A Player

    119    Kendra Wait    2021-24

    116    Naomi Hickman    2017-21

    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

    99    Kiara Reinhardt    2020-Pres.

    98    Jaela Zimmerman    2018-22

Best Win Pct. in Matches Appeared In As A Player (min. 99 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

    99-20    .832    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

The Amazing Ava

Ava Martin had a career-high 24 kills last Saturday vs. UC Santa Barbara, including three kills or more all five sets. It was the seventh time in her career that she’s had 20 or more kills, and she’s done it against some impressive competition.

Ava Martin’s 20-Kill Matches

    Kills    Pct.    Opponent    Date

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

    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

Hey, Hey, Hayes!

After Destiny Ndam-Simpson got off to a slow start on Saturday, Creighton head coach Brian Rosen wasn’t afraid to give freshman Abbey Hayes a shot, and the move paid big dividends.

    Hayes entered the day with seven digs and one ace through the first four matches of her career, then had 14 digs and seven kills against UCSB. Hayes followed that with five kills and a pair of digs against USC on Sunday.

Top 10 Wins

Creighton owns 11 Top 10 wins in program history, all  of which have taken place in the previous 10 seasons. 

    All but one of the those Top 10 wins have taken place away from home, including wins over No. 6 Purdue and No. 10 Kansas on back-to-back days last September in Lawrence, Kan.

    Creighton owns four top-five wins in program history, and all of those were away from home.

    The highest-ranked teams that Creighton has ever beaten was No. 3 Washington (8/26/17) and No. 3 Kentucky (9/4/21). 

    CU’s lone top 10 home win in program history came on Nov. 9, 2019 over No. 9 Marquette, but the Jays will have chances to add to that in the next week with home matches against both No. 4 Louisville and No. 1 Nebraska.

Creighton’s Top 10 Wins

Date    Opponent    Score

09/05/15    vs. #10 Kentucky (at UNI)    W 3-1

12/02/16    at #4 Kansas    W 3-2

08/26/17    at #3 Washington    W 3-1

09/09/17    at #7 Kansas    W 3-0

08/24/18    vs. #5 Kentucky (at USC)    W 3-2

10/12/19    at #10 Marquette    W 3-2

11/09/19    #9 Marquette    W 3-1

09/04/21    at #3 Kentucky    W 3-0

09/16/23    at #9 Minnesota    W 3-2

09/20/24    vs. #6 Purdue (at Kansas)    W 3-1

09/21/24    at #10 Kansas    W 3-0

Top 25 History

Creighton is 234-51 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 26-31 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, 46 of Creighton’s 80 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 316-34 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but three of its past 122 home matches over unranked teams and all but 13 of its last 177 matches at all sites against unranked teams.

Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 26-31)

Home: 10-9    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    #18 Creighton vs. #4 Louisville     8 p.m.

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 31-92 all-time against ranked teams, with 30 wins coming under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and one 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.

    Last year was the eighth 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.

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.    2-0

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. UC 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 34 service runs of five or longer, eight more than the next-closest Bluejay (Norah Sis, who graduated in 2024). Next-most among her active teammates is the 19 by Ava Martin.

Watch This!

Four of Creighton’s first six matches this fall have aired on national television (one on FS1, three on BTN), while Friday’s battle with Louisville also appears on FS1.

    That also means that Saturday and Sunday’s battles won’t be televised. Creighton has won 37 straight non-televised matches, since an Oct. 6, 2023 loss at Marquette.

Champions Among Champions

Since the start of the 2012 season, Creighton, and Western Kentucky are the nation’s only schools to have won 12 conference regular-season titles. All but three of Creighton’s 12 crowns were outright titles, whereas WKU has shared five. Texas has won 11 titles in that time.

    Creighton has also won 11 conference tournament titles since 2012, the most in the nation.

Most Conference Titles 2012-2024

Regular-Season    League Tournament

12 (3 shared) Creighton    11 Creighton

12 (5) Western Kentucky    10 Western Kentucky

11 (1) Texas    9 Dayton

11 (1) Fairfield    9 Fairfield

9 (8) Florida A&M    

9 (5) Yale

9 (1) Colorado State    

    

142 Weeks As A Ranked Team

Creighton is ranked 18th in the Sept. 8 edition of the AVCA poll, the 142nd time in program history it’s been ranked. That’s 39th-most of all programs in NCAA history.

    All 142 rankings have occurred since 2012.

    The Bluejays are one of 13 schools (along with Baylor, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 65 polls.

    Creighton’s 65 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 17 seasons from 2008-2024, 385-of-425 teams (90.6 percent) in the preseason top-25 polls would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament, as all but preseason No. 19 Arkansas and No. 25 Georgia reached the 2024 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

Crowded House

Each of Creighton’s first three crowds of the season have been 10,000 fans or more, and they constitute the largest neutral-site crowds to ever see the Bluejays.

    CU’s opener vs. Penn State drew 10,438 fans to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.

    The following week in Madison, Creighton played before an announced crowd of 10,072 vs. Texas and 11,678 fans vs. Kansas.

    Looking ahead, CU’s Sept. 16 home match vs. Nebraska is expected to challenge the NCAA regular-season indoor volleyball-only attendance record of 17,037, as less than 1,000 tickets remain for that in-state showdown.

    Let’s take a closer look:

Largest Home Crowds

    Att.    Opponent    Date    CU Result    Facility

    15,797    #2 Nebraska    09/07/22    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

    14,022    #7 Nebraska    09/06/18    L 2-3    CHI Health Ctr.

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

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

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

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

    8,037    #2 Nebraska    10/05/08    L 0-3    CHI Health Ctr.

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

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

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

Largest Away/Neutral Crowds

    Att.    Site        Date    CU Result

    11,678    vs. #14 Kansas (at Wisc.)    08/31/25    W 3-2

    10,072    vs. #5 Texas (at Wisc.)    08/29/25    L 0-3

    10,438    vs. #2 Penn State (at Neb.)    08/23/25    L 0-3

    8,924    at #5 Nebraska        09/10/24    L 2-3

    8,656    at #4 Nebraska        09.06/23    L 1-3

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

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

    8,277    vs. Montana St. (at Neb.)    09/16/16    W 3-0

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 are 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.

A Bunch of Winners

Creighton’s 32 victories last season were fourth-most in the country, trailing only Final Four qualifiers Penn State (35), Pittsburgh (33) and Nebraska (33).

    Creighton’s three losses last fall were tied for the third-fewest in the nation, one more than Penn State and Pittsburgh’s two losses.

    When it comes to sets, Creighton’s 102 sets won were tied for second-most in the nation (Penn State had 105), while its 15 sets lost were tied for the fewest in the nation (with Pittsburgh).

    In its last 54 matches dating to 2023, Creighton is 47-7 and has won 146-of-179 sets. Four of the seven match losses came in five sets.

    In its 35 matches against BIG EAST schools since October 7, 2023, Creighton is 35-0 and has dropped just four sets to league opponents.

Most Matches Won in 2024

Rk.     Matches Won    Team

1.    35    Penn State

2.    33    Pittsburgh

    33    Nebraska

4.    32    Creighton

5.    31    Dayton

Most Sets Won in 2024

Rk.    Sets Won    Team

1.    105    Penn State

2.    102    Creighton

    102    Pittsburgh

    102    Nebraska

Fewest Matches Lost in 2024

Rk.     Matches Lost    Team

1.    2    Pittsburgh

    2    Penn State

3.    3    Creighton

    3    Dayton

    3    Nebraska

    3    Arizona State

    3    Texas-Arlington

    3    South Dakota State

Fewest Sets Lost in 2024

Rk.    Sets Lost    Team

1.    15    Creighton

    15    Pittsburgh

3.    19    Dayton

4.    20    Nebraska

    20    Arizona State

Fewest Sets Lost in 2023

Rk.    Sets Lost    Team

1.    22    Creighton

    22    Nebraska

    22    Dayton

4.    23    Wisconsin

    23    Tennessee

    23    Western Michigan

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 2014-24 (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 year, when CU only played 16 times).

13 Straight NCAA’s

Creighton Volleyball has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 13 seasons. They are the first women’s team in any sport at Creighton to make 13 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 13 NCAA Tournaments (2012-24). That group features BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas.

    There are also 12 schools that have appeared in 14 of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments, a group that includes Creighton, Florida State, Hawai’i, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford and Washington. Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Penn State, and Texas have appeared in every NCAA Tournament since at least 2010.

A Great Start

Ava Martin entered her senior season with 1,109 kills in her career. The 1,109 kills were the fifth-most ever by a Bluejay in their first three seasons.

    If Martin can duplicate her 428 kills from last year, she’d finish her career fifth in Bluejay history with 1,537 career putaways.

Most Kills at Creighton, First 3 Seasons

Name    Year 1    Year 2    Year 3    3 Yr Total

Jaali Winters    546    448    398    1,392

Norah Sis    435    489    302    1,226

Melissa Walsh    341    428    435    1,204

Leah Ratzlaff    180    516    479    1,175

Ava Martin    264    417    428    1,109

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 27 tournaments since the start of the 2021 calendar year, and won 18 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)

11 Straight BIG EAST Regular-Season Titles

Regular-season champions from 2014-24, Creighton is the first team in BIG EAST volleyball history to win 11 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 five straight regular-season league titles is Kentucky, with eight.

Jays Earn Tourney Titles

Creighton has won at least one tournament each of the previous 13 seasons, a streak that dates to 2012.

     During that span, the Bluejays have won 35 tournament titles, not to mention 12 regular-season league crowns.

    Creighton has also now won at least one home tournament each of the previous eight 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

2-0 Better Than 0-2

Creighton is 421-11 (.975) all-time when leading a match 2-0, and 149-1 (.993) all-time at D.J. Sokol Arena when up 2-0 at the break.

    Per RichKern.com, Division I teams that won the first two sets won 94.9 percent of their matches from 2014-23.

    Conversely, the Jays are 17-211 (.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 162-6 in its last 168 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 18-25 record in that same span when dropping the opener.

    Creighton has gone 198-4 (.980) in its last 202 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 167-5 in its last 172 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) and Auburn (Dec. 2, 2022). 

    The Jays have won their last 31 home matches following a first set victory.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers

This year’s team will play 10 matches against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (2x), 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    1-3 so far

TOTAL    116-148

TOTAL Under Booth    113-110

TOTAL Under Rosen    1-3

Home Sweet Home

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

    Since then, the Bluejays are 112-4 in home matches against BIG EAST teams (101-3 in the regular-season, 11-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament).

    Since November of 2014, Creighton is 96-1 inside D.J. Sokol Arena against BIG EAST teams, which includes a 86-1 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 are 32-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 96-7 in sets.

    Creighton has won 46 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.

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 11 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 10, 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 – Sept. 9, 2025

             BIG EAST only    All     matches

Team (NCAA Bids)    W    L    W    L

Creighton (12)    188    16    318    76

Marquette (11)    169    32    287    94

Xavier    116    86    185    171

St. John’s (1)    104    100    222    167

Butler    103    101    182    179

Villanova (1)    100    104    193    163

Seton Hall (1)    86    117    170    189

DePaul    65    139    152    204

Georgetown    44    152    112    226

Connecticut#    42    38    85    62

Providence*    30    158    116    212

*Providence rejoined the league for volleyball in 2014 and 

its 2013 overall record (12-20) is not included above.

#Connecticut rejoined the league in 2020 and 

its record from 2013-19 (96-121) is not included above.

Against The BIG EAST

Since the BIG EAST was restructured in 2013, Creighton owns a winning percentage better than .750 against each of the other teams currently in the BIG EAST.

    The Bluejays own 209 wins against BIG EAST competition (including BIG EAST Championship play) since 2013, 33 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    22-1    –    22-1

Connecticut    4-1    1-0    5-1

DePaul    24-0    3-0    27-0

Georgetown    22-0    –    22-0

Marquette    19-5    7-1    26-6

Providence    17-0    –    17-0

Seton Hall    19-3    2-0    21-3

St. John’s    20-2    1-1    21-3

Villanova    19-3    3-0    22-3

Xavier    22-1    4-0    26-1

Total    188-16    21-2    209-18

FLORENCE, Ala. (September 9, 2025) – The University of North Alabama volleyball team claimed a 3-0 home victory Tuesday night over the Samford Bulldogs in CB&S Bank Arena.

North Alabama (4-4) rung in the home opener in style with a three-set triumph over the in-state foes. The Lions fended off the competitive first set with Samford to take the opening point. Samford (2-3) came back in the second to seize the momentum, yet a late run gave UNA the two-set advantage. The third frame found North Alabama down by as many as seven points, but a comeback ensued and UNA downed the Bulldogs, 26-24.

The victory also marked UNA’s first win over Samford in the Division I era and the first since 1997.

Junior Kendall Barnes led UNA with 10 kills and a career-high three service aces. Junior Nicole Sargent and sophomore Dylann Garner added seven kills apiece. Kinslee McGowan, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Setter of the Week, tallied 30 assists.

Defensively, junior Ava Martindale posted a match-high 20 digs, and ASUN Freshman of the Week Jenna Kolosta contributed three blocks.

Samford and North Alabama opened the frame with a competitive affair. UNA took the lead after being down 2-0, going on a 6-2 run for the 6-4 advantage. The Lions held strong toward the halfway mark, but used a run midway to all but claim the opening frame. North Alabama led 15-12 and used a 5-0 run to open the score to a 20-12 UNA advantage. Two of Barnes’ three service aces came in the run, fueling the Lions to a 25-19 win in set one.

The Lions faced more competition in set two with the frame decided towards the end. Neither team lead by more than three points, but UNA used defense and the service line to take a 2-0 lead. North Alabama outscored the Bulldogs, 5-1, with UNA trailing 20-21 towards the end of the set. Sargent’s kill tied the set on the next point, with Sargent following with sophomore Reese Ricketts on a block. A second-straight block from Kolosta and Garner put the Lions up 23-22, and a service ace from Garner helped win set two, 25-22.

The Bulldogs responded from the first two sets with a strong opening third frame. An even start led to a 10-7 Samford lead and expanded to 14-8 midway through. The Bulldogs built a 17-10 advantage, but the Lions came alive with a 9-2 run to tie the set at 19. Garner was the catalyst in the comeback, contributing three kills and a block with additional kills from Barnes, Kolosta and Sargent. Samford quelled the run by outscoring North Alabama, 4-1, and took a 23-20 lead. The Bulldogs needed one point to send the match to a fourth, but UNA went on a 5-0 run to send the set to a win-by-two situation. The winning point came on a bad set from Samford, but a kill each from Barnes and Ricketts helped secure the Lions’ triumph in set three, 26-24.

UP NEXT

UNA continues its homestand Friday, Sept. 12, against Western Carolina. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in CB&S Bank Arena.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – For the first time since 2016, volleyball swept a ranked opponent at home as the Tar Heels shut down No. 11 Florida (25-23, 25-18, 25-21). Tonight’s victory gives Carolina the first win against the Gators since 1985 and the highest ranked victory in the Mike Schall era of volleyball. The sweep marks the first 5-0 start since 2021 when the team started 10-0.

The last time the Tar Heels beat a top 15 team at home was 2020 against No. 14 Duke 3-1 on Oct. 9. The last top 15 non-conference win was beating No. 2 Wisconsin in 2016. The 2016 team advanced to the sweet sixteen.

“That had nothing to do with them at all,” Safi Hampton said. “That was the first time that we played our game. We did the scout — everyone on the team did their job. That’s about us.”

The most anticipated home matchup of the last decade lived up to the hype as the two ranked foes went back and forth in the first set, which featured four lead changes and eight ties. Carolina came out on top, 25-23, giving them the first set victory against the Gators since 1999. Florida tied the match 23-23, but back-to-back kills from Safi Hampton sealed the first set win. 

The momentum carried over as Carolina took the second set 25-18.The Tar Heels came out swinging as they jumped out to a 14-5 lead off an 11-2 run. The Tar Heels scored the first point of the second set and never gave up the lead. The Gators tied the set twice but the Tar Heels responded both times.

“We practice more than we play, and if our team is deep, then we’re playing against a really good team every day,” head coach Mike Schall said. “We have great players who didn’t get opportunities tonight, and they’ll get them in the future, but they’re going to keep working on it and they’ll get those opportunities. They’re gonna be ready when they do, and I’m confident in that.”

The final set mirrored the first set with four lead changes and eight ties. Florida looked to be in the driver’s seat at the start of the set as they held the lead before the Tar Heels went on a 5-0 run to tie the match 13-13. before Carolina pulled away for good, closing out the match on 4-2 run giving Carolina its first win against Florida in four decades. 

Hampton has led the team in kills in every single match that she played in all of the sets and tonight’s victory was the same.

“She is one of the most creative attackers that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach, and she’s such a good problem solver,” Schall. It never looks exactly the same, but she figures out ways to get kills and we’re fortunate to have her.”

The undefeated Tar Heels will head on the road to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks for the second straight season on Friday, Sept. 12, at 6:00 p.m. on SECN+.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two former West Virginia University track and field standouts will compete on the international stage next week at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
 
Sarah Tait and Amy Cashin are both set to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. While the championships open on Saturday, Sept. 13, their event begins with preliminaries on Monday, Sept. 15, at 8:15 p.m. ET/9:15 a.m. JST. The finals are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 8:57 a.m./21:57 p.m. JST.
 
While at WVU, Tait became one of the most decorated distance runners in program history. She was a two-time First Team All-American and currently holds both the West Virginia University and Scottish national records in the steeplechase.
 
Cashin ranks third all-time in WVU steeplechase history and earned two Second Team and one Third Team All-America honors during her career. She has represented Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 2025 championships will be her third consecutive World Athletics Championships appearance.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on X, Facebook and Instagram.
 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Over 5,000 fans filled the McLeod Center on Tuesday night as the UNI volleyball team scored a key 3-1 win over the Iowa State Cyclones as part of non-conference play.

In a match led by a career-high 23-kill double-double performance by Cassidy Hartman, the Panthers evened their record on the season at 3-3, handing the Cyclones their first loss of the season, including their two set losses of the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Panthers overcame back-to-back Cyclone service errors on the first two points of the match and carried a lead from there on out in a strong offensive set against one of the nation’s top offensive units. Five kills and five digs from Hartman, along with four terminations from Lily Dykstra and a pair of blocks from Maryn Bixby helped fuel an opening set where the Panthers notched a .571 hitting clip with 16 team kills and zero attack errors. Keeping Iowa State’s at bay, UNI prevailed with a 25-20 first set victory.

Northern Iowa faced another stiff challenge from the Cyclones in the second stanza, but found continued success on offense off the ISU block. Led by seven kills from Hartman and a .310 hitting percentage, UNI was able to force bonus ball after Iowa State rallied for set point, but came up short as the Cyclones evened the match at one set a piece with a 28-26 win.

UNI bounced back with a strong performance in the third set with Reese Booth dishing out an ace and the Panthers leading wire to wire. Calia Clubb and Dykstra continued to grow their kill totals as the Panther defense notched 20 team digs in the frame to build an 18-10 advantage. Tallying 17 team kills on .350 hitting, UNI withstood a late ISU push to take the third set by a score of 25-19, and a two-to-one set lead in the match.

The Panthers surged across the finish line in the fourth set, notching 19 team stops on .444 hitting with 18 assists. After scoring the first three points of the set and taking an 8-5 lead, UNI withstood a 3-0 Iowa State run that tied the set at 11-11 before the Panthers took the lead for good by strong sets from Hartman, Dykstra, Bixby and Isabelle Elliott that helped seal the match with a 25-19 set win.

Hartman finished the match with a career-high 23 kills, plus 11 digs for a double-double, while Dykstra tallied 15 kills, as well as a career-best three aces in the win. Clubb posted a season-high 12 kills, with Lindsay Oldendorf recording nine terminations, Elliott five kills and Bixby four kills and a team-high four blocks. Booth registered a season-best 28 assists along with two aces, while Kate Shafer also posted 28 assists, a new career-high. Jadyn Petersen finished with 17 digs in the Panther victory.

“What an amazing environment to play in front of,” said UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen after the win. “”Offensively we hit really well against a team that is really good at defense. On the other side I think our defense did a nice job of pushing them out of system.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 36-32 all-time against Iowa State, including 10-13 under head coach Bobbi Petersen. Tuesday’s win also marks the first time the Panthers have beaten the Cyclones in consecutive meetings since the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
• Tuesday night’s crowd of 5,170 fans was the sixth-largest volleyball attendance in McLeod Center history, and the most attended UNI volleyball match since the Panthers hosted Iowa State last in 2021.
• Tuesday was Bobbi Petersen‘s 17th career win against a Big 12 Conference opponent. Northern Iowa has now beaten one Big 12 opponent in each of the last four seasons, including four of its last five (Iowa State in 2022, 2025 / TCU in 2023 / West Virginia in 2024).
• Cassidy Hartman recorded her 500th career kill on Tuesday, as well as her fourth career match of 20+ terminations. She also notched her ninth career double-double and second of the 2025 season.
• Lily Dykstra has now recorded nine or more kills in all six matches this year, including seven straight outings dating back to last season. Tuesday was also Dykstra’s tenth career match with double-digit kill numbers.
• Dykstra also surpassed 300 career kills in the Panther win, while Calia Clubb notched her 200th career kill. Lindsay Oldendorf is one termination shy of 300 for her career.

UP NEXT

The Panthers return to action beginning Friday afternoon at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska, opening up against Rice at 4:30 p.m. CT. UNI will also take on No. 4 Louisville in a 2024 NCAA Tournament rematch on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, as well as No. 18 Creighton on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT. 

Friday and Saturday’s matches will be livestreamed on YouTube, while Sunday’s will be broadcast on ESPN+. Live radio coverage of all three matches can be found on the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.