#15 Volleyball Heads to Houston for Rice Invitational II

Match #9: #15 Creighton at Rice • Houston, Texas • Sunday, Sept. 13 • 2:30 p.m.

| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES |

This Weekend

No. 15 Creighton Volleyball (4-2) continues its non-conference gauntlet with three matches in Houston, Texas, at the Rice Invitational II.

The weekend begins on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. when Creighton renews its long-time rivalry with Northern Iowa (3-3).

Creighton meets No. 5 Louisville (5-1 entering Wednesday’s match vs. Missouri) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a Top 15 match-up before closing out the event with a 2:30 p.m. road tilt at Rice (5-1) on Sunday.

All three matches will take place inside Tudor Fieldhouse (5,208).

Broadcast Information

All three of Creighton’s matches this weekend will air on ESPN+. It’s worth noting that YouTube TV subscribers now have access to ESPN+ events via ESPN Unlimited at no additional charge.

The matches on Friday and Saturday will be called by Sam Kaman and Natalie Keck, while Sunday’s action will be broadcast by Jason Metko and Tiffany Blevins.

Live Stats Information

All of Creighton’s matches in Houston will have free live stats that are going to be available at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.

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

Scouting #15 Creighton

Creighton is ranked 15th in this week’s AVCA Top 25 poll after a second straight 2-1 weekend. The Bluejays own wins over No. 9 Purdue, No. 20 USC, Arizona and Pepperdine and have lost to No. 14 Minnesota and Tulsa.

The continued success comes despite the loss of three senior All-Americans from last year’s team that finished 28-6 under then first-year head coach Brian Rosen.

Jaya Johnson (1.85 kps.) is the lone All-BIG EAST returner for the Jays, but Abbey Hayes (2.27 kps.), Saige Damrow (3.65 dps.), Sydney Breissinger (1.42 dps., 0.27 saps.), Eloise Brandewie (1.50 kps., 1.08 bps.) and Nora Wurtz (0.38 saps.) also saw significant action.

The Bluejays cleaned up in the transfer portal during the offseason, bringing in middle blocker Ayden Ames (1.85 kps., 0.81 bps., .278%), setter Katie Dalton (7.64 aps.) and outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres (3.31 kps.). Dalton and Shadd-Ceres earned BIG EAST Setter and Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday.

CU averages 12.12 kills, 14.23 digs, 2.08 blocks and 1.58 aces per set while hitting .182.

Creighton was a unanimous pick to win the BIG EAST, with Johnson, Hayes and Ames all earning Preseason All-BIG EAST acclaim.

Last season marked CU’s 12th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title and 11th BIG EAST Tournament crown in the past 12 years.

Scouting Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa is 3-3, defeating Loyola Chicago (3-2), Air Force (3-1) and Utah Valley (3-0) but suffering losses to Georgia Tech (3-0), Iowa State (3-1) and South Dakota (3-2).

Cassidy Hartman (4.75 kps., 3.54 dps.) is one of the best players in the Midwest and coming off a 31-kill, 17 dig outing on Saturday at USD.

Lily Dykstra (3.79 kps.) and Isabelle Elliott (2.50 kps.) give the Panthers a talented trio of attackers.

Reese Booth (10.46 aps,. 2.96 dps.) sets the offense, while Jadyn Petersen (4.67 dps.) handles the libero role.

As a team, UNI averages 13.71 kills, 16.33 digs, 2.21 blocks and 0.71 aces per set while hitting .198.

Series History vs. Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa leads the all-time series against Creighton, 42-18, but Creighton owns a 6-5 edge on neutral floors.

After winning just three of the first 43 meetings, Creighton has won 15 of the last 17 match-ups in the series, including nine in a row. CU’s 15 wins are the most against the Panthers since 2012, four more than UNI’s 11 losses to Illinois State.

Six of CU’s 17 wins against the Panthers have come in five sets. Creighton’s last 13 victories over Northern Iowa have come in six different states (six times in Nebraska, three times in Kentucky, and once each in Iowa, California, Kansas and Illinois), but the rivals have never faced off in the Lone Star State.

Brian Rosen is 2-0 against UNI and Bobbi Petersen as a head coach. Petersen is 30-18 all-time against Creighton.

Northern Iowa is 14-0 all-time when ranked and facing Creighton. Creighton is 12-1 all-time when ranked when facing UNI. Oddly, the teams have never met when both were ranked.

Friday will be the first meeting between the teams since Creighton defeated UNI in four sets in the 2025 NCAA Tournament in Omaha.

Creighton-Northern Iowa Connections

UNI junior Reese Booth (10.46 aps., 2.96 dps.) is the daughter of former Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth (2003-24).

Northern Iowa women’s basketball head coach Tanya Warren played at Creighton and later spent two stints as an assistant coach with the Bluejays. Warren is one of two Creighton women’s basketball players with her name in the rafters inside D.J. Sokol Arena.

Nobody has dominated their respective conferences in recent years more than Creighton and Northern Iowa. UNI has won 60 straight matches over Missouri Valley Conference foes to lead the country, while CU’s 53 consecutive conquests over BIG EAST opposition is second-most.

Creighton and Northern Iowa were two of eight teams nationally to finish conference play unbeaten last fall.

Scouting #5 Louisville

Louisville is off to a 5-1 start to the season featuring four wins over Top 25 foes (Texas A&M, Indiana, TCU, Texas). The lone loss was a 3-0 defeat in Milwaukee against Wisconsin.

Chloe Chicoine (4.16 kps., .387%), Chloe Meester (3.53 kps., .327%) and Kalyssa Blackshear (3.16 kps., .371%) top the potent Cardinal offense.

Payton Petersen is averaging 4.05 digs per set after moving to libero this fall, and Nayelis Cabello (10.42 aps.) sets the UofL offense.

The Cards average 14.26 kills, 14.21 digs, 2.32 blocks and 1.21 aces per set while hitting .332 as a team.

Series History vs. Louisville

Louisville has won all four previous meetings against Creighton, with each of the first three match-ups going five sets before UofL prevailed in four frames last September in Omaha.

Brian Rosen is 0-1 vs. Louisville and Dan Meske. Meske is 1-0 against the Bluejays as a head coach.

All four previous seasons that Creighton has met Louisville came in years the Bluejays eventually made the Sweet 16 (2015, 2023) or Elite Eight (2024, 2025).

Creighton-Louisville Connections

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.

Louisville senior MB Brooke Bultema was a high school teammate of Creighton senior DS Sydney Breissinger at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio from 2019-22, where they combined to win a state title as seniors in 2022.

Creighton’s Ayden Ames and Louisville’s Payton Petersen were teammates on USA Volleyball’s U21 Team this summer that won the Pan American Cup.

Creighton and Louisville are two of 20 schools to have won at least one NCAA Tournament game each of the last three seasons (2023-25), a list that also features Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.

Creighton and Louisville are two of the nine schools to reach the Sweet 16 (or beyond) in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments (2023-25), joining Kentucky, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.

Creighton (5) and Louisville (7) have combined for 12 Sweet 16 appearances in the last 11 seasons (2015-25).

Scouting Rice

Rice is 5-1 this season with the lone loss coming its last outing against Illinois.

Sydnee Peterson (3.74 kps.) leads the Owls in kills per set, with Ashlyn Seay (2.86 kps., .302%) and Kellen Dorotik (2.48 kps.) also posing a threat.

Kaia Mateo (9.78 aps.) is back to run the offense, and Jordan Hummel (3.61 dps.) quarterbacks the defense from the libero spot.

Collectively, Rice averages 13.52 kill, 14.52 digs, 2.61 blocks and 1.04 aces per set while hitting .250 as a team.

Series History vs. Rice

Creighton is 2-2 all-time against Rice, and 0-1 in Houston against the Owls.

Rice won in four sets in 1995 in Manhattan and in five sets in Houston in 2022. CU has swept the Owls in both 2024 (in Louisville) and 2025 (in Omaha).

Brian Rosen is 1-0 against Rice, while Rice coach Genny Volpe is 1-2 all-time against Creighton. Rosen is 1-0 against Volpe.

Creighton-Rice Connections

The top women’s beach volleyball team in the United States features Taryn Brasher and Kirsten Nuss Cruz, as the duo tied for ninth place at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Then known as Taryn Kloth before getting married, Brasher 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 Cruz, who was then known as Kristen Nuss. Cruz married ex-Rice assistant coach Trey Cruz (now at LSU) earlier this year.

Creighton Coaches

Brian Rosen is in his second season as Creighton head coach, where his 32-8 record with the Bluejays moves his career mark to 77-25 in five seasons.

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 became the BIG EAST’s first rookie head coach since 2014 to win 20+ matches in his first year in the league, the only rookie head coach in league history to win multiple NCAA Tournament matches, and the first new coach to win 28+ matches in his first season.

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 Elite Eight of 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 Friday…

Creighton would defeat Northern Iowa for the 10th consecutive meeting, and 16th time in the last 18 match-ups. Only Minnesota (12 straight from 1976-89) and Creighton (9) have ever beaten UNI more than eight consecutive times.

Creighton would improve to 28-1 under Brian Rosen against unranked opponents.

Creighton would improve to 23-3 when ranked No. 15 nationally.

Creighton would improve to 13-1 when ranked and facing Northern Iowa.

Creighton would improve to 27-5 in neutral site matches since the start of 2021.

Milestone Watch

Creighton’s student-athletes are approaching all sorts of milestones as the 2026 season enters the third week.

Trinity Shadd-Ceres owns 86 kills with Creighton and is 14 shy of 100. If she does it against Northern Iowa, she’d be the fastest Bluejay to 100 career kills (7 matches). If she doesn’t do it until Louisville on Saturday in her eighth match, she’d tie the mark set by JoDe Cieloha in 1994.

Sydney Breissinger owns 918 career digs and is 82 shy of 1,000.

Abbey Hayes owns 196 digs and is four short of 200. Hayes is also 30 kills away from 300 in her career.

Jaya Johnson owns 190 career blocks, putting her just 10 from 200.

Old MVC Rivals Get Reacquainted

Friday’s match-up with Northern Iowa will be Creighton’s 61st 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 seven more MVC Tournament meetings.

Creighton is 13-2 against Northern Iowa since leaving the MVC, compared to a 5-40 mark when the two were Valley rivals.

We Meet Again…

The Creighton/Northern Iowa history includes meetings in 10 different tournaments (four of them more than once), but never in the Rice Invitational II or in Houston.

The teams met seven times at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (twice each in Cedar Falls, IA and Normal, IL; once each in Springfield, MO, Wichita, KS and Omaha, NE).

The teams have also played in the NCAA Tournament in both Lawrence, KS and Omaha, NE.

Event (States played in) Result

MVC Tournament (IA, IL, KS, MO, NE) UNI 7-0

Bluejay Invitational (NE) CU 4-0

NCAA Tournament (KS, NE) CU 2-0

UNI Tournament (IA) Tied 1-1

Commonwealth Classic (KY) CU 1-0

USC Radisson Classic (CA) CU 1-0

Illini Classic (IL) CU 1-0

Bluegrass Battle (KY) CU 1-0

Cardinal Classic (KY) CU 1-0

Trojan Invitational (CA) UNI 1-0

In Control Right Meow

Northern Iowa won the first 24 meetings against Creighton and at one time was 40-3 against the Jays, but CU has turned the tables of late.

Creighton has won the past nine meetings, becoming just the second program ever to defeat UNI more than eight consecutive match-ups.

Longest Win Streaks vs. UNI

Streak Opponent Streak Dates

12 Minnesota 1976 to 10.3/89

9 Creighton 9/15/18 to Present

8 Wisconsin 1976 to 9/6/00

7 Wichita State 10/1/04 to 10/21/06

6 Iowa 9/17/83 to 9/21/84

6 Missouri State 11/6/15 to 11/25/17

6 Southern Illinois 11/19/82 to 10/24/86

Longest Active Win Streaks vs. UNI

Streak Opponent When Did Streak Start?

9 Creighton 9/15/2018

5 Marquette 12/4/2015

4 USC 8/25/2018

4 Arizona State 9/27/1985

Chicoine One Of The Best

Louisville OH Chloe Chicoine is on the AVCA’s National Player of the Year Watch List, and Creighton is facing her for the fourth straight season.

The Bluejays beat her Purdue team in both 2023 and 2024 but lost to her Louisville squad in 2025.

Chicoine has averaged 2.83 kills and 3.00 digs per set while hitting .100 overall against CU.

Year Score K E TA PCT. SA DIG TB

2023 CU 3-0 9 6 50 .060 0 13 1

2024 CU 3-1 14 8 44 .136 0 6 0

2025 LOU 3-2 11 7 36 .111 1 17 1

TOTAL CU 2-1 34 21 130 .100 1 36 2

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 217 victories and Louisville is sixth with 210 wins. If you base success only by win percentage since 2018, that leaderboard is Pittsburgh (.891), Nebraska (.867), Texas (.865), Western Kentucky (.846), Creighton (.844), Wisconsin (.839), Stanford (.8245) and Louisville (.8235).

Narrow the window to the start of the 2021 campaign and it’s even better. Creighton and Louisville are tied for third nationally with 151 wins, trailing only Pittsburgh (159) and Nebraska (155). When it comes to win percentage since the start of the 2021 season, that top five looks like Pittsburgh (.888), Nebraska (.886), Louisville (.868), Texas (.863) and Creighton (.858).

Last 5+ Seasons (2021-Sept. 7, 2026)

Sorted By Wins Sorted By Win Percentage

1. 159 Pittsburgh 1. .888 Pittsburgh 159-20

2. 155 Nebraska 2. .886 Nebraska 156-20

3 151 Creighton 3. .868 Louisville 151-23

151 Louisville 4. .863 Texas 132-21

5. 146 Wisconsin 5. .858 Creighton 151-25

145 Western Kentucky 6. .849 Wisconsin 146-26

7. 136 Stanford 7. .843 Western Kentucky 145-27

136 Dayton 8. .821 Towson 128-28

9. 132 Texas 9. .819 Stanford 136-30

10. 128 Towson 10. .792 Kentucky 126-33

Last 8+ Seasons (2018-Sept. 7, 2026)

Sorted By Wins Sorted By Win Percentage

1. 238 Pittsburgh 1. .891 Pittsburgh 238-29

2. 228 Nebraska 2. .867 Nebraska 228-35

3. 220 Western Kentucky 3. .865 Texas 205-32

4. 217 Creighton 4. .846 Western Kentucky 220-40

5. 214 Wisconsin 5. .844 Creighton 217-40

6. 210 Louisville 6. .839 Wisconsin 214-41

7. 209 Stephen F. Austin 7. .8245 Stanford 202-43

8. 205 Texas 8. .8235 Louisville 210-45

9. 202 Stanford 9. .814 Kentucky 201-46

10. 201 Kentucky 10. .813 BYU 195-45

Who’s Beaten Who?

Let’s take a look at how these four teams have fared against each other in the previous two years. Louisville is 5-0, Creighton is 4-2, UNI is 2-4 and Rice is 0-5.

Match-up 2024@UofL 2025@CU

CU-UNI CU, 3-0 CU, 3-0

CU-RICE CU, 3-0 CU, 3-0

CU-UofL UofL, 3-2 UofL, 3-1

UNI-RICE UNI, 3-0 UNI, 3-0

UNI-UofL UofL, 3-0 UofL, 3-1

RICE-UofL — UofL, 3-1

29 Kills For Shadd-Ceres

Trinity Shadd-Ceres became the sixth different player in Creighton Volleyball history with 29 or more kills in a match when she did it last Friday against Arizona. Of those women, Shadd-Ceres’ .420 hitting percentage was the second-best mark.

Shadd-Ceres’ 29 kills tied a Bluejay Invitational single-match record and were one shy of the D.J. Sokol Arena record.

Creighton Players With 29+ 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

30 .369 8 Ava Martin, No. Colorado (5) 12/04/26

29 .420 10 Trinity Shadd-Ceres, Arizona (5) 09/04/26

Shadd-Ceres Seeks Century Mark at CU

Trinity Shadd-Ceres owns 86 kills in her first six matches at Creighton. With 14 or more kills on Friday, Shadd-Ceres would become the first Bluejay since the program’s 1994 reinstatement to reach 100 kills in a Creighton uniform within her first seven matches.

Creighton’s Quickest Players To 100 Kills (Career)

Name MP Date Opponent

JoDe Cieloha 8 09/23/94 at Drake

Jaali Winters 9 09/12/15 Pacific

Norah Sis 9 09/11/21 Illinois

Melissa Walsh 10 09/26/98 at Bradley

Carolyn Decker 10 09/18/04 Illinois State

Keeley Davis 10 09/21/19 Wyoming

Golden Girls

Creighton junior Ayden Ames spent the summer winning a second straight Pan American Cup Gold Medal with USA Volleyball’s U21 team and starting three of the team’s five matches, including the final. Ames had 18 kills in 35 swings and hit .400 in the four matches she appeared in.

Ames will reunite with a former teammate this weekend in Houston when the Bluejays meet up with Louisville’s Payton Petersen.

Petersen was one of the best attackers in the entire tournament but now plays libero for Louisville.

Rosen On The Fast Track

Brian Rosen owns a 77-25 record to date when you include his 32-8 mark at Creighton with his 45-17 record at Nova Southeastern.

Among current Division I head coaches with at least four years of head coaching experience, Rosen ranks 14th in the country with a .755 winning percentage, one spot ahead of his Louisville counterpart, Dan Meske (.752).

Best Win Percentage (Through 9/7)

(Min. 4 years, current DI Head Coaches)

Pct. Name, Current School W-L

.858 JJ Van Niel, Arizona State 91-15

.850 Dan Fisher, Pittsburgh 431-76

.842 Dani Busboom-Kelly, Nebraska 240-45

.831 Jerritt Elliott, Texas 688-140

.820 Jenny Glenn, American 255-56

.776 Todd Lowery, UTRGV 606-175

.775 Paco Labrador, Navy 567-165

.769 Travis Hudson, WKU 810-243

.768 Kelly Sheffield, Wisconsin 622-188

.765 Sam Erger, SMU 104-32

.763 Kendra Potts, Grand Canyon 164-51

.759 Craig Skinner, Kentucky 501-159

.758 Matt Botsford, UCF 285-91

.755 Brian Rosen, Creighton 77-25

.752 Dan Meske, Louisville 76-25

Return of the Block

Creighton had 18 blocks in Sunday’s match vs. Tulsa, its most in any match since posting 22 blocks on Oct. 16, 2022 vs. DePaul. The 18 blocks were tied for 12th-most in CU history.

Creighton had been 21-4 under Brian Rosen when winning the blocking battle before that day.

Brandewie’s Big Block

Eloise Brandewie had a career-high 12 blocks in Sunday’s match vs. Tulsa. Her dozen rejections were tied for seventh-most in a match in Bluejay history, and the most by any CU player since Kiana Schmitt had 13 on Oct. 16, 2022 vs. DePaul.

One of the women on the list, Laurel Sanford (13 vs. Southern Illinois on Oct. 21, 2011) is now the wife of Louisville head coach Dan Meske.

Most Blocks in a Match

17 Ashley Williams (3-14) vs. Wichita State (5s) 10-10-03

16 Ashley Williams (4-12) vs. Southern Illinois (5s) 9-19-03

15 Kelli Browning (0-15) vs. Tulsa (4s) 9-8-12

14 Jessica Houts (0-14) vs. Lipscomb (4s) 9-4-09

13 Laurel Sanford (1-12) vs. Southern Illinois (5s) 10-21-11

13 Kiana Schmitt (1-12) vs. DePaul (5s) 10-16-22

12 JoDe Cieloha (1-11) at Bradley (3s) 9-9-95

12 JoDe Cieloha (2-10) at Western Illinois (5s) 11-10-96

12 Ashley Williams (3-9) vs. Bradley (5s) 10-31-03

12 Laurel Sanford (1-11) at Southern Illinois (4s) 10-17-09

12 Jessica Houts (2-10) vs. Indiana State (3s) 10-24-09

12 Jessica Houts (1-11) vs. Evansville (4s) 11-14-09

12 Kelli Browning (2-10) at Missouri State (5s) 11-17-12

12 Lauren Smith (1-11) at Georgetown (4s) 11-9-13

12 Eloise Brandewie (1-11) vs. Tulsa (5s) 9-6-26

Hey, Hey, Hayes

Abbey Hayes had a career-high 18 kills in Sunday’s match vs. Tulsa, five more than her previous best.

Hayes’ 18 kills were the most by a Creighton sophomore since Ava Martin had 18 kills at St. John’s on Nov. 11, 2023.

Hayes joins some pretty good company as one of five Creighton sophomores with 18+ kills in a match over the past 10 seasons (2017-Present). And of those sophomores, only Norah Sis (4x), Keeley Davis and Ava Martin had a match with at least 18 kills and 13 digs.

Most Kills by a CU Sophomore, Last 10 Seasons

K D Name, Opponent (sets) Date

30 13 Norah Sis vs. Auburn (5s) 12/2/22

28 19 Norah Sis vs. Florida State (5s) 9/9/22

27 11 Norah Sis at UConn (5s) 10/7/22

23 14 Norah Sis vs. #14 Marquette (5s) 11/26/22

22 5 Norah Sis at Wyoming (4s) 8/2722

22 8 Norah Sis vs. DePaul (5s) 10/16/22

22 6 Ava Martin vs. Northern Iowa (4s) 9/3/23

22 11 Ava Martin at #9 Minnesota (5s) 9/16/23

21 13 Norah Sis vs. Omaha (5s) 9/10/22

21 11 Norah Sis vs. #16 Marquette (5s) 10/14/22

21 16 Ava Martin at Xavier (5s) 9/23/23

20 17 Keeley Davis at South Dakota (5s) 1/31/21

20 4 Norah Sis at St. John’s (3s) 10/30/22

20 8 Ava Martin vs. Duke (5s) 8/27/23

18 10 Jaela Zimmerman vs. Marquette (4s) 11/22/19

18 7 Norah Sis vs. UConn (3s) 11/6/22

18 6 Ava Martin at St. John’s (4s) 11/11/23

18 13 Abbey Hayes vs. Tulsa (5s) 9/6/26

Dalton Goes 40/20 in Home Debut

Katie Dalton made an immediate impact in her first match as a Creighton Bluejay inside D.J. Sokol Arena, turning in 46 assists and a career-high 21 digs.

Dalton is just the ninth different Bluejay with at least 20 assists and 20 digs in the same match. It’s happened 29 times overall among those women.

20 Assists, 20 Digs In A Match

A D Name Opp. Date

47 22 Melissa Weisensee Bradley (4s) 9/9/94

51 21 Melissa Weisensee at Wichita State (5s) 9/14/96

53 24 Melissa Weisensee at Indiana State (5s) 10/18/96

40 23 Melissa Weisensee at Drake (5s) 9/13/97

46 38 Melissa Weisensee Evansville (4s) 10/10/97

46 21 Melissa Weisensee Missouri State (4s) 10/31/97

65 22 Melissa Weisensee at Evansville (5s) 11/8/97

55 28 Kailey Reyes Evansville (5s) 9/11/99

65 24 Kailey Reyes Illinois State (4s) 9/24/99

40 21 Kailey Reyes Missouri State (4s) 11/6/99

49 28 Kailey Reyes at Illinois State (4s) 10/13/00

44 23 Kailey Reyes Bradley (4s) 10/28/00

64 23 Kailey Reyes at Evansville (5s) 11/4/00

45 20 Kailey Reyes vs. Evansville (4g) 11/24/00

54 22 Brittany Coleman at Illinois State (4s) 10/18/03

62 21 Brittany Coleman at Southern Illinois (4s) 10/29/04

71 20 Korie Lebeda at Evansville (5s) 11/18/06

27 20 Michelle Sicner Illinois State (4s) 9/30/11

44 21 Michelle Sicner Xavier (4s) 11/29/13

41 20 Lydia Dimke vs. Wichita State (5s) 8/27/16

40 21 Kendra Wait at Marquette (4s) 10/29/21

59 36 Kendra Wait vs. Florida State (5s) 9/9/22

56 24 Kendra Wait at Rice (5s) 9/18/22

60 20 Kendra Wait #14 Marquette (5s) 11/26/22

43 22 Kendra Wait Northern Iowa (4s) 9/3/23

42 22 Kendra Wait at #9 Minnesota (5s) 9/16/23

45 26 Kendra Wait at Xavier (5s) 9/23/23

53 21 Annalea Maeder Northern Colorado (5s) 12/4/25

46 21 Katie Dalton Arizona (5s) 9/4/26

So Many Five-Setters

Creighton has played three matches to go five sets in its first six contests of the year, the first time that’s been true since the 2020 season that was played in the spring of 2021.

Since restarting the Volleyball program in 1994, the Bluejays have played 3,558 sets in 979 matches, an average of 3.63 sets per match.

This year’s team is playing 4.33 sets per match, well above the previous program high of 3.89 sets per match done in both 1996 and 1997, which were just a smidge ahead of where the aforementioned 2020 season ended up (3.88).

Most Sets Per Creighton Match

Sets/Match Year Sets Match W-L

4.33 2026 26 6 4-2

3.89 1996 109 28 9-19

3.89 1997 109 28 15-13

3.88 2020 62 16 12-4*

3.83 2003 115 30 12-18

3.79 1999 106 28 13-15

3.79 2000 106 28 16-12

3.78 2013 121 32 23-9*

3.77 2011 117 31 17-14

3.76 2014 128 34 25-9*

*made NCAA Tournament

Best In The BIG EAST Last Week

A pair of Creighton Volleyball newcomers were honored on Monday as Trinity Shadd-Ceres was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Katie Dalton recognized as BIG EAST Setter of the Week.

Shadd-Ceres led the BIG EAST in points (58.5) and kills (54) en route to Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team accolades. The junior from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada averaged 4.18 points, 3.86 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.43 blocks per set while hitting .289.

Dalton led the BIG EAST with 120 assists last week as she averaged 8.57 assists, 3.07 digs, 0.43 kills and 0.43 blocks per set. She surpassed 1,000 career assists in Friday’s win over Arizona.

Top 25 Wins

Thanks to victories over No. 9 Purdue and No. 20 USC, Creighton is one of five teams nationally that enters this with multiple ranked wins.

4 Louisville

4 Pittsburgh

2 Arizona State

2 Creighton

2 Florida

2 Kentucky

2 Stanford

2 TCU

2 Texas

2 Wisconsin

1 Florida State

1 Indiana

1 Minnesota

1 Nebraska

1 Purdue

1 SMU

1 Tennessee

1 Tulsa

1 USC

158 Weeks As A Ranked Team

Creighton was ranked 15th in the Sept. 7 AVCA poll, the 158th time in program history it’s been ranked. That’s 37th-most of all programs in NCAA history. All of those rankings have occurred since 2012.

Thirty-seven of those rankings have seen the Bluejays climb into the Top 10.

The Bluejays are one of 10 schools (along with Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pitt,

Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 81 polls.

Creighton’s 81 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.

Creighton is one of eight schools (Creighton, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Wisconsin) to be in the Top 10 of the year-end poll in both 2024 and 2025.

Top 10 Wins

Creighton owns 13 Top 10 wins in program history, all of which have taken place since 2015.

All but one of those Top 10 wins have taken place away from home, including a victory over No. 8 Arizona State in last year’s Sweet 16 and this year’s season-opener over No. 9 Purdue.

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).

Creighton’s Top 10 Wins

Date Opponent Score

09/05/15 vs. #10 Kentucky (at UNI) W 3-0

12/02/16 at #4 Kansas W 3-2

08/26/17 at #3 Washington W 3-1

09/09/17 at #7 Kansas W 3-0

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

10/12/19 at #10 Marquette W 3-2

11/22/19 #9 Marquette W 3-1

09/04/21 at #3 Kentucky W 3-0

09/16/23 at #9 Minnesota W 3-2

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

09/21/24 at #10 Kansas W 3-0

12/11/25 vs. #8 Arizona State (at Kentucky) W 3-1

08/28/26 vs. #9 Purdue (in Sioux Falls) W 3-2

Top 25 History

Creighton is 263-56 all-time when playing as a ranked team, and also 30-35 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, 50 of Creighton’s 85 losses have come against ranked teams. In that same period, Creighton is 341-35 against unranked teams. Creighton has won all but four of its past 138 home matches over unranked teams and all but 14 of its last 203 matches at all sites against unranked teams.

Ranked vs. Ranked (CU is 30-35)

Home: 11-11 Away: 8-14 Neutral: 11-10

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 L 0-3

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

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

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

09/12/25 #4 Louisville #13 Creighton L 1-3

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

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

12/11/25 #11 Creighton #8 Arizona State W 3-1

12/13/25 #2 Kentucky #11 Creighton L 0-3

08/28/26 #13 Creighton #9 Purdue W 3-2

08/29/26 #14 Minnesota #13 Creighton L 0-3

08/30/26 #13 Creighton #20 USC W 3-1

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 12 seasons (2015-26).

Creighton is 35-96 all-time against ranked teams (13-18 on neutral floors), and 5-7 under Brian Rosen (4-3 on neutral floors).

Creighton is also 13-44 all-time against Top 10 teams, including a 2-5 record under Rosen.

The highest-ranked team CU has defeated under Rosen was No. 8 Arizona State (W 3-1) on Dec. 11, 2025 in Lexington, Ky., in the Sweet 16.

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 10th season that CU owned multiple Top-25 victories, and last year was the fourth in a row with three Top 25 wins or more. The Jays beat three Top 25 teams in 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2025, and a record four in 2018, 2019 and 2024.

Put It In Neutral

Creighton is 26-5 in the last six seasons on neutral floors, including a 7-0 mark in 2021, a 4-0 record in 2022, a 5-2 record in 2023, a 4-0 record in 2024, a 4-2 mark in 2025 and a 2-1 record this fall.

Included in that stretch are neutral-site wins over USC (2021 and 2026), Northern Iowa (2021 and 2024), Iowa State (2022 & 2023), Florida State (2022), Kansas State (2022), Loyola Chicago (2023), High Point (2023), St. John’s (2023), Rice (2024), Purdue (2024 & 2026), Texas (2024), Kansas (2025) and Arizona State (2025).

Defense Did Its Job

Creighton lost on Sept. 6 to Tulsa despite holding the Golden Hurricane to .128 hitting.

It was Creighton’s first loss when holding a foe to .128 hitting or lower since Oct. 30, 2009, when Missouri State hit .118 in a 3-0 sweep over the Jays.

CU had been 185-0 since then when foes hit .128 or worse.

Christianson Aces Opening Weekend

Setter Rayna Christianson made an impact with four service aces in Creighton’s Aug. 30 win over No. 20 USC.

The four aces were the most by a Bluejay freshman on the opening weekend of a season since Allie Oelke in 2007.

Oelke, who like Christianson is also from the Twin Cities metro area, went on to be named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2007.

Last Season Summary

Creighton went 28-6 last season in Brian Rosen‘s first season at the helm, dropping just four sets while going 18-0 against conference foes en route to BIG EAST regular-season and BIG EAST Tournament titles.

The Jays defeated Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa and No. 8 Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament to reach its second straight Elite Eight, where it was eliminated by eventual runner-up Kentucky.

BIG EAST Player of the Year Ava Martin (4.48 kps., 0.40 saps.) and Kiara Reinhardt (2.53 kps., 1.03 bps., .447%) were both named Second Team All-Americans and became the first teammates ever selected in the first round of the same Major League Volleyball Draft, while BIG EAST Setter of the Year Annalea Maeder (10.75 aps., 0.40 saps.) was chosen as a Third Team All-American.

Preseason Ranking

Creighton was ranked 13th in the AVCA preseason poll on Aug. 10th. It’s the 12th time in the past 14 years that the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and fifth season in a row.

The No. 13 slotting is tied for the fourth-best preseason mark in program history.

Creighton is one of 15 schools to be ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll since 2022, a list featuring Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, USC, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin. Of note, Creighton is the nation’s only program that was nationally-ranked in the preseason polls in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and improved its position in the year-end poll.

Over the previous 18 seasons from 2008-25, 333-of-450 teams (74.0 percent) have been in both the preseason and final polls. From 2008-25, all but 42 teams (of 450) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.7 percent).

This year marks the 15th 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 28-6 10th

2026 13th TBD TBD

Ames Makes BIG EAST History in First Week

Ayden Ames was named BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 after helping the Bluejays to a pair of Top 25 wins to open the season. Ames is the first player in BIG EAST history, as well as Creighton Volleyball history, to be named both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in the same week by the league office.

Ames hit .305 and averaged 1.92 kills, 1.17 blocks and 0.25 digs during her initial week as a Bluejay.

The junior from Prosper, Texas, had seven kills and set a Creighton record for most blocks in a debut with seven stuffs in Friday’s 3-2 win vs. No. 9 Purdue.

The Preseason All-BIG EAST pick then led the Bluejays with eight kills, three blocks and .333 hitting in Saturday’s contest vs. No. 14 Minnesota before closing her weekend with eight kills, four blocks and .400 hitting in a 3-1 triumph over No. 20 USC.

Ames’ only previously weekly conference award came on Dec. 2, 2024, when she shared Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week recognition while enrolled at Texas.

New Kid On The Block

Ayden Ames made Bluejay history when she had seven blocks in her Creighton debut vs. No. 9 Purdue on Aug. 28th.

Ames surpassed Kelli Browning’s six in 2011 vs. UTSA. Browning is already in the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame and still owns the top three single-season blocking totals in CU history.

Most Blocks, First Match Played at Creighton

BLK Name Opponent Date

7 Ayden Ames vs. #9 Purdue 8/28/26

6 Kelli Browning vs. UTSA 8/26/11

5 Elise Goetzinger NC State 8/30//24

4 Lauren Bloemke Jacksonville State 8/25/06

4 Lauren Smith vs. #13 BYU 8/30/13

4 Kelsey O’Connell vs. Miami (Ohio) 8/28/15

4 Jaali Winters vs. Miami (Ohio) 8/28/15

4 Kiara Reinhardt Nebraska-Omaha 1/22/21

4 Norah Sis vs. Kansas City 8/27/21

One Tough Schedule

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

All 12 non-conference teams on Creighton’s schedule finished the 2025 campaign with a top-44 RPI, and 11 reached the NCAA Tournament. That should come as no surprise, as Creighton faced the second-most difficult schedule (all matches) last season.

The teams on Creighton’s non-conference schedule entered this week with a 42-21 mark to date.

The Gauntlet

Creighton played the nation’s second-toughest schedule, and also ranked among the national leaders in Top 50 wins and matches vs. Top 50 opponents in 2025.

Creighton was 18-0 (including the league tournament) against the BIG EAST Conference (the nation’s #5 league).

Most RPI Top 50 Wins in 2025

Top 50 W’s School

18 Nebraska

17 Arizona State

15 Creighton, Pittsburgh

14 Wisconsin

Most RPI Top 50 Matches in 2025

Top 50 MP’s School

21 Creighton, Arizona State, Kansas

20 Pittsburgh

19 Nebraska, Wisconsin, TCU, Utah

Production Returns

Creighton returns 9-of-17 letterwinners to the court from last season, including three starters.

From last year’s team, Ava Martin, Kiara Reinhardt, Annalea Maeder, Sky McCune, Alivia Hausmann, Sophia Wendlick, Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Emersen Strain are not back.

All told, of the seven categories listed below, Creighton returns 316.2 of a possible 700% back (45.2 percent), the third-smallest amount returning in the past 25 seasons behind only 2009 and 2025.

Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:

Stat Returners Departures

Digs 993 (61.3%) 628 (38.7%)

Aces 142 (56.6%) 109 (43.4%)

Blocks 144 (55.2%) 117 (44.8%)

Matches Started 92 (45.1%) 112 (54.9%)

Points 964 (44.5%) 1201 (55.5%)

Kills 678 (41.0%) 975 (59.0%)

Assists 192 (12.5%) 1340 (87.5%)

Advance In The Dance

Creighton is one of nine schools to appear in the Sweet 16 in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments (2023-25), joining Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.

Creighton is one of six schools to be in the Elite Eight in both 2024 and 2025, a list that features Creighton, Kentucky, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Creighton has won a First Round match in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons (2023-25). Nationally, only 20 schools have done that: Arizona State, Baylor, Creighton, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Texas, USC and Wisconsin.

How Sweet It Is

Creighton has made five Sweet 16s, all of which have come in the 11 seasons from 2015-25. Creighton is one of 46 schools to have made a Sweet 16 since 2015, but only 16 of those teams have been there five times or more in that span.

Most Sweet 16s, Last 11 Seasons (2015-25)

Sweet 16s School

11 Nebraska

11 Texas

11 Wisconsin

9 Minnesota

9 Penn State

8 Florida

8 Kentucky

8 Stanford

7 Louisville

6 BYU

6 Pittsburgh

6 Purdue

6 Washington

5 Creighton

5 Ohio State

5 Oregon

Replacing Three AVCA All-Americans

Creighton Volleyball had three seniors earn All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association last season, as Ava Martin and Kiara Reinhardt picked up Second Team honors, and Annalea Maeder was a Third Team choice.

Creighton’s three honorees were tied for fifth-most in the nation, trailing only the four women chosen from Kentucky, Nebraska, SMU and Texas A&M.

Last year marked the 14th straight season that Creighton has had at least one All-American, with multiple All-Americans in 10 of the previous 11 campaigns. The only schools with multiple All-Americans each of the past five years are now Creighton, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Both Martin and Reinhardt were selected in the Major League Volleyball Draft on Nov. 24, 2025. Martin was the second overall section by the Atlanta Vibe, while 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.

This is the second straight season the Jays have had to replace three or more All-Americans, as the 2025 Creighton squad that reached the Elite Eight had to replace Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Maddy Bilinovic and Elise Goetzinger from its 2024 team that also made the Elite Eight.

Golden Girl

Creighton junior Ayden Ames spent the summer winning a second straight Pan American Cup Gold Medal with USA Volleyball’s U21 team and starting three of the team’s five matches, including the final. Ames had 18 kills in 35 swings and hit .400 in the four matches she appeared in.

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 to lose six times or less in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons.

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).

Creighton is one three schools to win 27 matches or more each of the last five seasons (2021-25), joining Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky.

Winners Win

Creighton owned 268 wins over the previous 10 seasons from 2016-25.

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.

Previous 10 Seasons (2016-25)

Sorted By Wins Sorted By Win Percentage

1. 287 Nebraska 1. .874 Texas 256-37

2. 283 Pittsburgh 2. .872 Nebraska 287-42

3. 278 Western Kentucky 3. .8634 Western Kentucky 278-44

4. 268 Creighton 4. .8628 Pittsburgh 283-45

5. 261 Wisconsin 5. .838 Creighton 268-52

6. 256 Texas 6. .8312 Wisconsin 261-53

7. 255 Stanford 7. .8311 BYU 251-51

8. 253 Stephen F. Austin 8. .825 Stanford 255-54

9. 251 BYU 9. .813 Kentucky 248-57

10. 248 Kentucky 10. .797 Dayton 244-62

Nothing Mid-Major About It

There’s nothing mid-major about the Creighton Volleyball program.

From 2012-25, Creighton ranked fourth nationally with 372 victories. The only teams with more wins in those 14 seasons were Western Kentucky (400), Nebraska (394) and Penn State (375). Just behind CU is Texas (370) and Stanford (368).

In that time, Creighton has made five Sweet 16’s and three Elite Eights while leading the country with both 13 regular-season conference titles and 12 league tournament titles,

Creighton is the only Volleyball program in BIG EAST history to ever reach the Elite Eight, and has now done it three times (2016, 2024 and 2025).

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.

How Elite Are We?

Creighton and UCLA are the nation’s only schools to reach the Elite Eight in women’s volleyball (2024 and 2025), women’s basketball (2021), men’s basketball (2022) and men’s soccer (2022) since the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

Creighton, UCLA and Kentucky are the nation’s only schools to reach the Sweet 16 in those same sports since the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

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 32 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)

2025 NCAA Tournament 3-1 (T-5th)

2026 State Farm VB Showcase 2-1 (No standings)

2026 Bluejay Invitational 2-1 (2nd)

Jays Earn Tourney Titles

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

During that span, the Bluejays have won 36 tournament titles, not to mention 13 regular-season league crowns.

Creighton has also won at least one home tournament each of the last nine seasons, a streak it will hope to extend in November when it hosts the BIG EAST Tournament.

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 17-212 (.074) 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 190-7 in its last 197 matches at all sites when winning the first set, compared to a 20-28 record in that same span when dropping the opener.

Creighton has gone 221-5 (.978) in its last 226 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 183-7 in its last 190 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), No. 4 Louisville (Sept. 12, 2025) and Tulsa (Sept. 6, 2026).

The Jays have won their last 47 of their last 49 home matches following a first set victory.

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

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 last year.

Creighton’s 12 straight regular-season titles rank third-longest in NCAA history, trailing only Florida’s 18 straight SEC titles from 1991-2008 and Hawaii’s 16 consecutive WAC crowns from 1996-2011.

Home Sweet Home

Creighton is entering its 14th 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. Creighton has won 54 straight matches against BIG EAST opposition at home.

Put another way, since enrolling at Creighton in the fall of 2023, fourth-year Bluejay seniors Sydney Breissinger, Jaya Johnson and Ava TeStrake are 32-0 in home matches against BIG EAST teams, and 96-10 in sets.

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.

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 – Sept. 7, 2026

BIG EAST only All matches

Team (NCAA Bids) W L W L

Creighton (13) 204 16 347 81

Marquette (12) 180 37 304 107

Xavier (1) 130 88 208 178

Villanova (1) 111 109 212 173

St. John’s (1) 110 110 236 182

Butler 108 112 195 194

Seton Hall (1) 86 133 178 208

DePaul 72 148 167 216

Georgetown 51 161 129 238

Connecticut# 50 46 100 75

Providence* 33 171 129 227

*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 .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

Rosen Sets More History

Last year Brian Rosen was 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 was 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 was 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’s 28 victories were the most ever by a head coach in his/her first season in the BIG EAST.

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

Rosen became the first volleyball head coach to win an NCAA Tournament match in their first year as a head coach at a BIG EAST school since Louisville’s Anne Kordes in 2011, and the only rookie BIG EAST Volleyball coach to win multiple NCAA Tournament matches in the same season.

Against NCAA Tournament Qualifiers

This year’s team has at least 15 matches against teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament with contests against Marquette (2x), Xavier (2x), Purdue, Minnesota, USC, Arizona, Tulsa, Northern Iowa, Louisville, Rice, Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

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 9-6

2026 3-2 so far

TOTAL 129-154

TOTAL Before Booth 3-35

TOTAL Under Booth 114-111

TOTAL Under Rosen 12-8

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