2009 State Farm MVC Tournament
Omaha, Neb. • D.J. Sokol Arena
Nov. 26 (Quarterfinals)
Match 1 #6 Southern Illinois (18-11, 7-11 MVC) vs. #3 Wichita State (23-5, 14-4 MVC) 6 pm
Match 2 #5 Drake (22-11, 10-8 MVC) at #4 Creighton (13-16, 10-8 MVC) 8 pm
Nov. 27 (Semifinals)
Match 3 Match 1 Winner vs. #2 Missouri State (21-9, 14-4 MVC) 4 pm
Match 4 Match 2 Winner vs. #1 Northern Iowa (28-2, 18-0 MVC) 6 pm
Nov. 28 (Championship)
Match 5 Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner (Fox Sports Midwest) 3 pm
Next Matches
Creighton plays host to the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the first time in program history as five of the league’s best teams join the Bluejays in the fight for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The tournament begins on Thursday at 6 pm when sixth-seeded Southern Illinois (18-11) takes on third-seeded Wichita State (23-5). At 8 pm fourth-seeded Creighton (13-16) welcomes fifth-seeded Drake (22-11).
Friday’s 4 pm semifinal will feature second-seeded Missouri State (21-9) taking on the winner of Thursday’s 6 pm quarterfinals. Friday’s 6 pm semifinal will feature top-seeded Northern Iowa (28-2) against the winner of Thursday’s 8 pm quarterfinal.
Saturday’s championship match will be contested at 3 pm.
All matches will be held at D.J. Sokol Arena (2,950) inside the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center.
Radio Broadcast Information
All of Creighton’s matches this weekend will be broadcast locally on KOIL (1180 AM).
Audio from the match will also be streamed live for free on-line at http://www.gocreighton.com, then clicking on the Live Audio tab on the left sidebar.
Brad Burwell and Erin Swanson will announce.
Video Webcast Information
The Missouri Valley Conference has partnered with WebStream Productions (WSP) to produce 30 events from six State Farm MVC Championships during the 2009-10 season, including volleyball.
As part of the agreement, WSP will produce broadcasts leading up to the televised final in volleyball as part of The Valley's initiative to enhance its digital offerings.
Each stream will use television-like production standards with a multi-camera shoot, veteran television play-by-play announcers and analysts, MVC-specific graphics and coach and player interviews.
The opening round matches and the two semifinals will be streamed live with Greg Halbleib and Linda Dollar providing the description.
Cost of the quarterfinal and semifinal webcasts is $14.95 through www.mvc.org. Saturday’s championship match will not be webcast.
Live Stats Information
All matches this weekend will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact links.
Television Information
The Missouri Valley Conference will televise the title match from the 2009 State Farm MVC Volleyball Championship on Saturday, Nov. 28, on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City in the state of Nebraska only, selected Cox Media systems in the state of Kansas, Fox College Sports, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Metro Sports.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, Valley TV cameras will showcase D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb., for the 3 p.m. Central telecast. Greg Halbleib and MVC coaching legend Linda Dollar will call the title match action.
The title match will be shown live at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City in the state of Nebraska only, Fox College Sports (Pacific), Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Metro Sports – the league’s production company which is based in Kansas City, Mo. The telecast will also be seen live on Cox Media cable systems in the state of Kansas on Channel 22 in the cities of Wichita, Topeka, Manhattan, Salina and Hutchinson.
Coordinates are below:
What: State Farm MVC Volleyball Championship Title Match
When: Saturday, November 28 – 3 p.m. Central
Where: D.J. Sokol Arena –– Omaha, Neb.
Clearances: Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Fox Sports Midwest (3.1 million homes); Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Fox Sports Indiana (1.2 million homes); Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Fox Sports Kansas City (1.6 million homes) in the state of Nebraska only; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Cox Media (Channel 22) in Wichita, Kan.; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Cox Media (Channel 22) in Topeka, Kan.; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Cox Media (Channel 22) in Manhattan, Kan.; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Cox Media (Channel 22) in Salina, Kan.; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Cox Media (Channel 22) in Hutchinson, Kan.; Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Fox College Sports-Pacific (52 million digital homes); Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (4.759 million homes); Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on Metro Sports (500,000 homes); Live at 3 p.m. Central on Nov. 28 on DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-verse Channel 748.
Test Time: 2:30 p.m.
On Air: 3 p.m.
First Serve: 3:07 p.m.
Satellite Coordinates: G28K, Transponder 17 – Digital Slot C
Band: Digital KU
Bandwidth: 9 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC ≤
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 12044.500 Vertical
On-Air Talent: Greg Halbleib, Linda Dollar
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 13-16 on the season and finished in a tie for fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 league mark.
Senior MB Jessica Houts, leads Creighton with 2.83 kills per set and a Valley-best 1.48 blocks per set (10th nationally). Houts was a first-team all-MVC selection in 2008, when she was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year as well as AVCA Honorable-Mention All-American.
Junior OH Allie Oelke is second on the club with 2.67 kills and 3.27 digs per set. She had a double-double in 11 of Creighton’s 18 MVC matches this fall.
Topping Creighton’s back row is junior libero Nayka Benitez, who averages 4.46 digs and 0.36 aces per set to lead the team in both categories.
The Bluejays average 12.24 kills, 0.96 aces, 15.83 digs and 3.12 blocks per set (third-most nationally) while hitting .194 as a team.
Scouting Drake
Drake is 22-11 on the season, easily its most wins since the 1996 club went 24-4, and tied for fourth in the MVC with a 10-8 league mark.
The Bulldogs have five players with 200 or more kills this season, a quintet led by Angela Bys (2.58 kps.) and Alisa DeBerg Roth (2.33 kps.).
Michelle Reidy averages 2.03 kills and a team-best 1.03 blocks per set, while libero Alana Wittenburg averages 5.04 digs per set and is DU’s all-time leader in that category.
Drake averages 12.63 kills, 0.98 aces, 16.58 digs and 2.33 blocks per set while hitting .200 as a team.
MVC Tournament History
Though the State Farm MVC Tournament has been around since 1982, only four schools have ever won the championship. Northern Iowa leads all schools with 13 championships, including the 2006 and 2007 titles, with Illinois State having won nine. Missouri State has also won the tourney four times, while Wichita State picked up its only crown in 2004.
The 2009 event marks the first time that the league tournament has visited Omaha.
Four of the nine members of the 2008 all-Tournament team also return to the court this year. Missouri State’s Cara Hackmann (MVP), Bethany Fuller and Julia Cawthra all return, as does Wichita State’s Emily Stockman. In addition, 2007 MVP Shannon Aschoff from UNI is back as well.
The winner of the MVC Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which opens play on Dec. 4-5 at campus sites around the country. Once the MVC institutions have made the NCAA Tournament, they have done a good job of winning some matches as well. In fact, the MVC has won at least one match in nine of the last 10 years in postseason play.
Selections will be announced Sunday at 2 pm Central on ESPNews.
The Coaches
Creighton is coached by Kirsten Bernthal Booth (Truman State, 1997), who owns a 119-88 record in her seventh season with the Bluejays. She became the program’s all-time winningest coach on Aug. 25, 2007 with a 3-0 win over Stephen F. Austin and joined the 100-win club with an Oct. 31, 2008 win at Drake.
Booth came to Creighton after going 112-41 in three years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Booth played volleyball at Truman State, where she was named conference MVP, an Academic All-American and Missouri’s 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year. She ranked third in Division II history with 6,077 assists when she graduated.
Booth is helped by associate head coach Paul Giesselmann, assistant coach Angie Oxley Behrens and volunteer assistant Mike Weber.
Phil McDaniel (Culver-Stockton College, 1996) is 34-31 in his second season at Drake, which also doubles as his career mark as a head coach. McDaniel spent three seasons as an assistant at both South Dakota State and New Mexico State before heading to Drake. He is assisted by Erin Hirsch and Chris Brees.
Series History vs. Drake
Creighton owns an 18-14 record in 32 all-time meetings with Drake, including a 9-7 mark during 16 meetings in Omaha. Creighton has won 12 of the last 14 meetings in the series, including the last seven contests in Omaha.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 12-2 against Drake and 3-1 versus Phil McDaniel.
The teams have never met in the MVC Tournament, which isn’t surprising since this is the first time that both schools have qualified for the MVC Tournament in the same season.
Last Weekend Summary
Creighton lost in four sets at Northern Iowa (25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21) before winning the finale at Bradley (25-15, 25-13, 25-18). Alicia Runge led CU with 22 kills and hit .422 in the two matches.
Scholars and Athletes
Creighton had three women named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team on Tuesday.
Senior Jessica Houts (3.52 GPA, Exercise Science) was a repeat honoree on the first team.
Junior Allie Oelke (3.71 GPA, Elementary Education) was named to the first team for the first time in her career.
Additionally, junior Alicia Runge (3.71 GPA, Organizational Communication) earned a spot on the honorable-mention team.
Past MVC Tournament History
Creighton is 3-10 in 10 previous appearances at the MVC Tournament, with wins coming in 1997 vs. Indiana State, in 2006 against Illinois State and 2007 against Southern Illinois.
Creighton is 3-6 in the quarterfinals and 0-4 in the semifinals. The Bluejays have never reached the final.
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is 2-6 all-time in league tournament action.
Series Info Against The MVC Tournament
Below is Creighton’s all-time records against the five teams it could meet in this weekend’s MVC Tournament:
Opponent All-Time Streak This Year
Northern Iowa 3-34 Lost 3 0-2
Missouri State 6-27 Lost 2 0-2
Wichita State 15-19 Lost 1 1-1
Drake 18-14 Won 1 1-1
Southern Illinois 24-9 Won 15 2-0
TOTAL 66-103 -- 4-6
Revenge On The Mind
Should Creighton reach Friday night’s semifinal against Northern Iowa, you can be sure revenge will on the mind of the Bluejay upperclassmen.
Northern Iowa has ended the Jays season in the semifinals each of the past four years.
In league history two schools have met in five straight MVC Tournaments on just two previous occasions.
Northern Iowa and Illinois State met in five straight years from 1997-2001. ISU won the 1997 meeting before the Panthers won the next four.
Likewise, from 1986-1990, Missouri State and UNI met five straight years. However, that series saw UNI win three and MSU two.
A Minimum of Errors
Creighton hit .349 on Saturday in the win over Bradley, making just six attack errors in 106 attempts.
Creighton’s six errors tied for its third-fewest in school history and fewest since having four attack errors vs. Tulsa on Oct. 27, 1995.
Runge Rings The Bell
Junior Alicia Runge is on a four-match hot streak. In that time, Runge is hitting .436 with 50 kills and only six errors in 101 swings. She’s averaged 3.33 kills per set in that span while also averaging 0.87 blocks per set.
Oelke Double-Digit Dig Streak Reaches 13
Allie Oelke owns 13 straight matches of 10 or more digs. That figure ranks tied for the seventh-longest streak in school history, and is two shy of Abby Baumann’s mark by a Bluejay outside hitter.
Consecutive Matches, 10 or More Digs
43 Janeen Piller, Oct. 10, 2003-Nov. 26, 2004
27 Bianca Rivera, Aug. 24-Nov. 9, 2007
19 Bianca Rivera, Sept. 20-Nov. 28, 2008
15 Abby Baumann, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 2006
15 Katie Mehal, Oct. 6-Nov. 24, 2006
14 Mallory Lahm, Oct. 4-Nov. 25, 2005
13 Allie Oelke, Oct. 10, 2009-Present
13 Nayka Benitez, Sept. 12-Oct. 23, 2009
11 Melissa Walsh, Oct. 24, 2000-Aug. 31, 2001
9 Sarah Schulze, Sept. 1-19, 2006
Success Over Drake at Home
Creighton has won nine of its last 10 home matches against Drake, including the past seven.
Creighton has won the second set in those last 11 matches vs. Drake in Omaha.
Creighton has won at least two sets in each of its last 12 home matches vs. Drake.
Not The Top Seed...Not A Problem
Creighton has won 26 MVC Tournament titles since Bruce Rasmussen took over as Director of Athletics in 1994.
Interestingly, only seven of those 26 teams were actually the No. 1 seed entering that tournament.
In fact, 13 of the last 15 times Creighton has won an MVC Tournament, they’ve done it without the benefit of being the top seed.
Below is the list of Creighton’s last 15 MVC Tournament titles, as well as their seed entering the tournament:
Sport Year Seed
Men’s Soccer 2008 1st
Women’s Soccer 2007 3rd
Baseball 2007 2nd
Softball 2007 1st
Men’s Basketball 2007 2nd
Men’s Soccer 2006 2nd
Men’s Soccer 2005 2nd
Women’s Soccer 2005 2nd
Softball 2005 3rd
Men’s Basketball 2005 3rd
Women’s Soccer 2004 2nd
Softball 2004 2nd
Men’s Basketball 2003 2nd
Softball 2003 4th
Men’s Soccer 2002 2nd
Near Misses
Some of Creighton’s teams have narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament in almost every way imaginable in the past year, leaving the hope that the Jays are due for a run of good luck this weekend. Consider the following from the past 12 months:
-Creighton Volleyball loses in five sets in the MVC Tournament semifinals to Northern Iowa. Its RPI of 44 was the second-best of all teams left out of the NCAA Tournament.
-Despite 11 wins in its final 12 games, Creighton men’s basketball’s 26 wins on Selection Sunday are rewarded with a top seed in the NIT rather than an NCAA bid.
-Creighton women’s basketball loses in the MVC Tournament final when Evansville’s Amy Gallagher makes a shot with 0.3 seconds left in UE’s 47-45 win.
-Creighton softball wins 35 games and the MVC regular-season race by 2 1/2 games, but is left out of the NCAA Tourney after losing a 2-0 MVC Tournament title game to host Bradley.
-Creighton baseball ties an MVC Tournament record by stranding 17 men, losing to host Wichita State, 4-2 in the title game.
-Creighton women’s soccer loses a 1-0 championship game to Illinois State.
-Creighton men’s soccer sees its streak of 17 straight NCAA Tournament bids come to an end with a 3-1 loss at tournament host and eventual champion Drake. Creighton owns a better RPI than Missouri State, but the Bears earned an at-large bid over the Bluejays.
History of The Fourth Seed
The fourth seed owns a 8-6 opening-round record in MVC Tournament play since the league went to a six-team tournament format in 1995 and is 17-13 overall. Last year’s Missouri State team became the first fourth seed to ever win the tournament.
Creighton is 1-3 all-time as the No. 4 seed, including a 1-2 mark in the quarterfinals.
The fourth seed has swept the fifth seed in four of the last six years.
Surprisingly, the match-up between the fourth and fifth seeds has never gone five sets.
In the last 14 years, the fourth-seed has won more than one set in its semifinal match against the top seed just once, that coming last year when Missouri State beat Wichita State.
Below is the list of previous 4/5 match-ups, with “upsets” designated in italics:
Year #4 Seed #5 Seed Result
1995 Missouri St. So. Illinois So. Illinois, 3-1
1996 Missouri St. So. Illinois Missouri St., 3-1
1997 Wichita St. Missouri St. Wichita St., 3-1
1998 Wichita St. Drake Drake, 3-0
1999 Missouri St. Creighton Missouri St., 3-1
2000 Creighton Evansville Evansville, 3-1
2001 Creighton Illinois St. Illinois St., 3-0
2002 Wichita St. Bradley Bradley, 3-0
2003 Illinois St. Indiana St. Illinois St., 3-0
2004 Illinois St. Creighton Illinois St., 3-0
2005 UNI Creighton UNI, 3-0
2006 Creighton Illinois State Creighton 3-1
2007 Missouri St. Illinois State Illinois State 3-0
2008 Missouri St. Illinois State Missouri St. 3-0
Record Watch
The Creighton team and players are breaking and approaching various single-season records.
Records Already Set (or ahead of current mark)
Category Record Active Player
Block Assists 475 Team, 575
Total Blocks 307.5 Team, 340.5
Blocks Per Set 2.69 Team, 3.12
Total Blocks, 3-Set Match 17 Team, 20, 10/24/09
Block Assists, 4-Set Match 35 Team, 38, 9/4/09
Total Blocks, 4-Set Match 19 Team, 20, 9/4/09
Home Win Streak 6 Team, 7
Season Block Assists 143 J. Houts, 150
Block Assists, 4-Set Match 10 J. Houts, 14, 9/4/09
Blocks, 4-Set Match 11 J. Houts, 14, 9/4/09
Career Block Assists 347 J. Houts, 532
Career Total Blocks 447 J. Houts, 447
Career Blocks Per Set 1.25 J. Houts, 1.36
Career Sets Played 428 J. Houts, 445
Career Matches Played 119 J. Houts, 124
Records Tied
Home Wins 9 Team, 9
Block Assists, 3-Set Match 34 Team, 34, 10/24/09
Blocks, 3-Set Match 12 J. Houts, 12, 10/24/09
Records Being Approached
Season Total Blocks 170 J. Houts, 161
Season Blocks Per Set 1.482 J. Houts, 1.477
Home Matches, Season 14 Team, 13
Defense = Home Wins
Creighton has won its last five MVC home matches, and a big reason why has been its defense. In those contests, CU has averaged 20.56 digs per set and 4.11 blocks per set. Additionally, the Jays have allowed just 13 aces in those 18 sets played.
Creighton has averaged 3.74 blocks and 19.42 digs per set in nine MVC home matches, going 7-2. However, on the road it’s been a different story, where CU’s averages dropped to just 15.97 digs and 2.66 blocks while going 3-6 in league play.
More Block Records Fall
Creighton has broken nearly every blocking record on the books this season, with at least one more match to play.
Creighton’s 575 block assists easily outdistance the previous mark of 475, and its overall block total of 340.5 surpasses the previous standard of 307.5.
Additionally, Creighton’s 3.12 blocks per set average, which ranks third nationally, is far ahead of last year’s record of 2.69, which led the MVC.
Nine Is Fine
Once again, winning nine league matches would have been enough for a team to assure themselves a spot at the State Farm MVC Tournament. Since the league went to an 18-match league schedule and six-team league tournament (1996), all 72 teams with nine or more league wins have qualified for the MVC Tournament.
Teams with eight or more league wins have advanced 77 of 79 times. The first exception was Southern Illinois (8-10) in 1997, which lost a tiebreaker with Indiana State (8-10). The second exception was in 2000, when sixth place Bradley (8-10) was bumped in favor of seventh place Indiana State (7-11) since the Sycamores were hosting the tournament.
Bober Claims Another Freshman Award
Freshman Megan Bober earned her fourth MVC Freshman of the Week Award on Monday. Bober averaged 10.57 assists, 3.14 digs, 1.29 blocks and 1.14 kills per set in matches against Northern Iowa and Bradley.
Bober also became the first setter in CU history to surpass 100 blocks in a season and also went over 1,000 assists this fall as well.
Two More Honors
Creighton had two players earn weekly awards from the MVC, as Jessica Houts was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second time and Megan Bober earned her third Freshman of the Week accolade, on Nov. 16th.
Houts averaged 3.18 kills, 1.64 digs, 1.82 blocks per set while hitting .256.
Bober averaged 11.27 assists, 2.00 digs, 0.82 kills and 0.64 blocks per set.
A Strong Senior Class
Creighton honored seniors Sarah Schulze and Jessica Houts prior to its final regular-season home match against Evansville on Nov. 14th.
Schulze has played in 109 matches and owns 403 kills, 1,041 digs, 99 blocks and 48 aces. Her 1,041 digs are the most in CU history by an outside hitter. Schulze is also a Dean’s List honoree in the classroom, where she owns a 3.61 GPA.
Houts has set school records for matches played (124), sets played (445), total blocks (604), block assists (532) and blocks per set (1.36), and also ranks among the top-five in kills (1,362), kills per set (3.06) and attack percentage (.255). Houts was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year last season while also picking up AVCA Honorable-Mention All-America honors.
Two More Jays Headed To The Pros
A pair of teammates on last year’s Creighton team recently made the decision to continue their careers professionally.
Setter Korie Lebeda (2005-08) left on Tuesday to head to Murcia, Spain, where she will play for Voley Murcia. Her season runs from now until March.
Libero Bianca Rivera (2007-08) will return to her home country of Puerto Rico to play in the Puerto Rico Super League. She will play for the Bayamon Cowgirls, just outside of her hometown of San Juan.
Lebeda and Rivera are joined in the professional ranks by Kelly Goc (2004-07), who is playing for Marin Barleti in Tirana, Albania.
Oelke Doubles Up In MVC Tournament
Allie Oelke owns 28 career double-doubles, with all but two coming against Missouri Valley Conference opponents. That includes all 11 of her double-doubles this fall.
She’s appeared in three MVC Tournament matches in her career and had a double-double in each of them, averaging 15.3 kills and 14.7 digs per contest.
Houts Sets Two More Records
Senior Jessica Houts set two more school records in the Nov. 10th match against Saint Louis. The match was the 120th of her career, breaking the old mark of 119 held by Korie Lebeda (2005-08).
In addition, the three sets played by Houts give her 430 in her career, two more than the previous standard also held by Lebeda.
Houts enters the MVC Tournament quarterfinals with 124 matches played and 445 sets played.
A Month Of Blocking
Since Oct. 16-17, the Creighton defense has taken a major step up.
The Jays have averaged 3.48 blocks per set in that span, spearheaded by sophomore Laurel Sanford’s 1.72 blocks per set in that stretch. By comparison, Creighton averaged 2.88 blocks per set and Sanford 1.05 blocks per set in the first 17 matches of the season.
Creighton’s dig total has improved to 18.52 digs per set in that time as well, compared to 14.00 digs per set before then.
Jays Ink Three Recruits
Three women signed letters-of-intent to continue their volleyball careers at Creighton next fall. All three women will be freshmen next year.
Natalie Hackbarth is a 6’1” outside hitter from Algona, Iowa. She was a first-team all-state pick as a junior.
Lexi Malm is a 6’1” middle blocker from Central City, Neb. She is the only player in Central City High School history to amass 1,000 career kills and was an all-state honorable-mention selection last fall.
Savannah Smith is a 6’2” middle blocker from Oakland, Iowa, who attends Riverside Community High School. Smith is the first player from her school to earn a Division I scholarship.
Setting A Block
Megan Bober has already set a Creighton single-season record for blocks in a season by a setter with 104 stuffs. That easily outpaces the previous blocking mark by a CU setter of 77 held by Korie Lebeda from 2007.
In addition, Bober’s 0.95 blocks per set easily outpaces Lebeda’s 0.72 bps., also from the 2007 season.
Bober is the only player in Creighton history to record 100 assists and 100 blocks in the same campaign.
A November To Remember
Creighton will play at home in three of the final four weekends. Incredibly, this was the first time in school history that the Jays have hosted four straight matches in the month of November.
Creighton is 4-2 this November and 24-10 overall in November during the past five seasons.
Almgren Steps Up
Sophomore Karisa Almgren had a career night against Drake on Nov. 7th, finishing with new single-match highs of four kills, three blocks, two digs and an assist.
Almgren had checked in to play in the front row for Sarah Schulze with CU trailing 14-11 midway through the first set. She quickly produced two kills, a dig and an assist as Creighton would eventually win that set 25-20.
Houts Moves Up MVC Charts
Jessica Houts owns 532 block assists in her stellar career. The only players ahead of her in league history are Danielle Brazda (658), Molly O’Brien (653) and Ashten Stelken (540).
Oelke Earns MVC’s Defensive Weekly Honor
Creighton Volleyball’s Allie Oelke was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 9th. A junior outside hitter from Chanhassen, Minn., Oelke was the third different Bluejay to win the award in the past four weeks, joining Laurel Sanford (Oct. 19) and Jessica Houts (Oct. 26).
Oelke had 10 kills, 17 digs, two blocks and two assists in Creighton's 3-0 win over Drake on Saturday. Oelke's 17 digs led all players in the match and helped pave the way for her team-best eighth double-double of the season.
Oelke hit .296 in the match and had at least three kills and three digs in all three sets.
Oelke has previously been honored by the league as MVC Freshman of the Year in 2007, a season that saw her win MVC Freshman of the Week accolades on four occasions.
Benitez Aces This Test
Junior libero Nayka Benitez served up a remarkable five straight aces in the second set of its Oct. 30th match at Missouri State.
Making her achievement all the more impressive is that MSU was allowing a scant 0.53 aces per set in league play entering the contest.
Benitez’s 39 aces rank tied for fifth in CU single-season history and are more than her next two teammates combined.
Houts Named Defensive Player of the Week
Jessica Houts was named the 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, but incredibly, had never been named Valley Defensive Player of the Week until October 26th.
Houts earned her first such honor in recognition of a week that saw her average 2.86 kills, 2.57 blocks and 1.43 digs per set in wins over Illinois State and Indiana State.
On Oct. 23 against Illinois State, she had 15 kills while also becoming the first player in school history to amass 100 or more blocks in four straight years. The following night against Indiana State she tied a 14-year-old school record with 12 blocks in a three-set match.
Houts One of a Kind
Senior Jessica Houts is averaging 1.48 blocks per set and 1.16 digs per set this fall. That makes her the only player in the country to average more than 1.40 blocks and 1.00 digs per set.
Last year while playing all six rotations Houts was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging an even more impressive 1.35 blocks and 1.72 digs per set, making her the only player in the nation to reach both those standards.
National Block Leaders (stats through 11/22)
Rk. Name, School Sets BPS DPS
1. Johannah Bangert, Illinois 95 1.61 0.38
2. Amana Gil, UCLA 102 1.56 0.83
3. Sarah Morton, Syracuse 120 1.55 0.59
4. Alli Arbogast, USF 84 1.55 0.32
5. Arielle Wilson, Penn State 95 1.54 0.40
6. Erica Jepsen, Portland State 82 1.52 0.24
7. Anna McKinney, Idaho 113 1.51 0.08
8. Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh 104 1.51 0.45
9. Debbie Pederson, Idaho 112 1.49 0.51
10. Jessica Houts, Creighton 109 1.48 1.16
11. Lecia Brown, Louisville 114 1.44 0.68
12. Lauren Gibbemeyer, Minnesota 103 1.44 0.78
13. Sabel Moffett, Northwestern 111 1.42 0.29
14. Kelsey Bohman, George Mason 109 1.41 0.25
15. Anna Breyfogle, Baylor 103 1.40 0.58
Block Assist Record Falls As Well
Jessica Houts has also broken CU’s single-season mark for block assists in a season. Houts, with 150 shared stuffs, has passed Ashley Williams, who had 143 block assists in 2003. The MVC single-season mark is 188, set by Sabrina Apker in 2004.
Creighton has also rewritten the school’s block assist record by a team in a single-season. The current team has 575 this year, which smashes the mark of 475 set in 2006.
Schulze Passes 1,000 Digs
Sarah Schulze passed the 1,000 career dig mark on Nov. 13 against Southern Illinois. The senior from Dixon, Ill., has moved into seventh place in CU history with 1,044 career digs.
She is the seventh CU player to reach 1,000 career digs, and first Bluejay to do it who spent the majority of her career as an outside hitter.
Most Career Digs, Creighton History
Name Sets No. Years
1. Janeen Piller 336 1,392 2001-04
2. Kailey Reyes 368 1,258 1998-01
3. Melissa Walsh 394 1,240 1998-01
4. Melissa Weisensee 411 1,223 1994-97
5. Korie Lebeda 428 1,130 2005-08
6. Bianca Rivera 207 1,118 2007-08
7. Sarah Schulze 392 1,044 2006-Pr.
8. Abby Baumann 375 935 2004-07
9. Shelly Kapler 388 922 1996-99
10. Erin Swanson 319 908 1998-01
Oelke Doubling Up
Junior Allie Oelke has put together double-doubles in 10 of her past 16 matches, and 11 of the 18 MVC matches this fall. That gives her 28 double-dips in her career.
Matches With a Double-Double, Career
D-D Name Years
65 Melissa Weisensee 1994-97
64 Kailey Reyes 1998-01
60 Melissa Walsh 1998-01
56 Korie Lebeda 2005-08
35 Erin Swanson 1998-01
29 JoDe Cieloha 1994-97
28 Allie Oelke 2007-Pres.
NCAA Stats Update
Creighton is ranked third-best nationally with 3.12 blocks per set, according to the most recent set of NCAA statistics through matches of November 22nd. Idaho tops the nation with 3.26 blocks per set. Creighton also ranks 77th in digs per set at 15.83 dps. Those are the only team category that ranks Creighton in the top-125.
Individually, three players rank in the top-100 of any category. Senior Jessica Houts is 10th in the country with 1.48 blocks per set, trailing the leader Johannah Bangert of Illinois’ 1.61 bps. Bluejay teammate Laurel Sanford is 26th with 1.30 blocks per set. Additionally, Nayka Benitez has moved to 89th at 4.46 digs per set and is 84th with 0.36 aces per set.
Blocking A Key Stat
Creighton leads the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks per set in league-only (3.12 bps.) matches as well as all matches (3.17 bps.).
Creighton is 12-8 when posting 10 or more blocks, but 1-8 when failing to reach double-digits in that category.
Dig This
Creighton is one of just 11 squads to average at least 17.20 digs per set in each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Creighton, Duke, Green Bay, Illinois State, Murray State, North Carolina, Rice, Southeast Missouri State and Western Illinois.
During that same span, Creighton’s 18.851 digs per set average ranks fourth-best nationally, just ahead of No. 5 Wichita State’s 18.711 average, as seen below:
Digs Per Set, Nationally, 2006-08
Rk. School SP DIGS DPS
1. Murray State 338 6918 20.467
2. Chattanooga 361 7356 20.377
3. Illinois State 348 6812 19.575
4. Creighton 323 6089 18.851
5. Wichita State 342 6399 18.711
6. Austin Peay 345 6435 18.652
7. North Dakota State 323 6015 18.622
8. High Point 364 6763 18.580
9. Western Illinois 344 6391 18.578
10. SE Missouri State 348 6398 18.385
Stuff City
Creighton set all sorts of blocking marks in its Oct. 24 sweep of Indiana State. Creighton's 20 blocks were a school-record for a three-set match and one away from the record for a match of any duration. It also ties the most in the MVC this season with the 20 stuffs CU had against Lipscomb in a four-set match in September.
In addition, Jessica Houts tied a Creighton record for blocks in a three-set match with 12 rejections.
Duo Earned Weekly Awards
Two members of the Creighton volleyball team were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference for their play on October 19th. Sophomore Laurel Sanford was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman Megan Bober is the MVC Freshman of the Week.
A sophomore middle blocker from Eagan, Minn., Sanford averaged a whopping 2.22 blocks per set to go with 2.44 kills and 0.22 digs per set as Creighton split road matches at Evansville and Southern Illinois.
She opened her week with a career-high 16 kills, six more than her previous best, and added eight blocks while hitting .333 in a five-set match at Evansville. She had four kills and two blocks in the fifth set while trying to carry the Bluejays to victory.
One night later Sanford had a huge blocking night, nabbing 12 blocks (1 solo, 11 assists) to go with six kills, in a four-set win at SIU. The 12 blocks for Sanford were second-most in CU history for a four-set match, second-most in the MVC this year and make her the only player in the MVC with two matches of 10 or more blocks this fall.
This was Sanford’s first career weekly honor from the MVC.
Bober averaged 11.00 assists, 2.22 digs, 0.89 kills and 0.44 blocks per set and earns her second MVC Freshman of the Week accolade this month (also Oct. 5).
She had a career-high 57 assists on October 16th in a five-set match at Evansville, easily surpassing her previous best of 43 assists. She added eight digs, two aces, three kills and a solo block. Bober closed her weekend with 42 assists, 12 digs, five kills and three blocks in Creighton's 3-1 win at Southern Illinois for the second double-double of her young career.
Friday Night Lights
Creighton has won 10 straight home matches played on a Friday.
Additionally, Creighton is 14-4 in its past 18 Friday road matches in MVC play.
Creighton is 19-10 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth in MVC road matches played on Friday and 18-14 in MVC road matches played on Saturdays. The Jays are also 0-1 in MVC Sunday road matches and 1-0 in MVC Tuesday road matches under Booth.
Houts Surpasses 100 Blocks, Again
Jessica Houts has played in 124 matches in her career, and had at least one block in all but four of them.
On Oct. 23rd, Houts became the first player in CU history to post four different seasons of 100 or more blocks.
How impressive is that? Only six other players in school history have done it even once: JoDe Cieloha (3 times), Ashley Williams (2), Melissa Walsh (2), Sarah Beulke (1), Lauren Bloemke (1), Laurel Sanford (1) and Megan Bober (1).
Benitez Starts 30/30 Club
Junior libero Nayka Benitez became the first player in Creighton history to post 30 or more digs in consecutive matches on October 2nd when she posted a career-high 36 digs in a victory over Wichita State. The contest followed up her previous best, 30 digs at Illinois State, the previous Saturday.
Benitez’s 36 digs are the fourth-most of any player in the MVC in any match this fall.
An Impressive Streak Ends
Creighton extended an impressive streak in its Sept. 25th 3-2 win at Indiana State, only to see it snapped the following day against Illinois State. Before the Sept. 26th loss to the Redbirds, the Bluejays had won 13 straight MVC road matches to go five sets, a streak that began in 2000.
During that impressive run, CU owned at least one five-set road win against each of the other nine teams in the MVC.
Date Opponent 5th Set Score
10/14/00 at Indiana State CU 15-12
11/04/00 at Evansville CU 16-14
10/04/03 at Bradley CU 15-6
10/15/04 at Bradley CU 15-11
10/15/05 at Southern Illinois CU 15-8
11/18/05 at Northern Iowa CU 16-14
10/13/06 at Wichita State CU 17-15
11/18/06 at Evansville CU 15-10
09/11/07 at Drake CU 17-15
09/21/07 at Northern Iowa CU 15-12
10/10/08 at Illinois State CU 15-9
10/25/08 at Missouri State CU 15-12
09/25/08 at Indiana State CU 15-12
Near Triple-Double
Jessica Houts nearly posted Creighton’s first triple-double since 2001 when she turned in 15 kills, nine blocks and nine digs in CU’s 3-1 win over No. 25 Wichita State on Oct. 2. No Bluejay has put together a triple-double in kills/digs/blocks since JoDe Cieloha in 1996.
The 15-9-9 performance by Houts was her first MVC match this fall with at least seven kills, seven digs and seven blocks. Houts has two, but on a league-wide basis only Wichita State MB Sarah McGee and Bradley’s Madelyn Ervin can also claim one this year.
Last season Houts had six of the league’s seven 7-7-7 matches in conference action.
7+ Kills, 7+Digs, 7+Blocks in an MVC Match, 2009
Name, School SETS K D B Date
Jessica Houts, CU 4 15 9 9 10/2
Jessica Houts, CU 4 13 7 12 11/14
Sarah McGee, WSU 4 12 8 7 10/2
Madelyn Ervin, BU 5 7 8 7 11/6
Against Ranked Teams
Creighton's 3-1 win over Wichita State on October 2nd marked its first-ever win over a ranked team.
Creighton had entered the match with an 0-35 record all-time against ranked teams, which included an 0-19 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth and 0-11 record at home against ranked foes.
Creighton is now 1-37 all-time against ranked schools. That includes an 0-20 road record.
Creighton vs. Ranked Teams All-Time
Date Opponent Result
09/01/98 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
09/04/98 vs. #19 Texas A&M (@Pacific) L 0-3
09/05/98 at #11 Pacific L 0-3
09/14/99 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
10/16/99 #16 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/08/00 at #6 Hawai’i L 0-3
10/03/00 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/08/01 at #24 Santa Clara L 1-3
09/09/01 vs. #13 UC-Santa Barbara (at Santa Clara) L 0-3
09/25/01 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/13/01 #16 Northern Iowa L 0-3
11/09/01 at #18 Northern Iowa L 0-3
09/06/02 vs. #13 Pacific (at Columbia, S.C.) L 0-3
09/21/02 at #7 Northern Iowa L 1-3
09/29/02 at #5 Nebraska L 0-3
10/18/02 #10 Northern Iowa L 0-3
10/04/03 at #10 Northern Iowa L 1-3
11/01/03 #12 Northern Iowa L 1-3
10/10/04 vs. #5 Nebraska (North Platte, Neb.) L 0-3
09/06/05 at #24 Kansas State L 0-3
09/10/05 vs. #3 Stanford (Boulder, Colo.) L 0-3
10/11/05 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
10/29/05 at #25 Wichita State L 1-3
09/24/06 #1 Nebraska L 1-3
08/31/07 at #1 Nebraska L 0-3
09/02/07 #18 Cal Poly L 0-3
09/15/07 at #13 Minnesota L 1-3
11/10/07 at #24 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/08 #16 Minnesota L 0-3
08/30/08 #21 LSU L 2-3
09/27/08 #14 Wichita State L 1-3
10/05/08 #2 Nebraska L 0-3
10/24/08 at #12 Wichita State L 0-3
08/29/09 #10 Illinois L 0-3
09/01/09 at #6 Nebraska L 0-3
10/02/09 #25 Wichita State W 3-1
11/10/09 #20 Saint Louis L 0-3
11/20/09 at #21 Northern Iowa L 1-3
Close Doesn’t Count
Part of Creighton’s struggles can be attributed to its difficulty in winning close sets. Creighton is just 9-17 in sets decided by the minimum two points, a figure that drops to 1-14 in the team’s 16 match losses.
Obstacle Course
Only two individuals in the MVC own 10 or more blocks in multiple matches this season, with both of them playing for Creighton.
Senior Jessica Houts had 14 blocks against Lipscomb (Sept. 4), 12 stuffs against Indiana State (Oct. 24) and 12 blocks against Evansville (Nov. 14), while sophomore teammate Laurel Sanford had 10 blocks against Connecticut on September 12th and 12 blocks at Southern Illinois on Oct. 17th.
Blocked By Bober
Freshman Megan Bober tied a Creighton record for most blocks in a match by a setter when she had nine rejections on Sept. 5 in four sets against Lipscomb. Melissa Weisensee also had nine blocks against Wichita State on Nov. 15, 1996.
Bober, who added 14 digs and 29 assists in the match, nearly recorded CU’s first triple-double since 2001 and would have been the first player in school history with double-digits in assists, digs and blocks in the same match.
Dig Leader
Junior libero Nayka Benitez has led Creighton in digs in 20 of the team’s first 29 matches to date and tops the squad with 486 digs on the year.
Benitez became the second-quickest in CU history to 100 career digs (8 matches), 200 digs (13 matches), 300 digs (18 matches) and 400 digs (25 matches).
Below is a list that shows Creighton’s quickest players to 100, 200, 300 and 400 digs in a career.
Creighton’s Quickest Players To 100 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 6 09/02/07 Cal Poly
Nayka Benitez 8 09/12/09 vs. Connecticut
Three Players 10
Creighton’s Quickest Players To 200 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 11 09/15/07 vs. Charlotte
Nayka Benitez 13 09/25/09 at Indiana State
Kailey Reyes 16 10/17/98 at Illinois State
Creighton’s Quickest Players To 300 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 15 09/28/07 Illinois State
Nayka Benitez 18 10/16/09 at Evansville
Kailey Reyes 25 09/03/99 vs. Gonzaga
Creighton’s Quickest Players To 400 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 20 10/13/07 Missouri State
Nayka Benitez 25 11/10/09 #20 Saint Louis
Kailey Reyes 34 09/18/99 at Bradley
Creighton’s Quickest Players To 500 Digs (Career)
Name MP Date Opponent
Bianca Rivera 25 11/02/07 Southern Illinois
Kailey Reyes 41 10/22/99 at Indiana State
Melissa Walsh 48 11/05/99 Wichita State
Janeen Piller 49 09/20/03 Evansville
Sarah Schulze 50 11/10/07 at Wichita State
Crowd Control?
Creighton attracted the fourth-largest crowd in program history for the Aug. 28 home opener against Texas Tech when 2,285 fans packed D.J. Sokol Arena.
The previous largest on-campus crowd for CU had been 476 for a match vs. Evansville on Nov. 4, 1994.
The previous largest crowd for a home opener had been the 1,227 that saw Middle Tennessee on Aug. 24, 1997.
Below are Creighton’s largest home volleyball crowds all-time. The top three crowds took place at Qwest Center Omaha.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton VB History
Att. Opponent Date CU Result
13,081 #18 Cal Poly 09/02/07 L 0-3
12,112 #1 Nebraska 09/24/06 L 1-3
8,037 #2 Nebraska 10/05/08 L 0-3
2,285 Texas Tech 08/2809 W 3-0
1,557 Northern Iowa 11/21/08 W 3-0
1,357 Northern Iowa 10/20/07 L 0-3
1,325 Indiana State 09/29/07 W 3-0
1,319 Northern Iowa 10/06/06 L 2-3
1,227 Middle Tennessee 08/24/07 L 0-3
1,187 Missouri State 10/03/09 L 0-3
Full House
Creighton has finished in the top-26 of the nation’s attendance leaders each of the past three seasons, and is off to another good start this fall.
Through Monday, Creighton was averaging 1,070 fans per match so far, a figure that currently ranks 41st nationally.
Average Attendance Leaders (through 11/22)
Rank School Avg. Dates
1. Hawaii 6,423 20
2. Nebraska 4,850 13
3. Minnesota 4,153 11
4. Wisconsin 4,128 11
5. Penn State 3,281 12
Others in the MVC Over 1,000
8. Wichita State 2,892 13
14. Northern Iowa 2,077 9
29. Illinois State 1,375 11
41. Creighton 1,070 13
Let’s Start With Houts
Senior Jessica Houts has started each of her last 74 matches, a streak that began Oct. 21, 2006 at Drake. Houts has started 117 of her past 118 appearances overall.
Houts is just the fourth player in Creighton history to make 100 career starts, joining Korie Lebeda (119), Melissa Walsh (107) and Kelly Goc (103).
New Facility Dedicated
The Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena was dedicated on the morning of August 28th in a morning ceremony. There was also a smaller presentation made during the intermission of the Creighton/Texas Tech match later that evening. The facility will host the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament later this month.
Back Home On Campus
The match on Aug. 28 was Creighton’s first regular-season contest on campus since playing at the Kiewit Fitness Center from 1994-96.
Since leaving the Kiewit Fitness Center, Creighton had played at five other home venues: Qwest Center Omaha, the Omaha Civic Auditorium and three Omaha high schools (Skutt, Marian and South).
How Do You Win The MVC? Start 1-0
At the start of the conference season, all 10 Missouri Valley Conference schools will harbor dreams of a regular-season league title. That statistic includes Northern Iowa this season.
Since the beginning of the Gateway Conference (which later merged to form the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992) in 1983, no school has ever won the regular-season title after dropping its first league match of the season.
Taking it a step further, the 2008 Missouri State team is the only club to win the MVC Tournament after starting 0-1 in league play.
A Fresh Start
Between 2000 and 2008, the only freshmen to start CU’s season-opener had been Brittany Coleman (2003), Carolyn Decker (2004), Korie Lebeda (2005) and Allie Oelke (2007). All four of those women went on to earn a spot on the MVC’s All-Freshman team.
The Jays started three freshmen in this year’s season opener, as Megan Bober, Brooke Boggs and Heather Thorson all earning a starting nod.
Bober Named MVC Freshman of the Week
Megan Bober was named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on October 4th. This was her first honor of the season, and she is the only first Bluejay to earn MVC Player, Defensive or Freshman of the Week accolades this fall.
Bober hit .400 while averaging 10.29 assists, 1.86 digs, 1.86 kills and 1.71 blocks in two of her best all-around performances to date against the top two teams in the MVC preseason poll.
She began her week by tying her career highs with 43 assists and seven kills while adding seven blocks and five digs in a 3-1 victory over Wichita State that was CU's first-ever win over a ranked team.
On Saturday, Bober had six kills while hitting .500 and added 29 assists, five blocks and eight digs against MVC co-leader Missouri State.
Another Year, Another Schedule Adjustment
For the second consecutive season, Creighton’s non-conference schedule was altered due to a rare occurrence out of its control.
This year, the Tulane volleyball team withdrew from the Bluejay Invitational (Aug. 28-29) after six players showed symptoms of the H1N1 virus, which prevented the squad from travelling.
Last year, Creighton’s scheduled participation in the Ladyjack Invitational on the campus of Stephen F. Austin was cancelled due to the fact that the Nacogdoches, Texas school’s campus was located in the path of Hurricane Ike. That cost Creighton matches against Oklahoma, Rice and host Stephen F. Austin.
Record Home Win Streak Snapped By Illini
Creighton had its school-record seven-match home win streak snapped on Aug. 29 in a 3-0 loss to No. 10 Illinois. That stretch had started on Oct. 17, 2008 with a win over Evansville and also contained victories over Southern Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Bradley and Texas Tech.
Hitting On All Cylinders
Creighton attacked at a robust .398 clip in its Aug. 28 romp over Texas Tech. That ranks as the fifth-best figure for a match in school history.
Creighton is 48-1 all-time when hitting .300 or better, including 42 straight victories.
Best Creighton Attack Percentage in a Match
Pct. Opponent (K-E-TA) (Sets) Date
.536 vs. Tulsa (41-4-69) (3s) 10-27-95
.495 vs. Liberty (57-8-99) (3s) 09-02-05
.418 vs. Evansville (98-21-184) (4s) 11-02-96
.414 vs. UC Riverside (57-11-111) (3s) 09-02-05
.398 vs. Texas Tech (47-10-93) (3s) 08-28-08
I’ll Take Houts For The Block
Jessica Houts broke Creighton’s all-time block assist record last Nov. 7 against Indiana State and with 532 currently, she has flown past Ashley Williams’ (2001-04) old mark of 347.
Houts claimed Creighton’s total block record in this year’s season-opening 3-0 win over Texas Tech. Her 604 career blocks are many more than Williams’ 447, and she became the first player in CU history to reach 500 career total blocks on Sept. 19 vs. Northern Iowa.
Also listed is the MVC’s all-time leaders in block assists:
Total Blocks, Creighton History
Name Sets BS BA Tot. Years
1. Jessica Houts 445 72 532 604 2005-Pr.
2. Ashley Williams 359 100 347 447 2001-04
3. JoDe Cieloha 398 106 331 437 1994-97
4. Melissa Walsh 394 46 320 366 1998-01
5. Kelly Goc 394 44 310 354 2004-07
Most Block Assists, MVC History
Name, School Block Assists Years
1. Danielle Brazda, UNI 658 2004-07
2. Molly O’Brien, UNI 653 2000-03
3. Ashten Stelken, UNI 540 2005-08
4. Jessica Houts, CU 532 2005-Pr.
5. Mindy Struckhoff, MSU 527 1985-88
Freshman Setters Nothing New
For the third time in Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s seven seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays began the season starting a freshman setter. Both setters on this year’s roster, Brittany Moon and Megan Bober, are freshmen, with Bober earning every start so far.
In 2003 with Brittany Coleman starting as a freshman, Creighton improved from 3-23 (in 2002) to 12-18, a nine-win improvement. Coleman set a then-CU record with 1,347 assists while starting all 30 matches.
Creighton then finished 16-14 in 2005 as freshman Korie Lebeda arrived and Coleman was shifted to libero. Lebeda broke Coleman’s record with 1,401 assists while averaging a league-record 13.34 assists per set.
Both Coleman and Lebeda would both go on to earn a spot on the MVC’s All-Freshman Team.
2-0 Better Than 0-2
Creighton is 136-8 (.944) all-time when leading a match 2-0, including a 78-2 mark under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. They own a 65-4 all-time mark in home matches they lead 2-0 in.
Conversely, the Jays are 6-151 (.038) all-time when trailing a match 0-2, including an 0-50 mark in those home matches. Those six comebacks 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
Dandy Debuts
Nayka Benitez had 15 digs in the season-opening victory over Texas Tech, the most in school history by a player making their debut.
Fellow newcomer Alicia Runge also approached a pair of school records for a debut. Her three blocks were one shy of the record (held by current teammate Lauren Bloemke).
Additionally, Runge’s nine kills were tied for second-most in CU history for a debut and the most since Heidi Higginbotham had nine in 1995.
The Votes Add Up
Creighton has eight matches scheduled against teams that received votes in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll. Five of those squads will visit D.J. Sokol Arena, including No. 10 Illinois, No. 18 Wichita State, No. 20 Saint Louis and votegetters Tulane and Missouri State.
Creighton also plays on the road at No. 3 Nebraska and No. 18 Wichita State as well as votegetter Missouri State.
Survival of the Fittest
Creighton has won four matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth after surviving an opponent’s match point. On the other hand, Creighton is 119-0 under Booth when it reaches a match point opportunity.
Surviving Match Points, Under Booth
Date Opponent MP(s) Faced Final Set 5
09/11/07 at Drake 13-14, 14-15 17-15
10/13/06 at Wichita State 12-14, 13-14, 14-15 17-15
10/10/03 Wichita State 13-14 16-14
08/30/03 vs. McNeese State 13-14, 15-16 18-16
Set 1 Result = Match Result
In its last 103 matches in which it wins set one, Creighton is 93-10. CU is 100-14 overall under Kirsten Bernthal Booth when they win set one.
On the other hand, Creighton is just 19-74 in matches under Booth when it drops the first set.
Taking The Fifth
Creighton is 21-11 in five-set matches under Kirsten Bernthal Booth. That’s impressive since Creighton had never finished a season with a winning record in fifth sets prior to Booth’s arrival.
Below is a list of Creighton’s record in five-set matches on a yearly basis:
Year Set 5 W-L Total W-L
1994 0-2 5-20
1995 0-2 11-19
1996 2-6 9-19
1997 3-5 15-13
1998 2-3 7-18
1999 3-3 13-15
2000 3-3 16-12
2001 1-1 14-13
2002 1-3 3-23
2003 5-1 12-18
2004 4-0 18-11
2005 3-1 16-14
2006 4-2 21-10
2007 2-0 21-10
2008 2-3 18-9
2009 1-4 13-16
Total 36-39 212-240
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in a preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches. Defending regular-season champion Wichita State was picked to win the league, while defending tournament champion Missouri State was second. Northern Iowa was third, Creighton fourth and Southern Illinois fifth. Rounding out the rest of the league was Evansville, Illinois State, Drake, Bradley and Indiana State.
Eight players were also named preseason all-MVC, including Bluejay senior Jessica Houts.
Each of the past six years Creighton has finished in the spot predicted of them or better in the preseason poll.
Year Preseason Pick Finish Move
1994 11th 9th #2
1995 9th 7th #2
1996 9th 6th #3
1997 8th 3rd #5
1998 6th 8th i2
1999 T-7th 5th #2
2000 4th T-4th - -
2001 2nd 4th i2
2002 7th 9th i2
2003 9th T-5th #4
2004 5th 5th - -
2005 5th 5th - -
2006 4th 4th - -
2007 3rd T-2nd #1
2008 3rd 2nd #1
2009 4th T-4th - -
Production Returning
Creighton returned 6-of-12 letterwinners from last season. Below is a breakdown of the production that returns:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 161.5 (59.9%) 108 (40.1%)
Matches Started 97 (59.9%) 65 (40.1%)
Points 895.5 (52.5%) 809.0 (47.5%)
Kills 693 (51.8%) 646 (48.2%)
Aces 41 (42.7%) 55 (57.3%)
Digs 600 (34.9%) 1120 (65.1%)
Assists 58 (4.7%) 1189 (95.3%)
AVCA Honors CU Volleyball For Academics
The Creighton volleyball program was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a recipient of the 2009 AVCA Team Academic Award. Creighton previously won the award in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and are one of nine Division I schools nationwide to win the award in six consecutive campaigns.
The award honors teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. Last spring the Bluejay volleyball team posted a combined GPA of 3.41.
Last Year Summary
Creighton went 18-9 and narrowly missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays went 15-3 to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference and had a year-end RPI of 46.
Korie Lebeda, Amanda Cvejdlik and Jessica Houts were named first-team all-MVC, while Bianca Rivera was a second-team all-Valley selection. Houts was also named MVC Defensive Player of the Year and AVCA honorable-mention All-American.
Radio Broadcast Information
Brad Burwell and former Bluejay volleyball player Erin Swanson will broadcast at least 26 matches (14 home, 12 away) this season. The matches will air on KOIL (1180 AM) and KKAR (1290 AM) and be webcast on-line at www.gocreighton.com as well.
The pre-match show starts approximately 5-15 minutes before first serve. The post-match show also lasts about 15 minutes and includes post-match interviews.
A complete list of remaining matches follows:
2009 Volleyball Remaining Broadcast Schedule
Nov. 26-28 MVC Tournament (KOIL)
Creighton Ticket Information
Tickets to Creighton’s home regular-season matches are sold at all Ticketmaster outlets. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for youth (18 years of age or younger) for reserved seats and $7 (adult) and $4 (youth) for general admission seating. Children three and under are admitted free.
Season ticket information is available online at www.gocreighton.com or by calling (402) 280-JAYS. Creighton has sold approximately 700 season tickets for volleyball this year.
