Saturday, September 2
D.J. Sokol Arena
8:00 PM
Creighton University
5-1
3
vs
0
Northern Iowa
4-2
1
2
3
F
Northern Iowa
18
23
21
0
Creighton
25
25
25
3
Creighton won the 2017 Bluejay Invitiational
Photo by: Rob Anderson
BLUEJAY INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS! No. 7 Volleyball Sweeps UNI To Claim Crown
9/2/2017 10:03:00 PM | Volleyball
Creighton finished the event 2-1 to earn its second Bluejay Invitational Championship
OMAHA, Neb. -- The No. 7 Creighton Volleyball team swept UNI on Saturday night during the final match of the Bluejay Invitational, presented by First National Bank. With the victory, the Bluejays claimed the 2017 invitational championship after finishing 2-1 and winning a tiebreaker over No. 13 Kentucky thanks to a head-to-head win on Friday night.
Creighton also won the 2014 Bluejay Invitational, its only other title during 13 years of the event. Creighton is now 5-1, while the Panthers are 4-2.
Scores of Saturday night's match in favor of the Bluejays were 25-18, 25-23, 25-21. It was just the third time in 50 all-time meetings with UNI that Creighton swept their former MVC rival.
Marysa Wilkinson led the Bluejays with 11 kills, while Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth each finished with 10 kills.
Lydia Dimke, the invitational's Most Outstanding Player, dished out 29 assists and had four service aces. Dimke finished the weekend with 87 assists (9.67/set), 22 digs (2.44/set), 14 kills, nine blocks and seven service aces. Wilkinson and Winters also represented the Bluejays on the All-Tournament team.Â
Karlie Taylor and Piper Thomas each had nine kills to pace UNI. Taylor represented the Panthers on the All-Tournament team along with USC's Khalia Lanier and Kentucky's Madison Lilley and Leah Edmond.
Creighton ended the first set on a 7-1 run to open the night with a 25-18 victory in the opening frame.
The second set was the closest of the night, with the Bluejays hanging on for a 25-23 victory after seeing its 19-13 lead dwindle. CU trailed 10-7 before a 10-3 run on the serves of Dimke and Brittany Witt provided a cushion. Samantha Bohnet had eight of her team-high 14 digs in the second set, while Taryn Kloth smashed four kills.
Creighton pulled away midway through the final set, going ahead 13-9 on consecutive aces by Winters. CU led 22-13 before a 5-0 Panther run temporarily muted the celebration. The Bluejays regrouped after a timeout and won the contest on a kill by Wilkinson.
The Bluejays finished with 39 kills, 57 digs and eight blocks on .165 hitting. CU also served up nine aces against just two service errors, including four service winners by Dimke.
UNI recorded 37 kills, one ace, 61 digs and seven blocks while hitting .109.
Creighton returns to action next weekend at the Kansas Invitational. The Bluejays will open play on Friday morning against No. 21 Purdue.Â
NOTES: Creighton has won 25 straight home matches against unranked teams ... The crowd of 1,725 gave CU a three-match total of 6,387 total fans for the weekend ... Northern Iowa won the tiebreaker over three-time defending champ USC for third place thanks to the Panthers 3-1 win over USC on Friday evening ... Creighton has started 5-1 for the first time since 2013 ... Creighton last won consecutive regular-season tournaments in the same season when it opened the 2004 campaign with the Comcast Lobo Invitational and Quality Inn Tiger Invitational titles ... Creighton last won two regular-season tournaments in the same season in 2012, when it won the USF Invitational as well as the Northern Colorado Classic.
2017 Bluejay Invitational Summary
September 1-2, 2017 – Omaha, Neb.
Â
Final Standings
1. #7 Creighton                               2-1 (CU wins tiebreaker due to win over UK)
2. #13 Kentucky                              2-1
3. Northern Iowa                             1-2 (UNI wins tiebreaker due to win over USC)
4. #18 USCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-2
Â
Match Scores
Friday, September 1, 2017
Northern Iowa def. #18 USC, 3-1 (26-24, 30-28, 17-25, 26-24)
#7 Creighton def. #13 Kentucky, 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-20)
Saturday, September 2, 2017
#13 Kentucky def. Northern Iowa, 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9)
#18 USC def. #7 Creighton, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-18)
#13 Kentucky def. #18 USC, 3-1 (25-16, 11-25, 25-19, 25-19)
#7 Creighton def. Northern Iowa, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23 25-21)
All-Tournament Team
Lydia Dimke, Creighton (MVP)
Jaali Winters, Creighton
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton
Leah Edmond, Kentucky
Madison Lilley, Kentucky
Karlie Taylor, UNI
Khalia Lanier, USC
Bluejay Invitational Records Broken or Tied
None
Creighton also won the 2014 Bluejay Invitational, its only other title during 13 years of the event. Creighton is now 5-1, while the Panthers are 4-2.
Scores of Saturday night's match in favor of the Bluejays were 25-18, 25-23, 25-21. It was just the third time in 50 all-time meetings with UNI that Creighton swept their former MVC rival.
Marysa Wilkinson led the Bluejays with 11 kills, while Jaali Winters and Taryn Kloth each finished with 10 kills.
Lydia Dimke, the invitational's Most Outstanding Player, dished out 29 assists and had four service aces. Dimke finished the weekend with 87 assists (9.67/set), 22 digs (2.44/set), 14 kills, nine blocks and seven service aces. Wilkinson and Winters also represented the Bluejays on the All-Tournament team.Â
Karlie Taylor and Piper Thomas each had nine kills to pace UNI. Taylor represented the Panthers on the All-Tournament team along with USC's Khalia Lanier and Kentucky's Madison Lilley and Leah Edmond.
Creighton ended the first set on a 7-1 run to open the night with a 25-18 victory in the opening frame.
The second set was the closest of the night, with the Bluejays hanging on for a 25-23 victory after seeing its 19-13 lead dwindle. CU trailed 10-7 before a 10-3 run on the serves of Dimke and Brittany Witt provided a cushion. Samantha Bohnet had eight of her team-high 14 digs in the second set, while Taryn Kloth smashed four kills.
Creighton pulled away midway through the final set, going ahead 13-9 on consecutive aces by Winters. CU led 22-13 before a 5-0 Panther run temporarily muted the celebration. The Bluejays regrouped after a timeout and won the contest on a kill by Wilkinson.
The Bluejays finished with 39 kills, 57 digs and eight blocks on .165 hitting. CU also served up nine aces against just two service errors, including four service winners by Dimke.
UNI recorded 37 kills, one ace, 61 digs and seven blocks while hitting .109.
Creighton returns to action next weekend at the Kansas Invitational. The Bluejays will open play on Friday morning against No. 21 Purdue.Â
NOTES: Creighton has won 25 straight home matches against unranked teams ... The crowd of 1,725 gave CU a three-match total of 6,387 total fans for the weekend ... Northern Iowa won the tiebreaker over three-time defending champ USC for third place thanks to the Panthers 3-1 win over USC on Friday evening ... Creighton has started 5-1 for the first time since 2013 ... Creighton last won consecutive regular-season tournaments in the same season when it opened the 2004 campaign with the Comcast Lobo Invitational and Quality Inn Tiger Invitational titles ... Creighton last won two regular-season tournaments in the same season in 2012, when it won the USF Invitational as well as the Northern Colorado Classic.
2017 Bluejay Invitational Summary
September 1-2, 2017 – Omaha, Neb.
Â
Final Standings
1. #7 Creighton                               2-1 (CU wins tiebreaker due to win over UK)
2. #13 Kentucky                              2-1
3. Northern Iowa                             1-2 (UNI wins tiebreaker due to win over USC)
4. #18 USCÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1-2
Â
Match Scores
Friday, September 1, 2017
Northern Iowa def. #18 USC, 3-1 (26-24, 30-28, 17-25, 26-24)
#7 Creighton def. #13 Kentucky, 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-20)
Saturday, September 2, 2017
#13 Kentucky def. Northern Iowa, 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9)
#18 USC def. #7 Creighton, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-18)
#13 Kentucky def. #18 USC, 3-1 (25-16, 11-25, 25-19, 25-19)
#7 Creighton def. Northern Iowa, 3-0 (25-18, 25-23 25-21)
All-Tournament Team
Lydia Dimke, Creighton (MVP)
Jaali Winters, Creighton
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton
Leah Edmond, Kentucky
Madison Lilley, Kentucky
Karlie Taylor, UNI
Khalia Lanier, USC
Bluejay Invitational Records Broken or Tied
None
Team Stats
UNI
CU
Kills
37
39
Errors
23
19
Attempts
129
121
Hitting %
.109
.165
Points
45.0
56.0
Assists
33
35
Aces
1
9
Blocks
7.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
4
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
DS
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballCreighton Volleyball vs. Nebraska Press Conference - 9/16/25
Monday, September 15
Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. UNI - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
Creighton Volleyball Press Conference vs. UNI - 9/14/25
Sunday, September 14
#18 Creighton Volleyball Highlights vs. Rice - 9/13/25
Saturday, September 13
