2009 Year-End Recap
The opening of D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic
Center and the first visit of the State Farm MVC Tournament to Omaha
highlighted Creighton¹s 2009 Volleyball season. The first-class facility
will give the Bluejays an on-campus home for years to come and the intimate
atmosphere helped Creighton to a 10-5 record at home in its inaugural year.
Creighton would open the building with a 3-0 win over Big 12 school
Texas Tech on August 28th in the opening match of the Bluejay Invitational.
The day featured a memorable dedication ceremony in the morning, followed by
the season-opening romp that evening before an enthusiastic crowd of 2,285
students, boosters and community leaders.
One day later No. 10 Illinois would claim the Bluejay Invitational
crown, beating both Texas Tech and Creighton. The field was cut to three
teams when Tulane dropped out 48 hours before the tournament was to begin
when the Green Wave team was hit by the H1N1 virus.
The schedule would get even tougher three nights later when the Jays
took on the nation¹s No. 6 team, Nebraska, at the NU Coliseum.
CU¹s non-conference gauntlet continued the following weekend in
Lawrence, Kan., when CU had a disappointing 0-3 weekend. Creighton lost to a
pair of close matches to NCAA Tournament teams (Florida International and
Lipscomb) before falling in four sets to host Kansas.
The following weekend CU headed to Dayton, Ohio, where it snapped a rare
five-match losing streak with a sweep of Samford. The following afternoon
was full of heartbreak, as CU wasted a 2-1 lead in a loss to Connecticut
before blowing a 2-0 lead at undefeated Dayton while losing both contests in
five sets.
Creighton shook off its 2-8 start, coming home to start Missouri Valley
Conference play. The Jays opened league action with a four-set win over
Bradley before losing in four sets to eventual MVC champ Northern Iowa.
Those matches would mark the final ones of the season for senior MB Lauren
Bloemke, who would seek a medical hardship season after never fully
recovering from off-season knee surgery.
Creighton would continue its upswing with three wins in its next four
matches, including a 3-1 upset of No. 25 Wichita State. That win snapped
CU¹s 0-35 drought against ranked teams, and proved the team could compete
with anyone.
The Jays would split their next 16 matches, going 8-8 down the stretch.
The stretch included a 3-1 Senior Night win over Evansville on Nov. 14 as
well as a 3-0 win at Bradley a week later to close the regular-season. The
victory over the Braves clinched a share of fourth-place for CU as well as a
sixth-straight season of 10 or more league triumphs.
Creighton then hosted the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time
in program history, a nod to the program¹s recent success as well as its new
facility. Creighton would sweep fifth-seeded Drake in the quarterfinal round
before seeing its season end at the hands of Northern Iowa for the fifth
consecutive year in the MVC Tournament. The top-seeded Panthers beat CU in
three sets en route to eventually winning the tournament title the following
day vs. Wichita State.
Statistically Creighton¹s 2009 season will best be remembered for the
record-setting block it put up. Creighton¹s 3.08 blocks per set, 354.5 total
blocks and 599 block assists all shattered previous school records.
Creighton would finish the season ranked third nationally in blocks per set,
with senior Jessica Houts (1.44 bps.) finishing 12th-best nationally and
sophomore Laurel Sanford (1.30) not far behind at 25th in the country.
Houts enjoyed a memorable senior year on campus, repeating first-team
all-MVC accolades. Houts led Creighton in kills (331), kills per set (2.88),
hitting percentage (.254), total blocks (166), block assists (154), and
blocks per set (1.44) while doing a little bit of everything.
Allie Oelke enjoyed a solid junior season, ranking second on the team
with 2.64 kills and 3.30 digs and fourth with 0.73 blocks per set. Oelke
also turned in a team-best 12 double-doubles on the season.
Sanford was fourth on the team in kills per set but second in blocks
while making tremendous strides in her development as an all-around force.
Senior Sarah Schulze started most matches as well, averaging 1.22 kills
and 2.80 digs per set while playing all six rotations. She closed her career
in the top-10 in CU history with 1,056 career digs.
After sitting out 2008 as a redshirt, Alicia Runge showed glimpses of
brilliance in her junior season. Runge finished third on the team in kills
per set (2.37) and played her best ball of the season down the stretch.
Runge was not the only newcomer making an impact, as a talented group of
freshmen also were difference-makers.
Megan Bober highlighted that group, starting every match as Creighton¹s
setter and eventually landing a spot on the MVC¹s All-Freshman Team. Bober
averaged 9.63 assists per set and her 107 blocks and 0.93 blocks per set
were both school marks for a Bluejay setter.
Junior-college transfer Nayka Benitez came in to the program to play
libero, and delivered 4.49 digs per set. She also would rank in the top-100
nationally with 43 aces and 0.37 aces per set.
Helping to stabilize the back row with Benitez was defensive specialists
Brooke Boggs and Lisa Greisch. Boggs made 11 starts and averaged 1.20 digs
per set, while Greisch averaged 1.18 digs per set and made four starts this
fall.
Reserve setter Brittany Moon played sparingly, but did contribute two
assists and two digs on the season. She did start the third set of a late
home match against Southern Illinois, helping CU to a 6-3 lead while Bober
was out receiving intravenous fluids.
The Jays also used four other attacking players in a variety of roles.
Senior MB Lauren Bloemke came into the season as a returning starter but
would appear in just eight matches due to ongoing complications from
off-season knee surgery. Bloemke would see most of her time as a serving
specialist.
Sophomore Karisa Almgren gave the Jays a secret weapon off the bench.
Almgren had 13 kills and eight blocks in 15 contests as a reserve. Several
times during the year Almgren would be called on to provide a spark or to
help a struggling offense.
Heather Thorson also was employed in a similar role as Almgren, albeit
from the middle. Thorson started Creighton¹s first six matches on the right
side, as well as Creighton¹s Nov. 20 match at Northern Iowa in hte middle.
Thorson would average 0.59 kills and 0.45 blocks during her rookie campaign.
An additional freshman, Caitlin Templeton, would finish the year with
two kills in three swings and also contribute one digs and one block in four
appearances.
With everyone except Houts and Schulze back for the fall of 2010, hopes
remain high that the Bluejays can ride their late-season flurry into another
upper-division finish next season.

OMAHA, Neb. - Creighton University senior Jessica Houts added one final award to her record-setting career when she was named as one of nine players to the All-Tournament Team from the recently completed 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Houts, a senior from Bloomington, Minn., ranked second in the tournament in both kills per set (3.83) and hitting percentage (.439). She was also third in points per set (4.50), 13th in service aces per set (0.17) and 13th in blocks per set (0.83).

The middle blocker closed her career with school records of 126 matches played, 451 sets played, 536 block assists, 609 total blocks and 1.35 blocks per set. She was a two-time first-team all-Valley selection, two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team pick and earned All-Tournament Team accolades in nine different tournaments during her career.

Read Marc Zavala's story on Grand Island Independent

A couple of area volleyball players signed letter of intents to play at Division I schools Wednesday.

Aurora’s Jessie Allen signed to play at Kansas, while Central City’s Lexi Malm signed to play at Creighton University.

• You can be sure revenge will on the mind of the Bluejay seniors tonight in its match-up against Northern Iowa. The Panthers have ended the Creighton season in the semifinals each of the past three years, and in the quarterfinals in 2005.
Before tonight, 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.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Former University of Nebraska middle blocker Amanda Gates has
been named volunteer assistant coach with the Creighton University
Volleyball program, head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth announced today.

Gates¹ primary responsibilities will be helping with practices --
specifically training middle blockers -- as well as some administrative
tasks. She fills the role held by Mike Weber last season and joins Angie
Oxley Behrens, Tom Mendoza and Booth on the Bluejay staff.

³We¹re thrilled to have Amanda joining our staff,² said Booth. ³Not only was
she a great player, but she¹s an outstanding person and role model for our
players. With her extensive playing background and championship experience,
she¹ll be a great addition to our program.²

Editors Note: Different Nebraska teams who have qualified for the USAV Nationals at the end of June will be featured in the coming weeks. Check back often to read about these successful Nebraska girls as they prepare for the biggest club tournament in the country.

Previous Countdown stories:

Lincoln East's Tara Curtiss commits to Denver University, ready to lead Lincoln Elite Lasers at Nationals"

Creighton University Tom Mendoza was hired as the new assistant volleyball coach.

OMAHA - Creighton University volleyball head coach Kirsten Bernthal
Booth has hired Tom Mendoza to be an assistant coach with the program.

Mendoza replaces Paul Giesselmann on the Bluejay staff, after Giesselmann left to become head coach at Midland Lutheran College last month.

Mendoza spent last season at fellow Missouri Valley Conference rival
Evansville, serving as an assistant coach to Mike Swan and working with the setters, outside hitters and primary passers. He also recruited for the Purple Aces program.

Click to read story on Midland Lutheran College web site

FREMONT - Midland Lutheran College today hired Paul Giesselmann to take over as Head Volleyball Coach, effective June 1. Giesselmann will join the Midland Warriors from Creighton University where he has been coaching volleyball since 2003.

Midland’s Athletic Director, Keith Kramme, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to have Paul joining our staff at Midland. He brings with him a wealth of experience and success. His career-to-date coaching record of 227-80 speaks for itself. There is no question that his experience from his time at College of St. Mary and then at Creighton will be a tremendous addition to the Midland volleyball program and to the entire Midland community.”

OMAHA - Non-conference home matches with regional rivals Nebraska and Kansas highlight the 2010 Creighton Volleyball schedule, announced today by head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

The Bluejays will play 13 regular-season home matches this fall, including non-conference tilts against San Francisco, Lipscomb and Kansas in the season-opening Bluejay Invitational (Aug. 27-28). Creighton will also host Nebraska at D.J. Sokol Arena for the first time when the Cornhuskers trek to Omaha on Sept. 1st.

Creighton will spend the next three weekends on the road. Creighton will travel to St. Louis, Mo., to take on Saint Louis, Iowa and Wake Forest in the Active Ankle Challenge (Sept. 3-4). The following weekend the Jays head to Milwaukee, Wis., to play Toledo, Marquette and Central Michigan in an event hosted by Marquette (Sept. 10-11). Creighton remains on the road to open play in the Missouri Valley Conference on Sept. 17 when it visits Carbondale, Ill., to take on Southern Illinois.

OMAHA - The fourth-seeded Creighton Volleyball team defended its home court with a 3-0 victory over fifth-seeded Drake on Thursday night before 922 fans at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

The win was Creighton's (14-16) school-record 10th home victory of the season, and sets up a date with top-seeded Northern Iowa (28-2) on Friday at 6 pm. The Panthers, winners of 26 straight matches, have eliminated Creighton at the MVC Tournament each of the last four seasons.

Creighton won the first set going away, 25-14, before taking a 26-24 second set. CU clinched the match with a 25-22 victory.