MATCH NOTES
- #13 Creighton def. DePaul 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-13)
- Creighton moves to 15-5, 5-1 Big East
- DePaul drops to 7-11, 1-5 Big East
- Chicago, Illinois
- Attendance: 250
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 (Week 7)
Behind some of the best hitting efficiency in program history, #13 Creighton rebounded from the previous night’s upset loss to Marquette (RV) to defeat the DePaul Blue Demons in straight sets.
In the first frame alone, their .818 efficiency (18 kills, 0 errors, 22 swings) marked the highest single-set hitting percentage in program history. The Bluejays hit at a .476 clip for the match, the third-best percentage in program history.
“It was gut-check time in regards to the importance of getting back on the winning track, ” said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth,”We told them that. And we really, for the first time in my career, I said put your scouts away. It’s not about who we’re playing, it’s about us. We talked about who we are and what we do to be great, and I was really proud of the way that they responded because last night was really disappointing and you never know how a team’s going to respond to something like that.”
The Bluejays were led offensively by senior Marysa Wilkinson, (10 kills, 0 errors, 12 swings), sophomore Megan Ballenger (9 kills, 0 errors 12 swings) and freshman Naomi Hickman had (6 kills, 11 swings). Sophomore Brittany Witt had 17 digs.
For DePaul, junior opposite Brittany Maxwell notched five kills, while senior setter Kelsey Horvath recorded 12 assists.
In the first frame, Creighton led from start to finish and won 25-10. Wilkinson and Ballenger had 10 kills on 11 swings in the set. The second was more of the same, as the Bluejays were never threatened and won 25-9. Creighton won the third by another convincing 25-13 margin.
DePaul welcomes Providence to the McGrath-Phillips Arena on Saturday, while Creighton returns home for a four-match homestand that starts on Friday, Oct. 13 with a match against Butler.
Tonight's final stats.Creighton's .476 hitting (including .818 in set 1) is 3rd best in school history.
Recap: https://t.co/tZ4DPyklK0 pic.twitter.com/2iII7SGqxd
— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) October 7, 2017
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: DePaul Athletics
Volleyball Drops Match to Creighton
The DePaul volleyball team fell to #12 Creighton
CHICAGO – The DePaul volleyball team fell to #12 Creighton, 3-0 (10-25, 9-25, 13-25), on Friday night at McGrath-Phillips Arena. This makes the Blue Demons record 7-11 (1-5 BIG EAST).
The Blue Jays jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the first set en route to a 25-10 set win. Myah Reed led the host with three kills in the opening set.
Early in the second set, Caitlyn Coffey and Brittany Maxwell combined on a loud block, giving the Blue Demon a 3-2 lead. Following the block from Coffey and Maxwell, the visitors put together a 12-2 run, taking a commanding 14-5 set lead. The Blue Jays held onto win the set 25-9 to go ahead 2-0.
The Bluejays closed the game in the third set with a 25-13 set win.
Reed claimed 22 attacks to help DePaul. Maxwell led the Blue Demons with five kills on the game. Kelsey Horvath contributed a team high 12 assists.
DePaul volleyball is back in action Saturday night at McGrath-Phillips Arena when Providence comes to town for a 6 p.m. start.
Courtesy: Creighton Athletics
Volleyball Regains Winning Form In Sweep at DePaul
Creighton posts third-best hitting percentage in school history in rout of Blue Demons
CHICAGO, Ill. — The No. 12 Creighton Volleyball team shook off a rare league loss with a dominating 3-0 sweep at DePaul on Friday night, downing the Blue Demons 25-10, 25-9, 25-13.
Creighton hit a blistering .476 in the win, the third-best mark in program history. That included a staggering .818 in the first set (18 kills, 0 errors, 22 swings) that ranks as the best mark on record.
Creighton improves to 12-5 with the victory, including a 5-1 league mark, just 23 hours after having its 28-match BIG EAST win streak snapped at Marquette. DePaul dropped to 7-11 and is 1-5 in league action.
“It was gut-check time,” said Booth, in regards to the importance of getting back on the winning track. “We told them that. And we really, for the first time in my career, I said put your scouts away. It’s not about who we’re playing, it’s about us. We talked about who we are and what we do to be great, and I was really proud of the way that they responded because last night was really disappointing and you never know how a team’s going to respond to something like that.”
Creighton never trailed in the first set, responding from last night’s loss with a 25-10 pounding of DePaul. CU raced to a 5-1 lead, then quickly grew that margin to 11-3. CU closed out the frame on a 7-1 run, with consecutive errors by DePaul’s Myah Reed ending the set. Marysa Wilkinson and Megan Ballenger combined for 10 kills on 11 swings to help spark an offense on full-throttle.
The Bluejays did even more damage in the second set, a 25-9 thrashing. Long serving runs by Samantha Bohnet and Taryn Kloth helped CU to a 13-4 advantage, and sophomore Alexa Roumeliotis later served a 7-0 blitz to get CU to set point, which was capped by a Ballenger kill.
The third set was more of the same, as Creighton cruised to a 25-13 victory. Eight different Bluejays had at least one kill in the final set, including the second career winner from Bohnet.
Wilkinson had 10 kills in 12 swings to hit .833 and lead the Bluejay offense in both categories. Ballenger had nine kills in 12 swings to hit .750, and Naomi Hickman had six kills in 11 swings to hit .545. Brittany Witt had 17 digs and Roumeliotis two aces to lead CU in those categories. Creighton hit .476 and finished with 46 kills, three aces, 48 digs and six blocks.
DePaul hit .000 on the night, finishing with 18 kills and 18 errors in 89 swings. The Blue Demons also had one ace, 27 digs and four blocks. Brittany Maxwell paced DePaul with five kills, while Haley Bueser added seven digs.
Creighton opens a four-match homestand on Friday, Oct. 13, when it hosts Butler at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs were picked to finish second, trailing only Creighton, in the preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches.
NOTES: Creighton’s middle blockers and right-side hitters (Ballenger, Hickman, O’Connell and Wilkinson) combined for 27 kills and 0 errors on 40 swings on Friday … Creighton has never lost back-to-back BIG EAST matches, and last lost consecutive league contests in 2011 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference … Creighton has won nine straight meetings against DePaul … Alexa Roumeliotis had her first career ace late in the second set, then added another late in the third set … Creighton’s only better hitting percentages in a match are .536 vs. Tulsa in 1995 and .495 vs. Liberty in 2005 … Creighton’s previous best hitting percentage in a set was .722 (13-0-18) in the fifth set of a win at Georgetown in 2015, and the previous best in a set to 25 was .654 vs. Bradley (18-1-26) on Sept. 25, 2010.
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