Big East: #12 Creighton Rallies Past Upset-Minded Xavier in Five Sets

BIG EAST RUNDOWN

• October 18, 2018

RESULTS

• Butler def. Providence 3-0
• #12 Creighton def. Xavier 3-2

CONFERENCE RECAP

#12 Creighton survived upset-minded Xavier in five sets Thursday night. The Musketeers took the first two sets before the Bluejays rallied to take the final three. The win keeps Creighton alone atop the Big East standings.

In Providence, Butler picked up a road sweep of the Friars. The Bulldogs earned their fourth conference win and just their second win away from home this season.

*MATCH OF THE DAY*

#12 CREIGHTON DEF. XAVIER 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 15-13)

• Creighton moves to 17-4, 9-0; Xavier falls to 6-15, 4-6 in the Big East.
• D.J. Sokol Arena; Omaha, Nebraska
• Attendance:2,206
• Box score
• Xavier Recap/Creighton Recap
• Creighton was led by outside hitter Jaali Winters, who tallied a match-high 17 kills. Middle blocker Megan Ballenger notched 15 kills and outside hitter Taryn Cloth chipped in 11 kills.
• Setter Madelyn Cole posted a double-double with 50 assists and 12 digs.
• Right side hitter Morgan Finn finished with 15 kills and 6 blocks for Xavier. Outside hitter Laura Grossman added 12 kills and 16 digs for the Musketeers.
• Xavier’s defensive effort was led by libero Meredith Klare, who tallied 29 digs.
• Creighton hit just .168 as a team but held Xavier to .131.
• The two teams combined for 17 aces. Creighton notched 10 and Xavier delivered 7. The Musketeers held the advantage at the net (15-8).

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Creighton came out strong in the opening set. The Bluejays enjoyed a 10-4 advantage early on.

Trailing 12-7, Xavier used a 9-1 run to take a 16-13 lead. Creighton would rally to tie the set five times down the stretch, the last time at 23 apiece before Xavier took the final two points and the set, 25-23.

Xavier came out on fire in the second set. The Musketeers jumped out to an 11-2 lead. But Creighton did not go away quietly. The Bluejays put together a 10-3 run to tie the set at 19. Xavier responded with a 6-2 run to close out the set, 25-21.

Creighton started strong in the third, racing out to an early 6-1 lead. The Bluejays extended their lead to as many as 12 at 21-9. Xavier cut the lead in half, but Creighton held off the Musketeers, 25-17.

The Bluejays take set three! This isn't over, folks!#GoJays pic.twitter.com/U6bImeuoxb

— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) October 19, 2018

The Bluejays led from start to finish, taking the fourth set, 25-17  to even the match at two sets apiece.

Creighton takes set four!#GoJays pic.twitter.com/iqoGZzzGEx

— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) October 19, 2018

In the fifth, Creighton built a 9-5 lead and held off Xavier, 15-13. Megan Ballenger‘s 15th kill of the match finalized the comeback and keeps Creighton undefeated in Big East play.

Comeback complete ✅
Undefeated in the BIG EAST ✅#GoJays pic.twitter.com/miRcPqhnwC

— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) October 19, 2018

BUTLER DEF. PROVIDENCE 3-0 (29-27, 25-23, 25-13)

• Butler improves to 7-15, 4-6; Providence drops to 7-13, 1-8 in the Big East.
• Alumni Hall; Providence, Rhode Island
• Attendance:210
• Box score
• Butler Recap/ Providence Recap
• Outside hitter Natalie Ravenell led the way for the Bulldogs, tallying 10 kills. Outside hitter Brooke Gregory chipped in 9 kills and both middle blockers Bri Lilly and Melody Davidson, added 8 kills.
• Providence was led by outside hitter Addison Root, who registered a match-high 12 kills.
• The Bulldogs hit .248 for the match and limited the Friars to .162.
• Butler entered the match just 1-9 on the road this season before picking up the win.

UP NEXT

• Providence hosts Xavier at 1 p.m. ET Saturday.
• #12 Creighton welcomes Butler at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.
• Keep up to date on when your program is on TV by checking out VolleyMob’s TV Schedule.

STANDINGS