SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — The No. 16 Creighton Volleyball team improved to 15-2 on the season with a 3-0 road win at Seton Hall on Saturday, Oct. 2 at historic Walsh Gymnasium.
Scores of Creighton’s 11th straight sweep against the Pirates were 26-24, 25-15, 25-18. The Bluejays are now 3-1 in BIG EAST play, while Seton Hall fell to 9-9 (1-3 BIG EAST).
Creighton won a tense first set, 26-24, after finally taking advantage of a fourth set point opportunity thanks to a Pirate attack error. Norah Sis had five kills and an ace in the opening frame while freshman classmate Kendra Wait added 13 assists and six digs. Tsvetelina Ilieva and Amanda Rachwal both contributed three kills as Creighton outhit the hosts, .244 to .128.
“The first game I was really disappointed with our execution and how we followed the game plan,” said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. “We challenged them after that game to make some pretty dramatic changes and to their credit I thought they did. This weekend could be pivotal for us. This weekend could be the best thing for us if we learn from it. and there’s a lot to learn.”
Creighton controlled the second set, hitting .379 to post a 25-15 victory and take a 2-0 lead in the match. CU had five blocks in the set, including four from Kiana Schmitt, as the Jays held Seton Hall to .091 hitting.
Keeley Davis had four of her career-high five aces on back-to-back-to-back-to-back points in the third set to give Creighton an 11-6 lead and the Jays cruised from there to ice their 12th win this season away from home. Sis topped the Jays with five kills in the finale, including the clincher on match point.
Sis led all players with 14 kills. Jaela Zimmerman had a match-high 13 digs and Davis also added nine kills. CU outblocked Seton Hall 10-4 as Kiana Schmitt matched her career-high with six stuffs. Creighton finished with 46 kills, eight aces, 51 digs and hit .270.
Ilieva finished with a team-best seven kills for Seton Hall. Taylor Jakubowski, the sister of former Creighton soccer star Taryn Jakubowski, had a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs. The Pirates finished with 29 kills, three aces, 35 digs and hit .140 overall.
After being on the road for five of the first six weeks of the year, the Bluejays will host its BIG EAST home opener on Friday at 6:30 p.m. vs. DePaul.
