As the year comes to a close, volleyball teams are soaking up the last few games, but there’s a touch of sadness as they say goodbye to their seniors and get ready for the new faces joining in 2025. Creighton Volleyball felt this too, especially with Senior Day falling on their Sunday game against Georgetown. Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth wasn’t quite ready to face the emotions of the day, saying, “It’s such a special group. It’s gonna be hard. It will be a hard day.”

Sokol Arena, decked out in stripes, was buzzing with emotion as they honored one of the best senior classes Creighton’s ever had, a group that’s made an impact far beyond the court. This year, eight seniors are stepping up: Kendra Wait, Norah Sis, Kiara Reinhardt, Abbey Milner, Emma Ziegler, Katie Maser, Maddy Billinovic, and Elise Goetzinger. While it was tough to say goodbye, the Bluejays didn’t let that get in the way of some serious dominance on the court, wrapping up the day with an unforgettable win that added another special moment to their legacy.

Creighton Volleyball took to X on November 17, sharing a striking poster with the team a shiny trophy, and the bold words, “2024 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions!” The post was captioned with excitement: “𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟭𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥, 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗝𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦!!! #GoJays”. From 2014 to 2024, Creighton has continued to dominate, adding another shiny trophy to their ever-growing collection.

In their latest match on Sunday, November 17, the fifth-ranked Bluejays set a school record, hitting a blistering .548 while sweeping Georgetown 3-0, clinching their 11th consecutive regular-season title. The victory secured the coveted top seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament Presented by Jeep, which Creighton will host with pride. The set scores (25-14, 25-11, 25-11) tell the story of a dominant performance, with Georgetown briefly grabbing the first point but never leading again as Creighton stamped their mark on the match.

In her final regular-season home match, Norah Sis delivered a stellar performance, hammering 15 kills on an impressive .636 hitting percentage, while also contributing eight digs and a pair of aces. Her teammate Kendra Wait racked up 32 assists and 11 digs, marking her 69th career double-double. The seniors shone bright, with all six starters—alongside libero Maddy Bilinovic (10 digs, seven assists, two aces)—stepping up for their final curtain call.

Elise Goetzinger added six kills and a block, while Abbey Milner set career highs with five kills and three blocks. Katie Maser and Emma Ziegler made their first starts of the season, leaving their mark too. As the match came to a close with Creighton leading 23-11 in the third set, Wait and Sis exited the court amidst an emotional 11-0 run, hugging Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth as the crowd of 2,420 erupted in a standing ovation.

The duo capped their perfect run inside D.J. Sokol Arena, boasting a flawless 38-0 record against BIG EAST foes, losing only nine sets. However, in a surprising twist, Kiara Reinhardt revealed she’d be returning for a sixth year in 2025, giving fans a glimpse of hope for the future. Though they’re riding high with emotion and dominance now, there was a point in the season when Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth wasn’t exactly pleased with how things were unfolding.

Creighton Volleyball’s coach was disappointed!

Yes, you heard it! Creighton Volleyball’s head coach, Kirsten Bernthal Booth, wasn’t exactly thrilled with the NCAA’s first in-season rankings. When the list dropped, the Bluejays found themselves sitting in a surprising sixth place, trailing teams like Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Louisville, and Stanford. Kirsten knew her squad had earned more respect than that, and she was ready to back it up with the stats. Before the rankings were released, Creighton had held strong at number four in the RPI, a key indicator that made their sixth-place ranking sting even more.

Creighton had only lost twice up to that point, both road games against higher-ranked teams. So, for Kirsten, watching her team drop to sixth felt like a tough pill to swallow. “We were a little disappointed,” she shared, noting that she felt Creighton should still be sitting at that number four spot. “I think there was a strong argument we could’ve landed at four,” she added, offering a glimpse into the frustration felt by her team. But despite the blow, there wasn’t much room to argue once the rankings were out.

However, Coach Booth isn’t the type to back down easily. Rather than letting the disappointment linger, she voiced her hope that the NCAA committee would continue to watch her team’s play and reassess their ranking as the season progressed. “We hope that the committee continues to watch us play and will make some judgments based on our resume a little differently in a month,” Booth said.

Even though Creighton had tried to reach out and express their displeasure, nothing shifted. With a sigh, she admitted, “I think we did everything that we could, other than — obviously, we needed to win one of those five-setters, is what they were telling us.” And now, Creighton is holding strong at number 5, a testament to their resilience and determination throughout the season.