No. 12 Creighton volleyball closed out the regular season with a dominant statement, finishing an unbeaten conference season and securing the program’s 12th consecutive Big East regular-season title with a pair of road sweeps at St. John’s and Seton Hall. The Bluejays did it with the same formula that’s carried them all fall — clean offense, steady serving and a level of consistency that few teams nationally have matched.
Friday’s win at St. John’s marked Creighton’s 46th straight regular season league victory, a new Big East record and locked up at least a share of the title. A night later, the Bluejays clinched it outright with one of their sharpest performances of the season, hitting a program-record .551 at Seton Hall to cap a perfect 16-0 run through the nation’s fifth-rated conference. Across those 16 matches, Creighton only dropped four sets.
“I felt like our team really worked hard to be prepared for every match. It’s all about not taking anyone for granted,” head coach Brian Rosen said. “I think early on … our team, especially some of our newer players, was a little caught off guard with how strong these teams are and that everyone’s going to come in and give us their best. I thought we settled in as the season went on …This is the best the Big East has ever been, so it’s really impressive what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
In Queens, the Bluejays hit over .400 in the match, led by senior outside hitter Ava Martin. With 13 kills on the night, she became just the fifth player in program history to surpass 1,500 career kills.
“She’s just an incredible all-around volleyball player,” Rosen said, “So good in all areas of her game — elite-level attacker, server, passer and just keeps getting better and better at the blocker and defender too … She gets to the gym every single week and still tries to get better and help her teammates get better … She carries a lot of weight for our team, and … just really embraces the big moments.”
Saturday’s match at Seton Hall delivered arguably Creighton’s cleanest outing of the season. The Bluejays swung with remarkable efficiency, hitting a program-record .551 with 41 kills and just three errors on 69 attempts.
Creighton also produced 14 service aces, one shy of a school record, with sophomore Saige Damrow delivering six — five of them during an eight-point run in the second set that broke the match wide open. Senior setter Annalea Maeder added five more aces and guided the attack with 25 assists while hitting 4-for-4 herself.
“I thought [they were] two really clean performances, really good offensively in both matches,” Rosen said. “I thought Annalea set a really good game … I thought [we] were much cleaner, went on a ton of runs, hit our spots better.”
For Rosen, the undefeated run and regular-season conference crown carried added significance. In his first year at the helm, he became the first Big East coach since 1993 to go unbeaten in league play in a debut season.
“To win our 12th straight and to do it in an undefeated fashion is something I’m really proud of, and proud of the team,” Rosen said. “It sets the bar and the expectation really high for years to come.”
The focus now turns to the postseason. The Bluejays will host Marquette in Saturday’s Big East semifinals. The Golden Eagles pushed Creighton to five sets earlier this month and are fighting to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, as are Xavier and Villanova — two potential finals opponents.
“We’re moving into this next phase of win-or-go-home time,” Rosen said. “We want to have that mentality at the Big East tournament, that survive and advance tournament mentality to prepare us for the NCAA tournament …We just want to make the season last as long as we can.”
With the team playing its sharpest volleyball at the right time, the Bluejays look every bit like a squad poised for another deep December run. No. 1 Creighton faces No. 4 Marquette Saturday in Milwaukee, with a spot in the Big East Championship match — and the program’s 11th tournament title in 12 years — on the line. First serve is set for noon on ESPN+.