After a dominant 3-0 win over the Xavier Musketeers, No. 16 Creighton took on the Butler Bulldogs in their second Big East matchup of the season. Despite facing a pair of Butler set points in the opening frame, the Bluejays rallied to defeat the Bulldogs in three sets, capping a perfect start to conference play on Sept. 27.
Creighton got off to a slow start but found its rhythm late in the opening set. Trailing early, the momentum shifted midway through on a big kill from senior outside hitter Ava Martin that gave the Bluejays their first lead, 14-13.
“I do think sometimes our hitters had to work twice as hard to put a ball down, but our mentality all match was ‘don’t be frazzled by those things, keep working, keep finding different ways to score and different ways to earn those points,’” junior defensive specialist Sydney Breissinger said.
The Jays maintained a slight edge until an overturned challenge by Butler tied the set at 18-18. A Creighton service error then handed Butler set point.
But the Bluejays rallied, with Breissinger delivering back-to-back aces to even the score at 24-24.
“We talk about going behind the line even if we’re down by a few points and putting in a good serve and putting in our serve that we know how to do,” Breissinger said.
Senior middle blocker Kiara Reinhardt then came through with a block and a joust win at the net, sealing the 27-25 set victory in dramatic fashion.
“First set was a battle; I thought they played well. I think we did a nice job earning our points, they took some really good swings [and] both of their outside hit really well in that set,” Head Coach Brian Rosen said.
The second set began with a similar start. Creighton trailed 7-8 before freshman outside hitter Abbey Hayes sparked a run. Her block put the Jays up 12-9, and from there, Bluejays never looked back.
“I just think our block overwhelmed them a little bit in the second and third sets … so it was great to see our team block and really dictate a match,” Rosen said.
Reinhardt’s defense again made the difference, helping Creighton build a 22-14 lead. Her performance earned her Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors. The Jays closed out the set 25-17, capped by a smart shot by Martin into the corner, to go up 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, Creighton looked to finish strong and secure its second sweep of the weekend. Hayes continued her momentum, sparking a 6-1 start.
“I think since day one when Abbey came here last December, it really impressed all of us how if she makes an error she’s going to swing again. There’s a big freshman tendency to tip your way out of it and get a little tentative after an error and she’s the complete opposite. She’s always going to go for it, and you can always trust her to take a big rip in any moment no matter what the score is, no matter what is going on, and she’s pretty awesome for that,” Breissinger said.
The Jays kept rolling, with an ace from sophomore Alivia Hausmann stretching the lead to 13-7. It was also a milestone night for freshman Ashlyn Paymal, who notched the first kill of her college career.
“Offensively … she [Ashlyn] plays at such a high contact point,” Rosen said. “She hits shots in the gym that no one else on our team can hit. Blocking-wise is where she’s going to continue to grow … She’s someone that we feel very confident could go in and impact the game, so we’re really excited about Ashlyn’s future for sure.”
It was Hayes who closed the night with the final kill, giving Creighton a 25-14 win and its second sweep of the weekend.
After a matchup with Marquette in Milwaukee tomorrow night, the Jays travel to the Windy City of Chicago to face the DePaul Blue Demons tomorrow. First serve is set for 1 p.m.