Before the bracket came out and before the outside expectations formed, Creighton’s players believed they could still be playing in mid-December. Now that belief meets Kentucky’s depth and consistency in a regional final that feels like a natural collision between two teams that have proved themselves all season.
The No. 10 overall seed Bluejays, ranked 11th nationally, advanced with a four-set win over Arizona State on Thursday. Kentucky, the region’s top seed and the nation’s No. 2 team, responded with a sweep of Cal Poly, playing the clean, steady volleyball that has defined its undefeated SEC run.
The two programs rarely cross paths outside early-season tournaments, yet they share the distinction of the only teams to take undefeated Nebraska to five sets this season. Saturday’s match offers a clear, straightforward challenge: one of them is about to reach the Final Four because they stayed true to who they are.
Creighton holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, all from a rotating four-team tournament with Northern Iowa and USC. The highlight remains its 3-0 win over then-No. 3 Kentucky in this same building in 2021. This meeting, though, comes with new dynamics. First-year Creighton head coach Brian Rosen has never faced the Wildcats. Kentucky coach Craig Skinner has coached against the Bluejays eight times and knows this team is built differently.
“They are very mature in how they compete,” Skinner said. “They are not going to give us a whole lot of points. We are going to have to earn them.”
Skinner’s praise for Rosen deepened when he connected it to his own past. Before leading Kentucky to national prominence, Skinner spent four seasons as an assistant at Nebraska, including the 2000 season when the Huskers—then led by first-year head coach John Cook—went 34-0 and won the national championship. Creighton associate head coach Angie Oxley Behrens played on that undefeated Nebraska team. Cook is now one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, and Skinner drew a direct line between what he saw in Cook then and what he sees in Rosen now.
“He’s done a tremendous job,” Skinner said. “The strength of Creighton’s team is their experience and balance, and their setter that distributes the ball. He’s doing the right things by putting the players in position to be successful. And that was something Coach Cook had to do his first year.”
For Rosen, this postseason run reflects the vision he brought when he arrived as an assistant in 2022.
“That is what I committed to when I was the assistant coach here—recruiting the right people, ensuring the culture, and making sure everyone was not satisfied with where we’ve been,” Rosen said. “The saying the first year I was at Creighton was ‘do more’…I promised to keep that goal as we have moved forward. To be in this stage in year one is pretty special.”
Outside expectations weren’t always high. Inside the locker room, the confidence never wavered.
“Maybe the outside world didn’t think we could be in this position, but I know our team did,” Rosen said. “It is awesome when you believe [in] something what is possible.”
That belief surfaced in the biggest points on Thursday. It showed in the late-set execution and in the individual moments where someone needed to take control. No one did that more than Martin. Her 23 kills, the most in program postseason history, became the defining arc of the win and a reflection of what the Jays look like at full strength. Johnson said her teammate’s breakout is simply part of the team’s evolution.
“Ava is literally a superstar. I think she deserves all the recognition that she gets,” she said. “Ava wasn’t getting as much attention last year because we had Norah [TeBrake (Sis)] and Kendra [Wait] that got a lot, and now it is Ava’s turn…I think everyone has their time.”
Freshman outside hitter Abbey Hayes summed up the group’s mindset simply.
“We know that if we are ‘Creighton good’ we can beat anyone in the country,” Hayes said.
Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky’s offense presents a long list of problems that most teams can’t solve. Creighton middle blocker Eloise Brandewie made that clear.
“Wherever the pass is, [Kentucky’s] gonna find Lizzie Carr,” Brandewie said. “She’s a great player, and she’s really tall and hits really high. Slowing her down is going to be really important.”
Carr, who rotates between middle and right side, hit .667 against Cal Poly and can tilt a match quickly. But the challenge doesn’t stop there. At the core of the Wildcats’ attack is freshman setter Kassie O’Brien, whose ability to distribute the ball gives Kentucky balance and unpredictability. She already has a 60-assist game this tournament and was named SEC Freshman of the Year.
That balance allows multiple options at the pin, led by outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye. She is a familiar face to Creighton’s Jaya Johnson and Ava Martin, who competed against Hudson in Kansas high school volleyball. Former Purdue outside hitter Eva Hudson adds another heavy arm with a dangerous cut shot. Rosen knows exactly what she can bring.
“She will stare you down through the net and bring so much energy to her team,” Rosen said. “If she gets going, they get going.”
Kentucky’s middle rotation is just as impactful. Sophomore Kennedy Washington and redshirt sophomore Brooke Bultema split time, but the production stays high. Bultema posted 11 kills against Louisville earlier this season. Washington says the depth is intentional.
“Me and Brooke have been switching out, but I don’t think that affects me in any way because we’re working towards the same thing,’ she said. “Knowing that in any moment any of us can get out there on the court and do our job…I don’t think anyone has ever doubted that.”
Defensive specialist Molly Berezowitz summed up the Wildcats’ depth succinctly.
“As we’ve talked about a lot this season, we need all fourteen players; we need everyone tomorrow,” the Marquette transfer said.
Kentucky is strong because of its range of talent, giving them the ability to keep multiple threats in every rotation. That combination makes them a challenging matchup for any opponent.
The Creighton Blueprint
To match all of that firepower, Creighton will lean into its identity: balance, discipline and decision-making. The Jays believe they win matches by being steadier for longer stretches, not by overpowering opponents.
“We want to out-team them, outsmart them, out-gameplan them,” Rosen said. “Put ourselves in a position to beat those kinds of teams. We’ve shown that ability all season long.”
Everything starts with setter Anna Maeder, whose decisions shape the rhythm of the match. Libero Syndey Breissinger and defensive specialist Saige Damrow will anchor serve receive and allow Creighton to stay in system. Against a Kentucky team that quickly builds momentum, both will be central in preventing extended Wildcat scoring runs.
“If we give up two points in a row, we lock it in together as a team and say, ‘Hey, they got their two points, that’s it,’” Rosen said.
Johnson echoed that principle.
“I think saying that we have to make teams earn their points just means that we don’t make errors,” she said. “When you don’t make errors…they actually have to do something incredible to win.”
Brandewie added that the Jays must stay grounded, especially in Kentucky’s raucous home environment.
“Focusing on our side of the net, maintaining and focusing on what we can control will be very important,” the junior said.
Saturday at 4 p.m. CT, a Final Four berth will be on the line. Kentucky brings home-court advantage and the resume of a national title contender. Creighton brings experience and a season full of examples that it can handle moments like this.
The match will likely come down to service pressure, first contacts, and who responds better when momentum swings. They are simple concepts, but decisive ones, especially in an arena where a single Wildcat point can feel like three. All that’s left now is to play.