Creighton volleyball commenced its season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a demanding three-match slate against ranked Big Ten opponents Purdue, Minnesota and USC. 

The invitational kicked off against No. 9 Purdue with a highly competitive five-set thriller, resulting in a Bluejay victory, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 11-25, 15-11. 

The opening set began with Creighton controlling the court, maintaining a lead through the first 29 points before the Boilermakers went on an 8-1 run to take a 21-16 advantage and eventually seal the set. 

From there, the Bluejays responded in a neck-and-neck second set that included four lead changes and was fueled by junior Wisconsin transfer and outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres’ dominant serving. Down 16-14, Shadd-Ceres delivered two aces in her Creighton debut as part of a 7-1 run that gave the Jays a significant advantage. Purdue cut the lead to one at 23-22, but Creighton fended off the late push with consecutive kills from sophomore outsider hitter Abbey Hayes and senior opposite Jaya Johnson to conclude the set. 

The third set opened with a statement from the Boilermakers. Up 11-6, Purdue attempted to fend off a Creighton comeback, but the Bluejays gradually closed the gap, tying the set at 17-17, 20-20 and 21-21 before taking a late 22-21 lead. 

“We never gave up. We never stopped fighting,” senior defensive specialist Saige Damrow said. 

That tenacity showed as the Bluejays concluded the set on a 5-2 run, giving Creighton the match advantage. 

In the fourth set, Purdue used an early 9-0 run to build a 13-3 lead. Unlike the previous set, the Jays were unable to orchestrate a comeback as errors built up, allowing the Boilermakers to claim the fourth set, 25-11. 

However, despite the challenging fourth set, second-year head coach Brian Rosen reminded his team that “no matter how ugly [the set] is, we’re tied again at zero.” 

Creighton responded immediately, led by junior middle blocker Nora Wurtz, whose serving guided the team to an 8-2 opening run. Despite Purdue’s best attempt to mount a comeback, the Bluejays finished off the Boilermakers and secured a top-10 victory to open the season. 

Following the victory, the Bluejays were swept by No. 14 Minnesota, 18-25, 23-25, 12-25. After the loss, Rosen emphasized the need for Creighton to “get cleaner offensively” after the team was outscored by 15 points. 

Despite a strong 4-0 start in the first set, the Gophers quickly erased the deficit, tying the set at 7-7 and consistently challenging the Jays through seven ties and three lead changes. Deadlocked at 13-13, Minnesota broke the set open. Aided by nine Creighton errors, the Gophers closed on a 12-5 run to secure the opening set, 25-18. 

Building on its momentum from the first set, Minnesota captured the lead early and gradually began to expand it. Nevertheless, the Jays continued to battle, resulting in eight ties, the latest coming after a 5-0 run that brought Creighton back from 21-16 to tie the set at 21-21. The Gophers, however, proved too much for the Jays and closed the set, 25-23. 

The Bluejays opened the third set with a 4-2 lead, but the Gophers’ offense quickly erased Creighton’s advantage, as Minnesota outscored the Jays 23-8 while capitalizing on 14 total Creighton errors to hand the Bluejays their first loss of the season. 

After falling to Minnesota, Rosen encouraged his team ahead of its matchup with No. 20 USC by reminding the Bluejays, “yesterday was over,” emphasizing the clean slate they had against the Trojans. 

The Bluejays capitalized on the new opportunity, navigating past the Women of Troy in a four-set odyssey to secure a 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 victory. 

Despite early first-set obstacles, Rosen recognized that Creighton remained within striking distance throughout the opening set, saying he “never felt the need to call a timeout because we were playing really great volleyball.” 

Although the Bluejays could never completely erase the first-set deficit, Rosen’s poise instilled confidence in the Jays. As the match went on, the Bluejay block improved and consistently returned balls to the Trojan side, an area that had troubled Creighton against Minnesota the day before. 

In the following three sets, led by senior middle blocker Eloise Brandewie’s 10 kills, the Bluejays produced 42 team kills, seven aces and six team blocks to break through the Trojans and take the win. 

“It’s a really good feeling,” Brandewie said on earning a pair of ranked wins to open the season. “I think our preseason schedule is so hard and after yesterday, it could have been really easy to feel defeated, and I think our response was great. I think we just started feeling like us a little bit. It’s a great feeling and it’s going to really help us in the long run when it comes to tournament time.” 

For Creighton, the weekend was also about finding a rhythm. 

With a roster featuring several new pieces, including transfers and a freshman setter, the Bluejays entered the season needing to build chemistry in real time. Against three ranked opponents, matchups changed quickly, forcing Creighton to adjust while simultaneously learning how its new personnel fit together. 

“It takes time for setters and hitters to figure out what their relationship and balance is: the height, the tempo, when and where we can set certain things,” Rosen said. 

One newcomer who quickly established herself as a central piece was junior middle blocker Ayden Ames. 

The Texas transfer was named both the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week after helping Creighton earn two top-25 victories. Ames became the first player in Big East and Creighton volleyball history to receive both honors in the same week. 

Ames hit .305 over the weekend while averaging 1.92 kills and 1.17 blocks per set. She made an immediate impact against Purdue with seven kills and a Creighton-record seven blocks in her Bluejay debut. Against Minnesota, Ames led Creighton with eight kills, three blocks and a .333 hitting percentage before closing the weekend against USC with eight kills, four blocks and a .400 hitting percentage. 

“She’s a really good volleyball player,” Rosen said. “She’s an incredibly physical blocker, but I think more important than that is the calmness she brings to the court. She’s really good at letting a mistake be a mistake, setting a great example of how to overcome.” 

Although the competition was big this weekend, Creighton was even bigger. 

The Bluejays left Sioux Falls with two ranked wins, a renewed sense of confidence and momentum heading back to Omaha to host the Bluejay Invitational. Creighton opens play this evening against Arizona and former Bluejay Destiny Ndam-Simpson at 6 p.m. The Bluejays will then face Pepperdine at 3 p.m. Saturday before closing the tournament against Tulsa at 3 p.m. Sunday. 

Lots of fans traveled two hours north to Sioux Falls to support the Bluejays. But Friday’s home opener will offer a different kind of atmosphere. 

“There’s just something different about playing in Sokol,” Rosen said. “To get a Big 12 team on Friday and two undefeated mid-majors on Saturday and Sunday … we’ll have to be clean. It’s exciting.” 

After proving they can compete, and win, against some of the nation’s best on the road, the Bluejays now have the chance to build on that momentum in front of their home crowd.