Creighton volleyball opened conference play on the road with two dominant wins against St. John’s and Seton Hall, snapping a five-match losing streak. 

The weekend commenced in South Orange, N.J. with an offensively efficient three-set sweep over the Pirates, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23. 

The opening set began with Creighton responding to a 5-0 Pirates run. After falling behind, junior outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres delivered two kills as the Bluejays tied the set at 8-8. She continued her offensive dominance, finishing the set with six kills while hitting .625. Creighton closed out the set 25-19, hitting .333 while recording 15 kills and four errors on 33 attacks. 

From there, the Bluejays’ offensive rampage continued from start to finish. After opening the second set with a 10-3 lead, the team maintained its high level of performance with a 72% sideout rate. 

Junior middle blocker Ayden Ames led the team with six kills on six swings, producing a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage in the set. Head coach Brian Rosen said Ames was “manipulating the ball and putting the ball in the right spaces.” 

The third set opened with a strike from the Pirates. After a close back-and-forth battle, Creighton fell behind 8-6 before Seton Hall expanded its lead with a 5-0 run, putting the Jays behind 14-8. From there, Creighton began chipping away. The Jays’ offensive output, along with a block from senior middle blocker Eloise Brandewie and graduate setter Katie Dalton, cut the deficit to 15-12 before Seton Hall later rebuilt its lead to 18-13. 

The Bluejays’ biggest turning point came with freshman defensive specialist Peyton Carlson at the service line. Creighton scored five straight points to erase the 18-13 deficit and tie the set at 18-18, including two service aces from Carlson. 

“I loved how Peyton came in and made an impact,” Rosen said. “Anytime someone comes off the bench and does something like that, it’s such a spark for the entire team.” 

With a new spark, Ames recorded back-to-back kills, followed by a Seton Hall attack error, tying the set at 21-21. With the set tied, the teams exchanged points before Ames delivered back-to-back kills to close out the set 25-23 and complete the Bluejays’ sweep. 

Following their victory in New Jersey, the Bluejays crossed the Hudson to overcome the Red Storm in four sets, 20-25, 25-10, 25-17, 25-21. 

The opening set began tied at 5-5 before St. John’s began to create separation. The Red Storm used a 5-0 run to build a 10-5 advantage, forcing Creighton to play from behind for the remainder of the set. 

Despite gradually cutting the deficit to 18-15, Creighton struggled to find its offensive rhythm, recording nine kills and seven errors on 39 attacks to hit just .051 as St. John’s captured the opening set, 25-20. 

Despite dropping the first set, Rosen was encouraged by the Bluejays’ momentum.  

“I love that our team responded and finished that set well,” he said. 

With momentum on their side, the Jays opened the second set with a 3-2 lead, which expanded following consecutive kills by Ames. The Bluejays grew their lead to 9-4 before an offensive surge fueled by three kills from Brandewie helped the Jays to a 6-0 run, pushing their advantage to 17-7 and eventually securing the set victory. 

After its struggles in the opening set, Creighton increased its hitting efficiency nearly sixfold to .297 in the second, recording 14 kills and just three errors on 37 attacks. The Jays were equally effective defensively, holding St. John’s to a .000 hitting percentage while producing five team blocks. 

The third set opened with St. John’s taking a 7-2 lead by capitalizing on early Creighton errors. However, Creighton quickly orchestrated a response, scoring six consecutive points to take an 11-9 lead. From there, the Jays never trailed again. Creighton continued to expand its advantage behind a .241 hitting percentage, eventually closing out the set 25-17. 

With an opportunity to close the match, Creighton carried its momentum into the fourth set and established a 4-1 advantage. Although St. John’s continued to challenge the Jays and eventually erased the early deficit, Creighton remained within striking distance with a 61% sideout rate. 

The Bluejays ultimately completed the four-set victory behind an offense that had completely transformed following the opening frame. Creighton hit .297, .241 and .290 across the final three sets after hitting .051 in the first, finishing the match with 48 kills and 11 team blocks. 

The Jays were “rolling,” as Rosen put it.  

“We were playing really well,” he said. 

Coming off a series of losses, Rosen said the team “just had to get back to ourselves and have some fun and play free.” 

“I really like the way we responded, just the way that they competed together,” Rosen said. “[The weekend] was a great response for our team to get two wins in two very different ways.” 

With two wins under their belt, the Jays are flying again. Creighton opens Big East play at home tonight, hosting DePaul at 6:30 p.m.