#12 Creighton Volleyball Sweeps Xavier; Wins Sixth Straight BIG EAST Tournament

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The No. 12 Creighton Volleyball team won its 20th straight match and sixth consecutive BIG EAST Tournament title with a 3-0 win over Xavier on Sunday afternoon in a nationally-televised match-up of the top two seeds. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-19, 25-20, 25-20.

Senior Ava Martin led Creighton (25-5) with 17 kills and brought home Tournament MVP honors, while classmates Annalea Maeder (46 assists) and Kiara Reinhardt (eight kills, .500%) also played a huge role in the triumph. It was a total team effort, as sophomore Jaya Johnson (12 kills, .647%) and freshman Abbey Hayes (11 kills) starred offensively and Sydney Breissinger had 14 digs and Saige Damrow added 13 digs. The Bluejays had 54 kills, 56 digs, five blocks, one ace and hit .413.

Trailing 2-1 just three points into the match, Creighton uncorked an 8-1 run that featured two kills from Abbey Hayes and a pair of blocks by Eloise Brandewie as the Jays took an early 9-3 lead. Creighton led by five points or more the rest of the set, closing out the 25-19 win on the fifth kill from Hayes. Creighton hit .425 in the opener, with Maeder dishing 16 assists and four players owning three or more kills.

The second set featured 12 ties and four lead changes before Creighton ultimately pulled away for the 25-20 win. A Brandewie kill ignited a 3-0 run that earned CU a 15-13 lead at the media timeout, and the junior followed that with a block out of the break to give CU a three-point advantage. The Jays maintained that edge and were up 22-19 before a Xavier timeout. The teams exchanged sideouts to make it 23-20 before the Jays closed out the set with a kill from Martin and an ace by Damrow. Martin had eight kills in the second set as Creighton hit .406, with Maeder once again distributing 16 more assists.

The third set was another nailbiter with 15 ties. The Musketeers led 15-13 at the media timeout and Creighton tied the score at 15, 17, 19 before taking over. The Bluejays scored the final six points of the match on Martin's serve, finishing it off on a combo block by Hayes and Reinhardt. Creighton hit. 368 in the final set, as Johnson had seven kills, Martin five and Hayes four more.

Xavier (26-4) was led by 13 kills from Anna Taylor, while Emma Grace added 10 kills. The Musketeers had 39 kills, 43 digs, four blocks and two aces on .217 hitting.

Creighton will host a Selection Show viewing party that is open to fans and media at the Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill (501 N 13th Street) in Omaha.   The selections will be announced beginning at 5 p.m. Central on Sunday, Nov. 30 on ESPN.