#18 Creighton Volleyball Serves UNI 3-0 Defeat

OMAHA, Neb. -- Redshirt freshman Nora Wurtz had a career-high five aces and No. 18 Creighton Volleyball dominated the serve and pass battle in a 3-0 sweep over Northern Iowa to wrap up play at the Bluejay Invitational on Sunday. Scores in favor of Creighton were 25-13, 25-20, 25-17.

Creighton (5-4) had nine aces against just four service errors, while UNI (4-5) managed a lone ace to complement eight service miscues.

Ava Martin led CU with 10 kills and Saige Damrow topped the Jays with 10 digs. CU hit .330 and finished with 39 kills, 39 digs and six blocks.

Northern Iowa got a match-high 13 kills from Cassidy Hartman, who hit .135, and Jadyn Petersen added 14 digs. Reese Booth, daughter of former Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, tallied 16 assists and six digs. The Panthers hit .175 and recorded 36 kills, 37 digs and three blocks.

After a UNI kill to open the contest, Destiny Ndam-Simpson authored a 5-0 serving run that included her third career ace. The Bluejays cruised the remainder of the set, forcing Panther timeouts at 9-4 and 17-9. Wurtz checked in with CU leading 18-11 and served up the next six points, including a pair of aces to get CU to the verge of victory, which happened two points later on a kill from Martin.  CU had five aces and hit .367 in the opener.

CU fell behind 11-7 in the second set before regaining its composure with a 6-1 blitz to retake the lead at 13-12. Another four-point Wurtz serving run featuring an ace put CU ahead 18-13. Seven different Bluejays had a kill in the second frame, led by four by Martin.

The third set was close at 15-12 before CU wrapped up the match on a 10-5 run. Martin had four kills and two aces in the finale, which saw CU hit .370.

No. 4 Louisville won the Bluejay Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Rice, with Cara Cresse earning MVP accolades.

Up next for Creighton is a home match at CHI Health Center Omaha against No. 1 Nebraska on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. A capacity crowd of more than 17,000 fans is expected, and fans are advised to arrive early due to construction surrounding the arena.

NOTES: Nora Wurtz owned six aces and six digs in CU's first eight matches before having five of each category today ... Kiara Reinhardt moved into fifth in program history with 449 career blocks, passing Ashley Williams ... CU has won 48 in a row over unranked teams and 40 straight non-televised matches ... Creighton is 12-2 against UNI since leaving the Missouri Valley Conference in 2013, compared to a 5-40 mark against the Panthers when the teams were league rivals ... Creighton has won 96 of its last 101 sets at home.

2025 Bluejay Invitational Summary
September 12-14, 2025 – Omaha, Neb.
 
Final Standings
1. #4 Louisville                                 3-0
2. #18 Creighton                              2-1
3. Northern Iowa                              1-2
4. Rice                                                0-3
 
Match Scores
Friday, September 12, 2025
Northern Iowa def. Rice, 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-20)
#4 Louisville def. #18 Creighton, 3-1 (19-25, 31-29, 25-22, 25-19)

Saturday, September 13, 2025
#18 Creighton def. Rice, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-18)
#4 Louisville def. Northern Iowa, 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 21-25, 25-17)
 
Sunday, September 14, 2025
#4 Louisville def. Rice, 3-1 (22-25, 28-26, 25-14, 25-15)
#18 Creighton def. Northern Iowa, 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-17)
 
 
All-Tournament Team
Cara Cresse, Louisville (MVP)
Kalyssa Blackshear, Louisville
Payton Petersen, Louisville
Annalea Maeder, Creighton
Ava Martin, Creighton
Lily Dykstra, UNI
Savannah Skopal, Rice