Nebraska Volleyball vs. No. 18 Creighton: Preview, Breakdown

No. 18 Creighton Scout

Head Coach

Brian Rosen | 4th season as college head coach; 1st at Creighton | 5-4 (.556) at CU & Career Record | 88-13 in three seasons as CU as assistant | 1x NCAA DII Tournament Appearance | 2024 AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year | Previous head coach at Nova Southeastern (DII) | Previous assistant at Creighton and Davidson College. 

2024 Finish

L, 3-2 to No. 2 Penn State in NCAA Regional Final 

2024 Record & Awards

32-3 (18-0 BIG EAST, 1st) | 11th-straight BIG EAST Regular Season Title | 10th BIG EAST Tournament title in 11 years | AVCA All-Americans: 1x First Team, 1x Second Team, 1x Third Team, 2x Honorable Mentions | AVCA West Region Coach OTY, 5x All-Region Selections | BIG EAST Player, Setter and Coach OTY | 6x All-BIG EAST, 1x All-Freshman. 

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 23-0 (Sept. 10, 2024 last matchup, 3-2 NU) 

Returning Production 

Points: 50% | Kills: 50% | Service Aces: 51% | Blocks: 50% | Assists: 8% | Digs: 36%

Key Returners

• Ava Martin | OH | Sr. | Voted as the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year; Named to the AVCA All-America Third Team after averaging 3.66 kills per set. 
• Kiara Reinhardt | MB | Sr. | Led the BIG EAST and was top ten in the country in total blocks (167) and blocks per set (1.48) in 2024.  
• Jaya Johnson | RS/MB | Soph. | Named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team after appearing in 35 matches (18 started) and 1.69 kills per set. 
• Sydney Breissinger | DS | Jr. | CU’s primary defensive specialist, who tallied 230 digs (2.02 D/S) and 35 aces. 
• Destiny Ndam-Simpson | OH | Jr. | Averaged 1.53 kills per set on a .417 hitting percentage in 30 sets behind All-Americans Norah Sis and Ava Martin. 

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Eloise Brandewie | MB | Jr. | Started in every match as a sophomore at Ohio State in 2024; Team-leading 34 blocks and 1.63 kills per set so far in first year as a Bluejay. 
• Annalea Maeder | S | Sr. | Creighton’s 2025 starting setter; Used her redshirt following a season-ending injury at California in 2024. 
• Abbey Hayes | OH | Fr. | Ranked as a top-150 recruit by multiple recruiting services from North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa. 
• Saige Damrow | L/DS | Soph. | Steps in as the CU libero after transferring from Wisconsin, where she averaged 2.28 digs per set as the Badgers’ DS. 
• Nora Wurtz | MB | RS-Fr. | Elite serving specialist off the bench with 11 aces for second on the team.  

Key Departures

• Norah Sis | OH | Graduated | AVCA Second Team All-American; Finished second in career kills (1,664) and fifth in aces (113). 
• Kendra Wait | S | Graduated | Named an AVCA First Team All-American and earned back-to-back BIG EAST Player and Setter of the Year 
• Elise Goetzinger | MB | Graduated | AVCA All-American Honorable Mention; Led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage at .376 and second in blocks per set with 1.06. 
• Maddy Bilinovic | L | Graduated | Earned All-BIG EAST honors after leading the Bluejays in digs (440) and digs per set (3.76) while adding 32 aces. 

Outlook

2024 will forever be cemented as one of the greatest in Creighton volleyball’s history, but also one of great change.

Behind All-American seasons from program greats Norah Sis, Kendra Wait, and Ava Martin, the Bluejays stormed to an NCAA Regional Final, barely succumbing to eventual national champion Penn State in a five-set thriller. And just four months later, Sis, Wait, and head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth were all gone from the program, setting in motion an offseason as the start of a new era under named head coach Brian Rosen – who served as an associate/assistant coach for the previous three seasons. 

An AVCA Third Team All-American in 2024, Ava Martin returns at outside hitter as one of the best players in the country as a six-rotation attacker. She’s producing a career-best 3.91 kills per set with a team-high 15 aces and 1.79 digs per set so far in 2025. Sophomore Jaya Johnson returns as the right-side hitter after being named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team last season. Junior Destin Adam-Simpson joins Martin outside with top recruit Abbey Hayes, seeing some early playing time as a freshman. 

Elise Goetzinger graduated after hitting .376 as CU’s top middle blocker last year, but she has a worthy successor in 6-foot-3 Kiara Reinhardt, who was one of the country’s defensive blockers last year with 167 blocks and 1.48 per set, which both ranked inside the top ten. The Bluejays picked up a nice addition in the transfer portal in middle Eloise Brandewie, who started in all matches across her first two college seasons at Ohio State. 

Annalea Maeder was on pace for a breakout year as a senior at California, but her 2024 was cut short with a season-ending injury just five matches into the season. That qualified her for a medical redshirt, which she used to come to Omaha after the Bears went all in with a young setter who excelled in Maeder’s place. She’s putting up similar numbers before her injury, averaging 9.97 assists and 2.52 digs per set alongside an aggressive 34 kills and seven aces. After averaging over two digs per set as the starting DS for Wisconsin last season, Saige Damrow has flourished as CU’s libero, racking up 4.24 digs per set. Expect to see Sydney Breissinger at defensive specialist as well, with the junior producing 1.97 digs per set. 

Despite the departure of program legends and one of the sport’s greatest coaches, the 2025 Creighton team turned out pretty okay for head coach Brian Rosen in his first season. The non-conference slate is as fearsome as usual, with the Bluejays dropping their first two matches in sweeps by No. 2 Penn State and No. 5 Texas. CU with three straight wins over No. 14 Kansas, San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara. That momentum came to a screeching halt after being swept by No. 22 USC in L.A. before a four-set defeat to No. 4 Louisville in CU’s home opener. They rebounded well with a sweep of Rice this last Saturday, but don’t be mistaken – this Creighton team is as battle-tested as Nebraska going into Tuesday. 

The Bluejays have come points away from pulling off their first-ever win over the Huskers, taking NU to five sets in two of the last three seasons – including the last time these two teams faced each other at CHI in 2022. Martin’s success will be vital for Creighton, as it was in 2024 when she put down 17 kills and 17 digs. CU’s middles may be the deciding factor if the Bluejays can hold it close. Despite hitting .376 on the season, Goetzinger struggled to a .222 clip against Nebraska last season, as well as Reinhardt, who hit worse at .071. 

The advantage is still very much in the Huskers' favor, but if Murray struggles like she did against Utah (.091), then Creighton will certainly push NU to the limit. I think both teams come ready to play an instant classic, and that’s what we’ll get on Tuesday night – Nebraska wins a five-set thriller in front of a record-breaking CHI crowd.