Wait Sets Double-Double Record as #6 Creighton Volleyball Sweeps Red Storm

OMAHA–(CU Athletics Nov. 1)–Kendra Wait broke Creighton’s career record for double-doubles and Kiara Reinhardt owned a season-high 10 blocks as No. 6 Creighton Volleyball swept St. John’s on Friday night. Scores of the CU’s 13th straight win were 25-20, 20-18, 25-18.

Creighton (20-2, 11-0 BIG EAST) achieved its 15th season of 20 or more wins and has now done it 12 of the past 13 campaigns, with the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season the only exception. St. John’s fell to 16-9 on the year and is 5-6 in BIG EAST play this fall. The contest was a rematch of CU’s 3-0 sweep over the Red Storm in Milwaukee in the title match of the 2023 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship.

St. John’s used an 8-1 run early in the match to race to an 8-3 lead and force an early Bluejay timeout. CU countered with a run of its own, taking a 12-11 lead on a kill by Wait and didn’t trail again in the game. CU’s league-leading block notched five rejections in the opening set, including four by BIG EAST blocks leader Reinhardt, who also had the kill on set point to give CU the 25-20 victory. Maddy Bilinovic topped all players with eight digs in the opener.

CU led wire-to-wire in the second set, as Reinhardt and Norah Sis combined for a pair of blocks during a 5-0 run that staked the hosts to a 10-3 advantage. CU’s margin reached double-figures at 17-7, which helped stave off a late Red Storm rally in CU’s 25-18 victory. Reinhardt had six more blocks and Sis contributed five kills and four digs during the triumph as the Johnnies were held to -.097 hitting.

Creighton used a 7-0 run on Sydney Breissinger’s serve to pull ahead 18-11 in the finale and clinched the contest with a kill on Destiny Ndam-Simpson’s lone swing of the evening Ava Martin had seven kills in the last frame, Wait dished 17 assists and had five digs to break the double-double record, and Breissinger and Bilinovic each contributed six of CU’s 27 digs in the finale frame.

Martin and Sis each had 13 kills, while Bilinovic had 16 digs. Wait finished with 36 assists and 10 digs and Reinhardt notched 10 blocks. CU recorded 46 kills, 54 digs, 12 blocks and no aces on .297 hitting.

St. John’s was paced by eight kills by Erin Jones, while libero Rashanny Solano Smith added 15 digs and an ace. The Red Storm had 29 kills, 42 digs, four blocks and three aces on .051 hitting.

Creighton returns to the court on Sunday at 1 p.m. vs. Villanova in another match that will air on Nebraska Public Media.