Box ScoreOMAHA, Neb. — Senior All-Americans Kendra Wait and Norah Sis had double-doubles as No. 11 Creighton Volleyball beat No. 20 USC in four sets in front of a nationally-televised audience on Thursday night to begin play at the Creighton Classic.
Creighton (4-0) lost the first set 25-23 to snap its nation-leading 41-set home win streak before taking the final three frames 25-17, 25-23, 28-26. The Bluejays extended their school-record home win streak to 17 straight matches, and have now beaten USC four consecutive meetings after losing its first six tries against the perennial West Coast power.
Ava Martin and Sis both had 16 kills to pace CU, with Sis adding 10 digs for her first double-double of the fall. Elise Goetzinger had 10 kills and a match-high four blocks, while Maddy Bilinovic added a season-best 20 digs. Wait did her part, finishing with 43 assists and 12 digs while setting CU to a .250 hitting percentage on the night. The Jays recorded 56 kills, 56 digs, seven blocks and six aces overall.
USC was paced by 15 kills by Adonia Faumina while Nebraska transfer Ally Batenhorst had 12 kills. Gala Trubint notched a match-high 22 digs, Tyrah Ariail had seven blocks and Mia Tuaniga dished 41 assists and went on several long serving runs. The Trojans had 56 kills, 55 digs, four aces and 10.5 blocks.
Creighton led 11-8 early in the first set before Tuaniga uncorked a 6-0 serving run that gave USC the lead for good. The Bluejays closed within one at 14-13 and 24-23 before a kill from London Wijay closed out the set for USC. Faumuina had six kills and Ariail had five blocks in the opener for USC, which hit .324.
Creighton never trailed in the second set to even the match, breaking free from a 14-13 lead with an 10-1 run to take control. CU hit .343 in the set, including four kills by Martin, while Bilinovic dug seven attacks.
USC built a 13-9 lead in the third set and didn’t surrender the lead until Martin and Kiara Reinhardt teamed up for a block as Creighton moved ahead 20-19. Another attack error for the Trojans, followed by a kill from Martin, put CU up 22-19. USC fended off one set point before a kill from Goetzinger gave CU a 2-1 lead in the match Martin had five kills in the third set and helped limit the Trojan attack to .125 hitting.
Creighton led 6-2 and 12-8 early in the fourth set, only to have USC answer back to knot the score at 12-all and prompt a Bluejay timeout. USC led 20-18 before a kill from Jaya Johnson and solo stuff from Goetzinger knotted the score at 20-all. USC would once again build a two-point lead at 24-22, but CU saved them both, winning a challenge at 24-23 to extend the set on a block error before USC ran into the net once again following an attack to make it 24-24. After Creighton saved a third set point at 25-24 on a USC attack error, the Jays would eventually take advantage and win the match after back-to-back kills from Sis and Martin. USC had 10 attack errors, four serving errors, three block errors and were aced twice in the fame while Sis stepped up with five kills in the finale.
The Creighton Classic continues on Friday when USC meets Kansas State at 4 p.m. in a match with free admission to all fans. Creighton then hosts Kansas State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
