#16 Creighton Volleyball Sweeps Butler

OMAHA, Neb. -- No. 16 Creighton Volleyball saved three set points in the opening game and never looked back in a 3-0 win over Butler on Saturday night before 2,406 fans inside D.J. Sokol Arena. Scores of the match were 27-25, 25-15, 25-14.

Ava Martin led Creighton (9-5, 2-0 BIG EAST) with 12 kills on .435 hitting, while Jaya Johnson contributed a season-best 10 kills to go with six digs and six blocks. The Bluejays produced 12 blocks, including eight by Kiara Reinhardt, and also served up eight aces to go with 44 kills, 37 digs and .323 hitting.

Butler (7-8, 0-2 BIG EAST) was led by 10 kills each by Alaleh Tolliver and Elise Ward, with Kaylee Finnegan dishing 20 assists. The Bulldogs collected 27 kills, five aces, 35 digs and two blocks but hit just .094 for the match.

Creighton led 19-17 in the first set before Butler won a challenge to change the score to 18-all. The Bulldogs used that momentum, along with two ill-timed CU service errors, to move in front 24-21 and earn three set points. CU fended off those points thanks to a kill from Johnson, followed by back-to-back service aces from Sydney Breissinger, to tie the score at 24-all. The teams traded kills and were deadlocked at 25 before Reinhardt finished off the set with a block and a kill to give CU the 27-25 victory. Martin paced CU with seven kills in the opener and Reinhardt had four blocks.

CU broke free from a 10-9 margin in the second set with a 7-1 run that featured another Breissinger ace and a pair of blocks. A 4-0 run on Annalea Maeder's serve earned CU a 24-14 lead, and a kill from Martin sent CU to the locker room up 2-0 on the Bulldogs. Johnson had six kills and three blocks in the second set and held the Bulldogs to -.036 hitting.

The Bluejays never trailed in the final frame, using an ace by Maeder to go up 3-0 and two kills by Abbey Hayes to make it 9-3. Butler drew within 13-11 before a 6-0 serving run that included two more Maeder aces made it 19-11. Ashlyn Paymal checked in late and earned her first career kill, and a kill by Hayes finished up the sweep. Maeder had 14 assists to go with her three aces in the third set, as Creighton hit .500.

Creighton is back in action on Thursday at 6 p.m. when it visits Marquette in a match that will be televised on FS1.