For the fourth year in a row, Creighton men’s basketball is ranked to begin the season. This year, the Bluejays were ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. Creighton is one of 11 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the preseason AP poll each of the last four years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. Not bad company.
Creighton will host No. 16 Iowa State this Friday for an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. at the CHI Health Center. Tickets are still available, and the game will be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media, 1620 The Zone and 101.9 FM The Keg.
Omaha Supernovas outside hitter Reagan Cooper shined in Week 2 of the Athletes Unlimited Professional Volleyball Championship, earning more than 700 points and 50 kills in a week that saw her climb to No. 2 overall in the standings at the halfway point of the AU season. Despite Team Hentz winning only one match, Cooper was voted the No. 1 MVP in two of the three contests.
Cooper tallied 51 kills on a staggering .365 hitting percentage on 115 swings. With an additional 10 digs, one ace and one assist, she compiled 737 total points — the third most of any player in Week 2. As a result, she has risen to No. 2 overall in the leaderboard and will serve as a captain for Week 3.
AU has the week off as play shifts to Madison, Wis., for the final two weeks of action. The Week 3 draft is scheduled for Monday, October 20, at 10 a.m. Cooper, AU leader Jordan Thompson, former Supernovas setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson and Molly McCage will serve as team captains.
Union Omaha is on a 10-match unbeaten streak after last weekend’s draw against Greenville. By the time the Owls kick off their next match on Saturday, it will have been more than two months since their last loss. Since interim head coach Vincenzo Candela took over, Omaha has risen from 14th to fifth in USL League One standings.
League officials announced last week that Union Omaha midfielder Sergio Ors Navarro was voted USL League One Player of the Month. The 24-year-old is the eighth first-year professional to be voted Player of the Month since the league’s inception in 2019. He scored five goals and added one assist to help Union Omaha to an undefeated 3-0-2 month.
will host Forward Madison this Saturday, October 18, at 6 p.m. The club will be giving away bobbleheads of Dion Acoff to the first 1,000 fans in attendance.
The Kansas City Royals announced today that Omaha Storm Chasers manager Mike Jirschele is retiring following a 48-year career in professional baseball, including 38 years in the Kansas City Royals organization as a player, coach, manager and in the front office.
The all-time winningest manager in Omaha franchise history (1,214 wins), Jirschele managed the Storm Chasers for 17 seasons and a franchise-record 2,454 games, representing 31 percent of the club’s history. “Jirsch” led Omaha to four division titles, three league championships and one national championship.
Omaha Hockey split last weekend’s series against rival Minnesota State, winning Friday’s opener 6-2 before dropping Saturday’s contest, 4-1. Omaha will return to the ice next Friday, October 24, when it hosts No. 11 Massachusetts for a weekend series.
Creighton senior Annalea Maeder was named Big East Setter of the Week on Monday, her third time receiving the honor this season. In sweeps over Georgetown and Villanova last weekend, Maeder recorded 64 assists and 13 digs, adding a career-high nine kills against Villanova.
Creighton is on an eight-match winning streak that includes six in a row to begin Big East play. Tomorrow, Friday, October 17, the Bluejays host St. John’s at D.J. Sokol Arena at 6 p.m.
This Sunday, October 19, Creighton will host Seton Hall for its annual Pink Out game, with first serve scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
Upcoming Games
- Omaha volleyball at Oral Roberts | Thursday, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m.
- Creighton men’s soccer at Villanova | Friday, Oct. 17 | 2 p.m.
- #13 Creighton volleyball vs. St. John’s | Friday, Oct. 17 | 6 p.m.
- Omaha volleyball at Denver | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 1 p.m.
- Creighton women’s soccer at DePaul | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 3 p.m.
- Omaha men’s soccer at Delaware | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 5 p.m.
- Union Omaha vs. Forward Madison FC | Saturday, Oct. 18 | 6 p.m.
- Omaha women’s soccer vs. Denver | Sunday, Oct. 19 | 12 p.m.
- #13 Creighton volleyball vs. Seton Hall | Sunday, Oct. 19 | 12:30 p.m.
- Omaha volleyball at Kansas City | Tuesday, Oct. 21 | 7 p.m.
- Creighton women’s soccer vs. Seton Hall | Wednesday, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m.
