NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll was released on Tuesday with Creighton the top choice to claim yet another conference championship. The Bluejays are coming off their eighth regular-season title and seventh BIG EAST Championship crown, and are led by BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Norah Sis. The reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player highlighted a 12-member Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The preseason poll and awards are selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches who are not permitted to vote for their own team or players.
Creighton totaled 99 points, including nine first-place votes, to sit atop the BIG EAST Preseason Poll. Marquette, which shared the regular-season crown with the Bluejays in 2021, was picked second with 90 points and two first-place votes. After earning the program’s first bid to the BIG EAST Championship last fall, DePaul was slotted third with 72 points, narrowly edging Connecticut (71 points) which is also fresh off a conference postseason appearance. St. John’s rounded out the top five with 66 points and was followed by Villanova in sixth with 54 points. Butler was voted seventh (47 points) and Xavier eighth (42), while Georgetown and Providence tied for ninth with 25 points apiece, and Seton Hall closed out the poll in 11
th with 14 points.
Creighton went 31-4 overall last season, including 16-2 in BIG EAST play to tie Marquette atop the standings. In conference play, the Bluejays led the league in opponent hitting percentage, blocks, service aces and digs. Creighton finished in the top 10 nationally in six statistical categories, leading the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.124). The Bluejays’ 31 wins were a program record, while Creighton made its 11
th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round. The Bluejays enter the 2022 season ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Preseason Poll.
Sis, a sophomore outside hitter, was voted BIG EAST Freshman of the Year last fall after finishing second in BIG EAST play with 4.34 points and 3.75 kills per set. Through 116 sets overall, Sis ranked third among BIG EAST players with 4.25 points per set, while holding onto the No. 2 spot with 3.75 kills. In addition to her BIG EAST accolades, Sis was named an AVCA Third Team All-American, the AVCA East Region Freshman of the Year and was an AVCA All-East Region selection.
Sis was one of five unanimous picks to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, along with reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Rachele Rastelli of St. John’s, Caylee Parker of UConn, Jill Pressly of DePaul and Riley Homer of Villanova. Also voted to the preseason squad were Butler’s Jaymeson Kinley, UConn’s Kennadie Jake-Turner, Creighton’s Kendra Wait and Jaela Zimmerman, Marquette’s Carsen Murray, Providence’s Shaliyah Rhoden and Xavier’s Carrigan O’Reilly.
Announced earlier on Tuesday, the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by JEEP will expand to six teams beginning in 2022. The top six squads in the final regular-season standings will earn invites to the conference tournament, which is slated for Nov. 23, 25 and 26 at Creighton’s D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Norah Sis, Creighton, So., OH
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Jaymeson Kinley, Butler, Jr., L
Kennadie Jake-Turner, Connecticut, Grad, MB
Caylee Parker, Connecticut, Grad, OH*
Norah Sis, Creighton, So., OH*
Kendra Wait, Creighton, So., S
Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton, Sr., OH
Jill Pressly, DePaul, Jr., OH*
Carsen Murray, Marquette, Jr., MB
Shaliyah Rhoden, Providence, So., OH
Rachele Rastelli, St. John’s, Grad., RS*
Riley Homer, Villanova, Jr., OH*
Carrigan O’Reilly, Xavier, Sr., S
*unanimous selection
BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Creighton 99 (9)
2. Marquette 90 (2)
3. DePaul 72
4. Connecticut 71
5. St. John’s 66
6. Villanova 54
7. Butler 47
8. Xavier 42
9. Georgetown 25
Providence 25
11. Seton Hall 14