Friday, September 4
Omaha, Neb. / Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena
4:00 PM
University of Arizona
2-2,0-0Big 12
2
at
3
Creighton
3-1,0-0Big East
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 24 | 25 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 2 |
| Creighton | 26 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Photo by: Hallie Vigil / Arizona Athletics
Arizona Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker to No. 10 Creighton
09/04/2026 | Volleyball
OMAHA, Neb. – Arizona fell in five sets (24-26, 25-19, 25-29, 18-25, 12-15) to No. 10 Creighton on Friday night at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Wildcats dominated on defense with 12 blocks and served 12 aces against the No. 10 Bluejays. Kristen Dear and Journey Tucker both had six blocks for Arizona. Three Cats tallied double-digit kills and the offense was led by Destiny Ndam-Simpson with 16 kills. Renee Jones tallied 12 kills with a .423 clip and Carlie Cisneros had 11 kills and hit .310. Ndam-Simpson also served four aces while Harmony Sample and Maria Olga Siapani served three aces each.
Creighton won the first set 26-24 after Arizona came back from a nine-point deficit and forced the set into extra points. The Wildcats had three blocks to hold the Bluejays to a .200 hitting percentage and served two aces. Ndam-Simpson led the way for Arizona's offense with six kills. Journey Tucker recorded two blocks and four other Cats had one block each.
The Wildcats evened the match with a 25-19 win in the second set. Arizona took the lead at 14-13 and used a 5-0 serving run from Ndam-Simpson to take a 21-14 lead and never let the Bluejays back in the set. The Cats hit .429 as a team and totaled four blocks to hold Creighton to a .088 hitting percentage. Kennedy Osunsanmi led the attack with four kills and hit .571 while Cisneros followed with three kills. Osunsanmi and Tucker both had two blocks to help the defense.
Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the match after winning the third set 25-19. The Cats made an early comeback and used multiple runs to hold the lead over Creighton. Arizona had four blocks in the third set and were led by Dear, Ndam-Simpson, and Tucker with two blocks each to hold Creighton to a .146 clip. Jones led the offense with five kills while Cisneros and Ndam-Simpson notched four kills each to help Arizona take a 2-1 lead over the Bluejays.
Creighton tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. The Bluejays were efficient in the set, hitting .769 to Arizona's .308. Jones and Ndam-Simpson tallied three kills each but it wasn't enough to combat Creighton's 22 kills in the set.
Arizona fell in the fifth set 12-15 to lose the match. Creighton jumped to an early 4-0 lead and the Wildcats couldn't make the comeback. The Bluejays used a .435 clip and two blocks to hold the Wildcats at bay. Cisneros recorded two kills and served an ace in the set. Jones, Ndam-Simpson, and Osunsanmi all had one kill.
Arizona will take on Tulsa on the second day of the Bluejay Invitational on Saturday, September 5 at 3:30 p.m. MST in Omaha.
The Wildcats dominated on defense with 12 blocks and served 12 aces against the No. 10 Bluejays. Kristen Dear and Journey Tucker both had six blocks for Arizona. Three Cats tallied double-digit kills and the offense was led by Destiny Ndam-Simpson with 16 kills. Renee Jones tallied 12 kills with a .423 clip and Carlie Cisneros had 11 kills and hit .310. Ndam-Simpson also served four aces while Harmony Sample and Maria Olga Siapani served three aces each.
Creighton won the first set 26-24 after Arizona came back from a nine-point deficit and forced the set into extra points. The Wildcats had three blocks to hold the Bluejays to a .200 hitting percentage and served two aces. Ndam-Simpson led the way for Arizona's offense with six kills. Journey Tucker recorded two blocks and four other Cats had one block each.
The Wildcats evened the match with a 25-19 win in the second set. Arizona took the lead at 14-13 and used a 5-0 serving run from Ndam-Simpson to take a 21-14 lead and never let the Bluejays back in the set. The Cats hit .429 as a team and totaled four blocks to hold Creighton to a .088 hitting percentage. Kennedy Osunsanmi led the attack with four kills and hit .571 while Cisneros followed with three kills. Osunsanmi and Tucker both had two blocks to help the defense.
Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the match after winning the third set 25-19. The Cats made an early comeback and used multiple runs to hold the lead over Creighton. Arizona had four blocks in the third set and were led by Dear, Ndam-Simpson, and Tucker with two blocks each to hold Creighton to a .146 clip. Jones led the offense with five kills while Cisneros and Ndam-Simpson notched four kills each to help Arizona take a 2-1 lead over the Bluejays.
Creighton tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. The Bluejays were efficient in the set, hitting .769 to Arizona's .308. Jones and Ndam-Simpson tallied three kills each but it wasn't enough to combat Creighton's 22 kills in the set.
Arizona fell in the fifth set 12-15 to lose the match. Creighton jumped to an early 4-0 lead and the Wildcats couldn't make the comeback. The Bluejays used a .435 clip and two blocks to hold the Wildcats at bay. Cisneros recorded two kills and served an ace in the set. Jones, Ndam-Simpson, and Osunsanmi all had one kill.
Arizona will take on Tulsa on the second day of the Bluejay Invitational on Saturday, September 5 at 3:30 p.m. MST in Omaha.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UA
CU
Kills
53
72
Errors
13
26
Attempts
149
159
Hitting %
.268
.289
Points
77.0
85.0
Assists
47
67
Aces
12
7
Blocks
12
6
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
4
Blocks
4
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Tuesday, September 01
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Thursday, August 27
Tuesday, August 18
