How to Watch No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball vs. No. 20 Creighton with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The housewarming party at the newly renovated John Cook Arena mostly went according to plan for the No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team.

While the renovation of their home arena was being completed through early September, the Huskers embraced their time as college volleyball's traveling road show, playing at such venues as Chicago's Wrigley Field and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

NU's return home last weekend was a welcome sight for the sold-out John Cook Arena, but the feel was different. Despite a record-setting crowd of nearly 10,500, the Huskers and the former coach for whom the arena is named both made note of a quieter crowd, which was the likely result of a massive reseat that happened as a result of the construction.

Nonetheless, Nebraska took care of business, playing three matches in a three-day stretch that saw the Huskers take down New Mexico, No. 20 Baylor and Georgia Tech — the latter of whom became the first team to avoid being swept by the Big Red in 2026. Now, the Huskers step away from their home arena again to face their heated in-state rival Creighton for a sold-out crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Here's all you need to know for Wednesday's rivalry showdown.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 1 Nebraska (7-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 20 Creighton (5-4, 0-0 ACC)
When: Wednesday, Sept. 16
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
Time: 6 p.m. CDT
Watch: B1G Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Creighton volleyball coach Brian Rosen led the Bluejays to a NCAA Regional Final in his first season in charge last year. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

No. 20 Creighton Scout

Head Coach

Brian Rosen | 2nd Season as HC at Creighton; 4th as Head Coach
33-10 (.767) at Creighton; 78-27 (.743) as Head Coach
2x NCAA Tournament Apps., 1x Regional Final
1x Big East Regular Season title, 1x Big East Tournament title, 1x Sunshine State Conference title
2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year
Previous Head Coach at Nova Southeastern (DII)
Previous assistant at Davidson College and various high school programs

2025 Finish

L, 3-0 to No. 2 Kentucky in NCAA Regional Final.

2025 Record & Awards

Record: 28-6 (16-0 Big East, 1st)
Conference: Big East Regular Season & Tournament Champions
AVCA All-Americans: 2x Second Team, 1x Third Team
Big East Awards: Big East Player and Setter of the Year
All-Big East: 4x First Team, x Freshman Team

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 24-0
Sept. 16, 2025, last matchup; 3-2 NU

Creighton outside hitter Abbey Hayes has excelled in a starting role with the Bluejays in 2026 with 2.47 kills per set. | Creighton Athletics

Key Returners

Abbey Hayes | OH | Soph. | Named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team after producing 1.88 kills and 1.23 digs per set across 34 matches and 21 starts. Full-time starter in 2026 and has increased her totals to 2.47 kills and 1.84 digs per set.
Eloise Brandewie | MB | Sr. | The former Ohio State transfer enjoyed a stellar 2025 campaign, but has continued to grow with 1.68 kills per set with a team-high 50 total blocks.
Jaya Johnson | RS/MB | Sr. | The senior right-side hitter for the Bluejays was part of the 2025 All-BIG EAST team, but her stats have seen a drop of nearly one kill per set while hitting just .083 in 181 attacks so far in 2026.
Saige Damrow | L | Sr. | The returning starter for Creighton has opened her 2026 campaign by averaging over four digs per set while firing in seven aces.
Ashlyn Paymal | RS | Soph. | Young second-year opposite from Westside that's seen action in eight of the team's nine matches with 33 kills.
Nora Wurtz | MB | Jr. | The junior and Nebraska native hasn't seen much playing time as a middle blocker, but she's the most dangerous server for the Bluejays with a team-high 10 aces after scoring a program-record 61 aces in 2025.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Trinity Shadd-Ceres | OH | Jr. | The Wisconsin transfer was limited in playing time before moving to Omaha where she's become a NCAA All-American in the Long Jump and leading the Bluejays with 123 kills (3.24 per set) and 2.21 digs per set through nine matches.
Ayden Ames | MB | Jr. | Started the previous two seasons at Texas, including a team-high 109 total blocks in 2025, before transferring to Creighton where she's putting up 2.05 kills per set and 40 blocks.
Katie Dalton | S | 5th | Transferred from Kansas where she was a Second Team All-Big 12 pick, but she's split duties with Rayna Christianson while averaging over seven assists and two digs per set.

Creighton's Trinity Shadd-Ceres is a NCAA All-American in the long jump while leading the Bluejays with over 120 kills. | Joel Deman

Key Departures

Ava Martin | OH | Graduated | Finished her college career in dominant fashion by earning AVCA Second Team All-America honors while being named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP.
Kiara Reinhardt | MB | Graduated | Joined Martin as a Second Team All-American and left as the winningest player in Creighton program history (124) including numerous career records. Taken eighth overall in the first round of the Major Leage Volleyball draft by the hometown Omaha Supernovas where she earned league Rookie of the Year honors.
Annalea Maeder | S | Sr. | The Switzerland native transferred to Creighton from Cal for her final college where she made the AVCA All-American Third Team after dishing out 10.75 assists per set, 47 aces and 315 digs.
Sydney Breissinger | DS | Sr. | Battled Damrow as the starting libero throughout 2025 and ended the season with a team-leading 366 digs and 3.10 per set while collecting 43 aces.

Outlook

Riding the prolific final college seasons of All-American Ava Martin (OH), Kiara Reinhardt (MB) and Annalea Maeder (S), Creighton tied its best finish in program history by falling to No. 2 Kentucky in a NCAA Regional Final to start off the Brian Rosen era as head coach. Despite saying goodbye to those program standouts, Rosen and the Bluejays returned a solid nucleus entering the 2026 campaign.

Faced with the gargantuan task of replacing the production left from Martin, returning sophomore Abbey Hayes has made a noticable step forward in her second college season. After producing 1.88 kills and 1.23 digs per set en route to BIG EAST All-Freshman team honors, Hayes has increased her totals to 2.47 kills and 1.84 digs per set. Veteran right side Jaya Johnson returned for her senior, but she's ended up splitting time with sophomore and Nebraska native Ashlyn Paymal for playing time through the team's first nine matches.

Eloise Brandewie was a very good No. 2 middle blocker behind Reinhardt in 2025, but she's filled her role nice so far in her senior season by mustering 1.68 kills per set with a team-leading 50 blocks in just 38 sets played. Fellow middle blocker Nora Wurtz hasn't seen much playing time as a starter in her career, but she's one of the best servers in the country. She set a new program record with 61 aces in 2025 and is tied for the team high with 10 so far in 2026. After initially winning the starting libero job out of fall camp, Saige Damrow couldn't hold it throughout the whole year, but with the graduation of Sydney Breissinger, Damrow has taken off with 4.55 digs per set and seven aces.

Creighton middle blocker Eloise Brandewie (10) leads the Bluejays with 50 blocks and averages 1.68 kills per set. — Creighton middle blocker Eloise Brandewie (10) leads the Bluejays with 50 blocks and averages 1.68 kills per set so far in her senior season. | Joel Deman

With a few glaring holes on the roster, Rosen dipped into the portal for a trio of transfers. The most noticable came in the form of former Wisconsin outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres. The Canadian flashed with immense potential, but she could never stay healthy or consistent enough to crack a tough Badger rotation. As a result, she joined Rosen and the Bluejays over the offseason where she become a NCAA All-American at the long jump before focusing on volleyball. Despite hitting just .192, she's become the top option of CU with a team-high 123 kills (3.24 K/S) and 2.21 dis per set.

The Bluejays also improved its middle blocker group in the short and long term with the addition of Texas transfer Ayden Ames. Once a Nebraska commit as a top-ten recruit in the country, Ames started in her two seasons with the Longhorns before arriving in Omaha where she's hitting .326 on 2.05 kills per set and 40 blocks. Creighton went for a transfer at setter for the second-straight year in former Kansas distributor Katie Dalton, who was a 2025 Second Team All-Big 12 pick. She leads the team with over seven assists per set, but she's also been splitting time with 6-foot-2 freshman setter Rayna Christianson from Minnesota where she was a top-five prospect in the state.

Continuing the tradition of creating a tough non-conference schedule, the Bluejays enter Wednesday at only 5-4, but that's included wins over No. 9 Purdue and No. 20 USC. However, Creighton ended its own home invitational being upset by Arizona in five sets before going 1-2 at the Rice Invitational II with defeats to No. 5 Louisville (3-1) and unranked Rice (3-1).

Don't let that disuade you from thinking that this is a great team. The Bluejays recent stretch is simply a byproduct of its non-conferene schedule, which has always come back reward Creighton in the final stretch of the season. The Bluejays have always played up to Nebraska over the past few seasons, but this team appears to be a tier or two below the squads that pushed NU in back-to-back years.

Put me down for a 3-1 Nebraska victory Wednesday night in PBA.

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