Creighton Volleyball Transfer Makes Big East, Program History After Debut

Ayden Ames has been named BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week.

Ayden Ames has been named BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week. / Creighton Athletics

Ayden Ames has already started the season making history, as she was named BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week. 

After leading Creighton to two Top 25 wins, she becomes the first player in the conference and in Bluejay history to take home both honors in the same week. 

ᴀʏᴅᴇɴ ᴀᴍᴇꜱ

The 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 player in league history to be named BIG EAST Volleyball Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week in the same week.https://t.co/owKnXWp34A pic.twitter.com/E92t1z7kWn

— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) August 31, 2026

The transfer from Texas hit. 305, averaging 1.92 kills, 1.17 blocks, and 0.25 digs during her first official week as a Bluejay. She put up seven kills to surpass 300 career kills, and set a program record for most blocks in a debut with seven in the 3-2 win over No. 9 Purdue. 

She then led the Bluejays with eight kills, three blocks, and was hitting .333 against No. 14 Minnesota before closing out the weekend with eight kills, four blocks, and .400 hitting in a 3-1 victory over No. 20 USC. 

Creighton is just one of five teams nationally to have beaten multiple Top 25 teams already, joining Pittsburgh (3), Arizona State (2), Louisville (2) and Stanford (2).

With Ames’ incredible display of talent over the weekend, Creighton now moves into the No. 10 spot in this week’s AVCA Top 25 poll. The team moved up three spots from its preseason position at No. 13. This week marks Creighton's 37th time in the Top 10 and matches the best ranking under second-year head coach Brian Rosen. 

For the third straight season, Creighton was unanimously favored to lead the BIG EAST, while Ames was named a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection.

Creighton had a 28-6 record last season and faced some of the top teams in the nation, going undefeated at 16-0 in conference play. They finished last season ranked 10th in the country after falling to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final. 

Jaya Johnson, Abbey Hayes and Ayden Ames named Preseason All-BIG EAST; Bluejays are the league's unanimous pick to win a 13th straight league title.https://t.co/spWDbzjm7G pic.twitter.com/Zh3Z4unzY9

— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) August 20, 2026

The offseason grab of Ames, plus Katie Dalton and Trinity Shadd-Ceres, is looking to be paying off already. Dalton surpassed 900 career assists and became CU's first player since Madelyn Cole in 2018 with a double-double in her Bluejay debut. 

Before joining Creighton, Ames was the AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year (2024) and a member of the Southwest All-Region team (2025) at Texas. In high school, she was named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.

Creighton will now take its talent home and will play its first matches of the regular season at D.J. Sokol Arena, as it hosts Arizona, Pepperdine, and Tulsa.