Creighton’s Norah Sis and Ava Martin win Big East Player and Freshman of the Year

Creighton volleyball has the Big East’s top player and freshman, according to league coaches.

CU outside hitter Norah Sis received Big East Player of the Year, while another Bluejay outside hitter. Ava Martin, was named Freshman of the Year in vote of coaches, who were not allowed to pick their own players.

For the 10th straight year, multiple Bluejays were named to the All-Big East team with Sis, Martin middle blocker Kiana Schmitt and setter Kendra Wait named to the 2022 team. Sis and Wait were unanimous picks for the All-Big East team, while Martin was a unanimous pick for the freshman team.

Sis is the third Bluejay to be recognized as the conference’s player of the year after Lydia Dimke (2016) and Jaali Winters (2018). The sophomore outside hitter also was named the Preseason Big East Player of the Year. She led the conference in kills per set (4.19) and points per set (4.61) this season and was the league’s offensive player of the week three times. The Papillion-La Vista grad was the named to the All-Big East team in 2021 and won Freshman of the Year that season as well.

People are also reading…

Martin is the fourth Jay to be named freshman of the year after Jaali Winters (2015), Keeley Davis (2019) and Sis (2021). The outside hitter was named Big East freshman of the week four times this season.

Schmitt was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. The senior recorded 101 blocks in the regular season — leading the Big East in league play with 1.23 blocks per set.

Wait led the Big East for the second straight season in assists per set (11.03). She is the only player in the nation averaging at least 11.00 assists and 3.00 digs per set. The sophomore setter was named to the All-Big East team last season as well.

No. 15 Creighton won a share of the Big East regular-season title for the night straight season and returns to action in the semifinals of the conference tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. in Sokol Arena. The Bluejays are a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament, and coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth believes they’ll host NCAA first and second round matches next weekend if CU wins the Big East Tournament.

No. 14 Marquette, which shared the regular season title with Creighton is the other conference team in contention for hosting NCAA matches. Marquette beat CU last weekend and had five players on the All-Big East squad.

“I think we’re a great team,” Booth said. “I tried to tell them that. Saturday night was good for us. We played another great team, they punched us, we didn’t necessarily react the way we wanted to react, so how are we going to react now?”

World-Herald sports editor Sam McKewon contributed to this report.

The Huskers move up in the new AVCA poll as Creighton falls after a loss to Marquette.

Photos: Creighton volleyball faces St. John’s

Creighton’s Kiara Reinhardt (left) and Ava Martin try to block the ball during their match against St. John’s at Sokol Arena in Omaha on Friday.