UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WOWT) – No. 2 seed Creighton volleyball lands in the Elite 8 for the second time in program history after the Jays defeated defending two-time national champion Texas in four sets.

Creighton will face the host team, No. 1 Penn State, on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 5 Marquette in four sets to advance to the regional final on Sunday.

Norah Sis and Ava Martin each had 15 kills in the win, while Kiara Reinhardt led the way with nine kills and eight blocks. Redshirt freshman Jaya Johnson delivered in crucial moments, recording nine kills while hitting .667.

The Bluejays got off to a hot start with a lead of 11-5 and 20-15 in the first set before a service ace from Norah Sis took the set point at 24-22. Creighton missed both chances to score a set point as Texas went on a 4-0 run to close out the first set and take the first set 26-24.

Creighton regrouped and took a 3-0 lead early in the second set. Despite six kills in the set from Texas star outside Madisen Skinner, the Bluejays never trailed and ended on a 5-0 run, leaving the game tied at 25-19 after one set.

While CU opened the third set with a 5-1 run, Texas began to settle in. Skinner added another seven kills in the third set and Marianna Singletary contributed four. With the score at 17:17, Creighton responded with a 5-0 win, highlighted by three Sis kills, to secure a 22-17 lead. After reaching set point at 24:18, a 3-0 run in Texas triggered a timeout by Kirsten Bernthal Booth. After halftime, a goal from Johnson gave the Jays a 2-1 lead, 25-21.

The Longhorns scored first in the fourth set and took a 3-0 lead. Creighton was able to tie the game at 10-10 and soon after went on another 5-0 run to take the lead 15-12, a lead they would never relinquish. The match point came in the form of a Reinhardt-Johnson block that sent Creighton back to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2016.

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