Kirsten Bernthal Booth turned Creighton Volleyball into one of the nation’s best programs during her 22 seasons as head coach from 2003-24 before resigning on April 6, 2025 to accept a position with League One Volleyball (LOVB).
After inheriting a team that went 3-23 in 2002 before her arrival, Booth steadily built a program that appeared in the AVCA’s Top 25 poll each of her last 13 years. CU reached 14 of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments, including 2016 and 2024 postseason runs to the Elite Eight, with Sweet Sixteen trips in 2015, 2016, 2023 and 2024, and an unprecedented 11 straight BIG EAST regular-season titles. CU was an incredible 196-13 against league foes from 2014-24.
Booth’s final season was arguably the best in season-history. The 2024 Bluejay squad finished 32-3, reaching as high as No. 5 in the AVCA poll before finishing a program-best sixth. All three losses came in five set road contests against eventual Final Four teams, including an Elite Eight loss at eventual national champion Penn State. The Bluejays led the country with five AVCA All-Americans, had a pair of College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans, were a perfect 20-0 against BIG EAST competition, and dethroned two-time defending national champion Texas in the Regional Semifinals. The Jays were a perfect 19-0 at home, extending its program-record home win streak to 32.
Creighton posted a record of 502-192 and averaged 1,541 fans per home match in Booth’s tenure. All 22 of Booth’s teams qualified for the conference tournament, with 11 of her last 13 teams winning the event.
Booth’s .723 winning percentage and 502 wins are easily the best in Creighton volleyball history. Booth owns 615 career victories overall, an average of 24.6 wins per season, when you add in her 112 wins in three years at Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College.
In her 22 seasons at Creighton, Booth coached 59 First Team and 16 Second Team all-conference selections. Booth’s teams won 17 AVCA Team Academic Awards and featured nine women who won a combined 12 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades.
She was named AVCA Regional Coach of the Year in five of her last 10 seasons (2015, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024). Booth was also voted BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Booth led Creighton to 12 conference regular-season championships in her last 13 years, a stretch that started in 2012 with an MVC crown and extended from 2014-24 with 11 straight BIG EAST titles to end her reign.
Under her guidance, Creighton was a national seed in the NCAA Tournament in seven of her final 10 seasons (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), something only 10 schools could claim. The Bluejays also owned at least one Top 25 victory in each of her last 10 campaigns.
Creighton’s 344 wins from 2012-24 were fourth-most in the country, and its 119 wins her final four campaigns were third-most. In addition, the Jays were one of seven teams to qualify for the Big Dance each season from 2012-24.
Booth’s players have enjoyed great individual success, as well. Jaali Winters wrapped up one of the greatest careers in program history in 2018 with 96 school records and has played professionally in France, Spain, Greece and the United States. Winters was a four-time All-American, four-time First Team All-BIG EAST pick, the 2018 BIG EAST Player of the Year and a
two-time BIG EAST Championship MVP. Her partner on the outside, Taryn Kloth, was named Honorable Mention All-American in both 2016 and 2018 and became the first female Olympian in Creighton history when she competed in Beach Volleyball at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
A pair of 2024 graduates, Norah Sis and Kendra Wait, also made history. Both women were named BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP during their careers, and both also were four-time All-BIG EAST choices. Both women were also Academic All-Americans and drafted to play in the Pro Volleyball Federation.
During her time at Creighton, Booth had players named Conference
Player of the Year (6x), Libero of the Year (3x), Freshman of the Year (5x) and Sport Excellence Award winner (3x).
The Bluejays were near-unbeatable at home since moving into D.J. Sokol Arena in 2009, going 195-33 in the building and 132-8 in conference home matches at the facility in the past 16 years.
D.J. Sokol Arena attracted 61 different crowds of 2,000 or more after opening in 2009, a far cry from the previous high of 764 before her arrival. CU has led the league in average home attendance all but two years since joining the BIG EAST, and in 2018 Creighton ranked 11th nationally with a league-record 2,802 fans per home match.
D.J. Sokol Arena is one of two facilities that Booth has helped open since her arrival, along with the Ruth Scott Training Center (2019), which is located across the street from D.J. Sokol Arena. The “Ruth” serves as a practice venue for both Bluejay volleyball and women’s basketball.
Booth stepped down at a point where her role in the sport had never been more prominent, as she was the President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and one of 17 members on the AVCA’s Board of Directors.
Booth owns an impressive past, both on and off the court. She has proven to be a popular coach among her players and within the Omaha community, which is a key factor in the team’s record crowds ranking among the top-50 nationally 18 of her final 19 seasons.
Prior to coming to Creighton, Booth went a combined 112-41 in three seasons at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. All three of her teams won at least 36 matches. Her 2000 team reached the NJCAA finals before falling to St. Clair College. Her 2001 team placed fourth nationally and her 2002 club won 39 matches and had seven players earn academic all-conference honors. She was named District Coach of the Year on two different occasions.
In addition to her coaching responsibilities, she served as the school’s human resource coordinator, where she was in charge of staff
development and wellness for all faculty and staff at Kirkwood.
Booth served as a volunteer coach with the University of Iowa in the fall of 1997, helping to run drills and scout opponents. The following spring, she served as interim head coach while running practice and doing other assorted administrative tasks. She later earned her master’s degree in higher education administration with an emphasis in athletic administration from Iowa in 2000.
As an undergrad, Booth’s teams at Truman State went 101-54. She ran the offense as the setter and was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Freshman of the Year in 1993, and earned All-MIAA accolades her final three seasons as well. She capped off her career in 1996 by earning MIAA Player of the Year honors and setting new school records for assists in a season (1,662) and career (6,077), the latter of which ranked third in NCAA history at the Division II level when she graduated. She was inducted into Truman State’s Athletic Hall of Fame in October, 2011.
She was also a member of the Student Senate at Truman State, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in communications. In addition, she earned Academic All-American honors and was named the 1997 Missouri NCAA Woman of the Year.
Growing up, Booth excelled in both tennis and volleyball at Lincoln East High School, where she is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. She was an All-State setter on the volleyball court and was a three-time All-American and two-time state champion in tennis atNo. 1 singles.
Booth and her husband, Erik, reside in Omaha. The couple have three daughters: Reese, Hayden and Berkeley. Reese finished her freshman volleyball season at the University of Northern Iowa in the fall of 2024. read more...