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[00:01]
A
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[00:30]
B
So, Matt, live and rolling here with a very special guest joining the show for the very first time. This is a, a coach that I've talked to before personally when he was when I was on the morning show. But now we're over at the middays and we're lucky enough to bring him with us. Coach Brian Rosen of Creighton Volleyball joins us here on Middays with Matt. Coach, how are you doing?
[00:52]
C
Doing great. My favorite time of year and so excited to be here.
[00:57]
B
Well, I want to congratulate you, congratulate you, coach, on a very successful first season, obviously taking over for a legend in Kierken, Bernthal Booth. But you guys did not let your foot off the gas making the elite eight last season and now beginning the year as the 13th ranked team in the preseason according to the ABCA. I mean, just my first question is, you know, obviously you've been in the business for a long time. You're able to learn under KBB for quite a while. But now how, you know, how have you grown as year one, now into year two as head coach for the Creighton Blue Jays?
[01:30]
C
Yeah, I know. I just, I try to grow and learn new things every year. My journey to where I am is different than a lot of coaches. I was a high school coach for nine years. Five years ago I was the head coach of a Division 2 program who and I was very successful there and did a lot of great things and thought I knew everything at that point. And I got to come here and learn from who I think is the best head coach to ever do it. I think Coach Booth is just incredible. And so to learn from her and learn from Angie and be a part of this program, like really just help fill the gaps and the things that I could do better. And so, you know, I preach to our team all the time that we all make mistakes, not just them, like coaches too, and we're all human and we're all trying to just get a little better every day. And again, that's why I said preseason is my favorite time of the year. There's no wins, there's no losses. It's just all about getting better in the process and getting to know each other and all of that. Love this time of year. Moving over seat definitely adds pressure to what I'm doing and just feel like everything, every decision I make just carries a little bit more weight now. But love the people I'm surrounded by and just being a part of this community.
[02:44]
B
Coach, obviously you guys make the Elite Eight last season and now you're ranked in the top 15 to begin this year. But, you know, you lose two very key pieces in, in Ava Martin, Kira Reinhardt, where, you know, Kira doesn't go too far. She's going to be playing for, you know, the Omaha Supernovas this year. Just how has that transition been for you guys in terms of, you know, players understanding they got to step up because you got two key pieces that have been a mainstay for this Creighton Blue Jay volleyball team that now are no longer with your program.
[03:13]
C
Yeah, I was actually texting with Kiara the other day. This is my, my first preseason that she's not here. You know, she was a six year senior this past year. And so it felt just different at first. And then I've just gotten to learn and realize that every year the people change here at Creighton, but the culture stays the same, our goals stay the same, just who we are and what we stand for as a program. And again, I give the credit to Coach Booth and Angie for what they established and what I was able to inherit here. It's just really special. It's what I promised when I took over the job. I didn't say anything about, you know, we're going to get this many wins or this many losses, but, like, I'm going to do everything I can to protect the culture that was created here and that we were going to continue the same standards that were here before. And so, you know, two or last year when I took over, the talk was, well, they just lost four all Americans. We lost Nora, Kendra, Elise, Maddie. There's no way they can do what they did again. And then obviously we went right back to the Elite Eight. And so now we lost three more, all Americans, and Ava and Kiara and our setter, Ana. And so we're getting the same questions again, like this, you know, how are you going to do it again? There's just no way. And again, I think it just goes back to, like, what Creighton is and who we stand for and the way we work every single day. And so we'll have some new faces on the court and we always miss the ones that graduate and move on. But they set the culture before and we just continue to follow.
[04:48]
B
You guys are a couple days away from your first couple exhibition games with South Dakota on August 16th this Sunday and then followed up, you guys will play in Lawrence against Kansas for your second and final exhibition game. But you guys are going to start off the season hot. Number nine, Purdue. Play number 14, Minnesota. Capping it off with number 20, USC. Just how much of an emphasis has it been for you and your group just coming out, starting the season strong, building up that NCAA tournament resume before you get to Big east play?
[05:16]
C
Yeah, first I love they changed the rule to allow us to play two exhibitions this year. So I think that'll be great. Great to get us prepared. You know, last year we only get one, we played Colorado State. It was a great team, you know, and then so it's tournament caliber team every year. But they just, they didn't quite prepare us for Penn State and Texas who we opened the season with. And so we were really intentional this year about kind of ramping up towards that first weekend. And so we'll get a really good South Dakota team this weekend who again like several incentive tournaments like will challenge us in so many different ways. And then we'll get to go play a Kansas team that you know, can match the physicality of, of what Purdue and Minnesota and USC are going to bring to us. And so I hope that that is going to help us be a little bit more prepared early on. I just don't think we had quite seen a Penn State last year. And so I'm hoping that that's going to help and that'll help kind of calm the nerves a little bit too to get some matches under our belt. Like both of those will be with crowds there, so that'll be great. And then we challenge ourselves every year to play the toughest non conference schedule in the country. And so did it last year, we'll do it again this year and that's something we recruit with and challenge ourselves with. And so I kind of helped put this tournament together and just so excited to be a part of it. We'll be the only team that plays three matches. Everyone else is either playing one or two. And so what a great opportunity to play three Big Ten teams, three just historically successful programs. And they give us a great barometer of kind of where we are now and know that these three matches are going to play such a big role in whether we're a, a top 16 kind of seed when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. You know, hosting here at Sokol is such an advantage. And so we want to make those happen. And we know you have to have top 25 caliber wins in order to do that. So we also learned last year that, you know, taking a loss somewhere in this preseason isn't going to hurt us. You know, we went 7 and 5 last year in the preseason and marched our way all the way to Elite Eight. And so we don't want to peak in August. You know, we want to continue to get better and better and learn more about our identity and who we are and make sure that we're, we're peaking at the right time.
[07:34]
B
Coach, you're, you're the first college coach that I've talked to since the 5 for 5 eligibility rule has been put into place. And so I, I, I want to get your thoughts on how does this affect how you look at your roster. Not only from the perspective of, okay, hey, we have some seniors who might be able to come back next season and we have a, another year that we maybe didn't anticipate, but also from the persp of you have some freshmen on your roster that now you're going to have them potentially for an extra year that you didn't first think of. Right. Or you didn't first predict when you recruited them. How has that rule kind of changed your outlook on not only your roster for maybe next season, but the seasons to follow?
[08:14]
C
Yeah, I think there's, there's obviously pros and cons. I think the pro is that like throughout this season, I'm not going to have any fear in putting someone in at the end of a game. Our rules before, I'm not sure if everyone's aware of this. It's different in every sport. In volleyball, if you play one point, you lost your red shirt. You know, football, I think you can play like four games. And basketball, I think, you know, every sport has different rules, but volleyball rule was one point. And so like, I love that because last year I think there are lots of times where, you know, I looked down on my bench and I was, I really would have loved to get some people in, but it would have burned their red shirt. It would have burned a season for them to play a few points. And now like, we're going to be able to get a lot of young players a lot more experience like throughout the season. So that's, I think, the big pro of this. And then, yeah, the con is that we in our Sport, we recruit two years out, you know, so we've, we've finished our 20, 28 class already. And, and so now with players being able to have a fifth year, it changes the way we view our roster. And again, not every player will take a fifth year. Not every player will do their fifth year at that same school. But those are conversations that we're going to start having with our current seniors as the season progresses and we'll start having with like the next class as well to kind of see what that looks like. Because right now the rules still have not changed to where we can still only have 18 players on our roster. We still are like, you know, we have the same number of scholarships we had before, and so those numbers aren't changing. And that's different in every program as well. And so trying to navigate all of those different aspects are going to be tough. But I think it's all about having honest conversations with the players on our team, like having honest conversations about the recruits coming in of, you know, this is what our roster looks like now and this is what we anticipate it looking like when you get here. Because we are so excited about our recruiting classes that are coming in over these next couple years. Some Omaha kids, some local kids, and so we're, we're really excited and so we want to make sure that we have places for all of them to thrive and grow and get to compete here in the Blue Jay uniform.
[10:29]
B
Coach, you know, one of my favorite stories from the spring and led a little bit into the summer was with you and Trinity Shad series. Trinity transfers in from Wisconsin. She played volleyball there. She enrolls into Creighton in the, in January of this year. And you know, there's a great story out there from the Omaha World Herald and John Walker where you kind of tell the story of finding out her, her, her, her greatness really how great she is at track and how great she was at long jump before going to Wisconsin and you encouraging her to eventually pursue track and do long jump. And she ended up being a first team All American in long jump this year along with being named to the All Big east team for, for a long jump. Just. Can you describe that story for me and just how that moved for you and how you found out about Trinity and track and how you encouraged her to take that jump literally and figuratively, that that allowed her to be an All American in the ncaa.
[11:27]
C
Yeah, you know, it all kind of came for a lot of obviously Ava's graduating and then one of our incoming freshmen got hurt. And so we, we knew we needed an outside to come in and compete and give us depth. And so Trinity came on the portal. I had actually just seen her. I was at the final four in the crowd. She came in as a blocking sub. So we got to see her athleticism, even just a little bit. And she got two really tough out of system swings in that final four games. And I love that she just went for it. And so when she went on the portal, you know, we kind of looked her up. We found the film that we could find and we kept seeing like little notes, like if I. When I googled her, like, there's probably more about her track than even her volleyball at the time. And I joked with our track coach, like, hey, we're recruiting this kid right now. I don't know if she's really any good, but here's her numbers. She sent me a text back of like, those are world class numbers. And I was like, oh, okay. Wow. And so I didn't talk with Trinity about it until she got here. You know, she really wanted to find the right volleyball home. Like, volleyball was her priority. Her former school did not allow her to do track. And so it's just for two years. She just didn't do it. She had just won the, like the Canadian Olympic trials, but she was just like a little bit short of the qualifying distance or she would have went to Paris for the Olympics for Canada. And so, yeah, went to Wisconsin, wasn't able to do it, and then came here. Was having a great spring and in one of our meetings, I just asked her, like, would, would you ever consider doing both? And she just looked at me and basically, you'd let me. And I said, sure, like if it's something that you really want to do. I told her, like, our track coach, Coach Gannon is just like, I just, I trust him more than anyone. He is genuinely just one of the best people you'll ever meet. No ego. I knew he would, like, do everything right by her. And so she thought about it for a little bit. It was during indoor track season. She decided, like, I just don't think I'm ready. So she ended up saying no at first. And then we talked about it again. She's like, you know what? I want to give it a try. So at the end of our spring season, her and Coach Gannon started working together. I think the coolest part of the story is, like, we don't have a true track team at Creighton. Like, we're More of a long distance team. Like we don't even have a jump pit at Creighton. So she showed up at her first meet, she had not jumped in a sand pit for two years. Won the whole meet, then won the next meet, all while practicing, just sprinting. I mean most of the training that her and Coach Gannon did was just on the sprint part of it. And then they bought like a pad that she could land on kind of thing. And so, and then she won the Big east and then she got to go to the end of a tournament. We're like, okay, that's a cool story. Probably end right there. And then she qualified for the finals. I got to go to Eugene. It's like, okay, well that's probably like, that's a cool story. You can probably end it there. And she decided to finish sixth in the country, be a first team All American. And, and I think that the, the best part of the story now is I said that the skill that she needs to get the, like make the biggest jump is the self confidence. She is so special as an athlete and as a human, but self confidence is where she can grow. And I think that experience allowed her to see what she's capable of when she just lets loose and just goes. And so now she's talking about going to the Olympics, now she's talking about winning a national championship for track. And that was really. This morning I got an email. I've been in the lottery for the Olympic tickets when it comes to la. So I jokingly said like, hey, I'm just checking, are you still going to go to the Olympics or do I need to buy tickets? And she looked right at me and said like, I think I'm going to go to the Olympics for both sports, so don't buy those tickets I got you. Sure. And so again, just a different level of confidence in herself. And I'm so excited for the world to see just how good she is at volleyball. And I hope they continue to follow her track story and I'm hoping she's going to be Creighton. I, I, I'm guessing first ever multi sport all American coach.
[15:58]
B
You know, before I let you go here, I remember that, you know, a year ago you and I talked and I think it was, I don't know, I think it was around this time we first met and we talked and remember talking to you about the, you know, the, the importance and the magnitude of your rivalry with Nebraska. And you talk about having the number one toughest non con schedule in the country. This season? Well, you know, that includes playing Nebraska, the number one team according to the preseason polls at Pinnacle Bank Arena. And I'll tell you that the. The only game that I saw you guys playing last year was at the Chi Health center between you and the Huskers. And, and. And you took them to a limit that, frankly, no other Big Ten team was able to take them to throughout their entirety of conference play. You know, how much does this game mean to you playing at Pinnacle Bank Arena? And how much do you think about that game last year at the. How fired up are you guys to finally, you know, in your eyes, finish. Finish it? And you took him to a fifth set last year. Took him to the limit. And, and just what does that. How, you know, just what's the outlook for that game for you?
[17:00]
C
Yeah, I think, you know, I've played him four times now. I think we've taken them to five, three of those four times and sadly, have. Have not come on the winning end either time. But this past year, I just knew we were going to win. I think our team had a, like, such a great belief in who we are, and if we did the things that we needed to do, like we were going to be successful. And when we're in that fourth set, like, that's what we were talking, like, if we get this set, we're going to win, and we're in that fourth set, we go up 20 in the fifth, and then, yeah, we just couldn't hold the lead. And. But what a great match. And that was. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if that will. That environment will ever be beat. I'll be curious, you know, like, that it was as 50, 50 as that game has ever been. Our student, we had over a thousand students in the student section, and it was rocking. I mean, 18,000 people to watch volleyball. I could have never in my dreams, like, thought that that would be something I'd ever be a part of again. I was a D2 head coach playing in front of 100 people. And so it's just so special. And that's what, you know, anytime I talk about this game, like, yes, we both want to win and we're both top programs and all of those things, and it's such a great rivalry and kind of barometer game of where we are. But more important than any of that, it truly is, like, such a representation of what volleyball is in Nebraska. And so I love that for that night, these two teams get to put on a show for just how good volleyball is in this state. And so yes, we represent Creighton in Nebraska, but I think that match represents so much more. And so I love that sells out every time. And it's packed and it's loud and it's, it's on TV for everyone to see. And so we really want to win that game. And you know, they want to beat us too. But I just think, you know, every year it's, I walk away from it, just blessed to be a part of it and wanting it a little more the next year.
[19:07]
B
Brian Rosen, the head coach of the 13th ranked Creighton Blue Jay volleyball team. Coach Rosen, always appreciate our conversations. My man, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for, for being so gracious with your time and giving us so much great information. Look forward to talking to you throughout the entirety of the season.
[19:24]
C
My man, thanks for having me. Go Jays.
[19:26]
B
Go J's and G. Indeed, that is Brian Rosen, head coach of Creighton Volleyball, as their season begins with an exhibition against South Dakota on Aug. 16, followed up by another exhibition versus Kansas in Lawrence. And then finally their season will begin against Purdue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the Skate Farm Women's Volleyball Showcase on August 28th. That's a Friday at 6:00 clock on Big Fox. So congratulations to Coach Rosen and Creighton volleyball as they start their season in just a little bit in just about 15 days here. So we'll take a break here on middays with Matt as we continue this Thursday edition Here on the 16th one of the zone Radio Network.
[20:15]
A
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Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: Middays with Matt

Episode: Brian Rosen, Creighton Volleyball Coach (Thurs 8/12 - Seg 2)

Date: August 13, 2026
Host: Matt McMaster (NRGMedia)
Guest: Brian Rosen, Head Coach, Creighton Volleyball

Overview

In this lively episode, Matt McMaster welcomes Brian Rosen for his first appearance on Middays with Matt as head coach of Creighton Volleyball. Rosen talks about his journey from high school and Division II coaching to leading the Blue Jays, reflecting on the program’s elite culture, challenges with key departures, handling new eligibility rules, and building NCAA tournament aspirations. He also shares an inspiring story about multi-sport athlete Trinity Shad and dives deep into the intensity and meaning behind Creighton’s rivalry with Nebraska.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Transition to Head Coach & Personal Growth

Timestamp: 00:56 – 02:43

Rosen describes the transition from assistant to head coach, succeeding “legend” Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
He values preseason for team building, growth, and focusing on the process rather than wins or losses.
The new role brings more responsibility, but Rosen is grateful for Creighton’s established culture and staff.
Quote (Brian Rosen, 01:30):

"Every year the people change here at Creighton, but the culture stays the same, our goals stay the same, just who we are and what we stand for as a program."

2. Responding to Key Player Losses & Upholding Culture

Timestamp: 02:43 – 04:48

Creighton faces the season without star players Ava Martin and Kira Reinhardt (now with Omaha Supernovas), as well as setter Ana.
Rosen emphasizes maintaining culture and standards above all else, crediting prior coaches for their foundational work.
He dismisses doubts about team potential, recalling how the team exceeded expectations after losing a core group last year.
Quote (Brian Rosen, 03:13):

“They set the culture before and we just continue to follow.”

3. Preseason Games & Challenging Non-Conference Schedule

Timestamp: 04:48 – 07:33

Discusses the value of the new two-exhibition-game rule to better prepare for a tough opening slate (South Dakota, Kansas, then national powers Purdue, Minnesota, USC).
Stresses the strategic importance of a challenging non-conference schedule for building the team’s NCAA tournament resume and securing postseason home-court advantage.
Highlights the philosophy of not peaking early, but aiming to develop and peak at the right time.
Quote (Brian Rosen, 06:17):

"We challenge ourselves every year to play the toughest non-conference schedule in the country... They give us a great barometer of kind of where we are now and know that these three matches are going to play such a big role in whether we're a top 16 kind of seed."

4. The New 5-for-5 Eligibility Rule: Roster Management Challenges

Timestamp: 07:33 – 10:29

Rosen outlines the new NCAA “5-for-5” eligibility rule, allowing players to appear in up to five matches without losing redshirt status (previously “one point” lost eligibility).
Applauds the flexibility to give real-game experience to younger athletes without burning eligibility.
Candidly describes the complexity this adds for future roster and scholarship planning, as recruiting is done years ahead.
Reiterates the importance of open conversations with players and recruits to manage expectations.
Quote:

"We're going to be able to get a lot of young players a lot more experience throughout the season. That's, I think, the big pro..." (Brian Rosen, 08:14)

5. Trinity Shad’s Multi-Sport Success—An Inspirational Story

Timestamp: 10:29 – 15:57

Shad, a Wisconsin transfer, joined Creighton as a volleyball outside hitter. Rosen soon discovered her elite long jump background.
With Rosen’s encouragement and track coach Gannon’s support, Trinity pursued both sports. Despite minimal practice facilities, she became a first-team All-American in long jump and All-Big East.
The story highlights overcoming barriers, renewed self-confidence, and the possibilities of dual-sport stardom.
Quote (Brian Rosen, 14:25):

“She showed up at her first meet, she had not jumped in a sand pit for two years. Won the whole meet, then won the next meet... Then she qualified for the finals... finished sixth in the country, be a first team All American.”
Memorable Moment (15:27):

“She looked right at me and said like, ‘I think I’m going to go to the Olympics for both sports, so don’t buy those tickets I got you.’” (Brian Rosen)

6. Nebraska Rivalry & The Meaning of the Match

Timestamp: 15:57 – 19:07

The annual battle with Nebraska is a “barometer” game that measures not just team growth but the strength of Nebraska volleyball culture.
Rosen reflects on past near-upsets and how last year's five-set thriller at the CHI Health Center was “as 50/50 as that game has ever been.”
The rivalry’s intensity and atmosphere is unparalleled, with record crowds emphasizing the sport’s popularity in Nebraska.
Beyond the result, Rosen highlights pride in showcasing high-level volleyball and representing the state.
Quote (Brian Rosen, 17:00):

“That environment will ever be beat... That was— I mean, I don’t know. It was as 50/50 as that game has ever been... More important than any of that, it truly is, like, such a representation of what volleyball is in Nebraska.”

Notable Quotes

On learning from his predecessors:

"To learn from who I think is the best head coach to ever do it... it really filled the gaps and the things that I could do better." — Brian Rosen (01:30)
On team culture:

“I'm going to do everything I can to protect the culture that was created here and that we were going to continue the same standards that were here before.” — Brian Rosen (03:13)
On freshmen and eligibility rules:

“Now, like, we're going to be able to get a lot of young players a lot more experience throughout the season.” — Brian Rosen (08:14)
On Trinity Shad’s breakthrough:

“She decided to finish sixth in the country, be a first team All American. And I think that the best part of the story now is... the skill that she needs to get, to make the biggest jump is the self confidence.” — Brian Rosen (14:25)
On the Nebraska rivalry:

“More important than any of that, it truly is, like, such a representation of what volleyball is in Nebraska... We really want to win that game. And you know, they want to beat us too.” — Brian Rosen (18:10)

Important Segments & Timestamps

00:56 – 02:43: Coach Rosen on growing as head coach & inheriting Creighton’s culture
02:43 – 04:48: Adapting to loss of key players; maintaining team standards
04:48 – 07:33: Season-opening exhibitions; rationale for tough non-con schedules
07:33 – 10:29: Deep dive on NCAA 5-for-5 eligibility rule impacts
10:29 – 15:57: Story of Trinity Shad’s rise to multi-sport All-American
15:57 – 19:07: Preview and significance of the Nebraska rivalry match

Conclusion

Brian Rosen’s in-depth, candid discussion with Matt McMaster offers a masterclass in coaching philosophy and program building—balancing respect for tradition with adaptation. From handling big roster transitions and strategic scheduling to celebrating individual athlete stories and rivalry traditions, Rosen provides fans and listeners with inspiration and unique behind-the-scenes insight into Creighton Volleyball as they launch another ambitious season.

Listen to this episode for:

An inspiring story about maximizing athlete potential
Honest perspective on new NCAA rules
Insider look at one of college volleyball’s best rivalries
Practical lessons in leadership and sustained success

Loading summary

Transcript19 lines

[00:01]
A
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
[00:30]
B
So, Matt, live and rolling here with a very special guest joining the show for the very first time. This is a, a coach that I've talked to before personally when he was when I was on the morning show. But now we're over at the middays and we're lucky enough to bring him with us. Coach Brian Rosen of Creighton Volleyball joins us here on Middays with Matt. Coach, how are you doing?
[00:52]
C
Doing great. My favorite time of year and so excited to be here.
[00:57]
B
Well, I want to congratulate you, congratulate you, coach, on a very successful first season, obviously taking over for a legend in Kierken, Bernthal Booth. But you guys did not let your foot off the gas making the elite eight last season and now beginning the year as the 13th ranked team in the preseason according to the ABCA. I mean, just my first question is, you know, obviously you've been in the business for a long time. You're able to learn under KBB for quite a while. But now how, you know, how have you grown as year one, now into year two as head coach for the Creighton Blue Jays?
[01:30]
C
Yeah, I know. I just, I try to grow and learn new things every year. My journey to where I am is different than a lot of coaches. I was a high school coach for nine years. Five years ago I was the head coach of a Division 2 program who and I was very successful there and did a lot of great things and thought I knew everything at that point. And I got to come here and learn from who I think is the best head coach to ever do it. I think Coach Booth is just incredible. And so to learn from her and learn from Angie and be a part of this program, like really just help fill the gaps and the things that I could do better. And so, you know, I preach to our team all the time that we all make mistakes, not just them, like coaches too, and we're all human and we're all trying to just get a little better every day. And again, that's why I said preseason is my favorite time of the year. There's no wins, there's no losses. It's just all about getting better in the process and getting to know each other and all of that. Love this time of year. Moving over seat definitely adds pressure to what I'm doing and just feel like everything, every decision I make just carries a little bit more weight now. But love the people I'm surrounded by and just being a part of this community.
[02:44]
B
Coach, obviously you guys make the Elite Eight last season and now you're ranked in the top 15 to begin this year. But, you know, you lose two very key pieces in, in Ava Martin, Kira Reinhardt, where, you know, Kira doesn't go too far. She's going to be playing for, you know, the Omaha Supernovas this year. Just how has that transition been for you guys in terms of, you know, players understanding they got to step up because you got two key pieces that have been a mainstay for this Creighton Blue Jay volleyball team that now are no longer with your program.
[03:13]
C
Yeah, I was actually texting with Kiara the other day. This is my, my first preseason that she's not here. You know, she was a six year senior this past year. And so it felt just different at first. And then I've just gotten to learn and realize that every year the people change here at Creighton, but the culture stays the same, our goals stay the same, just who we are and what we stand for as a program. And again, I give the credit to Coach Booth and Angie for what they established and what I was able to inherit here. It's just really special. It's what I promised when I took over the job. I didn't say anything about, you know, we're going to get this many wins or this many losses, but, like, I'm going to do everything I can to protect the culture that was created here and that we were going to continue the same standards that were here before. And so, you know, two or last year when I took over, the talk was, well, they just lost four all Americans. We lost Nora, Kendra, Elise, Maddie. There's no way they can do what they did again. And then obviously we went right back to the Elite Eight. And so now we lost three more, all Americans, and Ava and Kiara and our setter, Ana. And so we're getting the same questions again, like this, you know, how are you going to do it again? There's just no way. And again, I think it just goes back to, like, what Creighton is and who we stand for and the way we work every single day. And so we'll have some new faces on the court and we always miss the ones that graduate and move on. But they set the culture before and we just continue to follow.
[04:48]
B
You guys are a couple days away from your first couple exhibition games with South Dakota on August 16th this Sunday and then followed up, you guys will play in Lawrence against Kansas for your second and final exhibition game. But you guys are going to start off the season hot. Number nine, Purdue. Play number 14, Minnesota. Capping it off with number 20, USC. Just how much of an emphasis has it been for you and your group just coming out, starting the season strong, building up that NCAA tournament resume before you get to Big east play?
[05:16]
C
Yeah, first I love they changed the rule to allow us to play two exhibitions this year. So I think that'll be great. Great to get us prepared. You know, last year we only get one, we played Colorado State. It was a great team, you know, and then so it's tournament caliber team every year. But they just, they didn't quite prepare us for Penn State and Texas who we opened the season with. And so we were really intentional this year about kind of ramping up towards that first weekend. And so we'll get a really good South Dakota team this weekend who again like several incentive tournaments like will challenge us in so many different ways. And then we'll get to go play a Kansas team that you know, can match the physicality of, of what Purdue and Minnesota and USC are going to bring to us. And so I hope that that is going to help us be a little bit more prepared early on. I just don't think we had quite seen a Penn State last year. And so I'm hoping that that's going to help and that'll help kind of calm the nerves a little bit too to get some matches under our belt. Like both of those will be with crowds there, so that'll be great. And then we challenge ourselves every year to play the toughest non conference schedule in the country. And so did it last year, we'll do it again this year and that's something we recruit with and challenge ourselves with. And so I kind of helped put this tournament together and just so excited to be a part of it. We'll be the only team that plays three matches. Everyone else is either playing one or two. And so what a great opportunity to play three Big Ten teams, three just historically successful programs. And they give us a great barometer of kind of where we are now and know that these three matches are going to play such a big role in whether we're a, a top 16 kind of seed when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. You know, hosting here at Sokol is such an advantage. And so we want to make those happen. And we know you have to have top 25 caliber wins in order to do that. So we also learned last year that, you know, taking a loss somewhere in this preseason isn't going to hurt us. You know, we went 7 and 5 last year in the preseason and marched our way all the way to Elite Eight. And so we don't want to peak in August. You know, we want to continue to get better and better and learn more about our identity and who we are and make sure that we're, we're peaking at the right time.
[07:34]
B
Coach, you're, you're the first college coach that I've talked to since the 5 for 5 eligibility rule has been put into place. And so I, I, I want to get your thoughts on how does this affect how you look at your roster. Not only from the perspective of, okay, hey, we have some seniors who might be able to come back next season and we have a, another year that we maybe didn't anticipate, but also from the persp of you have some freshmen on your roster that now you're going to have them potentially for an extra year that you didn't first think of. Right. Or you didn't first predict when you recruited them. How has that rule kind of changed your outlook on not only your roster for maybe next season, but the seasons to follow?
[08:14]
C
Yeah, I think there's, there's obviously pros and cons. I think the pro is that like throughout this season, I'm not going to have any fear in putting someone in at the end of a game. Our rules before, I'm not sure if everyone's aware of this. It's different in every sport. In volleyball, if you play one point, you lost your red shirt. You know, football, I think you can play like four games. And basketball, I think, you know, every sport has different rules, but volleyball rule was one point. And so like, I love that because last year I think there are lots of times where, you know, I looked down on my bench and I was, I really would have loved to get some people in, but it would have burned their red shirt. It would have burned a season for them to play a few points. And now like, we're going to be able to get a lot of young players a lot more experience like throughout the season. So that's, I think, the big pro of this. And then, yeah, the con is that we in our Sport, we recruit two years out, you know, so we've, we've finished our 20, 28 class already. And, and so now with players being able to have a fifth year, it changes the way we view our roster. And again, not every player will take a fifth year. Not every player will do their fifth year at that same school. But those are conversations that we're going to start having with our current seniors as the season progresses and we'll start having with like the next class as well to kind of see what that looks like. Because right now the rules still have not changed to where we can still only have 18 players on our roster. We still are like, you know, we have the same number of scholarships we had before, and so those numbers aren't changing. And that's different in every program as well. And so trying to navigate all of those different aspects are going to be tough. But I think it's all about having honest conversations with the players on our team, like having honest conversations about the recruits coming in of, you know, this is what our roster looks like now and this is what we anticipate it looking like when you get here. Because we are so excited about our recruiting classes that are coming in over these next couple years. Some Omaha kids, some local kids, and so we're, we're really excited and so we want to make sure that we have places for all of them to thrive and grow and get to compete here in the Blue Jay uniform.
[10:29]
B
Coach, you know, one of my favorite stories from the spring and led a little bit into the summer was with you and Trinity Shad series. Trinity transfers in from Wisconsin. She played volleyball there. She enrolls into Creighton in the, in January of this year. And you know, there's a great story out there from the Omaha World Herald and John Walker where you kind of tell the story of finding out her, her, her, her greatness really how great she is at track and how great she was at long jump before going to Wisconsin and you encouraging her to eventually pursue track and do long jump. And she ended up being a first team All American in long jump this year along with being named to the All Big east team for, for a long jump. Just. Can you describe that story for me and just how that moved for you and how you found out about Trinity and track and how you encouraged her to take that jump literally and figuratively, that that allowed her to be an All American in the ncaa.
[11:27]
C
Yeah, you know, it all kind of came for a lot of obviously Ava's graduating and then one of our incoming freshmen got hurt. And so we, we knew we needed an outside to come in and compete and give us depth. And so Trinity came on the portal. I had actually just seen her. I was at the final four in the crowd. She came in as a blocking sub. So we got to see her athleticism, even just a little bit. And she got two really tough out of system swings in that final four games. And I love that she just went for it. And so when she went on the portal, you know, we kind of looked her up. We found the film that we could find and we kept seeing like little notes, like if I. When I googled her, like, there's probably more about her track than even her volleyball at the time. And I joked with our track coach, like, hey, we're recruiting this kid right now. I don't know if she's really any good, but here's her numbers. She sent me a text back of like, those are world class numbers. And I was like, oh, okay. Wow. And so I didn't talk with Trinity about it until she got here. You know, she really wanted to find the right volleyball home. Like, volleyball was her priority. Her former school did not allow her to do track. And so it's just for two years. She just didn't do it. She had just won the, like the Canadian Olympic trials, but she was just like a little bit short of the qualifying distance or she would have went to Paris for the Olympics for Canada. And so, yeah, went to Wisconsin, wasn't able to do it, and then came here. Was having a great spring and in one of our meetings, I just asked her, like, would, would you ever consider doing both? And she just looked at me and basically, you'd let me. And I said, sure, like if it's something that you really want to do. I told her, like, our track coach, Coach Gannon is just like, I just, I trust him more than anyone. He is genuinely just one of the best people you'll ever meet. No ego. I knew he would, like, do everything right by her. And so she thought about it for a little bit. It was during indoor track season. She decided, like, I just don't think I'm ready. So she ended up saying no at first. And then we talked about it again. She's like, you know what? I want to give it a try. So at the end of our spring season, her and Coach Gannon started working together. I think the coolest part of the story is, like, we don't have a true track team at Creighton. Like, we're More of a long distance team. Like we don't even have a jump pit at Creighton. So she showed up at her first meet, she had not jumped in a sand pit for two years. Won the whole meet, then won the next meet, all while practicing, just sprinting. I mean most of the training that her and Coach Gannon did was just on the sprint part of it. And then they bought like a pad that she could land on kind of thing. And so, and then she won the Big east and then she got to go to the end of a tournament. We're like, okay, that's a cool story. Probably end right there. And then she qualified for the finals. I got to go to Eugene. It's like, okay, well that's probably like, that's a cool story. You can probably end it there. And she decided to finish sixth in the country, be a first team All American. And, and I think that the, the best part of the story now is I said that the skill that she needs to get the, like make the biggest jump is the self confidence. She is so special as an athlete and as a human, but self confidence is where she can grow. And I think that experience allowed her to see what she's capable of when she just lets loose and just goes. And so now she's talking about going to the Olympics, now she's talking about winning a national championship for track. And that was really. This morning I got an email. I've been in the lottery for the Olympic tickets when it comes to la. So I jokingly said like, hey, I'm just checking, are you still going to go to the Olympics or do I need to buy tickets? And she looked right at me and said like, I think I'm going to go to the Olympics for both sports, so don't buy those tickets I got you. Sure. And so again, just a different level of confidence in herself. And I'm so excited for the world to see just how good she is at volleyball. And I hope they continue to follow her track story and I'm hoping she's going to be Creighton. I, I, I'm guessing first ever multi sport all American coach.
[15:58]
B
You know, before I let you go here, I remember that, you know, a year ago you and I talked and I think it was, I don't know, I think it was around this time we first met and we talked and remember talking to you about the, you know, the, the importance and the magnitude of your rivalry with Nebraska. And you talk about having the number one toughest non con schedule in the country. This season? Well, you know, that includes playing Nebraska, the number one team according to the preseason polls at Pinnacle Bank Arena. And I'll tell you that the. The only game that I saw you guys playing last year was at the Chi Health center between you and the Huskers. And, and. And you took them to a limit that, frankly, no other Big Ten team was able to take them to throughout their entirety of conference play. You know, how much does this game mean to you playing at Pinnacle Bank Arena? And how much do you think about that game last year at the. How fired up are you guys to finally, you know, in your eyes, finish. Finish it? And you took him to a fifth set last year. Took him to the limit. And, and just what does that. How, you know, just what's the outlook for that game for you?
[17:00]
C
Yeah, I think, you know, I've played him four times now. I think we've taken them to five, three of those four times and sadly, have. Have not come on the winning end either time. But this past year, I just knew we were going to win. I think our team had a, like, such a great belief in who we are, and if we did the things that we needed to do, like we were going to be successful. And when we're in that fourth set, like, that's what we were talking, like, if we get this set, we're going to win, and we're in that fourth set, we go up 20 in the fifth, and then, yeah, we just couldn't hold the lead. And. But what a great match. And that was. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if that will. That environment will ever be beat. I'll be curious, you know, like, that it was as 50, 50 as that game has ever been. Our student, we had over a thousand students in the student section, and it was rocking. I mean, 18,000 people to watch volleyball. I could have never in my dreams, like, thought that that would be something I'd ever be a part of again. I was a D2 head coach playing in front of 100 people. And so it's just so special. And that's what, you know, anytime I talk about this game, like, yes, we both want to win and we're both top programs and all of those things, and it's such a great rivalry and kind of barometer game of where we are. But more important than any of that, it truly is, like, such a representation of what volleyball is in Nebraska. And so I love that for that night, these two teams get to put on a show for just how good volleyball is in this state. And so yes, we represent Creighton in Nebraska, but I think that match represents so much more. And so I love that sells out every time. And it's packed and it's loud and it's, it's on TV for everyone to see. And so we really want to win that game. And you know, they want to beat us too. But I just think, you know, every year it's, I walk away from it, just blessed to be a part of it and wanting it a little more the next year.
[19:07]
B
Brian Rosen, the head coach of the 13th ranked Creighton Blue Jay volleyball team. Coach Rosen, always appreciate our conversations. My man, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for, for being so gracious with your time and giving us so much great information. Look forward to talking to you throughout the entirety of the season.
[19:24]
C
My man, thanks for having me. Go Jays.
[19:26]
B
Go J's and G. Indeed, that is Brian Rosen, head coach of Creighton Volleyball, as their season begins with an exhibition against South Dakota on Aug. 16, followed up by another exhibition versus Kansas in Lawrence. And then finally their season will begin against Purdue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the Skate Farm Women's Volleyball Showcase on August 28th. That's a Friday at 6:00 clock on Big Fox. So congratulations to Coach Rosen and Creighton volleyball as they start their season in just a little bit in just about 15 days here. So we'll take a break here on middays with Matt as we continue this Thursday edition Here on the 16th one of the zone Radio Network.
[20:15]
A
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