Creighton volleyball redshirt freshman Nora Wurtz is making her name known to Bluejay fans in 2025.
The middle blocker took a redshirt season her first year with the Bluejays but is playing a big role as one of the taller serving specialists you’ll find. The 6-foot-4 freshman has 54 aces on the season and is leading the Big East in aces per set at 0.70.
She credits her team for helping her succeed.
“I think just the confidence in my team and in my coaches that they have in me every day,” Wurtz told Hurrdat Sports. “Everyone says I’m a great server in and out of practice, and I think that has really helped me, and then knowing that my whole team is behind me whenever I go behind the line.”
Wurtz had a career day in No. 12 Creighton’s sweep of Georgetown, totaling nine aces in just three sets, breaking the school record. The Bluejays won 25-8, 25-12 and 25-12 over the Hoyas on senior day at D.J. Sokol Arena.
“(Assistant coach) Adam (Kessenich) has been so amazing, always giving me pointers,” Wurtz said. “On the days that I’m maybe not doing as well, he’s just in my corner, and always telling me sometimes things don’t have to feel right to have a great serve, or sometimes things can feel perfect and it’s still not amazing So, I think just that mental side of it he’s helped so much with.”
Bluejays head coach Brian Rosen had high praise for Wurtz after the win.
“Early on, she struggled to be able to come back out of timeouts and things like that, to put great serves in,” Rosen said. “She’s grown so much in that feeling of how good of a server she is. Every time she goes back, our team is determined to keep her back there. To break our ace record in only three sets is pretty impressive.”
Wurtz hails from Valley, Nebraska, attending Douglas County West High School where she played volleyball for three years before suffering an injury and missing her senior season. She graduated early, enrolling at Creighton in January of 2024.
“I think just knowing how much this extra semester would help me in the long run,” Wurtz said of her decision to graduate high school early. “I knew coming here early, I was still not able to play because of my injury in high school, but coming here, getting the treatment I need and starting to work with the team early I knew would just be such a blessing. I took a lot of time talking to family and friends on what I should do, and everyone, including myself, just thought it would be the best idea to come.”
Redshirting last season gave Wurtz the opportunity to see volleyball in a different light, giving her a new perspective on the game.
“I learned how to be a better vocal leader and to accept my role, because before that, I had never really not played,” Wurtz said. “To learn to accept my role, and to help the team in whatever way I could, I learned so much about that. It was just amazing. It was a great experience; I’m so happy I did it.”
Creighton’s undergone a lot of changes in the past year with legendary head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth stepping down and Rosen taking over. Rosen has been with the team since 2022, serving as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach in April of 2025. Wurtz described the change as “seamless.”
“Obviously there are differences, but Brian was here since I was here, and he recruited me,” Wurtz said. “So, I feel like that’s helped me a lot with the transition, just always knowing that he’s there and he has always been there for me. There will always be some differences, but it has been the best transition that we could have had.”
Rosen is working very closely with Wurtz, serving as the middle blockers coach, and has had the opportunity to watch her grow.
“I think he’s just such a great person, and his door’s always open,” Wurtz said. “You can always go in and talk to him, you can always talk to him when you’re struggling, and I think that’s such an important quality, and I know that Booth had that as well. So just having that and knowing that he’s always in all of our corners is just so amazing.”
Wurtz is playing for more than just herself, becoming the first Division-I volleyball commit from DC West.
“It’s so amazing to just set that precedent, and just to show other girls that go to small schools that it’s possible if you work hard,” Wurtz said. “That’s the message I want to send, is just you can do whatever you want if you set your mind to it.”
While most of Wurtz’s contributions have come from the service line, Rosen has given her more opportunities to play in the front row as the season has gone on. She’s taken swings in six of Creighton’s last nine matches, totaling 20 kills on .459 hitting during those opportunities. In Friday’s Big East title-clinching win at St. John’s, Rosen gave her the start, and she made the most of it with six kills on nine errorless swings, five blocks and three aces.
No. 12 Creighton will look to complete a clean sweep of the Big East regular season on Saturday at Seton Hall before heading to Milwaukee for the Big East Tournament, and Wurtz will look to continue making an impact in whatever role Rosen asks of her.
