“It’s been good to do some reflecting the last couple of days as I’ve prepared for this moment and try to get through it,” Kirsten Bernthal Booth said, before starting with her farewell speech. Yet all the preparation in the world couldn’t help the Bluejays from coach choking up. And how could it? The Creighton Volleyball coach spent 22 years with the program, taking them from 3-23 in 2003 to 32-3 in 2024. Results that turned the tables.

Yet, that same emotion was absent in the words of Creighton’s athletic director, Marcus Blossom. The AD’s speech recounting Booth’s immense contribution to the program was so generic, that it stood out to those who tuned in to the farewell press conference. The hint of awkwardness was so palpable that legendary Huskers coach Terry Pettitt couldn’t help but put his observations out there.

While Pettitt admitted he didn’t know Marcus Blossom, the 79-year-old doubted if the AD “knew Kristen,” either. “Blossom continually referred to her as ‘Booth.’ He never made eye contact, and everything he said sounded like it had been taken from a media guide,” wrote the national championship-winning coach. All this, and the “data” Blossom read off a sheet, made his account of the Creighton volleyball coach sound even more impersonal to Pettitt.

Pettitt also found it surprising Blossom didn’t recall a single “personal anecdotes, stories, or memories,” with Kirsten Bernthal Booth. “Maybe he was in shock. Maybe this isn’t a talent he has. Or maybe he didn’t make the effort to develop a relationship with an extraordinary human on his team,” guessed the retired coach. This was in stark contrast to how John Cook‘s retirement played out.

Cook’s sudden retirement at the end of January stunned the volleyball world, and Nebraska’s athletic director Troy Dannen was equally emotional. While he respected Coach Cook’s decision to retire, Dannen has tried his best to keep the 68-year-old with the Huskers, at least as an advisor. Thankfully, Creighton Volleyball’s new coach honored his mentor with the personal touch Pettitt had been looking for.

Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s legacy will live on through Creighton volleyball

While Booth’s time with the Creighton Bluejays has ended after 22 seasons with over 500 wins, her protégé will begin a new chapter as head coach. Creighton announced that Booth’s now-former assistant coach Brian Rosen will replace her as the new head coach. To say Rosen was grateful for the opportunity would be an understatement.

Brian Rosen took to Instagram to share some of his most special memories with Coach Booth. Creighton Volleyball’s new coach shared never-before-seen images of the duo and the rest of the coaching team. “Where to even begin…” wrote Rosen. “For the past 3 years I got to work with the greatest coach in all of volleyball, who built a volleyball powerhouse,” he continued.

Rosen explained Kirsten Bernthal Booth has been a role model for him and everyone in the university’s volleyball program. So the new head coach wants his tenure to feel more like a continuation rather than an overhaul. After all, Booth was the one who taught him how things worked at Creighton. Brain Rosen was grateful he got to know Coach Booth as a friend, too.

And so the head coach made a promise: “To continue to protect the values and culture that she’s established here. Once a Jay, always a Jay!!!” Last year, the Creighton volleyball team made it to the NCAA quarterfinals and lost to eventual champions Penn State. Now the question is: Will Rosen be able to replicate Booth’s magic? Meanwhile, the veteran coach will step into the world of pro volleyball with League One Volleyball (LOVB).