This month on Legends Rock, we’re joined by the incredible Kirsten Bernthal Booth, the longtime head coach who transformed Creighton Volleyball into a national powerhouse. But before the record wins, conference titles, and NCAA Tournament runs, Kirsten was a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln East, competing in gymnastics, swimming, and eventually becoming a state tennis champion.

We take it back to her roots—her family (including ties to Wayne State and NHSS Hall of Famer Denny Smith), the influence of coaching legend Myron Oehlerking, and her path from Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State), where she was the 1993 National Freshman of the Year, a 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, and later a Hall of Fame inductee.

From a graduate assistantship at Iowa to a run at Kirkwood CC and eventually landing the head coaching job at Creighton in 2003, Kirsten shares the moments, mentors, and decisions that shaped her journey. We talk about her connection with fellow Creighton legends like Jim Flanery, Dana Altman and Greg McDermott, the culture she built, and why she chose to stay with the Bluejays—even when other offers came calling.

It’s an inspiring conversation with one of Nebraska’s true coaching legends.