Creighton volleyball coach feeling at ease going into his first season

The Brian Rosen era will be introduced to Crieghton volleyball fans starting Saturday against defending national champions Penn State. Nebraska Public Media’s Aaron Bonderson sat down with the new head coach about taking over for the all-time wins leader at Creighton, Kirsten Bernthal Booth.

Aaron Bonderson: Coach, what do you think it means to lead Creighton volleyball?

Brian Rosen: Wow, what a question. It is not an honor that I take lightly. What coach Booth and Angie even have done for this program over the last 22 years is incredible. They took a three-win program and created a program that's top-10 almost every year. So the opportunity to lead this program is a dream job for me. I really feel like I'm in the place that I want to be forever, for me, for my family, for all of us. And the community of Omaha and the Creighton community has embraced me from day one, and that's really special. And I feel like being the head coach of a volleyball program in Omaha and in the state of Nebraska is unlike anywhere else. I just feel so much love and so much support here.

Bonderson: What have you noticed about what volleyball means to this state, to the city of Omaha?

Rosen: I'd always heard about. Again, I grew up in Florida. I lived in the Carolinas for a long time, and I always heard volleyball is just different in Nebraska. And I was like, okay. And then once you get here, that's when you really realize it. Just everyone in the community cares about this sport and the women who play it and understand how amazing this sport is. So that's great. I know my very first year here, we played Nebraska at [the CHI Health Center] and Coach Booth told me, ‘Make sure at some point you just stop and look around.’ So like during the anthem, I kind of just started looking around a little bit. And to see 16,000 people cheering for volleyball in one place for a regular season game, I never experienced that before. I still get chills thinking about it. And the opportunity to host them again this year is not something I take lightly. And I’m really excited for those opportunities to highlight the state of Nebraska and how good volleyball is here.

Bonderson: Yeah, and that was the, I believe, the attendance record at the time – was in CHI. So did you ever envision being a part of something like that, looking back 5-10, years ago?

Rosen: No, because I never, I don't think I ever dreamed big enough. And I was a high school coach for a long time, and was really successful there. [I] won some state championships, and then I was a coach at Davidson College, which was another incredible experience. I got to work with just amazing people there, and I thought that that's where I would just be forever. One day I’ll be the head coach here. And then that coach pushed me [saying], ‘You're better than this, you're bigger than this. You deserve to be a head coach somewhere.’ So I took an opportunity at a Division II program. I was able to take a three-win program to an NCAA Tournament. And even then I was like, ‘Alright, well, this is awesome. I love this. I get to coach and lead amazing humans.’ And then Coach Booth called and then this opportunity came out. And again, people [said], ‘You're meant for bigger than this.’ And so [I] came to this opportunity. So no, I never saw myself as an assistant or a head coach in these opportunities and something that I look forward to and treasure. And I'm so glad that my family and these athletes and myself can all take part in it.

Bonderson: And what's it like following Coach Booth who built this program, kind of from the ground up?

Rosen: I think in a normal setting, it would be almost impossible. I think because she believed in me and because she pushed me to this position, I feel at ease. I feel comfortable, because I know that she supports me and that she believes in me. And so even if I make a mistake, or we lose a match or maybe we don't get to the Final Four and we fall short of where our goals are, I know I'm in the right place. I know I'm going to do things the right way and treat people the right way. And so her belief in me has given me so much confidence to be where I am right now.

Bonderson: What do you think is next in the sport of women's volleyball, and what role do you see Creighton playing in that?

Rosen: I just hope that Creighton continues to be a top program. And I think what's next, especially for college volleyball, is more national television exposure. And it's slowly getting better and better and better. I think this year we'll have seven matches on national TV. I think some of the Nebraska networks have done incredible with putting us on TV and doing true, real production with it. I mean, I think that's where the sport will continue to grow.

Bonderson: Thanks for your time.

Rosen: Of course.

Hear more conversations about the upcoming season during State of Volleyball: Fall 2025 Preview, on Nebraska Public Media television at 8 p.m. Central Time Thursday.

To start off the Rosen era, Creighton will square off with Penn State at 4 p.m. Central Time Saturday, in the First Serve Showcase at Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena.