Assistant Coach Angie Oxley Behrens

A former national champion and four-year starter at the University of Nebraska, Angie Oxley Behrens returns for her ninth season as an assistant coach at Creighton. An original member of Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s staff, she is the longest tenured assistant coach in program history.

Behrens works closely with Creighton’s outside hitters while also assisting with scouting and recruiting.

The last eight years have seen the Creighton team record its top six single-season kill totals all-time, as well as the top five individual single-season marks that were set by Leah Ratzlaff, Alicia Runge and Kelly Goc.

Behrens has also trained four players to a spot on the MVC’s All-Freshman team, middle blockers Goc (2004) and Jessica Houts (2005) as well as outside hitters Carolyn Decker (2004) and Allie Oelke (2007). Oelke became the program’s first player named Valley Freshman of the Year as well.

Behrens has seen Creighton go 141-101 in her eight completed seasons on the bench.

While at NU, Behrens won three Big 12 titles, was named 1997 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was chosen as the University’s female student-athlete of the year in 2001 after leading the Cornhuskers to a 34-0 mark and national title in the fall of 2000 as a senior

She closed her career as the NU’s all-time digs leader with 1,086.

In the classroom, Behrens was a Chancellor’s Scholar and four-time Highest Honors Distinction Medal honoree. She also was a four-year academic All-Big 12 selection, a recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and one of 10 finalists for the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year. She was also a member of the Mortar Board Honor Society, Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society, Golden Key, 2000 Homecoming Royalty Court and the Dean’s List.

Along with her coaching duties, Behrens helps organize Creighton’s volleyball camps in addition to her role in the Bluejay compliance office.

Behrens and her husband, Matt, were married in June of 2006. The couple resides in Lincoln with their son, Logan (1).

Assistant Coach Tom Mendoza

Tom Mendoza begins his second year as an assistant coach at Creighton, after helping the Jays reach unprecedented heights in his first campaign.

Mendoza serves as the program’s recruiting coordinator, and aids with practice, scouting and other facets of the program. He also works directly with Creighton’s setters and middle blockers.

He was hired at Creighton in June of 2010 after spending the 2009 season at the University of Evansville. While with the Purple Aces, Mendoza worked with the setters, outside hitters and primary passers. He also recruited for the Purple Aces program.

“The number one thing I look for when hiring is high character,” said Kirsten Bernthal Booth, upon his hiring. “Tom is a high character person in addition to being a fantastic coach. He was an outstanding collegiate player and we look forward to him bringing in new training ideas to enhance our team.”

Mendoza, a native of Buffalo Grove, Ill., arrived at UE after spending two seasons as the volunteer assistant at Michigan State. While at Michigan State, Mendoza and the Spartans appeared in the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2007. He also served on the Michigan State volleyball summer camp staff in 2007 and 2008 and was the director of Spartan Session volleyball camps and clinics.

A three-year letterwinner in volleyball at Newman University and a one-year letterwinner at Lewis University, Mendoza had an outstanding playing career. He was a 10-time Mid-America Men’s Volleyball Intercollegiate Conference Setter of the Week and was a three-time all-conference selection. During his playing career, he was also named a NAIA All-American.

Mendoza served as the head coach of the Spartan Junior 16 Girls club team that finished first in the Michigan Power League. He was also the head coach for the Juggernaut Volleyball Club in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and the Sports Performance 15 Elite Boys that earned fifth place at the Junior Olympic Nationals.

Mendoza received his bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.

He is single and resides in Omaha.

Assistant Coach Amanda Gates Sjuts

Former University of Nebraska middle blocker Amanda (Gates) Sjuts enters her second season as a volunteer assistant at Creighton.

Sjuts’ primary responsibilities are helping with practices -- specifically training middle blockers -- as well as some administrative tasks.

A native of Columbus, Neb., she competed at Nebraska from 2005-08 under her maiden name of Amanda Gates. She enjoyed a decorated career with the Huskers as part of a senior class that went 127-8 over four years as the Cornhuskers won the national title in 2006, were NCAA runners-up in 2005, reached the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2008 and the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007.

In 2008, she was named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American in addition to honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades while serving as a Husker tri-captain. She was a recipient of Postgraduate Scholarships from both the NCAA and Big 12 Conference, a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick and was a nine-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

She resides in Omaha with her husband of one year, Anthony.