This is part two in our 2012 preview of the Creighton Volleyball Team. Today we look at the MVC conference opponents.
Part 1: Non-Conference Schedule breakdown
The Missouri Valley Conference is a pretty big player when it comes to volleyball. The casual fan may not know this, but the Valley sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament last season. Anchored by Northern Iowa, the league sat as one of the top conferences in the nation in the volleyball RPI. Not only did the Panthers go to the NCAA Tournament, but the conference also sent Wichita State and Missouri State.
Creighton didn’t get an invite, one year after making the program’s first NCAA Tournament and winning a first-round match. Can the Bluejays return to the tournament this season? The Valley could be just as tough and talented as it was in 2011.
Northern Iowa
The Panthers are definitely the face of the MVC in volleyball. UNI has dominated in league play over the past three seasons, going undefeated during that stretch (27-0) and finishing last season with a 32-2 overall record. The Panthers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2011, too. A couple of their seniors in 2012 have never lost an MVC regular season match or MVC tournament match during their career, which is absolutely amazing.
UNI returns four starters and the libero. Although MVC Player of the Year Bre Payton and All-MVC middle blocker Michelle Burow have graduated, they still return two All-MVC players in Krista DeGeest and Amy Braun. UNI heads into this season ranked #21 in the AVCA preseason poll.
Creighton fans will want to circle October 5 on their calendar; that’s when the Panthers come Sokol Arena. The Bluejays are 3-21 under Kirsten Bernthal Booth against UNI (3-40 all-time). However, Creighton was the last team to defeat Northern Iowa in an MVC regular season match (November 21, 2008).
Wichita State
The Shockers went to the NCAA Tournament last season and finished the year 21-11. They will likely contend this season in the MVC race; four starters are back, including All-MVC hitter Emily Adney and a pair of middle blockers that were second team all-MVC performers last season (Ashley Andrade and Elizabeth Field). They will be fielding a new setter however after the graduation of one of the best in Shocker history, Mary Elizabeth Hooper. Wichita State received votes in this season’s preseason poll. Veteran coach Chris Lamb will have another team ready to go.
The Bluejays and the Shockers always have a great rivalry regardless of the sport. Whether it is basketball, baseball or volleyball, both teams play with a different intensity when they get together. The home match this season with Wichita State is very early in the conference season (September 15). The Shockers have a slight 21-18 record advantage over the Bluejays all time, but CU has won five of the past eight meetings.
Missouri State
The Bears went to the NCAA Tournament last season, too, finishing 22-9 with a loss to Pepperdine in the first round. This is a young team with a lot of experience. Setter Carly Thomas came on strong last year and finished with first team All-MVC honors. Two MSU freshmen, Olivia Brand (MVC Freshman of the Year) and Kaitlin Jaeger, were on the MVC All-Freshman squad. They will have the senior leadership of outside hitter Karen Rivatto, also. Missouri State will have another tough team this season.
Creighton has struggled with Missouri State in the past, posting a 7-30 record all time against the Bears. Missouri State and Wichita State are always paired as travel partners each year, meaning Creighton usually has to play both teams in the same weekend at home and on the road. It is no different this season as Creighton takes on Missouri State in Omaha to open the conference season on September 14. The Bluejays then finish the regular season on the road at Missouri State and Wichita State. Those four matches will have huge implications on the conference season and whether MSU, CU, or WSU can keep pace (or possibly dethrone) UNI.
Illinois State
The Redbirds are a program on the rise. They finished 18-14 last year and placed fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. You could sense the improvement by Illinois State at the end of the season, when they took Creighton to the wire in Normal after being swept by the Bluejays early in the conference season in Omaha. Then the Redbirds ended Creighton’s season in the first round of the MVC tournament. They are a somewhat young team as well, with 10 sophomores and juniors on the roster seeing playing time last season including All-Valley first teamer LeighAnn Hranka. The Redbirds’ strength is in the middle, as they placed a middle blocker on each of the three MVC postseason teams (First, Second, Freshman)
Creighton is 15-25 all-time against the Redbirds and host them at Sokol Arena on Senior Night, November 10.
Indiana State
The Sycamores are a team that has a lot of question marks going into the season. They finished 14-17 last season, sixth in the conference. They only have two starters returning and it will be an interesting fifth season for head coach Traci Dahl.
The Bluejays are 28-9 all-time against Indiana State and have dominated the Sycamores recently. In fact, the Bluejays haven’t dropped a set to Indiana State in their past five meetings. This could be a long season for the Trees.
Bradley
Bradley broke in a new head coach last season and had to endure some troubling times, going 12-16 and tying for seventh in the MVC. This season the Braves have two seniors to lead the way, Madelyn Ervin and Jessica McNellis. They’ll lead a roster that has five freshmen and three sophomores. One of their goals this season is to make the MVC Tournament, which takes only the top six teams in the league. They haven’t been in the postseason conference tournament since 2005. Creighton leads the series 22-14 including a 16-2 mark under Coach Bernthal Booth.
Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is a volleyball team that is still looking to rise as a program. They have nowhere to go but up. The Salukis welcomed a new head coach last season and they finished last in the lead with a 3-15 conference record. The good news is that they return all six starters and their libero to start the season. Alysia Mays earned second team All-MVC honors last year and leads the way for an SIU roster that includes seven juniors and seniors.
The Bluejays have never lost a match to Southern Illinois during Bernthal Booth’s tenure. You would have to go back in the record books to 2002 for the last Saluki victory over the Bluejays in volleyball.
Drake
Drake was the third team to have a new head coach last season. The Bulldogs struggled, finishing 9-23. They lost their final seven matches of the season. Heading into 2012, DU returns one starter and their libero. Their roster includes six returning players to go along with six freshmen. The Bulldogs are sort of starting from scratch and will try to stay out of the cellar this season.
Evansville
The Purple Aces are still trying to build their program under head coach Mike Swan, who enters his 10th season at Evansville. The Aces finished 14-19 last season and ninth in the league. Outside hitter Ashley Ring will lead the way after making it on the Valley All-Freshman team last season. They don’t completely have to start over like some teams as they have three starters and their libero returning for the 2012 campaign.
The Bluejays swept them last season in their two meetings. In fact, the Bluejays have swept the last five matches with the Aces.
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The MVC season will be competitive at the top of the league as it has in the past. It will be interesting to see if any of the bottom five teams step up this season to make the league even stronger in 2012.
The Bluejays kick off their season with the annual Blue & White Scrimmage at Sokol Arena on Friday night, August 17.
Next week we will continue our preview with a more in-depth look at the 2012 Creighton Volleyball team with player profiles and position breakdowns.