Two years ago, the Creighton volleyball team went to the first NCAA Tournament in program history as an at-large team. Getting the opportunity to be in the tournament was something special and they opened tournament play against Iowa State in Minneapolis. With no expectations placed on the team, they shocked a lot of people by knocking off the #16 Cyclones and advancing to the second round. Although they were swept the next day by host Minnesota, that taste of the NCAA Tournament made current seniors Heather Thorson, Megan Bober, and Brooke Boggs want to go back even more.
“I think we have had a confidence-boosting year. We have our goal board in our locker room and we have definitely checked off a lot of those goals,” said Thorson. “Creighton is really making a name for themselves and it is a great university and it is great that we are able to go back to the NCAA Tournament, which we had a taste of two years ago. It was so much fun.”
After a bump in the road last season and missing the postseason, the Bluejays are making a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and a return trip to Minnesota. However, this time they aren’t just happy that they are there. They want to advance even farther.
“We beat Iowa State in a fifth game two years ago,” said head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. “This is what I like about this team. It is a toss-up, we could win or we could lose, but this team expects to win. I think two years ago we were hoping to win and fortunately we did. There is going to be a lot of disappointment if we don’t come out and play well. I have full expectation that we have been playing well for the past two months and that they can do that.”
Although the pressure is high to take the program to the next level, Bernthal Booth and her staff have done what they can to help the team relax a little on this trip to Minnesota. The team went to the Mall of America on Thursday to do a little Christmas shopping, since the Bluejays were busy winning the MVC tournament last weekend while others were out Black Friday shopping.
The Bluejays are riding a high with a lot of confidence finishing the regular season 28-3. They are also riding a 16-match winning streak that dates back to September 28. Over the final two months of the season, there were times that the Bluejays were challenged, but they always had enough to win those close matches. Just two weeks ago, the Bluejays rallied to win five-set matches on consecutive days to finish the regular season. CU went down 0-2 against Wichita State including avoiding match point in the fifth set to win and against Missouri State when they were down again in the fifth set and came back to win.
Last week in the MVC Tournament finals against Wichita State, Creighton was up 2-0 and it appeared the match would at least go to a fourth set with the Bluejays down 19-12. However, Creighton went on an amazing 13-4 run to sweep the Shockers and win their first ever MVC Tournament Championship.
“This year we’ve won a lot of five-gamers; this team knows how to win. We really preach in our system that if we lose, we go down swinging. I think this team gets that when crunch time hits, they step up and seem to play well,” said Bernthal Booth.
The MVC regular season and tournament champs got their assignment to Minnesota opening against Marquette on Friday. With Kansas State and Northern Iowa, two Creighton opponents earlier this season, in the mix for the NCAA Tournament as well, the committee tried to keep the Bluejays from playing them again. Those teams went to Lincoln, while the Jays went north.
The four teams in the region — Creighton, Marquette, Minnesota, and Liberty — comprise one of the more balanced sub-regionals. Any team can emerge as the winner and head to West Lafayette, Indiana, next weekend. Bernthal Booth hopes her Bluejays will be that team.
“This team is never going to give up. The key thing is that we have to be aggressive. They have done a nice job in the non-conference season when we don’t know teams very well, adapting to game plans quickly.”
Marquette comes into the match against the Bluejays at 27-6. Both teams have played matches against 8 NCAA Tournament bound teams. The big difference is that the Bluejays are 7-2 against this year’s tournament teams, while Marquette is 4-4, including three losses against Louisville. They both played Northern Iowa this season. Creighton went 2-0 and Marquette lost to the Panthers.
“They are a great, very physical team,” said Bernthal Booth. “They remind me some of Wichita State where they are very offensive oriented. They are really, really good. We can’t let them get into system or they will terminate at will. We have to force them to be uncomfortable.”
All season, this Bluejay team has been very balanced and team chemistry has carried them. The opportunity is there for them and they hope to make some noise in Minnesota.
“It should be a good battle,” said Bernthal Booth. “I’m good friends with the coach, which makes me want to win even more. We have a motivated group where we have a lot of leadership. They get it. It is the NCAA Tournament. If I have to fire them for this match, they will be pumped up and ready to go.”
***
Media Menu:
- You can watch the Bluejays take on Marquette at 4:30 p.m. on a live web stream
- You can also catch the game on the radio locally on 1180 AM the Zone2 or online.
- Live Stats will be available as well.
- Should the Bluejays advance to the second round, live video will be available and the radio broadcast would be on KOIL 1290 AM or online. The match will start at 6:00 p.m.
Notes:
- Creighton is 184-1 undert Bernthal Booth wehn it reaches a match point opportunity.
- 10 of the Bluejay wins this season were against last season’s NCAA Tournament teams.
- Winning set #1 is important. In the last 165 matches where Creighton wins the fist set, they are 148-13. They are 23-0 this season when winning he opening se of a match.
- If Kelli Browning gets 8 or more blocks this weekend, she will own the program record for block assists in a season.
- Megan Bober won he MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP last weekend. She is in line for All-American honors for the second time in three seasons. She has also started 126 consecutive matches, a Creighton record.
