This week, the good folks in the Creighton Sports Information Department released the Bluejay volleyball team’s media guide.
Media guides are special. Chalked full of valuable information, these tomes give die-hard fans a comprehensive look into their favorite sports. And the amount of obscure info available in these guides is amazing.
We at White & Blue Review took some time to peruse the 2009 Creighton Volleyball Media Guide, and we want to share some of the interesting information presented in the 60-plus page book.
Ryan Center and Sokol Arena
Several of the first pages at the front of the media guide pertain to the creation of the Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena. Some great photos adorn these pages, along with some interesting notes about the development:
More than 182,000 bricks, 654 tons of steel, and 30 miles of electrical wire were used during construction, which employed up to 115 workers at one time. The height of the roof ridge is 78′-10″ above the arena floor, with a ceiling fan measuring 20 feet in diameter spinning high above the playing surface.
And while the dimensions and construction details the volleyball team’s new digs are interesting, what’s more notable is exactly how far this program has come in terms of its home venue.
- When Creighton reinstituted volleyball in 1994 the team played its home games in the Kiewit Fitness Center. That’s right; on the same court where out-of-shape college co-eds sweated out their Brandeis and Becker lunches and who knows how many six packs of cheap domestic beer, Creighton’s volleyball program was resurrected.
- Then it was off to the local high school gyms. The Bluejays called Skutt High School, Marian High School, and Omaha South High School home at one time or another from 1997 through 2005.
- For the past five years the Bluejays have played volleyball at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, while sprinkling in a few home games at the Qwest Center.
The program now has an on-campus facility to build around for decades to come.
Breast Cancer Awareness
One date to put on your calendar this season is October 24, 2009. That night, the volleyball program hosts its third annual “Digging for the Cure” event supporting breast cancer awareness. Creighton fans are asked to leave the White and Blue at home and instead wear pink to the game. The volleyball team will wear specially designed pink uniforms that evening against Indiana St. The media guide notes that more than 100 schools nationwide combined to collect more than $230,000 last October in similar fundraisers.
The Coach
Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters her 7th season leading the Creighton volleyball program. She is the only coach in Creighton’s modern volleyball history to win 100 matches (106 at the start of 2009).
The media guide features a multiple page profile of Booth, including a Q&A. One item she tackles is the consistency of her coaching staff.
Assistant coaches Paul Giesselmann and Angie Oxley Behrens have been with you here all seven years. How does that staff consistency help?
I’ve been so fortunate to surround myself with what I think is an amazing staff. We get along so well as a staff. We challenge each other daily but we’ve also gotten to know each others in’s and out’s. What that means on the court is that we’re teaching the same thing so that players aren’t hearing something from one coach and then another thing from a different coach.
Stats, Stats, and More Stats
A large part of the media guide is dedicated to player profiles and the program’s all-time stats and history. Compiling this kind of information is complicated and no doubt exhausting, and Rob Anderson, Rob Simms, and the rest of the folks in the Creighton Sports Information Office do a spectacular job looking under every statistical rock to find historical and entertaining numbers and breakdowns. For instance:
- If you wanted to know which month had the most players with birthdays, the answer is February.
- If you want to know the history of the program, Creighton’s first volleyball experience ended in 1979 and the sport returned to the school in 1994.
- If you want to know what opponent has given Creighton the hardest time over the years, the answer is Northern Iowa (CU is 3-32 against the Panthers all-time).
Ultimately, the media guide is a great source of information. And for the budding volleyball fan, the guide is a good way to catch up on what you have missed the past 15 years. You can download your own today, or pay $10 to get a nice hardcopy. Enjoy – there will be a quiz later.
Stay tuned for our volleyball preview next week leading up to the Blue-White game on Saturday, August 22..
