Two weeks ago, the Creighton volleyball team was in the midst of a season-changing run, fighting with Wichita State and Missouri State for the second seed in next week’s MVC Tournament. Unfortunately after a thrilling five-set victory over the Shockers, the Bluejays have lost three straight including last weekend’s losses to league-leading Northern Iowa and last place Bradley. This stretch almost surely has erased the Bluejays’ chances to get the second or even third seed.
Creighton has one regular season match left this season (while most other schools play two), against Drake in Des Moines. Creighton started MVC play by sweeping the Bulldogs in Omaha.
Right now, the Bluejays have to settle for the four seed in the MVC Tournament, but they have to hope that Saturday’s match against Drake will be the thing to give them momentum headed into next week.
As the team prepared this week to take on the Bulldogs, head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth talked to us about her team and what to expect this week.
White & Blue Review: Last weekend probably did not go as you had hoped. Was there anything that happened Friday night against Northern Iowa that led into Saturday against Bradley or did the Braves catch you at a good time?
Kirsten Bernthal Booth: “I think it was two separate things. First of all, Bradley played outstanding. I don’t want to take anything away from them. They were a very, very good team. I think they have been playing good ball. Then we didn’t play our best match. I always tell them at the Division I level, if you don’t come ready to go, then it can bite you. I think that is what happened Saturday night.”
WBR: With a three game losing streak now, what do you tell the team to keep their heads up?
KBB: “I think we are psychologically okay. We beat a good Wichita State team. We lost to a good Missouri State team and a good UNI team. I don’t think those hurt us mentally. Obviously you want to win and move on, but you try to learn from it so if you have an opportunity to play them again you are ready to go.
The Bradley loss obviously hurt a little more. That really hurt us. We felt like we were fighting for an at-large possibility [to the NCAA Tournament]. Now, some luck will have to go our way for us to be in the at-large talk. So that was the disappointing thing on Saturday. But as a coach you use it as a learning opportunity and you have to move forward. If we sit and focus on that we aren’t ready to play Drake and we usually struggle at Drake. So we need to move forward and get better and play to not let it happen in the future.”
WBR: Obviously you want to get a win at Drake this weekend, but what else are you trying to see out of that match?
KBB: ” We are working on a couple of things specifically in the gym that we have to get better at that teams are exploiting. I think that teams are getting a game plan against us and we have to do a better job defending from some different areas. Any team right now is saying they want to play well this weekend so that they feel confident going into the conference tournament. That isn’t any different for us. We really aren’t playing for a seed at this point. We are playing for pride, our record and then momentum.
Drake is playing for their life. Bradley was playing for their life. As coaches we have to make sure our team realizes Drake has everything on the line Saturday night with senior night and many other reasons to be amped up and ready to go. We will need to match that energy.”
WBR: How has Drake changed since playing them at the beginning of conference season to now? Are they a different team?
KBB: “Not dramatically. I have seen them a little bit. They have a different outside than we have played against. They are using their right side a little more. They have two very good middles and a good setter. They are not a dramatically different team, but when we played them last time they didn’t play very well. So I anticipate they will play much better this time.”
WBR: Do you think you have to win the conference tournament now in order to get to the NCAA Tournament postseason?
KBB: “That could be the case. I don’t even want to think ahead. The main thing is that we have Drake and then Illinois State we barely beat last time. They are very, very good. That wasn’t a fluky five-game match. That will be a very tough matchup. Then Northern Iowa. We would have to be for sure in the finals [of the MVC Tournament] to even be in the discussion. That’s a long way ahead. I always think you take one match at a time. Do I think that is doable? I think we are capable, but we are going to have to play three great matches–Drake, Illinois State and UNI to have a shot. But we can’t think ahead right now. Drake is first.”
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NOTES:
- Saturday’s match against Drake can be heard on 1180 KOIL. Creighton Sports Information Director Rob Anderson will be on the call with Rachel Houseman.
- Drake is trying to get the sixth and final seed for the MVC Tournament that will be played next week. A win over the Bluejays is needed to give them a chance to qualify for that final spot.
- Creighton is 9-8 in Des Moines against Drake and has lost the last two at Drake.
- Julianne Mandolfo is now averaging 5.94 digs per set, a figure that would have tied for the national lead last season. She has averaged 6.43 digs per set in her past five matches.
- Creighton dropped five spots to 58th in this week’s RPI rankings. Last year at this time, they were 44th in the RPI.
