Although the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick” wasn’t meant to be applied to sports, it is an apt description of the way Naomi Hickman has transformed herself into a vital part of Creighton’s volleyball team over the last 11 months.
The 6-foot-4 junior middle blocker/right-side hitter isn’t usually the most prominent voice on the court or the first player to the scrum when the cameras show up for a media availability, but her production ever since the calendar flipped to October last year speaks for itself.
This past weekend in Lincoln, Hickman averaged 1.86 kills per set and led the team with a .367 attack percentage in a losing effort against 2nd-ranked Nebraska and 17th-ranked Baylor.
“She had not felt that her and [senior setter Madelyn Cole] had been connecting very well, but I thought they did a better job connecting against Nebraska,” Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. “Like every hitter it’s a work in progress right now, but I think they connected a little bit better — actually a lot better — than they did against Iowa State.”
The start to the 2019 season for Hickman was actually a continuation of a 18-match stretch to end her sophomore campaign. During the first 16 matches of the season last all, the native of Lawrence, Kansas logged a pair of DNP’s and averaged 0.82 kills and 0.95 blocks per set to go along with a .189 attack percentage.
Creighton’s record over that span: 12-4.
Then, as the classic song by Green Day goes, Hickman woke up when September end[ed].
Over the final 18 matches from October through December, she averaged 1.56 kills and 1.33 blocks per set while hitting .291.
Creighton’s record over that span: 17-1.
What changed?
“I wouldn’t say there was necessarily a moment, but there was a realization that I am needed here and it was time to take it up a notch,” Hickman said. “My intensity in practice was definitely one of the things that I was focused on. It was also about being present and not getting caught up in other things going on in life. It was about being here when I’m here. That was a big thing.”
Her competitive nature is something that she says she developed from her family. Look no further for proof of that the fact that she isn’t the only one of four siblings currently playing Division 1 volleyball — her younger sister, Rachel, has already logged 15 kills and 15 digs in her first two career matches at Kansas.
Everyone on the team will vouch for the fact that Naomi Hickman is more likely to smile than snarl on the court, but her “realization” last season combined with that competitive foundation manifests itself in a player that continuously strives to improve.
“She is competitive and she doesn’t fold under pressure,” Booth said. “She steps up and she’s aggressive. If she doesn’t have a good attack or a good match or a good practice, she arrives the next day wanting to get better. You can see it in her face. I think she is a resilient kid. Some people, if they struggle, will maybe take a step back. She’s someone who will say, ‘I want to be more aggressive, I want to be better tomorrow.’ She has a resilient personality.”
Hickman and the 23rd-ranked Bluejays finished up their last practice in Omaha on Wednesday afternoon before heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the UNI Tournament. Creighton will start their three-match slate with No. 12 Kentucky at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 6. They’ll face tournament host, and former Missouri Valley Conference rival, Northern Iowa later that night at 7:30 p.m. before finishing up the weekend against 15th-ranked Southern Cal at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.