Different day, same result. Creighton returned to the Taraflex court at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sunday and closed out the 2024 Bluejay Invitational with their third sweep in as many days. This time, the Jays took out old Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake with scores of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-11 to finish a perfect 9-0 in sets over the first weekend of the season.
Creighton wasn’t as efficient offensively as they were the previous two days of the tournament against NC State and Missouri. They committed 16 attack errors and ended the afternoon with a .231 attack percentage as a team, but they were still able to put together another balanced attack. Norah Sis led the way with a match-high nine kills, Ava Martin and Elise Goetzinger each finished with seven, Jaya Johnson had five, Kiara Reinhardt and Kendra Wait had four apiece, and Destiny Ndam-Simpson tallied three in her first action of the season.
“A really great opening weekend for these guys,” head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. “To come away with three sweeps against three great teams I’m honestly shocked, to be honest, because these weren’t just powder puff teams that we were playing. We were playing three great teams that I think are going to really bode well for us in the long term. I’m really proud of the effort of the team this weekend … we made too many unforced errors, but we also did some great things.”
Creighton’s defense made up for their own dip in termination rate, holding Drake to -.010 hitting. They got progressively stingier as the match wore on. The Bulldogs hit .129 in set one, -.031 in set two, and -.095 in set three. They had more attack errors than kills in both the second and third set.
“You can go through a scout and have a plan, but I think there’s a difference once you get on the court and start feeling some things out,” Booth said. “Going into the third set [Drake outside hitter Macy Daufeldt] was hitting .300 and we talked about that. We said that’s the kid that’s carrying all the load, and she ended up hitting under .100, so we locked into her at the end.
“We did some release blocking. We thought they had some strong tendencies, so we thought we could go one on one in some scenarios. Their setter, even though she was active, it wasn’t like powerful stuff, so we could release block. There were some things that, once we kind of got into a groove, that we felt comfortable enough to take some more risks against these guys than maybe we can against other teams.”
The Bluejays also prevented Drake from scoring behind the service line. The Bulldogs finished the match with no aces and eight service errors. It was the first time all weekend that CU was able to keep from getting aced.
“I think that we passed well overall the past three games,” senior libero Maddy Bilinovic said. “Today, I think we were a little more locked into me pinching the outsides and taking a little more room. Last night, I didn’t think we did that as much, so today we made that a point during the scout. I think we were working well on our seams, and we were in system, and we can do really big things as a team when we’re in system.”
One specific area that carried over from the previous day all weekend was Creighton’s third set performance. They beat NC State 25-13 in game three to finish the sweep on Friday, then beat Missouri 25-18 after intermission to do the same on Saturday. On Sunday, the Bluejays used a 10-0 run midway through set three to put the Drake match on ice with a 25-11 win after the break.
The team couldn’t always rely on that killer instinct when given the chance to put an opponent away last season, especially early in the year. They haven’t squandered those opportunities so far this season.
“I think it shows a maturity,” Booth said. “We’ve got a lot of players that have been on both sides at different times of their career of dropping a third set or winning of third set when you’re down 0-2. We’re playing teams that if they get some momentum, it could switch quickly. I think these guys understand they’ve got to come in focused in that third set and not have any sort of letdown. I think they’ve done that well thus far.”
Kendra Wait was named the Bluejay Invitational Most Valuable Player. Creighton’s All-American senior setter averaged 11.22 assists per set, 3.11 digs per set, 0.89 blocks per set, and hit .421 when she called her own number over the 3-day weekend. She was second on the team in digs behind only Bilinovic, who played against Wait in club, something she said she is glad she no longer has to experience.
“This is really full circle for us to be on the same team, and I’m so happy she’s not across the net for me anymore,” Bilinovic said. “Me and Kendra are doing really well locking in together and building off each other defensively. I know she’s going to put her whole body on the floor, and it just it inspires me to do the same and as well for her, I hope I’m motivating her to get more balls as well.
“I think that she’s a really special and awesome player, and we build off of the plays she makes.”
Norah Sis and Elise Goetzinger joined Wait as the Creighton representatives on the Bluejays Invitational All-Tournament Team. Goetzinger, along with Bilinovic, was making her debut with the Jays over the weekend after transferring in from Kentucky. She averaged an even 3.00 kills per set and 1.00 blocks per set over the weekend. Her .444 attack percentage was tops on the team and the second-best mark of any player at the tournament. Needless to say, she has hit the ground running in her first handful of matches in CU white and blue.
“She’s fun to play with,” senior outside hitter Norah Sis said. “Both her and Maddy bring a very competitive energy to the court. Obviously, we trust them on the court, and they’re very good with their game, but I think their energy and their attitude brings a lot to the court. We always know that if we’re struggling to get out of a rotation or we need a little ‘mmph,’ they’re always going to bring that spark. I think that’s really special.”
The Jays resume their non-conference gauntlet with Thursday’s Creighton Classic opener against No. 21 Southern Cal. The Trojans took six out of seven sets in a two-match series at Pepperdine this weekend. First serve between CU and USC is set for 6:00 p.m. at D.J. Sokol Arena. It’s the first of three Creighton matches this season that will broadcast on Fox Sports 1.