This is the final preview of the 2011 Creighton Volleyball team. Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth leads the Bluejays into the regular season starting on Friday, August 26, at the Texas A&M Invitational opening against Texas-San Antonio
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Sanford had a scare last season (Streur/WBR)
When Laurel Sanford went down in the first regular season match last year, Creighton fans took a collective gasp. They were already down a middle blocker with senior Lauren Bloemke out for the season. Did they lose Sanford for the season too?
Luckily it was just a bad sprain. She missed the next four matches and the Bluejays started the season 2-3. Sanford battled back and finished the season leading the team in blocks (115) and named to the All-Valley second team. Coming into 2011, Sanford has a lot of goals this season, her final one as a Bluejay.
“Any team that gets to the NCAA Tournament wants to go back. Creighton as a volleyball team, we want to go back,” noted Sanford. “We want to win every single one of our matches and work on and off the court to get us back to that place where we were last year. We want to win the MVC Tournament and move on to the NCAA Tournament once again.”
Sanford led the team in blocks per set and hitting percentage while ranking second in kills per set. While those are great stats, Sanford has tried to continue improving by working hard in the weight room. “A few of us were in here every day working hard.”
As a senior, Sanford is expected to provide the leadership for the team. She defines her sense of leadership from a freshman to a senior. “As a freshman, you come in and you are kind of shy and timid in front of the upperclassmen.” She continued, “As you grow into your role as a player, you learn how to be a leader. Being a leader as a senior is easy because I have learned from previous seniors how to be that leader and how I should act on and off the court.”
Thorson comes into 2011 an improved player. (Streur/WBR)
That leadership is gradually being passed on to Heather Thorson. Injuries threw her into action last season and she was asked to do a lot right away. As the season went on, she grew a lot during last season starting 26 of the 31 matches she played in. The improvement throughout the season shone brightly on Heather once the Bluejays were in the postseason. She had 11 kills while hitting .400 in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals vs. Drake and had a career-best 12 kills on .375 hitting against Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament. During the offseason coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth was impressed with how the junior has improved in her time at Creighton.
“She really has a goal of being a go-to and she has worked hard to do that in the spring and I thought she did a nice job of doing that.”
A little depth appeared to be created when Savannah Smith was thrown into the mix last season as a freshman. “This year I feel prepared if I do get to play,” said Smith. “I was kind of shocked to be thrown in last year, but now I feel more confident.”
This season Smith was actually being looked at to move to the outside positions. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered Smith from being able contribute heading into this season. “I’m still struggling through injuries like I did last season with my left shoulder. I have had surgery on it twice now.” Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth mentioned at media day that Savannah will likely redshirt this season. However, that will not deter her from cheering on her teammates. “I’m still giving it my all so it flows out on the court. I’m still cheering everyone on.”
The newcomers this season are Kelli Browning and Lizzy Stivers. Browning will likely see playing time right away if the Blue-White scrimmage was any indication despite the early season jitters. But we know the freshmen possess a lot of talent coming in and both ladies could be in the mix by the midseason.
In the end, the Bluejays have many goals for the season, but one that has been mentioned often in the preseason is the desire to beat Northern Iowa once they get into conference season. Creighton has an all-time 3-38 record against the Panthers. Sanford voiced her desire for a victory against them. “They are a very tough team. We just need to come out strong, ready to play, and bring our A game.” Until the first meeting in mid-October, the Bluejays will try to again create some magic they created last season that culminated at the NCAA Tournament.