The Bluejays are in first place in the MVC (Spomer/WBR)
For the first time in recent history, there is a new leader at the top of the standings in Missouri Valley Conference play in the sport of volleyball. Northern Iowa, who had won 59 straight regular season conference matches spanning more than three seasons, were knocked off by Creighton last weekend. But for the Bluejays, it wasn’t easy.
Creighton started the match by losing the first set 25-22, but then turned things completely around to take the next three sets and walk of the court with a victory in front of a packed D.J. Sokol Arena that was a contributor in the win.
“It was awesome. We were fortunate, no question that (the fans) impacted the match,” said head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. “They probably helped us about 2-3 points a game. They were into it, they were loud and it was a great atmosphere.”
Bernthal Booth looked at the victory as a great win. “Any time you beat a good team you are excited about it,” said Bernthal Booth. “We have beaten some good teams and it felt like that. It was fun doing it on our home court with a lot of people to celebrate it.”
While the victory over Bradley on Saturday was probably an afterthought to most fans, it was still an important victory as every game is in conference play.
“One thing we have been struggling with is making sure we are playing great at all times with consistency, especially against teams maybe we are supposed to beat like Bradley. We dropped our most inconsistent match.”
Now with a big target on their back, the Bluejays spend the next two weekends away from the comforts of home as they play their next three matches on the road. In fact, they play seven of their final eleven matches on the road, so it will not be easy to stay on top. An added factor is midterms being held this week.
“Every match in the Valley is very, very good. The fact that we are playing well right now, teams want to beat you. We have to be prepared for teams to play very well. We are playing some teams with some momentum on their home court. We will need to be ready to go,” said Booth.
First up this weekend is Illinois State on Friday night. The Redbirds are 10-7 this season while the Sycamores are sitting at 3-14. Creighton remembers the last time they played Illinois State, as they were the ones to end the Bluejays season last year in the first round of the MVC Tournament. However, Booth downplayed that memory.
“We haven’t talked about that, but I think the returners respect Illinois State and they return most of their players from last year,” said Booth. “When they click they are really good.”
The Redbirds boast one of the best freshmen in the league in Ashley Rosch who leads Illinois State in kills. On the other hand, the Bluejays feature a freshman of their own in Melanie Jereb, who has started every match this season and a big key to the team’s success. Both Rosch and Jereb played together in high school as well as the same club team in the offseason. Jereb is excited to play against Rosch for the first time.
“We have been on the same club and high school team and have never played against her. It will be different, really different on the other side of the net,” said Jereb.
Jereb has filled an important role in the front row as well as her serving capabilities. At the same time, she has been pretty accurate in her hitting, not committing an attack error in her last 108 attempts. She attributes her success so far to her teammates.
“It has been really fun,” said Jereb. “I really feel like my teammates have brought me up and continue to show me the ropes. Due to them, I have that success. They have taught me to be strong, confident woman out there on the court when I am really young and there are so many girls bigger, stronger and smarter than me and to deal with that.”
Her early play doesn’t surprise her coach.
“I’m not surprised. You never know for sure until a kid gets into the gym and how they respond to the game, but Mel has played at the highest high school level, we know she was a winner and watched her play a fair amount. She has definitely excelled in those expectations.”
On Saturday, Creighton makes a stop at Indiana State. Their record of 3-14 sort of explains it all. The Bluejays have had a lot of success against the Sycamores winning the past 14 meetings including sweeps in 13 of them. But every game is important in MVC play.
Creighton is building quite a resume to return to the NCAA Tournament and started receiving votes again towards the top 25. With a team full of confidence, they could be well on their way.
NOTES:
- This weekend only Friday night’s game against Illinois State will be broadcast on the radio. You can listen to the match on The Mighty 1290 AM. Saturday’s match against Indiana State will only be available through live stats.
- Creighton has just 283 attack errors in 68 sets this season compared to 459 attack errors by its opponents.
- Each of Creighton’s last five matches have been four-set contests, improving the Jays to 9-1 this year.
- Creighton has never swept Illinois State in 40 meetings, but has swept Indiana State in 13 of its past 14 meetings with the Sycamores.