Karisa Almgren and Laurel Sanford look to lead to another NCAA Tournament
On Thursday, the Creighton Volleyball team hopes to find success in the MVC Tournament looking for another opportunity to get to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. For Laurel Sanford and Karisa Almgren, it is their final chance to continue to make history for a program that has took leaps and bounds during their four years on the Hilltop.
Almgren has enjoyed watching this program to grow.
“Reflecting on four years, I have seen this grow just because you are a freshman and you don’t necessarily know what is going on and then being a senior you know what expectations are. Being involved with the program for four years is something really special. With the coaching change about halfway through with the addition of Tom [Mendoza] and adding Amanda [Gates Sjuts] that was a huge shift with culture and the way players reacted to things. That was a great move. It has definitely changed and changed me over those four years.”
Sanford will finish in the top 5 at Creighton in career blocks
Sanford, from Eagan, Minnesota has been a stalwart in the Creighton rotation starting 85 of the 106 matches she has been in during her career. She currently ranks fourth in Creighton history in blocks with 411 after starting the season at ninth. Depending on what happens over the next week or so, she could finish as high as third. During her four years, she appreciates most about what the coaching staff has done to help make her a better player.
“I think dating back to a freshmen, Kirsten [Bernthal Booth], [former assistant] Paul [Gesselman] and Angie [Oxley Behrens] taught me to be a tough player. I came in practice and cried every day and became mentally tough, so I think I have developed as a player over my four years of not letting myself get frustrated on the court and let the other team know I am frustrated.”
Almgren, on the other hand, has not gotten as much attention for her efforts as Sanford, but has emerged as a key player over the past two seasons and is by far the emotional leader of the team with her foot stomps and battle cries after each volley. The senior from Edmond, Oklahoma will be the first tell you that she is driven and wished personally she could have accomplished more. “I’d by lying if I told you yes I accomplished everything I wanted. There are always things you want to change and outcomes of games, things like that. I loved this season, I can say that. But I don’t think I have accomplished everything I wanted to or what I wanted our team to do necessarily, but there is always room to be improved and always more that you want to do.”
Time has gone quickly for both. “It’s been fun,” said Almgren. “It’s impossible to be a senior and not have fun your senior season. I’ve had so much fun with all the girls, getting to know the freshmen and getting to know the returners better.”
Almgren leaves it out on the court.
This season has been a bunch of ups and downs with a young team trying to fill some holes left by Allie Oelke and Alicia Runge. Sanford, Almgren and junior Megan Bober anchored the Bluejay volleyball team this season and although they probably are not where they would like to be, it was still a successful season for the Bluejays. “It has definitely been a struggle at certain points of the season,” said Almgren. “This is the step you make your memories out of.” But Almgren and Sanford want more.
This week at the MVC Tournament could be the last games of their career and they realize that. “There is a lot of pressure–a lot going into the conference tournament,” said Almgren. “There’s pressure trying to live up to last year getting another year up on that banner and being a senior. I don’t necessarily feel it is more than normal. Just because it is a conference tournament, there is going to always be that pressure on it no matter what. We want to do really, really well this week and have a chance to continue on.”
From Sanford’s standpoint, the MVC Tournament is just another game as far as preparation. “We’ve been in practice the same amount of time and lifting, but we really haven’t changed anything in preparing this week.” She, like Almgren, see these as just another set of matches. “Obviously I don’t want it to end. I’m going to cherish every moment when I put on my jersey and take it in as being part of the Creighton family and keeping history alive, hopefully making it farther than last year.”
The Bluejays open MVC Tournament play Thanksgiving night against Illinois State. Although they won’t be celebrating with their families, their teammates and coaches are their family. “We’re having Thanksgiving dinner tonight (Tuesday) as a team like probably every other team in the conference right now. ” said Sanford. “There are steps to take before we can look at the NCAA Tournament and I think just focusing first on Illinois State, then UNI and the next match. We have to focus on the little things before we can look at going to the Big Dance.”
“I wish I could stay forever,” said Sanford. “But sometime there has to be an end. Once a Jay, always a Jay.”
