It’s not quite time to start the ‘survive and advance’ mantra, but it’s close enough to the point where the Creighton volleyball team is looking to solidify individual roles and perform at the level they expected to perform at when this highly anticipated season got underway in the fall. Friday night proved to be a positive step in that direction as the Bluejays put away the visiting Georgetown Hoyas (10-19 overall, 4-12 Big East) in three sets (25-19, 25-17, 27-25) to improve their overall record to 20-7 on the season as well as stay alive for 2nd-place in the Big East regular season standings with an 11-4 mark in conference play.
“I thought there were a lot of good things tonight,” said Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. “I thought we got some offensive rhythm … we’ve really struggled with that for the last couple of weeks, so that was good.”
That rhythm was evident in the stat sheet as four Bluejays had at least eight kills, including three players with at least 10, led by true freshman Jess Bird’s match-high 11 kills, eight of which came in the second set. Bird, 11 kills and 11 digs, and junior setter Michelle Sicner each finished with double-doubles in the sweep of the Hoyas. Sicner led all players with 36 assists to go along with a team-high 16 digs. It was the first time in over a month that she’s posted in double figures in digs, and she earned every one of them tonight as she dove all over the floor to help save points for her team.
“I was actually kind of nervous about my defense tonight,” Sicner said. “I feel like you always have to have that mentality of not letting the ball touch the ground, especially in my head thinking I wasn’t going to do very well at it. I know I had to put more effort into it so that’s what I did.”
Sicner started at setter tonight and has appeared to settle back into that role after recording a DNP (did not play) at Villanova on Nov. 8, playing just one set at Georgetown a day later, and splitting time with sophomore Ashley Jansen in two road matches last weekend at St. John’s and Seton Hall. No injury has or suspension has been talked about, and it appears the situation has been resolved in time for the final weekend of the regular season.
“We just had some team stuff that we needed to work out,” said Sicner when asked about the primary setter role. Performances like tonight will help keep that topic at bay. She had 28 of her 36 assists in the final two sets as the Creighton offense got better as the match progressed. Junior Leah McNary carried the Jays in the first set with six kills and no attack errors in the opening game. Then Bird bounced back after committing five attack errors in the first set to register eight kills in helping the Jays take a 2-0 lead into intermission. After the break, it was a combination of Bird, McNary, and middle blockers Lauren Smith and Kelli Browning finishing off points for the Bluejays. Thanks to those four it was the 13th time this season that Creighton has had four or more players record at least eight kills in a match. The Bluejays are 12-1 in those matches as the offensive parity this team has at it’s disposal continues to prove to be a deciding factor in their success.
“Our hitting numbers are not great, what happened was players played a great game,” Booth said. “For us to take that step at the end of the season and go where we want to go we’re going to need that in every game. Jess struggled in the first game, but Leah played great. Jess was great in the second game, and then you talked about our middles late. Our goal is that that’s the case in every single game — that all of them are making that. That’s the next objective. I like that we have parity. We’re definitely not a team where one player has to carry us, which I think is fortunate.”
Booth is trying to bring out everyone’s best games at the most important time. Throughout the match Booth was smiling and constantly encouraging her group, something she says was a conscious effort on her part to loosen up this team that is still carrying the weight of those preseason expectations.
“I’m a firm believer with any team that if you’re enjoying what you’re doing then you’re going to play better,” Booth said. “We’ve talked about that with the team a lot. Let’s go and play a game that we love and I think that will lead to better play.”
The team will wrap up the regular season with a 1 p.m. home match this Sunday against Villanova (12-16 overall, 4-11 Big East). Like the Hoyas, the Wildcats have been eliminated from contention for the Big East Tournament, and will be playing for pride as they visit the Jays.
Creighton will also be honoring redshirt junior Savannah Smith prior to the game. Although she has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining Smith will be graduating in the spring and therefore will be recognized as part of Creighton’s Senior Day on what was originally expected to be senior-less season finale.