This is the first installment of White & Blue Review’s 2009 Creighton volleyball season preview. Join us every day this week as we take a look at each part of Kirsten Bernthal Booth’s club, leading up to the start of their season and the Blue-White Scrimmage on Saturday, August 22.
Quick 2008 Recap
Last season started slowly and ended excruciatingly for the Bluejays; in between, though, the Jays staked their claim as a quickly improving program on the cusp of postseason play.
That’s right; Creighton again closely missed out on an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament. After starting 6-7, the Jays reeled off a 12-1 record in their last 13 matches of the regular season. But after finishing in second place in the ninth best conference in the country, Creighton lost to Northern Iowa in their contest in the MVC postseason tournament. And despite a RPI in the mid-40s and a non-conference strength of schedule ranked in the top ten nationally, Bernthal Booth’s Bluejays were left at home when the at-large bids were doled out.
The conference tournament loss marked the last matches for four seniors at key positions. Korie Lebeda was the most decorated of the bunch, as she left CU a three-time All-Valley selection at setter position. Lebeda started all 119 matches of her career, and her 5,821 career assists ranked her best all-time at Creighton in this category was good for fifth-most in MVC history as well.
Amanda Cvejdlik was also a first team All-Valley selection last season. Carolyn Decker led the team in aces. Libero Bianca Rivera earned AVCA All-Central Region honorable mention honors after averaging 5 digs per set. Also a second-team all-Valley pick, Rivera smashed CU’s records for career digs per set and ranks sixth in school history in total digs despite just two years in a Creighton uniform.
Though the loss of this much team leadership is tough to handle, it doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare. Valley Defensive Player of the Year Jessica Houts returns with a shot at Creighton’s all-time kills record. Lauren Bloeinke also returns to solidify the middle. In addition, senior Sara Schulze can move back to her original outside hitter position after spending the last two seasons as a defensive specialist. These seniors are the building blocks to a new season.
The Coaches
Kirsten Bernthal Booth heads into her seventh season at the helm for the Jays. She is the longest tenured coach in modern Creighton volleyball history and has a school-high 106 wins. The program continues to improve under Bernthal Booth’s watch, both on the court and in local support. The volleyball team will be the first group of athletes to grace the new courts at the Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena. In fact, Creighton’s volleyball program averaged just fewer than 250 fans per game before Bernthal Booth took over as head coach. Last season the program averaged about 1,150 in attendance per match.
Bernthal Booth hasn’t done it alone, thought. One of the many positives about her staff is its consistency. Joining Bernthal Booth on the bench are assistants Paul Giesselmann and Angie Oxley Behrens. They’ve both been on the bench for all of Bernthal Booth’s seven seasons on the Hilltop, and this year they welcome volunteer coach Mike Weber.
It is this solid coaching core that will help Creighton continue to develop its budding volleyball program. And while it may still sit in the shadows of the national title contender a few miles south on I-80, the Jays are counting on a great group of student-athletes and the inherent advantages that come with the opening of a brand new facility to help the program secure that eventual NCAA tournament appearance and move to the next level nationally.
Tomorrow we will start our previews of the volleyball team position by position. We’ll take a look at the defensive specialists, fondly known as the Libero position, and the setters..