A home spring match is a rare thing for the Creighton volleyball team, but the Jays wrapped up their spring season with just that on Friday at D.J. Sokol Arena. Tianjin Bridgestone, one of China’s top professional teams and winners of eight national championships in recent years, stopped in Omaha as part of its series of eight exhibition matches in the United States. The Jays were swept 4-0 (the match was set up so that a minimum of four sets would be played, with a fifth coming if the teams were tied after four), but the added experience, coming against a team that would be considered unconventional in NCAA volleyball, was invaluable, said Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth.
“They served us off the court,” said Booth, referring to Tianjin’s incredible serving skill which resulted in 14 service aces. “Hitting-wise, we hit at a decent clip. I said to the team afterward, ‘Let’s look at this from a learning perspective. What did they do different than what we see on a nightly basis?’ For me the biggest thing was their serve.
“What a neat opportunity,” Booth continued. “Our captains are going to get to go to dinner with them tonight. Obviously, the language barrier makes it a bit of a challenge, but when you get to see a different style of play, see a different culture — our job as coaches is to build people, and this is another experience that they can put in their arsenal.”
Feshman libero Julianne Mandolfo missed the game — she’s sidelined with a severely fractured finger — as did freshmen Savannah Smith and Lexi Malm, who were also out with injuries. Sophomore Brook Boggs played Libero and, of course, sophomore Megan Bober was the setter. Other familiar faces seeing lots of time for the Jays were sophomore Heather Thorson and juniors Laurel Sanford and Karisa Almgren, as well as recent graduates Allie Oelke (2007-2010) and Jessica Houts (2005-2009).
A more unfamiliar face was that of Natalie Hackbarth, who played every rotation Friday night. The freshman is looking to replace Oelke in the fall.
“She’s going to have to earn a spot,” said Booth. “We graduate two outsides. She’s an outside, Karissa’s an outside, and we’ve got a couple outsides coming in, but she’s made some great strides this spring. We’ve really asked her to carry a lot of weight on her back from a kid that didn’t play at all to now playing six rotations.
“She’s gone through her growing pains, but she’s really progressed a lot this spring and really has the potential to be a great player.”
NOTES
– Tianjin played at Nebraska on Saturday night, the fourth match on its tour schedule. Huskers coach John Cook is the mastermind behind the whole thing.
“Nebraska coordinated it,” said Booth. “They go to China every four years, and John was looking for teams that were within driving range and we were fortunate to get the opportunity.”
– Booth’s team injury update: “Julianne severely fractured a finger and is having surgery this week. Lexi Malm had back surgery, so she’s out for another month or so. And Savannah Smith had shoulder issues prior to her arrival here, and surgery didn’t take the first time. She played through a lot of pain last fall, so she had the surgery again this spring. She’s got about a six-month rehab, so she’ll be cutting it close to the season.”