Senior Kelly Goc’s drive to keep going after getting injured defined Creighton’s volleyball season.
Senior Abby Baumann said that after sustaining a knee injury in game one of the Missouri Valley Conference semi-final against Northern Iowa, co-captain Goc came back in the third game to offer much-needed emotional support for the team.
“Her dedication and drive to get back into the game even after she had been knocked down by the injury is simply an indicator of how our whole team has fought so hard all season to keep pushing for success despite tough times,” Baumann said.
The Jays finished the season 21-10 overall, tying a record number of wins for the program. They ended the season in a three-way tie for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference, with a 14-4 record, beating every team except Wichita State at least once. It was Creighton’s highest-ever finish, but they were overlooked by the NCAA selection committee, who accepted four other MVC teams.
Despite its anticlimactic finish, 2007 should be remembered as the best season in Creighton volleyball history.
“I think this has been our strongest season yet,” sophomore Lauren Bloemke said.
The third-seeded Bluejays defeated Southern Illinois 3-1 (25-30, 30-16, 30-24, 30-22) in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Five Bluejay players had double-digit kills. Goc set school records for kills, attacks and blocks while junior Korie Lebeda set the school record for assists.
Creighton then lost to second-seeded Northern Iowa 3-1 (30-18, 30-17, 22-30, 30-19) to finish its season. With Goc’s injury, the Jays were not able to keep up their level of play.
“Injuries kind of held us back to playing at our full potential,” Bloemke said, who had a sprained ankle against Drake the week before.
However, the Jays did exit the tournament with considerable achievements. Lebeda set the Creighton record for career assists with 4,222, and Freshman Allie Oelke recorded her 14th double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs. Junior Bianca Rivera set a single-season record for digs, finishing with 618.
Goc and setter Lebeda made first team all-conference, while right side hitter Oelke was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. Rivera was named to the MVC all-tournament team.
UNI went on to win the conference tournament over Illinois State to claim an NCAA tournament bid. The three other MVC teams that made the cut were regular-season champion Wichita State, Missouri State (25-7, 14-4 MVC) and Illinois State (21-11, 11-7 MVC).
The Jays beat Illinois State twice and UNI and Missouri State once each, and lost to only one team that didn’t make the tournament.
“It is difficult to see the other four teams from our conference who made it to the NCAA tournament and compare our success in preseason play, strength of schedule and success against them and not feel as if we deserved to be there,” Baumann said.
Despite the disappointment, the Jays are looking back at the season’s positive aspects.
“We competed against some of the top teams in the country and showed them that we are capable of being one of those top teams,” Lebeda said. “Creighton is still taking steps forward in building a great volleyball program, and we have got to be proud of that.”
The recognition of the MVC in the NCAA tournament will also have positive reverberations for the entire conference.
“The fact that there are four teams competing in the NCAA tournament this year is a huge step for the MVC,” Lebeda said. “It also makes next year very exciting because now that our conference is a known strength, it will be a lot more competitive for everyone.”
The Bluejays will save their NCAA tournament goals for next season, and in the meantime, they will do all they can to get there. Bloemke, for one, said she will spend the offseason “busting it every day at practice, on the court, off the courts and working hard to keep our team strong.”