It all comes down to this. The last matches of the season. The last matches in the Civic. And the Jays’ last chance to prove to themselves and everyone else that they are ready to be a contender this postseason.
Creighton volleyball, currently No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, hosts Northern Iowa and Bradley in its last home matches this weekend at the Omaha Civic Auditorium before moving into the new Ryan Center and D.J. Sokol Arena next fall.
The matches are ripe with postseason implications. Whoever triumphs in the Creighton-UNI match will end the season in second place. That position is a coveted spot when it comes to the MVC tournament. The No. 2 team will get a bye into the second round and won’t have to face undefeated Wichita State until the finals.
Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth recognizes the significance of these matches. “It’s totally appropriate” that everything converges this weekend, she said. “In the scheme of things, it could be one of the most important matches in Creighton volleyball history.”
CU’s performance this weekend and in the MVC tournament will also be essential to claim its long-awaited first NCAA tournament bid. The NCAA will likely take two teams from the MVC, Booth said. No. 11 Wichita State is a sure thing, but UNI and Creighton are hovering on the bubble. “The next two weeks will be a factor,” she said.
For the players, this weekend will also be bittersweet as they say goodbye to the seniors and to their home court for the last six seasons.
“I will be sad to see the seniors go, partly because I started my college career with them, and I thought I would be finishing it with them,” junior middle blocker Jessica Houts said. Houts earned an extra year of eligibility after a medical redshirt.
Senior outside/right side hitter Amanda Cvejdlik agrees. “Leaving the Civic will certainly be hard as well,” she said. “It has been home to me for four years, so leaving it will surely bring some emotion.”
Creighton has been playing in the Civic since the fall of 2003, the year Booth started as head coach. Over the years, she said the fans have made the Civic a great place to play.
“It’s been fun to see our fan base grow,” she said. “Our marketing department has been able to create a great atmosphere.”
It may be bittersweet, but even the seniors are excited about the move to the Ryan Center. “I look forward to going and watching the games there next year,” senior setter Korie Lebeda said.
The Ryan Center’s smaller size and its on-campus location will be great advantages for the volleyball program, Booth said. The team hopes to build a fan base from the student population and to fill the 3,000 seat arena for many games. It will also give the Jays more of a true home.
“Being able to practice in our game facility will give us a home-court advantage that we haven’t really had in the Civic,” Booth said.
The Jays have found ways to make the Civic feel like home, however. They dance in the locker room before every game. “It is more or less a dance party now,” Lebeda said. “We just like to loosen up and have fun before each game.”
The Jays are looking forward to having that one last dance, both literally and metaphorically. “[This weekend] should be a battle, but we are expecting it, so I am excited and I think the team will be well-prepared,” Lebeda said.