Seven points.

That was Creighton’s total deficit in a four-set loss to Northern Iowa Saturday.

“It was a heartbreaker,” junior outside hitter Alicia Runge said. “I really wanted to beat UNI; they’re one of our biggest rivals.”

The 23-25, 22-25, 25-22, 26-28 match was all too familiar to the Jays, who are 4-8 this season. Nearly all eight of their losses could be considered heartbreakers.

Two of them were close sweeps by Top 10 teams Illinois and Nebraska. Then the Jays took Lipscomb and Kansas as well as UNI to four sets and both Connecticut and Dayton to five.

The largest margin of victory for any of Creighton’s opponents was 10, and 18 of 31 set losses were within five points.

As frustrating as those numbers may seem, the Jays aren’t too worried about their record at this point. Head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth pointed out that it comes with the territory.

“Anytime you have a tough schedule, you either set yourself up for phenomenal wins or some losses,” she said.

The Jays admit that wins don’t come automatically for a young team.

“We have five or six new people,” sophomore middle blocker Laurel Sanford said. “We’re in a rebuilding stage. We’re learning how to play as a team.”

The Northern Iowa game was a marker of improvement for the Jays.

“As a coach with a young team, you just have to see if you’re making strides in the right direction, and I think we played a really good match,” Booth said.

She cited “composure in tight situations” as one of those strides. She said the Jays avoided service errors more than they had in past games.

Blocking has been another of Creighton’s strengths so far this season. In fact, the Bluejays rank fourth in the nation with 3.05 blocks per set, and senior middle blocker Jessica Houts ranks fourth individually for 1.59 blocks per set.

The Jays are slowly adding a few numbers to the win column. They beat Bradley in four games to open Missouri Valley Conference play Friday, and on Tuesday they swept South Dakota State.

With matches at Indiana State and Illinois State this weekend, the Bluejays are optimistic about where the season will lead them.

“The fact that we can play with these teams shows me that we’re getting better,” Runge said. “If we’re in system, if we get a good pass, we’re tough to beat.”