A little adversity can be a good thing, especially when it comes to preseason polls.
Creighton volleyball has been picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, but many of the players see it as an opportunity rather than a prophecy.
“Every time you go into a season, it’s wide open,” senior middle blocker Jessica Houts said. “It gives us the chance to improve and surprise people.”
The Jays use the rankings as motivation.
“We want to prove everyone wrong,” junior right side/outside hitter Allie Oelke said.
The Jays, who finished second in the Valley last year with a 15-3 conference record, have their work cut out for them this season. After winning their first match in the D.J. Sokol Arena, they’ve dropped five straight sets to tie their longest losing streak since 2003.
Two of those losses were to top-10 teams Illinois and Nebraska.
“I would have loved to take a game or a match from Illinois, but I think we’re going to get a lot better,” head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said after the Illinois match. “I’m really excited about what we can do this fall.”
The Jays graduated four seniors who were major contributors: setter Korie Lebeda, outside hitters Amanda Cvejdlik and Carolyn Decker and libero Bianca Rivera. Booth feels the MVC rankings mainly reflect the lack of experience on Creighton’s team.
“I anticipated we’d be picked fourth,” she said, “but our goals are much loftier than that.”
The Jays aim to win the Valley and gain a berth in their first NCAA tournament.
“The league is going to be good, hopefully a 3-4 bid league like we have been the past couple years,” Booth said. “Our goal is to be one of those teams.”
Veterans like Houts, a preseason all-MVC pick, and many newcomers will be instrumental to their success.
Ten of Creighton’s 14 players are listed at 6 feet or taller, which will be one advantage. “We’ll be big at the net,” senior middle blocker Lauren Bloemke said. “I’d say we’re one of the bigger teams in the MVC.”
New players like libero Nayka Benitez, middle blocker Heather Thorson, outside hitter Alicia Runge and setter Megan Bober have already seen major playing time. Bober is averaging 8.65 set assists per set, Runge has 38 kills through six matches, Thorson owns 12 block assists, and Benitez averages 4.35 digs per set.
The Bluejays will go back to practice to prepare for the upcoming Dayton Flyer Invitational this weekend. To be successful, Houts said they need to “be practicing at a high energy consistently and work through the unknowns.”
Even with those unknowns, the Jays remain optimistic.
“We have the potential to be a great team,” Booth said.