A quest for greatness begins in the regular season, but greatness is achieved in the postseason. The 3rd-seeded Creighton volleyball team carried a 20-match win streak into the NCAA tournament and was able to extend this streak with an exhilarating five-set victory over the 14th-seeded Northern Colorado Bears. With the win, the Bluejays advance to the second round of the tournament to face the 6th-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers.
“I just love our team’s continued belief that no matter what the score, no matter what the sets, that we are still in it,” head coach Brian Rosen said. “We know this is a tournament, and you are going to get punched, but I want us to come out swinging if we get backed into a corner. That’s what they did from the end of the third set all the way to the end of the match.”
“[Northern Colorado] is really scrappy, and honestly, it’s so good to be pushed,” senior Ava Martin said. “I’m really thankful that we got pushed, and I think it shows that we have a lot of trust in each other.”
The Bluejays were able to take control of the first set early, getting out to a 10-5 lead. Seven of the Bluejay’s points came on kills to begin the match. The Bears were then able to tighten the score, trailing 14-11. However, a kill from Martin kick-started an 11-1 run for the Bluejays. This included a seven-point run to end the set, where the Bluejays finished with three kills in a row. With this run, the Bluejays were able to capture the first set 25-12.
In the second set, the Bluejays were able to grab an early lead but were unable to extend it beyond three points. At this point, the Bluejays found themselves with an 11-8 lead over the Bears. However, Northern Colorado was able to capture three out of the next four points to tie the set at 12. The Bluejays were then able to recapture a three-point lead at 18-15, highlighted by back-to-back kills from sophomore Jaya Johnson. This lead once again evaporated as the score was tied at 23-23 late in the set. Northern Colorado captured the last two points on back-to-back kills to win the set 25-23.
The third set saw a drastic change, with the Bears gaining a 10-6 lead early in the third set. The Bluejays were able to tighten the gap. They scored five straight points, including three kills to tie the set at 14. However, the Bluejays were unable to capture the lead, trailing 21-18 late in the set. Creighton was once again able to tie the set late at 23 off a kill from Martin. However, Northern Colorado was able to win the next two points to take the third set 25-23.
“The comeback in the third set, I thought that was the difference in the match,” Rosen said. “Even though we didn’t win it, we worked really hard to create momentum and give ourselves a chance. I thought we played great volleyball from the [end] of the third set all the way through the fourth and then through the fifth.”
In the fourth set, the Bluejays were able to gain an early advantage with their backs against the wall. The Bluejays got out to a 7-2 lead early, largely due to a 5-0 run highlighted by an ace from Martin. After Northern Colorado cut the lead to four at 8-4, the Bluejays went on another 5-0 run to extend the lead to 13-4. The two teams exchanged points until Creighton held a 17-11 lead. The Bluejays then captured the next four points to extend the lead to 21-11. The Bears were able to cut the lead to six, but were unable to draw any closer. The Bluejays won the set 25-17 to force a decisive 5th set.
“Grit has been our word, and I think we knew that we weren’t playing our game and that we needed to come out and start doing that,” Martin said.
The Bluejays came out aggressively in the final set, capturing a 7-2 lead. Five of these points came from kills from Martin, who ended the match with 30 kills to tie the DJ Sokol Arena record. Northern Colorado was able to cut their deficit to four, but this would be the closest it would get. A kill from junior Eloise Brandwie ended the match to give the Bluejays the set win 15-8 to take the match 3-2.
“Playing in a game like this has its advantages,” Rosen said. “One of the advantages is knowing that we are always in it, and it’s something that this team has shown all the time, even in Big East play when we were down two sets to one.”
“We should have absolutely no doubt moving forward,” senior Kiara Reinhardt said. “Tomorrow is a brand new day, and it’s just great volleyball. You see who can play longer and outlast each other, so I think we are in a great mindset for [Northern Iowa].”
After the five-set thriller, the Bluejays advance to the second round to face the Northern Iowa Panthers, who are coming off a five-set victory over Utah. This is the second time this season the Bluejays have faced the Panthers. Creighton won the first match in three sets at DJ Sokol Arena in September.
“They’re a different team from now than the last time we played,” Rosen said. “We are too, and I love how we’ve grown and matured throughout the season, and I hope that pays dividends for us.”
The match will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at DJ Sokol Arena, with the winner advancing to the round of 16.
