“You got Bobered! You Got Bobered!” The student section unleashes its favorite chant after senior setter Megan Bober records a kill on a dump against an unsuspecting opponent.
On the next point, Bober rises up to block an opponent’s attack, sending it right back at her.
Shortly after, the student section breaks out another chant — “Air McNary! Air McNary!” — as sophomore outside hitter Leah McNary slams a ball over the net off of a perfect set-up by Bober.
Megan Bober can do it all on the volleyball court. The six-foot senior and two-time All-MVC First Teamer is a threat to record a triple-double each and every time she steps on the court. In addition to filling up the box score week in and week out, Bober also provides invaluable leadership for the team, both on and off the court.
Her head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth called Bober one of the best setters in the entire country.
Bober has come a long way and has put in a lot of hard work to get to where she is today. Growing up in tiny Murdock, Neb., Bober did not have much of opportunity to play club volleyball at a high level, and as such, she was not widely recruited coming out of high school. However, Creighton expressed interest in her and once they were able to get Bober in for a visit, she was sold.
“When I came here, I loved the team and the coaches, and everyone was so welcoming and it had such a good community atmosphere,” Bober said. “I just loved the campus and the team, and it really drew me in.”
Bober redshirted her first year and was able to learn under former setter and Creighton’s career assists leader Korie Lebeda. Bober said that the year off really helped her make the transition to college.
“It was a great learning year for me,” Bober said. “It was something that I definitely needed. I was able to learn the offense and pick up the speed of the game … It was a great year for me to … to get accustomed to this level of play before I started.”
That experience proved vital as Bober was called upon to start right away as a redshirt freshman. Bober kicked things off with a bang, recording the first kill ever in the newly opened D.J. Sokol Arena, and she never looked back. Bober started all 31 games and showed off her versatility from the beginning, becoming the first player in school history to eclipse 100 assists and 100 blocks in the same saeason, and was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Bober was not content to rest on her laurels after a successful first season, however. She came back a very different player, according to her coach.
“After her redshirt freshman year to her sophomore year, she just really kind of took off,” Booth said.
Bober stepped her play up another notch and led the Jays to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Creighton knocked off nationally ranked Iowa State University in the first round before falling to the University of Minnesota. She was named to the All-MVC First Team for her performance.
As a junior, Bober continued to play at a high level and was a first team all-conference selection for the second straight year. She led the nation and set a Valley record with nine triple-doubles on the year.
Now Bober is more than halfway through the conference season of her senior year, and she has the Jays atop the Valley standings and just outside the top 25.
“This year’s been great so far and it’s been a lot of fun, probably the most fun I’ve had in my years here,” Bober said. “We’re having a lot of success on the court and we’re having a good time as teammates together, and it’s definitely been a fun journey. It’s ending on an uphill slope but we know we’re not done yet and we have a lot to get better at still and we’re hoping to end the season as conference champions and make it to the NCAA this year.”
That goal is certainly in reach for the Bluejays this year, and Bober’s leadership has been vital for a young team featuring four freshman or sophomore starers and as many as eight or nine in the regular rotation.
“Her leadership has been so great this year,” Booth said. “From playing with other seniors to playing with freshmen. What I hear over and over is how positive she is to them on the court and making them feel welcome, but yet doing it in a way that she holds people accountable.”
Freshman defensive specialist Ashley Jansen said Bober is a calming presence for the young players on the team.
“As a freshman, she has opened her arms to all of us and has really welcomed us,” Jansen said. “She helps us on the court to stay calm, and encourages us to play our best.”
This season Bober has picked up two more triple-doubles to bring her career total to 11, but she is quick to credit her teammates for her individual stats,
“Really, it’s a whole team effort,” Bober said. “If I’m attacking that means our defense and passing are doing a good job and if I’m setting that means our hitters are being able to put the ball away, so everything that we all do affects each other and we’ve just grown as such a great team.”
While that is certainly true, there is no denying that Bober is the focal point of the team and the driving force behind its success.
“Megan is a really, really, really strong person on our team,” Jansen said. “She’s always consistent, she always busts her butt on the court and she makes plays happen for all of us.”
Her work ethic is one of her greatest strengths and is the biggest reason for her success, according to her coach.
“I think her success is a testament to her work ethic,” Booth said. “She was raw coming in, and she’s just a kid that if she doesn’t do something well she’s going to take a million reps until she does.”
Bober’s work ethic is infectious, and the effort in practice has resulted in great team chemistry.
“We want to come out and work harder than every other team every day and just show our passion and love for the game and work together and play as a team,” Bober said. “That’s something this year, our chemistry has been one of the best since I’ve been here.”
With eight games remaining before the postseason begins, the journey is not complete just yet. But reflecting back, Bober said she has come a long way and has had a lot of fun during her time as a Bluejay.
“It’s been a great journey so far and it’s been such a fun thing to be a part of, to help build this program,” Bober said. “I started out coming in as a shy freshman, and kind of learned the ropes, and we’ve been able to have a lot of success all around as a team since then.”
As for what her future holds, Bober hasn’t spent too much time thinking about it just yet. She has her eye on the MVC title and a NCAA Tournament appearance.