Volleyball at Creighton may be a fall sport, but the Bluejays are putting in plenty of work this spring as they prepare for the 2014 season.

They Jays are preparing to wrap up their five-game domestic spring season on Saturday as they face off against in-state rival Nebraska.

“I think that’s going to be a great match between us and Nebraska,” junior outside hitter Leah McNary said. “Obviously there is always some tension there, with both of us being powerhouses in Nebraska. I think it’s going to be a good look to see where we are at as a team.”

The game with the Cornhuskers is no ordinary spring scrimmage, however. The two teams will face off in Wayne, Neb. in “The Rumble in Rice,” an event held to raise funds to help rebuild the Wayne Summer Sports Complex that was destroyed by the Oct. 4 tornado that hit the Wayne area. Tip-off at the Rice Auditorium is set for 2 p.m. and half of the proceeds will be donated to the re-construction fund.

“Last year was a really rough year for dangerous weather all around the country,” Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. “To have a place so close to where we are, and a lot of us have friends in Wayne, and to have them get hit, it gets a little bit closer to home. What a great opportunity for both Nebraska and Creighton to kind of contribute and do something that we love. It really works out because both Nebraska and Creighton wanted to play this spring, and it just gives us an opportunity to play and hopefully help some people out in the process.”

The Jays began their spring exhibition season at Kansas State on March 29, played both South Dakota and Iowa in Vermillion, S.D and most recently beat Iowa State in Carroll, Iowa.

“I think the spring has gone great,” Booth said. “We start in January and we’re working on individual skills and the work ethic has been great. The players have been really engaged all spring. We didn’t have a lot of continuity early. We were trying a lot of different people at different positions. It’s frustrating to some degree for the players but as coaches it can also be frustrating but we also know it’s going to happen. Against Iowa State we kind of played a consistent lineup and we saw the benefits of that.”

The Jays beat the Cyclones – a 2013 NCAA Tournament tournament – 3-1 on April 17. McNary led the team with 17 kills, but the Jays played without junior setter Michelle Sicner. In her place was newcomer Maggie Baumert, who finished with 38 assists, 10 digs and five kills.

Baumert, an Elkhorn native, transferred to Creighton from Georgia and will have two years to play starting in the fall.

“I didn’t have the best situation down in Georgia, where I transferred from,” Baumert said. “I visited Creighton and that was the only school that I visited, and I knew that I wanted to join this team. They have good teamwork, they’re a good group of girls and I’m super glad that I’m on this team now.”

Volleyball at Creighton may be a fall sport, but the Bluejays are putting in plenty of work this spring as they prepare for the 2014 season.

The Jays are preparing to wrap up their five-game domestic spring season on Saturday as they face off against in-state rival Nebraska.

“I think that’s going to be a great match between us and Nebraska,” junior outside hitter Leah McNary said. “Obviously there is always some tension there, with both of us being powerhouses in Nebraska. I think it’s going to be a good look to see where we are at as a team.”

The game with the Cornhuskers is no ordinary spring scrimmage, however. The two teams will face off in Wayne, Neb. in “The Rumble in Rice,” an event held to raise funds to help rebuild the Wayne Summer Sports Complex that was destroyed by the Oct. 4 tornado that hit the Wayne area. Tip-off at the Rice Auditorium is set for 2 p.m. and half of the proceeds will be donated to the re-construction fund.

“Last year was a really rough year for dangerous weather all around the country,” Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. “To have a place so close to where we are, and a lot of us have friends in Wayne, and to have them get hit, it gets a little bit closer to home. What a great opportunity for both Nebraska and Creighton to kind of contribute and do something that we love. It really works out because both Nebraska and Creighton wanted to play this spring, and it just gives us an opportunity to play and hopefully help some people out in the process.”

The Jays began their spring exhibition season at Kansas State on March 29, played both South Dakota and Iowa in Vermillion, S.D and most recently beat Iowa State in Carroll, Iowa.

“I think the spring has gone great,” Booth said. “We start in January, and we’re working on individual skills, and the work ethic has been great. The players have been really engaged all spring. We didn’t have a lot of continuity early. We were trying a lot of different people at different positions. It’s frustrating to some degree for the players, but as coaches it can also be frustrating, but we also know it’s going to happen. Against Iowa State we kind of played a consistent lineup and we saw the benefits of that.”

The Jays beat the Cyclones — a 2013 NCAA Tournament team — 3-1 on April 17. McNary led the team with 17 kills, but the Jays played without junior setter Michelle Sicner. In her place was newcomer Maggie Baumert who finished with 38 assists, 10 digs and five kills.

Baumert, an Elkhorn native, transferred to Creighton from Georgia and will have two years to play starting in the fall.

“I didn’t have the best situation down in Georgia, where I transferred from,” Baumert said. “I visited Creighton, and that was the only school that I visited, and I knew that I wanted to join this team. They have good teamwork, they’re a good group of girls and I’m super glad that I’m on this team now.”

Creighton normally does not look to bring in transfers, but Booth said Baumert has fit in well.

“I think one thing that we really hang our hat on is great chemistry,” Booth said. “It’s the first time in my 12 years here that we’ve ever brought anyone in mid-year, so that’s always a big concern of how they’re going to fit into the culture and chemistry of the team and I think that’s really been a positive thing; she’s been embraced by the team, and I think she really is fitting in well. She has a good work ethic like the rest of the team, so it’s been a good addition to our program.”

Baumert was the story of the game with Iowa State, but two other Bluejays made news this spring.

McNary and junior middle blocker Kelli Browning were selected by USA Volleyball to participate in the U.S. Collegiate National Team program. The program includes 36 players from across the country who will train and compete in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships from June 22 to July 1 in Minneapolis.

“[It is a] huge honor for the two of them,” Booth said. “I’m really excited to have representation. It’s the first time we’ve sent players to the tryouts, so to have two players selected is really exciting, and a couple other players were alternates, so that’s great. I think it will be a great experience for them going to play with other top players in the country, and I think they’ll learn a lot through the experience also.”

Creighton will close out the spring with a trip to Nicaragua May 15-22, touring the country and playing matches in Managua, San Juan del Sur and Granada. The Jays will return all but one player from a team that went 23-9 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in their first season in the Big East.