By Leo Adam Biga for VolleyballMag
Could this be the year that the Bluejays break through?
Creighton, the perennial national power from Omaha but No. 2 in the state of Nebraska, just might have the goods to make it to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship.
“Everything we do is to build for the NCAA Tournament,” veteran coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said.
To wit, Creighton has its typical extremely challenging early season non-conference schedule before beginning Big East play.
“We’re always trying to set up a schedule to give us our best chance to earn that opportunity and hopefully host (NCAA Tournament matches), and to do that you have to play great teams,” said Bernthal Booth, who is entering her 22nd year at the helm.
“Every single match we play in the non-con is going to be tough but we recruit players that know that. It’s a grind but it’s a good grind. Our players love it. I know how excited we are to play some of the top teams in the country.”
Creighton, No. 12 in the AVCA preseason poll, returns an impressive core and brings in a couple of highly touted transfers to a team that finished 29-5 last year, which included winning the Big East, before losing to Louisville in a tough five sets in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bluejays are home this weekend to open the season for matches with the ACC’s NC State, Missouri of the SEC and Drake of the Missouri Valley.
And then it ratchets up. AVCA preseason No. 21 USC and Kansas State both visit Creighton before the annual battle with second-ranked Nebraska, this year on September 10 at Nebraska. The annual battles between Creighton and Nebraska, which has been to 11 NCAA title matches and won five of them, are legendary and must-see early season TV.
Before the preseason ends, Creighton plays Valley favorite Northern Iowa, American Athletic favorite Rice, No. 6 Louisville, No. 8 Purdue and No. 13 Kansas,
Creighton is led by VolleyballMag.com second-team All-American Norah Sis, a 6-foot-1 outside from Papillion, Nebraska, just 13 miles from Omaha. Trust that Sis is primed for a big senior season, along with VBM third-team setter Kendra Wait, another senior. Junior outside Ava Martin was an VBM honorable mention and outside Destiny Ndam-Simpson, who is from Omaha, was on the all-Big East freshman team.
“Norah Sis goes to the back row, you take a deep breath, and you’re like oh, no, when Ava Martin…
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