Creighton’s Coaches, Culture Made Skovsende’s Recruiting Decision Easy

Yes, Creighton’s success on the volleyball court in recent seasons has made the Bluejays one of the top programs in the nation, but for Skutt Catholic sophomore Megan Skovsende, her decision to commit to Creighton was largely based on off-the-court factors.

“I’ve had a number of great opportunities, but when the Creighton offer was made, I knew that was where I wanted to go. When I visited the campus, I loved the school, the volleyball program and its amazing culture, the coaches and the girls on the team,” Skovsende, who plays for the Premier 17 Gold club team, said. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Creighton and it’s been a dream of mine to play for them. I get the opportunity to play for my dream school and it will be great that my family and friends will be able to attend games to cheer us on.”

Part of what sealed Creighton’s decision to offer Skovsende was her continued development as an attacker. Initially, the 5’11 player was being considered mostly for her defense. That changed in recent months.

“Creighton initially was looking at me as a defensive player, but recently my attacking skills caught their attention. I have improved my vertical jump, have worked really hard on tooling against bigger blockers and I’ve developed better shot placement skills,” Skovsende said. “With the fast-tempo that they play with, the coaches are confident that I can be an asset to the team as an attacker also. I’m very excited that I may get the opportunity to play all-around, I have been a six-rotation player for my club and high school teams so I am very comfortable in that position. I will play the position that best helps the team.”

Skovsende credits that improvement to her coaches as well as the input she has gotten from her parents from the very beginning of her volleyball career. 

“I remember when I started playing volleyball and my parents would always say “work hard and good things will happen.” They would also say “you will play, just like you practice.” Those words have been with me during my volleyball career and in life,” she said. “I am so thankful that I’ve been blessed with the great opportunity to play at Creighton and attend an amazing college for my education. I love to compete and I love to play volleyball!”

And now she says she’s ready to focus on the remainder of her high school and club careers before becoming a part of the Creighton family.

Coach Booth is AWESOME! She is an amazing volleyball coach and I loved getting to know her through the recruiting process. I’ve been at Creighton camps and I’ve been to a number of games to watch the Bluejays in action. Coach Booth and the Creighton coaching staff are always engaged and positive and there’s great interaction with the players. The culture of Creighton volleyball is one of the biggest things I  loved,” Skovsende said. “From my first visit with Coach Booth, she talked about how important the team culture is to their program. It was not just about athletic ability, but more about being a good person and a good teammate. She looks for culture building players to be part of their program. I could honestly feel this when I was on campus and visiting with the team. The culture is amazing and I am so excited to be part of it.

“It feels so great to have my decision made. I looked at the process as a journey, which at times was a little stressful, but I learned so much along the way and I really enjoyed the opportunity to visit so many amazing colleges and meet with great coaches and players. I’m also so thankful for all the support from my parents, my sister, family, all my Premier and Skutt coaches and teammates and my friends for encouraging me and believing in me. Now I can focus on my skills and continue to work to be the best volleyball player I can be. My Premier 17 Gold team has our regional bid tournament in a couple weeks. We need to focus at practice so we are ready to compete at our highest level. Our team goal is to qualify for nationals. I’m also very excited about the upcoming high school season. Coach Saunders and the Skutt coaching staff will have us working hard with the goal of defending our state title. Our coaches are so positive and great at preparing us for competition and expect us to compete at our highest level at practices and games. The team and family culture at the Premier Volleyball and the Skutt Volleyball programs is so amazing and that’s why I’m super excited to continue that positive culture as a Bluejay!”