Loaded Roster Poised to Continue Creighton’s Steady Ascension
OMAHA – For a moment during Tuesday’s media day for the Creighton volleyball team, coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth talked about the continual progress the Jays program has made over the years.
Creighton reinstated its volleyball program in 1994, playing its home matches at the Kiewit Fitness Center. In 1997, Creighton used both Skutt Catholic and Omaha Marian for its home matches and from 1998-2002, the Jays called Omaha South home. In 2003 Creighton’s volleyball team began playing its home matches at the Civic Auditorium before moving into its current D.J. Sokol Arena in 2009.
Booth, beginning her 16thseason, came in 2003 and the program’s success has taken similar steps forward on the court. In 2006 Creighton won 21 matches for the first time in school history. In 2010 the Jays again win 21 games and make their first NCAA Tournament. In 2012 the team sets a new record for wins with 29 and starts the current streak of six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2015 the Jays reach the Sweet 16 and in 2016 they got to the Elite Eight. In 2017 Creighton hosts its first-ever NCAA match as the #9 overall seed in the tournament.
So, does that mean that Creighton volleyball is now at the level of a national power? Has Creighton earned the respect of people nationally?
“To some degree, I don’t care,” Booth said when asked about national respect. “My job is to make sure when our players walk on the court they feel like they are prepared to beat anyone on the other side of the court and then our actions are going to determine the respect that we’re going to get.”
It might feel like the Jays got the Rodney Dangerfield treatment when Creighton was picked to finish second in the Big East Conference earlier this week. That was likely based solely on the fact Creighton lost All Big East performers Lydia Dimke at setter and Marysa Wilkinson to graduation while Marquette (picked to win the league) returned nearly its entire roster.
“You talk about motivation, it was given to us,” Booth said of the poll. “We’re not happy about it, that’s not where we plan to finish and I think it will be good motivation throughout the season.”
What those voting in the poll might not know – but Booth does – is that the 2018 Jays are likely the deepest and most talented squad yet.
“I think we’re deep in a lot of positions, which is a great problem to have,” Booth said. “We’re going to have some really tough decisions to make.”
“I like a lot of the pieces, it’s going to be trying to put the puzzle together.”
Even senior outside Taryn Kloth, who averaged three kills a set on .270 hitting last year in 33 matches, said she knows she has to fight to keep her spot.
“I would say every spot is up for grabs, honestly,” she said. “I think everybody has to work hard, not just one position. There’s a lot of outsides this year and last year we only had two. It’s definitely going to be a fight this year which is the best thing that we can have – a lot of great players and deciding which ones to put on the court.”
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2018 Jays.
Setters (listed alphabetically)
Madelyn Cole, 5’10, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Megan Sharkey, 5’10, Jr., Bettendorf, Iowa
This is where the rubber will meet the road for Creighton in 2018. With the graduation of Dimke, transfer of Jaclyn Taylor and no incoming freshman setter, Booth went out and got a pair of transfers to fill the void.
Sharkey comes from Rutgers, where she was a two-year starter. Last season she averaged 7.78 assists and 1.48 digs per set, including a 24 assist, four dig and one ace serve performance against Nebraska. Meanwhile, Cole comes from Marshall where she also was a two-year starter. Last year she averaged 9.29 assists, 2.37 digs, 0.97 kills and 0.70 blocks per set and finished with 10 double-doubles. An interesting side not on Cole, her father was a college football quarterback and graduated from SMU in 1997 as the school’s all-time leader in total offense. Her mother played volleyball at SMU.
Booth did say that Cole suffered a concussion while the team was playing in Europe over the summer, so she didn’t get in quite as much work during the trip as Sharkey did. On Tuesday, Booth said she hasn’t decided yet if she will go with a 5-1 or 6-2.
“We have some tough decisions to make,” she said. “The good thing is that I think they’re both really good, so I think we have some options.”
It feels like it might be difficult for either Cole or Sharkey to firmly claim the top setter position. Combine that with the fact that Creighton has so much size and talent at the net, a 6-2 might allow the Jays to get more skilled attackers on the court.
Outsides (listed alphabetically)
Keely Davis, 6’0, Fr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Taryn Kloth, 6’4, Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jaali Winters, 6’3, Sr., Ankeny, Iowa
Jaela Zimmerman, 6’2, Fr., Lincoln, Neb.
Kloth and Winters, both preseason All Big East selections, are pretty much locked in as the top two outsides to start the year for Creighton. As Kloth mentioned, though, there is plenty of competition there with freshmen Davis and Zimmerman. Davis comes in as the #42 overall recruit nationally and was the Colorado Gatorade POY after leading the state with 577 kills. She also was a Under Armour First Team All-American. And then there is Zimmerman, who comes in as the #49 overall recruit nationally, was the Nebraska Gatorade POY and was a second-team Under Armour All-American.
Could Davis or Zimmerman push for playing time on the outside? Possibly. Could, if Creighton opts to go with a 6-2, one or both of them flip over to the other pin and attack and block from the right side? Possibly. No matter what, Creighton is as loaded as pretty much anyone in the nation on the outside.
Winters also stands a very good chance at becoming Creighton’s all-time kills leader this year.
“For me, (getting the record) would mean I’ve had a lot of awesome setters that have given me a lot of awesome balls to kill,” she said Tuesday. “For me, it just shows that I’ve had a lot of great teammates.”
Middles and Right Sides (listed alphabetically)
Megan Ballenger, 6’1, Jr., Ankeny, Iowa
Naomi Hickman, 6’4, Soph., Lawrence, Kan.
Kelsey O’Connell, 6’2, Sr., Omaha, Neb.
Annika Welty, 6’3, Fr., Parkville, Mo.
Kari Zumach, 6’2, Fr., Buffalo, Minn.
If Creighton ends up running a 6-2, it has the depth and versatility among its middles and right sides to accommodate the system, even if you disregard the idea that one of the freshman outsides could move to the right.
Ballenger started 32 of Creighton’s 33 matches a year ago and averaged 2.32 kills and 0.78 blocks per set while hitting .304. She split time between middle and the right side. She has been a consistent force since stepping foot on campus at Creighton and figures to start either in the middle or the right side. Hickman started 28 matches during her freshman season, averaging 1.17 kills and 0.70 blocks per set.
O’Connell has served as a back-up in the middle and right side during her career at Creighton but has played in 38 matches over the past three years, tallying 36 kills and 21 blocks in limited action. Welty comes to Creighton as an Under Armour third team All-American out of high school and played her club volleyball for KC Power. She picked Creighton over the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State and Arkansas.
Zumach is the only player on the Creighton roster listed exclusively on the right side, and frankly, she might just come in and start at that position right away. She doesn’t come in with any lofty national recruiting ranking, but other top programs like Colorado State and Kansas State were courting her and she’s got tremendous athletic ability and a powerful arm. In one high school match in Minnesota, Zumach had 37 kills, 25 digs, four aces and hit .408. Her older sister Kylee is a senior on the Kansas State volleyball team.
Liberos/DS (listed alphabetically)
Brittany Witt, 5’8, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
Grace Nelson, 5’9, Soph., Bennington, Neb.
Samantha Bohnet, 5’6, Sr., Council Bluffs, Iowa
Alexa Roumeliotis, 5’8, Soph., Menlo Park, Calif.
Witt returns after being named the 2017 Big East Libero of the Year and is a preseason All Big East selection this fall. In addition to playing in Europe with Creighton this summer she also spent two weeks with the U.S. Volleyball Collegiate National Team in Thailand, competing in four matches. Witt has played libero for Creighton every set of her career.
Bohnet averaged 2.20 digs and 0.94 assists per set while playing in all 33 matches for the Jays last year as a defensive specialist, including a career-high 20 digs against Butler. Roumeliotis started 14 of Creighton’s final 15 matches last year and averaged 1.81 digs per set on the year while playing in 23 matches as a freshman. Her 0.26 service aces per set also ranked 10thin Big East play a year ago.
Nelson returns to her home state after she transferred to Creighton from Ball State in January of this year. The former all-state libero for Elkhorn, Nelson started 13 matches for Ball State last season and had 164 digs (2.19 per set) and nine ace serves. Her presence gives Creighton four back-row options with experience.