Kirsten Bernthal Booth said Creighton hasn’t ruled out returning to Qwest Center Omaha to host future volleyball matches against Nebraska.

But this year marked the first time that the Bluejays had a chance to play the Huskers at Sokol Arena, and Booth said it was an opportunity her program didn’t want to skip.

“For a lot of people, it will be the first time in our gym,” Booth said. “They’ll see what we’ve been saying, that it’s one of the top facilities in the country. They’ll see that this is a big-time atmosphere.”

Creighton’s 2,950-seat arena will be rocking on Tuesday night as the Huskers come to town. When tickets for the match went on sale last week, they sold out in 40 minutes. Creighton has hosted Nebraska twice at the Qwest Center, but the Huskers haven’t visited CU’s campus since 1980, when the teams met at the Kiewit Center.

The Bluejays played their first season at Sokol Arena in 2009, and the building already hosted last year’s Missouri Valley Conference volleyball tournament. Nebraska coach John Cook said he’s eager for the Huskers to take the court at Sokol, and he expects the atmosphere to test his players’ ability to perform on the road.

“Creighton did a great job building that gym, and it’s a beautiful place,” Cook said. “They really designed it to create an intimate environment, so we’re excited that we get to be a part of that.”

Both teams on Tuesday will be trying to take steps forward after starting the season in less-than-ideal fashion.

CU went 1-2 at its Bluejay Invitational, defeating San Francisco and losing to both Lipscomb and Kansas. Booth’s team had to battle through adversity right out of the gate as standout junior middle blocker Laurel Sanford tweaked her ankle during the first set of the season.

Sanford was diagnosed with a severe high ankle sprain, Booth said, and the Bluejays might not get her back for at least two weeks. It’s an injury Creighton could ill afford after senior middle blocker Lauren Bloemke suffered a career-ending knee injury in July.

CU now is using sophomore Heather Thorson and freshman Savannah Smith at middle blocker. Thorson has trained primarily as an outside hitter, while Smith has barely been able to train for the past eight months after shoulder surgery. But Booth was encouraged by the way Thorson and Smith handled being thrown into the fire, and the coach said she saw plenty of positives her team can build on after its first three matches.

“I felt like we lost to two very good teams, playing with two kids that we didn’t intend to be playing at middle,” Booth said. “I thought those two did a good job. I’m definitely disappointed that we didn’t pull out wins, but I’m still pretty excited about the potential of this group.”

The Huskers split their two matches at the AVCA Showcase, sweeping No. 16 Kentucky and losing in five sets to Florida. That defeat dropped Nebraska five spots to No. 7 — and moved the Gators up from No. 13 to No. 6 — in the new coaches poll released on Monday.

A big bright spot during the Huskers’ opening weekend was the play of senior right-side hitter Lindsey Licht. The 6-foot-5 lefty was named Big 12 offensive player of the week on Monday after turning in 32 kills on .542 attacking at the AVCA Showcase. It was the first Big 12 weekly award for Licht, who also had three solo stuffs and eight total blocks on the weekend.

The Huskers put themselves in position to rally past Florida when they built an 11-7 lead in set five. But a rash of mistakes allowed the Gators to win 15-12, with Nebraska errors accounting for four of Florida’s final six points. Cook described the loss as a “punch in the gut,” but he believes it ultimately will teach his players a valuable lesson.

“We’re going to look at this (match at Creighton) as a chance to get better,” Cook said. “We know at the (NCAA) regional, we’re going to have to go on the road somewhere. So we’re looking forward to going into a tough environment and having to compete.”

Contact the writer:

444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com

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