Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Volleyball Drops First Match on European Tour
6/13/2018 4:41:00 PM | Volleyball
Austrian National Team takes down CU in four sets
MARIBOR, SLOVENIA -- The Creighton Volleyball team lost a four-set decision to the Austrian National Team to open play on its European tour on Wednesday night at Draš Center in Maribor, Slovenia. Scores of the match in favor of Austria were 23-25, 25-22, 25-20 and 25-21.
The match came at the end of a busy day for the Bluejays, who arrived in Europe on Monday and have kept a busy schedule since. The team left the Padua, Italy, suburbs at 7:30 a.m. and bussed through Italy, stopping by picturesque Lake Bled shortly after entering Slovenia. After a few hours on that island, the team continued its adventure by heading into Maribor, and less than an hour later were warming up for its first of five matches.
Starting a veteran line-up that featured five upperclassmen, the Bluejays won the opening set. CU led by as much as four points on three occasions, and were ahead 17-14 before an Austria timeout. The Austrians rallied with an 8-2 run to move ahead 22-19 before rising senior Taryn Kloth took over. Kloth had three kills and a pair of aces during a set-ending 7-1 rally to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the match.
Creighton changed out four starters in the second frame, part of a theme that saw CU coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth utilize 14 different women throughout the contest. Creighton fell behind 5-0 and never led in the second set. Austria led by as much as 13-5 before CU narrowed the gap to 22-20 after an ace from freshman Annika Welty. The teams would exchange sideouts on the final five points of the set, as Austria evened the match with a 25-22 victory.
Creighton reeled off the first four points of the third set and went ahead 9-4 before surrendering the next four points. CU was still ahead 13-10 before Austria responded with an 11-1 run. CU would get within 22-19 on an ace by Grace Nelson before ultimately dropping a 25-20 decision.
The fourth set featured 10 ties, including 18-all on a Megan Sharkey ace. Three attack errors in quick succession helped Austria peel off the next five points, and the Europeans clinched the contest block to clinch the 25-21 victory.
Kloth, Megan Ballenger and Jaali Winters each had nine kills for CU, which hit .161 for the match. Sharkey had two of CU's seven aces, while Welty tallied three blocks.
Creighton plays its second match in as many days on Thursday in Maribor when it faces the Slovenian National Team in a match scheduled to start at 4:40 pm locally (9:40 am Central). The team is scheduled to open their morning with a community service project at a local school.
For more information on the team's adventures in Europe, search the hashtag #JaysGoEuro or visit http://gocreighton.com/JaysGoEuro.
The match came at the end of a busy day for the Bluejays, who arrived in Europe on Monday and have kept a busy schedule since. The team left the Padua, Italy, suburbs at 7:30 a.m. and bussed through Italy, stopping by picturesque Lake Bled shortly after entering Slovenia. After a few hours on that island, the team continued its adventure by heading into Maribor, and less than an hour later were warming up for its first of five matches.
Starting a veteran line-up that featured five upperclassmen, the Bluejays won the opening set. CU led by as much as four points on three occasions, and were ahead 17-14 before an Austria timeout. The Austrians rallied with an 8-2 run to move ahead 22-19 before rising senior Taryn Kloth took over. Kloth had three kills and a pair of aces during a set-ending 7-1 rally to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the match.
Creighton changed out four starters in the second frame, part of a theme that saw CU coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth utilize 14 different women throughout the contest. Creighton fell behind 5-0 and never led in the second set. Austria led by as much as 13-5 before CU narrowed the gap to 22-20 after an ace from freshman Annika Welty. The teams would exchange sideouts on the final five points of the set, as Austria evened the match with a 25-22 victory.
Creighton reeled off the first four points of the third set and went ahead 9-4 before surrendering the next four points. CU was still ahead 13-10 before Austria responded with an 11-1 run. CU would get within 22-19 on an ace by Grace Nelson before ultimately dropping a 25-20 decision.
The fourth set featured 10 ties, including 18-all on a Megan Sharkey ace. Three attack errors in quick succession helped Austria peel off the next five points, and the Europeans clinched the contest block to clinch the 25-21 victory.
Kloth, Megan Ballenger and Jaali Winters each had nine kills for CU, which hit .161 for the match. Sharkey had two of CU's seven aces, while Welty tallied three blocks.
Creighton plays its second match in as many days on Thursday in Maribor when it faces the Slovenian National Team in a match scheduled to start at 4:40 pm locally (9:40 am Central). The team is scheduled to open their morning with a community service project at a local school.
For more information on the team's adventures in Europe, search the hashtag #JaysGoEuro or visit http://gocreighton.com/JaysGoEuro.
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
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