Cary-Grove's Jereb commits to Creighton

Cary-Grove girls volleyball player Melanie Jereb has found the right academic and athletic fit.

The 6-foot-1 junior gave a verbal commitment Tuesday to play for Creighton University of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Jereb, 17, visited the Omaha, Neb., campus over the summer and again this fall. An honors student carrying a grade-point average of 4.3 on a 4.0 scale, she found Creighton's academic reputation to her liking.

“Creighton has really high academic standards,” said Jereb, who plans to study environmental science. “And the volleyball team plays in a very strong conference. When I went there to watch them I was so impressed at how competitive and talented they all are.

“They have a huge fan base and tons of support from the community. The players sign autographs for little girls after the matches. I just thought it would be great to be part of that and play on that court.”

Jereb started every match this fall for the Trojans, who held the No. 1 national ranking for five weeks before finishing second in the Class 4A state tournament with a record of 41-1.

In her first full season on the Cary-Grove varsity, the junior registered 122 kills, 177 digs, 40 aces and 35 blocks, totals that earned her a spot on the Daily Herald All-Area team.

Last summer Jereb played outside hitter for the Sky High volleyball club's 16-Black team, which won the AAU title in Orlando, Fla. and finished third at the USAV Nationals in Reno, Nev.

Jereb chose Creighton over George Washington University and Colorado State.

“Creighton is a perfect fit for her,” Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said. “It's a great school academically. Melanie's a very dedicated, disciplined student. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and they're probably one of the top 30 volleyball programs in the country.

“Their coaching staff has loved Melanie for a long time. They've wanted her for months and she seems to fit in well with the team. When you have great volleyball players who are also great students, that fits with Melanie's personality a lot.”