Volleyball: Libero Rivera soars to new heights as CU's 'dig machine'

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She's 5-foot-3 and looks down over the net when she jumps.

Bianca Rivera has played in every set for Creighton since transferring from Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff. Her position: "dig machine."

In just her second season at Creighton, the senior libero from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is poised to break nearly every school dig record. She enters weekend home matches against Indiana State and Illinois State with 957 digs, an average of 5.26 per set. That is more than one dig per set better than anyone else in Bluejay history.

"She's one of the best athletes I've ever coached," CU coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said. "Every match you are going to see a touch or two where you say 'Oh, my gosh.' She's fun to watch."

Rivera can wow fans with her leaping ability — she has a 42-inch vertical jump. But what makes her effective as a libero is her ability to cover ground.

Booth ranks the libero as the second-most crucial position behind the setter because players such as Rivera can take over matches. Strong liberos are critical to get the point started from serve-receive perspective. The best can cover up to half of the court.

"She's a phenomenal passer," Booth said. "A lot of that is innate balance, touch. She started playing in Puerto Rico at a young age and has become fluid with the ball."

Rivera first played volleyball at age 6 in Puerto Rico's Pitirre league, where she used her extraordinary jumping ability to play as outside hitter. The Pitirre is a small, quick bird that aggressively defends its home against larger animals. The bird is a widespread David-vs.-Goliath-like symbol in Puerto Rico, which describes Rivera's motivation as a volleyball player.

"I always want to get better because people look at me and say 'Wow, we are the same height,' " Rivera said. "I want to show them that height doesn't matter. If you put in the effort on the court you can get better."

Rivera is the first player in Creighton history to record 15 or more digs in 12 consecutive matches, dating to Sept. 20. And she's put up big numbers despite a rule change last year that shortened sets from 30 to 25 points, which has decreased stats across the board.

Rivera's activity has earned the trust of her teammates.

"She's a leader on the court," senior Carolyn Decker said. "She makes a lot of the defensive plays that we need. If we can't dig the ball up, we can't hit it back at them."

Next year Rivera will have opportunities to play professionally in Puerto Rico or Europe. She is undecided and might prefer to use her bilingual talents to work at a business in the United States.

"I think we forget sometimes," Booth said, "if you're coming to Creighton University and you're taking everything in a second language, how bright do you have to be?"