Blocking, Defense Help Mavs Dismantle Tennessee

Saturday, September 6

Ames, Iowa

6:30 PM

Omaha

2-4 (0-0Summit)

Tennessee

2-4 (0-0SEC)

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Omaha	25	25	25	3
Tennessee	18	17	22	0

Stats Notes

Blocking, Defense Help Mavs Dismantle Tennessee

Sep 7, 2014 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Omaha Athletics

AMES, Iowa -- Behind a solid blocking and defensive effort, the Omaha volleyball team took down Tennessee with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-17, 25-22) to close the Iowa State Challenge at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 2-4 (0-0 Summit League) on the year, while the Lady Vols drop to 2-4 (0-0 SEC).

As a team, Omaha outblocked UT, 10-4, and outhit the Lady Vols with a season-high .252 to .078.

Junior outside hitter Kelley Wollak led the way with nine kills along with eight digs and two service aces.

Junior setter/rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer got her third double-double of the year with 15 assists and 10 digs, and freshman setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy totaled a match-leading 18 assists of her own. Junior libero Kimberly Bailey also had a match-best 15 digs.

Redshirt freshman Amanda Conlin shined at the net, leading UNO with eight blocks for her season best, in addition to six kills. Schimmer and freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey added more four blocks apiece.

"We had exceptional blocking and a great defensive transition game that really set the tempo for the match tonight," head coach Rose Shires said. "I was very proud of our disciplined defense as we played a much bigger Tennessee team.

"It's very difficult to single out one player in a win over a team from the SEC. We had such a balanced attack tonight. This was a big win for us, and the entire tournament this weekend was a positive building block for our program."

Omaha opened the match with .263 hitting in the first set while holding Tennessee to a -.029 attack percentage. The Mavericks used a balanced offensive attack, with eight different players registering at least one kill. Wollak and Schimmer led the way with three kills each, and UNO posted four team blocks in the first game. After the set stalled at 7-7, Omaha took off on an 11-5 run, then went on to the 25-18 win.

In game two, the Mavericks hit .294 to UT's .103. Horkey notched four kills, Conlin posted three blocks, and Bailey had eight digs in the set. UNO never trailed, going out to an 11-6 lead, then pushed it to 21-13 with three of Horkey's kills late in the game. A kill from Wollak closed it out, giving the Mavs a 25-17 win and a 2-0 advantage.

The final set saw Conlin put up another three stops at the net, while Wollak had four kills and Schimmer and junior middle blocker Megan Schmale had another three each. Tennessee hit .143, behind Omaha's .205 as a team. The Lady Vols tied it at 16-16, then took a two-point lead. UNO came back and tied the game at 22-22 with a block by Conlin and Schimmer, and a Horkey ace put the Mavericks back on top. Following a UT timeout, Conlin registered a kill to make it match point, and a final Tennessee attack error gave Omaha the 25-22 set win and the 3-0 sweep.

Omaha returns to action on Friday, Sept. 12, traveling to the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis, Mo. The Mavericks face host Saint Louis at 7 p.m., and a link to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.