Mavs Meet Leathernecks for Midweek Match
Oct 19, 2015 | Volleyball
This Week
The Omaha volleyball team opens a busy three-match week with a midweek jaunt to Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., facing Western Illinois on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•The Mavericks registered a 4-0 start to conference play from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9. The last time Omaha won four straight matches to begin the conference season was 2009.
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign. Through 20 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 13 double-doubles.
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale leads the Summit League in blocks per set (1.22) and is second in total blocks (96) and block assists (86), while O'Shaughnessy ranks third for aces (23), assists (762) and assists per set (9.65).
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.34) and is second in block assists (283), as well as third in digs (1,291), total blocks (168) and blocks per set (2.12).
•O'Shaughnessy needs just 66 assists to enter the top 10 in school history for career assists.
•True freshmen Jessica Plake, Gessica Gdowski and Kayla Torson have been the only Maverick newcomers to see the court through the first half of the season.
•For the first time in four years, Omaha is eligible for postseason play. As part of its reclassification to Division I, the Mavericks were unable to quality for the Summit League Tournament or NCAA Tournament from 2011 to 2015.
•UNO's six seniors on the roster mark the most since 2009.
•Wollak's 1,287 attacks in 2014 represented the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. Schmale's 134 assisted blocks were the eighth-most of any Maverick in a single season.
•Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2015 Summit League Preseason Poll, its highest place in the poll since joining the conference in 2012.
•UNO registered six sweeps last season, including a standout win over Tennessee. The Mavericks have three so far in 2015 against Seton Hall, Bradley and Oral Roberts.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois brings a record of 3-19 (1-6 Summit League) into the week after a 3-2 loss at Oral Roberts on Sunday, the Leathernecks' seventh straight defeat. Head coach Kelly Richardson is in her first year with WIU, holding a record of 3-19 and a career mark of 89-147 in eight seasons.
The all-time series between Omaha and Western Illinois is tied at 3-3. UNO won both games of the season series last year with a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 14, 2014 at Sapp Fieldhouse and a 3-1 victory on Sept. 28, 2014 in Macomb, Ill.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall to IUPUI, 3-0
Omaha closed its home weekend Saturday evening, falling 3-0 to IUPUI at Sapp Fieldhouse. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy registered her team-leading 13th double-double of the season on a match-high 25 assists and a team-best 12 digs, in addition to three blocks and two kills. Senior middle blocker Amy Taylor and sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey matched each other with a team-high seven kills as well as two blocks apiece.
Senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer added six kills on .385 hitting, and senior libero Kimberly Bailey chipped in 11 digs for the night.
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale had five kills and a match-high five blocks, which brought her to a career total of 400 block assists. Schmale is only the fourth Maverick in school history to total 400 or more career block assists.
Bailey Moves Into Top 10 for Career Digs
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now ninth on the list with 1,327 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 57 to tie former Maverick Chelsea Miller (2002-05) for eighth (1,384).
Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (311) and digs per set (3.94), and she owns six performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 40 nationally in two categories, coming in at 33rd for attacks per set (37.1) and 36th for digs per set (16.34). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 29th in the country for total blocks (96) this season.
Wollak Joins 1,000 Kill Club
On Sept. 11, senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak became the 19th player in program history -- and the first in the Division I era -- to pass the 1,000 career kills milestone. She hit No. 1,000 just two plays into the third set against SIUE.
Omaha last added players to the 1,000 Kill Club in 2009, when Kelli Goeser (2006-09) finished her career with 1,058 and Ellen Thommes (2006-09) closed with 1,282.
Wollak has compiled 1,129 kills in just over three seasons and needs 153 to enter the top in school history. Two weeks ago, she moved up to third (3,679) on the career attacks chart and trails Jewelia Grennan (1999-2002), who had 3,795.
Schmale Surges Into Career Top Five for Block Assists
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season and moved up to fourth on the list last weekend. After her combined seven assisted blocks against Fort Wayne and IUPUI, Schmale has 400 in three-and-a-half years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops. Her next target on the blocks chart is Carlie Christensen (2004-07), who had 421 in her career.
O'Shaughnessy, Wollak, Schmale Collect All-Tournament Honors
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy was named to the CMU Chippewa Challenge all-tournament team, UNO's -- last regular-season tournament on the schedule -- having averaged 9.00 assists, 1.83 digs and 0.67 blocks per set over the three matches. The Omaha native helped the Mavericks to a 3-2 win over Evansville, posting 46 assists, six digs and six blocks.
Senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak was previously named to the all-tournament teams for the UNLV Invitational, Omaha Classic and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic. Senior middle blocker Amy Taylor joined her on the Kangaroo Klassic all-tournament list, while senior middle blocker Megan Schmale also earned all-tournament honors for the Omaha Classic.
What Makes Up the Mavericks
•Omaha returns 11 letterwinners from the 2014 season, including seven in the starting lineup: libero Kimberly Bailey, middle blockers Diane Banderas and Megan Schmale, setter/rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer, setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy and outside hitters Kelley Wollak and Mackenzie Horkey.
•UNO returns 98 percent of its total offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,470 of the Mavericks' 1,495 kills.
•The Mavs also return 98 percent of their total blocking production from last year, with the returners credited for 287.5 out of 292.5 stops.
•Omaha lost four letterwinners from the 2014 squad in graduated seniors Jessy Schroedter and Rachelle Kruml, along with defensive specialists Marisa Moseman and Aftyn Johnson.
•Wollak is UNO's top returning hitter, having averaged 3.24 kills per set last year. At the net, Amanda Conlin had a team-high 1.16 blocks per set, and Schmale had 1.14 blocks per set.
•O'Shaughnessy and Horkey were both named to the Summit League All-Freshmen team at the end of 2014.
•The Mavericks are made up of four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and six seniors.
•Schmale was Omaha's first Division I all-conference pick in 2013, earning All-Summit honorable mention status. She led the conference in blocking and ranked in the top 100 nationally for blocks per set. Schmale also earned Academic All-Summit accolades, which she repeated in 2014.
Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 45 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 26th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 465-341 (.577), with the most wins of the five coaches who have served at Omaha.
The 1996 AVCA National Coach of the Year and a two-time conference coach of the year, Shires has enjoyed tremendous success as UNO's guide. The 1996 campaign saw her lead UNO to a national championship as well as its first North Central Conference championship since 1987, followed by an Elite Eight appearance in 1997. In NCAA Tournament play, Shires' squads have combined for 11 appearances and a 10-10 postseason mark.
Shires is assisted by associate head coach Karen Povondra, who is in her 25th season with UNO, assistant coach Elena Pietro, in her first year, and volunteer assistant coach Tanya Cate, who is in her sixth year on the Maverick staff.
Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2015 schedule includes 20 matches against 21 different opponents, and the team will play in 10 states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from 10 different conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley, two from the Mountain West and once each from the American Athletic, BIG EAST, Big West, Big Sky, MAC, OVC, Southland and the WAC. Three foes -- Seton Hall, Central Florida and Denver -- were 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifiers.
Entering 2015, the Mavericks had never faced five of their 2015 opponents: Seton Hall, UNLV, Central Arkansas, Central Florida and San Jose State. Omaha currently holds a combined all-time record of 204-142-1 over all teams on the slate this season.
Freshman Foursome
The Mavericks have welcomed four true freshmen to the roster this season: defensive specialist Jessica Plake (Kansas City, Kan.), rightside hitter Meagen Roth (Lincoln, Neb.) and outside hitters Kayla Torson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Gessica Gdowski (Fremont, Neb.).
Plake was a two-time all-state selection at Bishop Miege High School, where she helped the Stags to three state championships. Torson was a three-time all-state player at Xavier High School. Roth, a product of Lincoln Southeast High School, twice earned All-Nebraska honors and was part of three consecutive district championship teams, while Gdowski was a three-time all-state honorable mention pick at Fremont High School.
Plake, Gdowski and Torson have seen playing time so far this year. At the CMU Chippewa Challenge, Gdowski finished just shy of a double-double with season highs of nine kills and 11 digs vs. Evansville. In the same match, Plake posted a season-best 20 digs.
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2015 Summit League Preseason Poll released by the conference office on Aug. 20. The poll was determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Defending league champion Denver was tabbed as the league favorite after collecting seven first-place votes. IUPUI came in second, and North Dakota State was third. Oral Roberts was picked fourth, and South Dakota followed in fifth. Omaha tied for sixth with Fort Wayne, while South Dakota State and Western Illinois rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth, respectively.
No Longer the Newcomers
In 2015-16, Omaha is in its first year as a Division I institution with full Summit League and NCAA postseason eligibility. The Mavericks competed the last four seasons as a reclassifying Division I school, and they officially joined the Summit League in 2012. During the reclassification period, UNO was ineligible for the league tournament and NCAA postseason play, but played a full regular-season conference schedule in its last three transitional years.
Next Up
Omaha returns home to Sapp Fieldhouse for a pair of weekend league matches, hosting North Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. and Denver on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team opens a busy three-match week with a midweek jaunt to Western Hall in Macomb, Ill., facing Western Illinois on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•The Mavericks registered a 4-0 start to conference play from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9. The last time Omaha won four straight matches to begin the conference season was 2009.
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign. Through 20 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 13 double-doubles.
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale leads the Summit League in blocks per set (1.22) and is second in total blocks (96) and block assists (86), while O'Shaughnessy ranks third for aces (23), assists (762) and assists per set (9.65).
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.34) and is second in block assists (283), as well as third in digs (1,291), total blocks (168) and blocks per set (2.12).
•O'Shaughnessy needs just 66 assists to enter the top 10 in school history for career assists.
•True freshmen Jessica Plake, Gessica Gdowski and Kayla Torson have been the only Maverick newcomers to see the court through the first half of the season.
•For the first time in four years, Omaha is eligible for postseason play. As part of its reclassification to Division I, the Mavericks were unable to quality for the Summit League Tournament or NCAA Tournament from 2011 to 2015.
•UNO's six seniors on the roster mark the most since 2009.
•Wollak's 1,287 attacks in 2014 represented the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. Schmale's 134 assisted blocks were the eighth-most of any Maverick in a single season.
•Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2015 Summit League Preseason Poll, its highest place in the poll since joining the conference in 2012.
•UNO registered six sweeps last season, including a standout win over Tennessee. The Mavericks have three so far in 2015 against Seton Hall, Bradley and Oral Roberts.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois brings a record of 3-19 (1-6 Summit League) into the week after a 3-2 loss at Oral Roberts on Sunday, the Leathernecks' seventh straight defeat. Head coach Kelly Richardson is in her first year with WIU, holding a record of 3-19 and a career mark of 89-147 in eight seasons.
The all-time series between Omaha and Western Illinois is tied at 3-3. UNO won both games of the season series last year with a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 14, 2014 at Sapp Fieldhouse and a 3-1 victory on Sept. 28, 2014 in Macomb, Ill.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall to IUPUI, 3-0
Omaha closed its home weekend Saturday evening, falling 3-0 to IUPUI at Sapp Fieldhouse. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy registered her team-leading 13th double-double of the season on a match-high 25 assists and a team-best 12 digs, in addition to three blocks and two kills. Senior middle blocker Amy Taylor and sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey matched each other with a team-high seven kills as well as two blocks apiece.
Senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer added six kills on .385 hitting, and senior libero Kimberly Bailey chipped in 11 digs for the night.
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale had five kills and a match-high five blocks, which brought her to a career total of 400 block assists. Schmale is only the fourth Maverick in school history to total 400 or more career block assists.
Bailey Moves Into Top 10 for Career Digs
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now ninth on the list with 1,327 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 57 to tie former Maverick Chelsea Miller (2002-05) for eighth (1,384).
Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (311) and digs per set (3.94), and she owns six performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 40 nationally in two categories, coming in at 33rd for attacks per set (37.1) and 36th for digs per set (16.34). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 29th in the country for total blocks (96) this season.
Wollak Joins 1,000 Kill Club
On Sept. 11, senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak became the 19th player in program history -- and the first in the Division I era -- to pass the 1,000 career kills milestone. She hit No. 1,000 just two plays into the third set against SIUE.
Omaha last added players to the 1,000 Kill Club in 2009, when Kelli Goeser (2006-09) finished her career with 1,058 and Ellen Thommes (2006-09) closed with 1,282.
Wollak has compiled 1,129 kills in just over three seasons and needs 153 to enter the top in school history. Two weeks ago, she moved up to third (3,679) on the career attacks chart and trails Jewelia Grennan (1999-2002), who had 3,795.
Schmale Surges Into Career Top Five for Block Assists
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season and moved up to fourth on the list last weekend. After her combined seven assisted blocks against Fort Wayne and IUPUI, Schmale has 400 in three-and-a-half years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops. Her next target on the blocks chart is Carlie Christensen (2004-07), who had 421 in her career.
O'Shaughnessy, Wollak, Schmale Collect All-Tournament Honors
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy was named to the CMU Chippewa Challenge all-tournament team, UNO's -- last regular-season tournament on the schedule -- having averaged 9.00 assists, 1.83 digs and 0.67 blocks per set over the three matches. The Omaha native helped the Mavericks to a 3-2 win over Evansville, posting 46 assists, six digs and six blocks.
Senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak was previously named to the all-tournament teams for the UNLV Invitational, Omaha Classic and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic. Senior middle blocker Amy Taylor joined her on the Kangaroo Klassic all-tournament list, while senior middle blocker Megan Schmale also earned all-tournament honors for the Omaha Classic.
What Makes Up the Mavericks
•Omaha returns 11 letterwinners from the 2014 season, including seven in the starting lineup: libero Kimberly Bailey, middle blockers Diane Banderas and Megan Schmale, setter/rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer, setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy and outside hitters Kelley Wollak and Mackenzie Horkey.
•UNO returns 98 percent of its total offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,470 of the Mavericks' 1,495 kills.
•The Mavs also return 98 percent of their total blocking production from last year, with the returners credited for 287.5 out of 292.5 stops.
•Omaha lost four letterwinners from the 2014 squad in graduated seniors Jessy Schroedter and Rachelle Kruml, along with defensive specialists Marisa Moseman and Aftyn Johnson.
•Wollak is UNO's top returning hitter, having averaged 3.24 kills per set last year. At the net, Amanda Conlin had a team-high 1.16 blocks per set, and Schmale had 1.14 blocks per set.
•O'Shaughnessy and Horkey were both named to the Summit League All-Freshmen team at the end of 2014.
•The Mavericks are made up of four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and six seniors.
•Schmale was Omaha's first Division I all-conference pick in 2013, earning All-Summit honorable mention status. She led the conference in blocking and ranked in the top 100 nationally for blocks per set. Schmale also earned Academic All-Summit accolades, which she repeated in 2014.
Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 45 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 26th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 465-341 (.577), with the most wins of the five coaches who have served at Omaha.
The 1996 AVCA National Coach of the Year and a two-time conference coach of the year, Shires has enjoyed tremendous success as UNO's guide. The 1996 campaign saw her lead UNO to a national championship as well as its first North Central Conference championship since 1987, followed by an Elite Eight appearance in 1997. In NCAA Tournament play, Shires' squads have combined for 11 appearances and a 10-10 postseason mark.
Shires is assisted by associate head coach Karen Povondra, who is in her 25th season with UNO, assistant coach Elena Pietro, in her first year, and volunteer assistant coach Tanya Cate, who is in her sixth year on the Maverick staff.
Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2015 schedule includes 20 matches against 21 different opponents, and the team will play in 10 states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from 10 different conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley, two from the Mountain West and once each from the American Athletic, BIG EAST, Big West, Big Sky, MAC, OVC, Southland and the WAC. Three foes -- Seton Hall, Central Florida and Denver -- were 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifiers.
Entering 2015, the Mavericks had never faced five of their 2015 opponents: Seton Hall, UNLV, Central Arkansas, Central Florida and San Jose State. Omaha currently holds a combined all-time record of 204-142-1 over all teams on the slate this season.
Freshman Foursome
The Mavericks have welcomed four true freshmen to the roster this season: defensive specialist Jessica Plake (Kansas City, Kan.), rightside hitter Meagen Roth (Lincoln, Neb.) and outside hitters Kayla Torson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Gessica Gdowski (Fremont, Neb.).
Plake was a two-time all-state selection at Bishop Miege High School, where she helped the Stags to three state championships. Torson was a three-time all-state player at Xavier High School. Roth, a product of Lincoln Southeast High School, twice earned All-Nebraska honors and was part of three consecutive district championship teams, while Gdowski was a three-time all-state honorable mention pick at Fremont High School.
Plake, Gdowski and Torson have seen playing time so far this year. At the CMU Chippewa Challenge, Gdowski finished just shy of a double-double with season highs of nine kills and 11 digs vs. Evansville. In the same match, Plake posted a season-best 20 digs.
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2015 Summit League Preseason Poll released by the conference office on Aug. 20. The poll was determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Defending league champion Denver was tabbed as the league favorite after collecting seven first-place votes. IUPUI came in second, and North Dakota State was third. Oral Roberts was picked fourth, and South Dakota followed in fifth. Omaha tied for sixth with Fort Wayne, while South Dakota State and Western Illinois rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth, respectively.
No Longer the Newcomers
In 2015-16, Omaha is in its first year as a Division I institution with full Summit League and NCAA postseason eligibility. The Mavericks competed the last four seasons as a reclassifying Division I school, and they officially joined the Summit League in 2012. During the reclassification period, UNO was ineligible for the league tournament and NCAA postseason play, but played a full regular-season conference schedule in its last three transitional years.
Next Up
Omaha returns home to Sapp Fieldhouse for a pair of weekend league matches, hosting North Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. and Denver on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Players Mentioned
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