Mavs Welcome Bison, Pioneers This Weekend
Oct 22, 2015 | Volleyball
This Week
The Omaha volleyball team returns home for a pair of conference matches at Sapp Fieldhouse this weekend, hosting North Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. and Denver on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Jon Green will have the call of both matches, and links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign. Through 21 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 14 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy needs just 33 assists to enter the top 10 in school history for career assists.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.40) and is second in block assists (311), total blocks (182) and blocks per set (2.19).
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale leads the Summit League in blocks per set (1.27) and total blocks (105) and is second in block assists (95), while O'Shaughnessy ranks second for aces per set (0.31) and aces (26).
•Schmale's 409 assisted blocks leave her at fourth on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs 27 more to match Ruth Evans (1985-88) for the school record of 436.
•The Mavericks registered a 4-0 start to league play from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9. The last time Omaha won four straight matches to begin the conference season was 2009.
•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.
•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.
•The Mavericks have registered three sweeps so far in 2015 against Seton Hall, Bradley and Oral Roberts.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State brings a record of 14-9 (5-4 Summit League) into the week after a 3-0 sweep of South Dakota State on Tuesday. Head coach Kari Thompson is in her sixth year at NDSU, holding a career record of 83-77.
Omaha leads the all-time series with North Dakota State 41-38. The Mavericks have won three of the last five meetings, including the most recent, 3-2 on Oct. 3 in Fargo, N.D.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
League-leading Denver carries a record of 19-5 7-2 Summit League) into the week after a 3-2 loss at North Dakota State on Sunday, which snapped the Pioneers' six-match win streak. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is in his fourth year at DU, holding a record of 80-38 at the school and 172-76 over his eight-year career.
Denver leads the all-time series with Omaha 6-0. The Pioneers won the first meeting this year, 3-0 on Oct. 11 in Denver, Colo.
Last Time Out: Omaha Shuts Down Western Illinois, 3-1
Omaha picked up its fifth conference victory Tuesday night, defeating Western Illinois 3-1 at Western Hall. Senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer and sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey had 12 kills apiece to lead the Mavericks. Schimmer hit .364 for the night and added four blocks, while Horkey nabbed her seventh double-double of the year with 10 digs. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy also had a double-double -- her team-leading 14th of the season -- with 33 assists, 11 digs, four blocks, three aces and a career high-tying seven kills.
Defensively, senior libero Kimberly Bailey posted a team-high 20 digs, and freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski added 11, tying her season best, along with six kills and four blocks.
At the net, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale put together an outstanding effort with a season-high nine blocks, as well as seven kills.
As a team, Omaha outhit Western Illinois .244 to .133 and outblocked the Leathernecks 14-8. It marked the Mavericks' ninth game with 10 or more team blocks this season.
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 1,347 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 37 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 (331) and digs per set (3.99), and she owns seven performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 40 nationally in four categories, coming in at 30th for total digs (1,361), 33rd for digs per set (16.40), 38th for attacks per set (36.94) and 39th for total attacks (3,066). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 15th in the country for total blocks (105) this season.
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 nine assisted blocks at Western Illinois, Schmale has 409 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.
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 10 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.
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 466-341 (.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 205-142-1 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.
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 to action next Friday, Oct. 30, traveling to South Dakota. The match is set for 7 p.m. in Vermillion, S.D., and a link to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team returns home for a pair of conference matches at Sapp Fieldhouse this weekend, hosting North Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. and Denver on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. Jon Green will have the call of both matches, and links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign. Through 21 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 14 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy needs just 33 assists to enter the top 10 in school history for career assists.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.40) and is second in block assists (311), total blocks (182) and blocks per set (2.19).
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale leads the Summit League in blocks per set (1.27) and total blocks (105) and is second in block assists (95), while O'Shaughnessy ranks second for aces per set (0.31) and aces (26).
•Schmale's 409 assisted blocks leave her at fourth on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs 27 more to match Ruth Evans (1985-88) for the school record of 436.
•The Mavericks registered a 4-0 start to league play from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9. The last time Omaha won four straight matches to begin the conference season was 2009.
•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.
•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.
•The Mavericks have registered three sweeps so far in 2015 against Seton Hall, Bradley and Oral Roberts.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State brings a record of 14-9 (5-4 Summit League) into the week after a 3-0 sweep of South Dakota State on Tuesday. Head coach Kari Thompson is in her sixth year at NDSU, holding a career record of 83-77.
Omaha leads the all-time series with North Dakota State 41-38. The Mavericks have won three of the last five meetings, including the most recent, 3-2 on Oct. 3 in Fargo, N.D.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
League-leading Denver carries a record of 19-5 7-2 Summit League) into the week after a 3-2 loss at North Dakota State on Sunday, which snapped the Pioneers' six-match win streak. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is in his fourth year at DU, holding a record of 80-38 at the school and 172-76 over his eight-year career.
Denver leads the all-time series with Omaha 6-0. The Pioneers won the first meeting this year, 3-0 on Oct. 11 in Denver, Colo.
Last Time Out: Omaha Shuts Down Western Illinois, 3-1
Omaha picked up its fifth conference victory Tuesday night, defeating Western Illinois 3-1 at Western Hall. Senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer and sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey had 12 kills apiece to lead the Mavericks. Schimmer hit .364 for the night and added four blocks, while Horkey nabbed her seventh double-double of the year with 10 digs. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy also had a double-double -- her team-leading 14th of the season -- with 33 assists, 11 digs, four blocks, three aces and a career high-tying seven kills.
Defensively, senior libero Kimberly Bailey posted a team-high 20 digs, and freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski added 11, tying her season best, along with six kills and four blocks.
At the net, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale put together an outstanding effort with a season-high nine blocks, as well as seven kills.
As a team, Omaha outhit Western Illinois .244 to .133 and outblocked the Leathernecks 14-8. It marked the Mavericks' ninth game with 10 or more team blocks this season.
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 1,347 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 37 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 (331) and digs per set (3.99), and she owns seven performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 40 nationally in four categories, coming in at 30th for total digs (1,361), 33rd for digs per set (16.40), 38th for attacks per set (36.94) and 39th for total attacks (3,066). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 15th in the country for total blocks (105) this season.
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 nine assisted blocks at Western Illinois, Schmale has 409 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.
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 10 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.
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 466-341 (.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 205-142-1 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.
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 to action next Friday, Oct. 30, traveling to South Dakota. The match is set for 7 p.m. in Vermillion, S.D., and a link to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
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