Arena Debut, Senior Day Highlight Mavs' Weekend
Oct 27, 2015 | Volleyball
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team embarks on the final third of the conference slate this weekend, traveling to South Dakota on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. before hosting Western Illinois on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Sunday's match is Omaha's debut at newly-constructed Baxter Arena, and it also marks Senior Day for the Mavericks' six seniors, with pre-match festivities to honor their careers. Jon Green will have the call of Sunday's action, and links to live stats and 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 23 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 16 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy registered five aces in last Friday's win over North Dakota State, the most of any Maverick in over three years. The last player with five aces in a match was Natalie Ebke, who also achieved the feat against North Dakota State on Sept. 15, 2012.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs (1,514) and digs per set (16.82) and is second in block assists (335).
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale tops the league in blocks per set (1.26) and total blocks (113) and is second in block assists (103) and third in hitting percentage (.333). O'Shaughnessy ranks second for assists (873) and third for assists per set (9.70), aces per set (0.34) and aces (31).
•Schmale's 417 assisted blocks have her at fourth on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs 19 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.
•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 four sweeps in 2015, coming against Seton Hall, Bradley, Oral Roberts and Denver.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota brings a record of 10-12 (4-5 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-1 win at Oral Roberts last Friday, its third consecutive victory. Head coach Leanne Williamson is in her second year at USD, holding a career record of 27-24
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota 56-15. The Mavericks won the first meeting this season, 3-1, at Sapp Fieldhouse on Sept. 25.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois carries a record of 3-22 (1-9 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-0 loss to North Dakota State on Sunday, its 10th straight defeat. Head coach Kelly Richardson is in her first year at the helm of the Leatherneck program.
Omaha leads the all-time series with Western Illinois 4-3, helped by three consecutive wins since 2014. In the most recent meeting, the Mavericks captured a 3-1 win on Oct. 20 in Macomb, Ill.
Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps League-Leading Denver, 3-0
Omaha capped a perfect weekend last Saturday, sweeping league-leading Denver 3-0 at Sapp Fieldhouse. Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale had a standout performance, finishing with a match-leading 16 kills on .652 hitting, as well as a match highs of five blocks and three service aces along with three digs and an assist.
Sophomore Sydney O'Shaughnessy notched her team-leading 16th double-double on 33 assists and 12 digs alongside five kills and a block. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey also had a double-double -- her ninth of the season -- with 11 kills and 13 digs.
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey and freshman defensive specialist Jessica Plake each chipped in 15 digs. Freshman Gessica Gdowski also contributed a season-high-tying nine kills, six digs and four blocks for the night.
As a team, Omaha hit a season-high .298 to Denver's .219 and outblocked the Pioneers 5-3.
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy made her mark with three double-doubles last weekend, but the Omaha native also etched her name into the UNO record books in the process. Less than two years into her career, she ranks 10th in school history for career assists, having amassed 1,813 since joining the program in 2014. O'Shaughnessy passed former Maverick Cheri Pribyl, who had 1,768 from 1995 to 1998, and currently sits behind Katie Agnew (2004-07), who totaled 2,359 during her run at UNO.
Bailey Climbing Career Digs Chart
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now eighth on the list with 1,385 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 53 to tie former Maverick and current volunteer assistant coach Tanya Cate (1994-97) for seventh (1,438).
Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (369) and digs per set (4.10), and she owns eight 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 23rd for total digs (1,514), 24th for digs per set (16.82), 31st for attacks per set (37.2) and 36th for total attacks (3,348). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 15th in the country for total blocks (113) 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 has moved up to fourth on the list since then. After her combined eight assisted blocks against North Dakota State and Denver, Schmale has 417 in three-and-a-half years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops.
Schmale's next targets on the chart are Carlie Christensen (2004-07), who is third with 421, Kathy Knudsen (1982-85), who is second with 435, and Ruth Evans (1985-88), the all-time leader with 436.
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. Over her Maverick career, Wollak has compiled 1,129 kills in just over three seasons.
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 468-341 (.578), 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 207-142-1 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, Nov. 6, hosting South Dakota State. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Sapp Fieldhouse, and links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team embarks on the final third of the conference slate this weekend, traveling to South Dakota on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. before hosting Western Illinois on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Sunday's match is Omaha's debut at newly-constructed Baxter Arena, and it also marks Senior Day for the Mavericks' six seniors, with pre-match festivities to honor their careers. Jon Green will have the call of Sunday's action, and links to live stats and 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 23 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 16 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy registered five aces in last Friday's win over North Dakota State, the most of any Maverick in over three years. The last player with five aces in a match was Natalie Ebke, who also achieved the feat against North Dakota State on Sept. 15, 2012.
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs (1,514) and digs per set (16.82) and is second in block assists (335).
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale tops the league in blocks per set (1.26) and total blocks (113) and is second in block assists (103) and third in hitting percentage (.333). O'Shaughnessy ranks second for assists (873) and third for assists per set (9.70), aces per set (0.34) and aces (31).
•Schmale's 417 assisted blocks have her at fourth on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs 19 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.
•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 four sweeps in 2015, coming against Seton Hall, Bradley, Oral Roberts and Denver.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota brings a record of 10-12 (4-5 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-1 win at Oral Roberts last Friday, its third consecutive victory. Head coach Leanne Williamson is in her second year at USD, holding a career record of 27-24
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota 56-15. The Mavericks won the first meeting this season, 3-1, at Sapp Fieldhouse on Sept. 25.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois carries a record of 3-22 (1-9 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-0 loss to North Dakota State on Sunday, its 10th straight defeat. Head coach Kelly Richardson is in her first year at the helm of the Leatherneck program.
Omaha leads the all-time series with Western Illinois 4-3, helped by three consecutive wins since 2014. In the most recent meeting, the Mavericks captured a 3-1 win on Oct. 20 in Macomb, Ill.
Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps League-Leading Denver, 3-0
Omaha capped a perfect weekend last Saturday, sweeping league-leading Denver 3-0 at Sapp Fieldhouse. Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale had a standout performance, finishing with a match-leading 16 kills on .652 hitting, as well as a match highs of five blocks and three service aces along with three digs and an assist.
Sophomore Sydney O'Shaughnessy notched her team-leading 16th double-double on 33 assists and 12 digs alongside five kills and a block. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey also had a double-double -- her ninth of the season -- with 11 kills and 13 digs.
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey and freshman defensive specialist Jessica Plake each chipped in 15 digs. Freshman Gessica Gdowski also contributed a season-high-tying nine kills, six digs and four blocks for the night.
As a team, Omaha hit a season-high .298 to Denver's .219 and outblocked the Pioneers 5-3.
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy made her mark with three double-doubles last weekend, but the Omaha native also etched her name into the UNO record books in the process. Less than two years into her career, she ranks 10th in school history for career assists, having amassed 1,813 since joining the program in 2014. O'Shaughnessy passed former Maverick Cheri Pribyl, who had 1,768 from 1995 to 1998, and currently sits behind Katie Agnew (2004-07), who totaled 2,359 during her run at UNO.
Bailey Climbing Career Digs Chart
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now eighth on the list with 1,385 digs over the last three-plus seasons. She needs 53 to tie former Maverick and current volunteer assistant coach Tanya Cate (1994-97) for seventh (1,438).
Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (369) and digs per set (4.10), and she owns eight 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 23rd for total digs (1,514), 24th for digs per set (16.82), 31st for attacks per set (37.2) and 36th for total attacks (3,348). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 15th in the country for total blocks (113) 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 has moved up to fourth on the list since then. After her combined eight assisted blocks against North Dakota State and Denver, Schmale has 417 in three-and-a-half years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops.
Schmale's next targets on the chart are Carlie Christensen (2004-07), who is third with 421, Kathy Knudsen (1982-85), who is second with 435, and Ruth Evans (1985-88), the all-time leader with 436.
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. Over her Maverick career, Wollak has compiled 1,129 kills in just over three seasons.
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 468-341 (.578), 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 207-142-1 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, Nov. 6, hosting South Dakota State. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Sapp Fieldhouse, and links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Players Mentioned
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