Mavs Prepare for Challenging Weekend at ORU, DU
Oct 7, 2015 | Volleyball
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team completes its three-match road swing this weekend, visiting Oral Roberts on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. and Denver on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. CT. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha has registered a perfect 3-0 start over the first two weeks of league play. The last time the Mavericks won three 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 16 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 10 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy ranks second in the Summit League for total aces (20) and aces per set (0.31) and third for assists (632) and assists per set (9.72), while senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is second for hitting percentage (.342), block assists (72), total blocks (80) and blocks per set (1.23).
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.42) and is second in total digs (1,067) and block assists (233), as well as third in total blocks (138) and blocks per set (2.12).
•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 two so far in 2015 -- a season-opening 3-0 win over Seton Hall and another over Bradley.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts brings a record of 10-7 (4-0 Summit League) into the weekend after winning its fifth straight match with a 3-0 sweep of Fort Wayne on Sunday. ORU swept the conference's weekly awards on Monday, with outside hitter Laura Milos named Summit League Offensive Player of the Week and middle blocker Jovana Poljasevic honored as Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.
Head coach Sheera Sirola is in her 13th year with the Golden Eagles, holding a career record of 234-155. Oral Roberts leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-1. The Golden Eagles won the last meeting 3-0 on Nov. 4, 2014 in Tulsa, Okla., while UNO's last win in the series came at home, 3-0, on Oct. 17, 2014.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver carries a record of 16-4 (4-1 Summit League) into the weekend after winning its third straight match with a 3-1 victory over South Dakota on Sunday. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is in his fourth year with the Pioneers, holding a record of 77-37 at the school and a career mark of 169-75 over nine seasons.
DU leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-0. The Pioneers won the last meeting 3-0 in Omaha on Oct. 31, 2014.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Battle Past North Dakota State, 3-2
Omaha won a five-set battle for its third consecutive conference win last Saturday, defeating North Dakota State 3-2 at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey led UNO with 14 kills alongside 15 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and her third in as many matches. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy also had her 10th double-double of the year on 46 assists and 17 digs with three aces and two blocks.
Senior middle blockers Megan Schmale and Amy Taylor finished with 11 kills apiece, and Schmale hit at a .417 attacking clip for the night. Taylor led the match with nine blocks, which tied her career high.
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey led the Mavericks defensively with 20 digs, while senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak added 14 digs and nine kills.
Bailey Moves Into Top 10 for Career Digs
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs two weeks ago, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now ninth on the list with 1,277 digs over the last three-plus seasons. Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (261) and digs per set (4.02), and she owns six performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 35 nationally in three categories, coming in at 22nd for attacks per set (37.34), 32nd for digs per set (16.42) and 35th for total digs (1,067). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 19th in the country for total blocks (80) 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 now compiled 1,092 kills in just over three seasons and needs 190 to enter the top in school history. Last weekend, she moved up to fifth on the chart for career attacks and is now just behind Jenny Rankin (2001-04), who had 3,603.
Schmale Surges Into Career Top 10 for Block Assists
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season. After adding two assisted blocks at North Dakota State on Saturday, Schmale has 386 in three-and-a-half years. She now ranks sixth on the list, having passed Lori Schutte (1984-87), who had385. Schmale's next target is Lisa Lyons (1985-87), who had 392 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 464-338 (.579), 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 203-139-1 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.
Triple Trouble
Senior Michaela Schimmer has accounted for the last five triple-doubles in Omaha volleyball history. She tallied her fifth career triple-double on Nov. 15, 2013 vs. South Dakota, finishing with 12 kills, 26 assists and 20 digs. Schimmer had three triple-doubles as a freshman in 2012 and two more in 2013. Prior to her, the last triple-double came from Krista Niezwaag in 1999.
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 with two conference matches at home at Sapp Fieldhouse next weekend. The Mavericks host Fort Wayne on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., followed by IUPUI on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team completes its three-match road swing this weekend, visiting Oral Roberts on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. and Denver on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. CT. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha has registered a perfect 3-0 start over the first two weeks of league play. The last time the Mavericks won three 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 16 matches this season, she leads the squad again with 10 double-doubles.
•O'Shaughnessy ranks second in the Summit League for total aces (20) and aces per set (0.31) and third for assists (632) and assists per set (9.72), while senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is second for hitting percentage (.342), block assists (72), total blocks (80) and blocks per set (1.23).
•Omaha leads the Summit League in digs per set (16.42) and is second in total digs (1,067) and block assists (233), as well as third in total blocks (138) and blocks per set (2.12).
•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 two so far in 2015 -- a season-opening 3-0 win over Seton Hall and another over Bradley.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts brings a record of 10-7 (4-0 Summit League) into the weekend after winning its fifth straight match with a 3-0 sweep of Fort Wayne on Sunday. ORU swept the conference's weekly awards on Monday, with outside hitter Laura Milos named Summit League Offensive Player of the Week and middle blocker Jovana Poljasevic honored as Summit League Defensive Player of the Week.
Head coach Sheera Sirola is in her 13th year with the Golden Eagles, holding a career record of 234-155. Oral Roberts leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-1. The Golden Eagles won the last meeting 3-0 on Nov. 4, 2014 in Tulsa, Okla., while UNO's last win in the series came at home, 3-0, on Oct. 17, 2014.
Scouting the Denver Pioneers
Denver carries a record of 16-4 (4-1 Summit League) into the weekend after winning its third straight match with a 3-1 victory over South Dakota on Sunday. Head coach Jesse Mahoney is in his fourth year with the Pioneers, holding a record of 77-37 at the school and a career mark of 169-75 over nine seasons.
DU leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-0. The Pioneers won the last meeting 3-0 in Omaha on Oct. 31, 2014.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Battle Past North Dakota State, 3-2
Omaha won a five-set battle for its third consecutive conference win last Saturday, defeating North Dakota State 3-2 at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey led UNO with 14 kills alongside 15 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and her third in as many matches. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy also had her 10th double-double of the year on 46 assists and 17 digs with three aces and two blocks.
Senior middle blockers Megan Schmale and Amy Taylor finished with 11 kills apiece, and Schmale hit at a .417 attacking clip for the night. Taylor led the match with nine blocks, which tied her career high.
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey led the Mavericks defensively with 20 digs, while senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak added 14 digs and nine kills.
Bailey Moves Into Top 10 for Career Digs
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs two weeks ago, and the Lincoln, Neb., native is now ninth on the list with 1,277 digs over the last three-plus seasons. Bailey also ranks fourth in the Summit League this season for total digs (261) and digs per set (4.02), and she owns six performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha officially ranks among the top 35 nationally in three categories, coming in at 22nd for attacks per set (37.34), 32nd for digs per set (16.42) and 35th for total digs (1,067). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 19th in the country for total blocks (80) 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 now compiled 1,092 kills in just over three seasons and needs 190 to enter the top in school history. Last weekend, she moved up to fifth on the chart for career attacks and is now just behind Jenny Rankin (2001-04), who had 3,603.
Schmale Surges Into Career Top 10 for Block Assists
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season. After adding two assisted blocks at North Dakota State on Saturday, Schmale has 386 in three-and-a-half years. She now ranks sixth on the list, having passed Lori Schutte (1984-87), who had385. Schmale's next target is Lisa Lyons (1985-87), who had 392 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 464-338 (.579), 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 203-139-1 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.
Triple Trouble
Senior Michaela Schimmer has accounted for the last five triple-doubles in Omaha volleyball history. She tallied her fifth career triple-double on Nov. 15, 2013 vs. South Dakota, finishing with 12 kills, 26 assists and 20 digs. Schimmer had three triple-doubles as a freshman in 2012 and two more in 2013. Prior to her, the last triple-double came from Krista Niezwaag in 1999.
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 with two conference matches at home at Sapp Fieldhouse next weekend. The Mavericks host Fort Wayne on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., followed by IUPUI on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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