Omaha Seeks League Volleyball Crown This Weekend
Nov 11, 2015 | Volleyball
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team hits the road for two matches to close the regular season this weekend, visiting Fort Wayne on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. (CT), followed by IUPUI on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats, video and audio will be listed on OMavs.com as available.
Quick Hits
•Omaha is one of six teams to have clinched a spot in the Summit League Championship, set for Nov. 20-22 in Denver, Colo. The other five qualifying squads are Denver, IUPUI, Oral Roberts, North Dakota State and South Dakota.
•The Mavericks currently sit in sole possession of second place in the conference standings, half a game behind league-leading DU entering the final weekend of the regular season.
•Omaha went 8-5 at home this year. Its last season with a winning home record was 2010.
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale's 434 assisted blocks have her at third on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs two more to tie Ruth Evans (1985-88) for the school record of 436.
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign and leads the squad again with 19 more this year. Her 38 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy registered five aces in Omaha's win over North Dakota State on Oct. 23, 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.
•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.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne brings a record of 7-23 (4-10 Summit League) into Friday's match after a 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois on Tuesday, which snapped a seven-match losing skid for the Mastodons. Head coach Steve Florio is in his second year at IPFW, holding a career record of 20-43.
IPFW leads the all-time series with UNO, 8-0. The Mastodons won the first meeting this season, 3-2 on Oct. 16.
Scouting the IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI carries a record of 19-9 (10-4 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-0 loss at North Dakota State on Sunday. The Jaguars have lost two straight matches since a five-match win streak Oct. 17-30 and are third in the league standings behind Omaha. Head coach Steve Payne is in his 19th year at IUPUI, holding a career record of 239-304.
IUPUI leads the all-time series with Omaha, 7-0. The Jaguars won the first meeting this season, 3-0 on Oct. 17.
Last Time Out: Third Straight Sweep Propels UNO Past Oral Roberts
Omaha posted its seventh straight win with a 3-0 sweep of Oral Roberts Tuesday night in its home finale at Baxter Arena. The win marked the Mavericks' seventh sweep of the season and their third in as many matches.
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy notched her team-best 19th double-double of the year with 33 assists and 11 digs, adding two kills and two blocks.
Senior middle blockers Megan Schmale and Amy Taylor each had a team-leading nine kills, with Taylor hitting .500 for the night and Schmale finishing at .333. Taylor also had a pair of block assists, while Schmale had a match-high four. The performance inched her closer to UNO's all-time career block assists record of 436 held by Ruth Evans (1985-88), as Schmale now needs just two to tie Evans.
Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey added another eight kills with 10 digs, and senior rightside hitter Mackenzie Horkey had seven kills on .375 hitting with three blocks.
Defensively, senior libero Kimberly Bailey led the way with 22 digs alongside two aces, which represented her fourth straight match with 20 or more digs and her 12th such effort this season. Freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski also finished in double figures with 10 digs and chipped in six kills.
Omaha hit .250 as a team to ORU's .126, outdug the Golden Eagles 66-59 and outblocked them 6-4.
Studying the Streak
UNO has won seven straight matches since Oct. 20, its longest stretch since an identical streak in 2010. With the Mavericks' three consecutive 3-0 wins over Western Illinois on Nov. 1, South Dakota State on Nov. 6 and Oral Roberts on Nov. 10, they have equaled their longest stretch of consecutive sweeps since Nov. 2-7, 2008 vs. Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western.
League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in digs (1,784) and digs per set (17.32) and also ranks second in block assists (387) and total attacks (3,865) and third in total blocks (222), blocks per set (2.15), aces (136) and aces per set (1.32).
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale tops the league in total blocks (131), block assists (120) and blocks per set (1.27) and is third in hitting percentage (.326). Senior libero Kimberly Bailey is second for digs per set (4.52) and digs (466), and sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy is third for assists (1,032) and assists per set (10.02).
Schmale Aims for School Block Assists Record
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season and has moved up to third on the list since then. After her four assisted blocks against Oral Roberts, Schmale has 464 in four years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops.
Schmale's next targets are Kathy Knudsen (1982-85), who is second with 435, and Ruth Evans (1985-88), the all-time leader with 436.
Bailey Snags Second Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Award
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week for her performance the week of Nov. 2-8, the league office announced Monday. It marks the second weekly conference award of Bailey's career and her second in as many weeks.
Bailey averaged 7.33 digs per set for the week, tallying 22 digs in a sweep of South Dakota State last Friday. The performance was her third straight match with 20 or more digs and her 11th such effort this season. It also helped extend Omaha's winning streak to six matches.
Last week, Bailey became the first Omaha player to earn a Summit League Defensive Player of the Week award since the Mavs joined the conference in 2011-12.
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy etched her name into the UNO record books three weeks ago. Less than two years into her career, she ranks 10th in school history for career assists, having amassed 1,972 since joining the program in 2014. The Omaha native 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.
O'Shaughnessy is averaging 10.02 assists per set this year. The last Maverick setter with over 10.0 assists per set was Emily Myers in 2009.
Bailey Climbing Career Digs Chart
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and she is now sixth on the list with 1,482 digs over the last four seasons. On Tuesday, she passed former Maverick Amy Steffel (1993-96), who had 1,463 and now sits behind Laura Monahan (1990-93), who owned 1,524.
Bailey also ranks second in the Summit League this season for digs per set (4.52) and third for total digs (466), and she owns 12 performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Through matches of Nov. 10, Omaha ranks among the top 40 nationally in four categories, coming in at 19th for digs per set (17.18), 27th for attacks per set (37.49) and 31st for total digs (1,718). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 20th in the country for total blocks (127) and 39th for blocks per set (1.27).
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 with 1,058 and Ellen Thommes (2006-09) closed with 1,282. Over her 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 472-341 (.581), 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 opponents: Seton Hall, UNLV, Central Arkansas, Central Florida and San Jose State. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 211-142-1 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 the court this year, with Gdowski starting seven matches since Oct. 20.
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 makes its first appearance at the six-team Summit League Championship, Nov. 20-22, in Denver, Colo. Tournament seeds and match times will be announced at a later date, and links to live stats and video will be listed on OMavs.com as available.
The Omaha volleyball team hits the road for two matches to close the regular season this weekend, visiting Fort Wayne on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. (CT), followed by IUPUI on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats, video and audio will be listed on OMavs.com as available.
Quick Hits
•Omaha is one of six teams to have clinched a spot in the Summit League Championship, set for Nov. 20-22 in Denver, Colo. The other five qualifying squads are Denver, IUPUI, Oral Roberts, North Dakota State and South Dakota.
•The Mavericks currently sit in sole possession of second place in the conference standings, half a game behind league-leading DU entering the final weekend of the regular season.
•Omaha went 8-5 at home this year. Its last season with a winning home record was 2010.
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale's 434 assisted blocks have her at third on UNO's all-time career block assists chart. She needs two more to tie Ruth Evans (1985-88) for the school record of 436.
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign and leads the squad again with 19 more this year. Her 38 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy registered five aces in Omaha's win over North Dakota State on Oct. 23, 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.
•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.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne brings a record of 7-23 (4-10 Summit League) into Friday's match after a 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois on Tuesday, which snapped a seven-match losing skid for the Mastodons. Head coach Steve Florio is in his second year at IPFW, holding a career record of 20-43.
IPFW leads the all-time series with UNO, 8-0. The Mastodons won the first meeting this season, 3-2 on Oct. 16.
Scouting the IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI carries a record of 19-9 (10-4 Summit League) into the weekend after a 3-0 loss at North Dakota State on Sunday. The Jaguars have lost two straight matches since a five-match win streak Oct. 17-30 and are third in the league standings behind Omaha. Head coach Steve Payne is in his 19th year at IUPUI, holding a career record of 239-304.
IUPUI leads the all-time series with Omaha, 7-0. The Jaguars won the first meeting this season, 3-0 on Oct. 17.
Last Time Out: Third Straight Sweep Propels UNO Past Oral Roberts
Omaha posted its seventh straight win with a 3-0 sweep of Oral Roberts Tuesday night in its home finale at Baxter Arena. The win marked the Mavericks' seventh sweep of the season and their third in as many matches.
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy notched her team-best 19th double-double of the year with 33 assists and 11 digs, adding two kills and two blocks.
Senior middle blockers Megan Schmale and Amy Taylor each had a team-leading nine kills, with Taylor hitting .500 for the night and Schmale finishing at .333. Taylor also had a pair of block assists, while Schmale had a match-high four. The performance inched her closer to UNO's all-time career block assists record of 436 held by Ruth Evans (1985-88), as Schmale now needs just two to tie Evans.
Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey added another eight kills with 10 digs, and senior rightside hitter Mackenzie Horkey had seven kills on .375 hitting with three blocks.
Defensively, senior libero Kimberly Bailey led the way with 22 digs alongside two aces, which represented her fourth straight match with 20 or more digs and her 12th such effort this season. Freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski also finished in double figures with 10 digs and chipped in six kills.
Omaha hit .250 as a team to ORU's .126, outdug the Golden Eagles 66-59 and outblocked them 6-4.
Studying the Streak
UNO has won seven straight matches since Oct. 20, its longest stretch since an identical streak in 2010. With the Mavericks' three consecutive 3-0 wins over Western Illinois on Nov. 1, South Dakota State on Nov. 6 and Oral Roberts on Nov. 10, they have equaled their longest stretch of consecutive sweeps since Nov. 2-7, 2008 vs. Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western.
League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in digs (1,784) and digs per set (17.32) and also ranks second in block assists (387) and total attacks (3,865) and third in total blocks (222), blocks per set (2.15), aces (136) and aces per set (1.32).
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale tops the league in total blocks (131), block assists (120) and blocks per set (1.27) and is third in hitting percentage (.326). Senior libero Kimberly Bailey is second for digs per set (4.52) and digs (466), and sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy is third for assists (1,032) and assists per set (10.02).
Schmale Aims for School Block Assists Record
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this season and has moved up to third on the list since then. After her four assisted blocks against Oral Roberts, Schmale has 464 in four years, making her only the fourth Maverick to register 400 or more assisted stops.
Schmale's next targets are Kathy Knudsen (1982-85), who is second with 435, and Ruth Evans (1985-88), the all-time leader with 436.
Bailey Snags Second Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Award
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week for her performance the week of Nov. 2-8, the league office announced Monday. It marks the second weekly conference award of Bailey's career and her second in as many weeks.
Bailey averaged 7.33 digs per set for the week, tallying 22 digs in a sweep of South Dakota State last Friday. The performance was her third straight match with 20 or more digs and her 11th such effort this season. It also helped extend Omaha's winning streak to six matches.
Last week, Bailey became the first Omaha player to earn a Summit League Defensive Player of the Week award since the Mavs joined the conference in 2011-12.
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy etched her name into the UNO record books three weeks ago. Less than two years into her career, she ranks 10th in school history for career assists, having amassed 1,972 since joining the program in 2014. The Omaha native 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.
O'Shaughnessy is averaging 10.02 assists per set this year. The last Maverick setter with over 10.0 assists per set was Emily Myers in 2009.
Bailey Climbing Career Digs Chart
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and she is now sixth on the list with 1,482 digs over the last four seasons. On Tuesday, she passed former Maverick Amy Steffel (1993-96), who had 1,463 and now sits behind Laura Monahan (1990-93), who owned 1,524.
Bailey also ranks second in the Summit League this season for digs per set (4.52) and third for total digs (466), and she owns 12 performances with 20 or more digs in a match.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Through matches of Nov. 10, Omaha ranks among the top 40 nationally in four categories, coming in at 19th for digs per set (17.18), 27th for attacks per set (37.49) and 31st for total digs (1,718). Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 20th in the country for total blocks (127) and 39th for blocks per set (1.27).
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 with 1,058 and Ellen Thommes (2006-09) closed with 1,282. Over her 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 472-341 (.581), 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 opponents: Seton Hall, UNLV, Central Arkansas, Central Florida and San Jose State. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 211-142-1 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 the court this year, with Gdowski starting seven matches since Oct. 20.
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 makes its first appearance at the six-team Summit League Championship, Nov. 20-22, in Denver, Colo. Tournament seeds and match times will be announced at a later date, and links to live stats and video will be listed on OMavs.com as available.
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