Mavs Rally Past IUPUI, Head to Championship Final

Saturday, November 21

Denver, Colo.

8:30 PM

Omaha

19-12

IUPUI (Semifinals)

21-10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Omaha	23	23	25	25	15	3
IUPUI	25	25	20	12	9	2

Omaha Seeks League Volleyball Crown This Weekend - Omaha Athletics

Mavs Rally Past IUPUI, Head to Championship Final

Nov 22, 2015 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Omaha Athletics

DENVER, Colo. -- The Omaha volleyball team completed a comeback for the ages Saturday night, rallying from a two-set deficit to upend second-seeded IUPUI 3-2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-12, 15-9) at Hamilton Gymnasium in the semifinals of the Summit League Championship. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 19-12 (12-4 Summit League) and advance to Sunday's championship match, while the Jaguars drop to 21-10 (12-4 Summit League).

Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy registered her team-leading 23rd double-double of the season with a career-high-tying 57 assists and 19 digs, alongside two kills and two aces. Sophomore Mackenzie Horkey also achieved her 12th double-double of the year with 15 kills and a career-high 20 digs.

Horkey was one of five Mavericks who finished with double-figure kill performances. Omaha was led by 16 kills apiece from Taylor and Schimmer, with Taylor's a career-best tally. She hit .387 and added a match-high-tying five blocks, while Schimmer had a .364 hitting efficiency and added six digs and four blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski tied her season best with 13 kills for the night and added five blocks, five digs and an ace. Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale rounded it out with 11 kills on .409 hitting, five more blocks and five digs.

Senior libero Kimberly Bailey chipped in 14 digs and seven assists, while freshman defensive specialist Jessica Plake added 13 digs as the fourth Maverick with a double-figure dig effort for the match.

As a team, Omaha hit .274 to IUPUI's .184 and outblocked the Jaguars, 11-9. UNO also outdug IUPUI 91-77 and finished ahead 71 -54 in the assists column.

Though Omaha and IUPUI hit an identical .200 and had three blocks apiece through the first two sets, the Mavericks found themselves facing a tall two-game deficit after the Jaguars won games one and two by scores of 25-23.

In the third game, UNO and IUPUI played to a 7-7 tie before the Mavs strung together a 3-0 run on a kill by freshman outside hitter Kayla Torson and two IUPUI errors to take a 10-7 lead. The two teams exchanged the next six points, extending Omaha's advantage to 13-10. The Mavericks took the next two points with a Plake service ace and IUPUI error, going up 15-10, but IUPUI countered with a 5-1 spurt to pull within one at 16-15. The threat was promptly quelled as Omaha went on a 4-0 run of its own, sparked by kills from Schmale, O'Shaughnessy and Horkey and an IUPUI error to shoot ahead 20-15. IUPUI answered with another run -- this time 4-1 -- to trim Omaha's lead to 21-19, but the Mavericks won four of the last five points aided by three Taylor kills to take the set, 25-20.

Taylor started the fourth game on fire, recording three kills in the first six points to spot UNO an early 6-3 advantage. With Omaha up 10-7, a Gdowski kill and a Jaguar error forced IUPUI to call timeout at 12-7. The Mavericks continued their attack out of the timeout, as kills by Horkey and Taylor sparked a 4-2 Maverick run and forced IUPUI to take another break at 16-9. That run continued following the break, as Schimmer hammered two more kills to put Omaha ahead by a commanding score of 19-9. UNO closed the set on a 6-3 rally spurred by two Gdowski kills, a Bailey service ace and multiple IUPUI attack errors, seizing the set at 25-12.

After the deciding set opened to a 2-2 tie, Omaha took the next two points on kills from Horkey and Taylor for a 4-2 lead. The teams then exchanged the next four rallies to bring the score to 6-4 Omaha. The Mavericks took over from there, going on a 6-1 run courtesy of kills from Horkey, Schimmer and Taylor and an IUPUI service error for a 12-5 advantage. Schmale then pounded a kill, and she and O'Shaughnessy put up a block to bring it to match point, and a final Gdowski smash secured Omaha the set win at 15-9 and the match at 3-2.

Omaha faces Denver in Sunday's Summit League Championship Final on Sunday, Nov. 22 at DU's Hamilton Gymnasium at 3 p.m. (CT). The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and televised on Altitude/Altitude 2, and links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.