Omaha Welcomes USD, NDSU for Weekend Slate
Oct 11, 2016 | Volleyball
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team hosts two home matches this weekend at Sapp Fieldhouse, welcoming South Dakota on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. and North Dakota State on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Noah Sullinger, Justin Doering and Kimberly Bailey will have Friday's call on the MavRadio student broadcast, while Sullinger and Doering will handle Sunday's duties. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2016 Summit League Preseason Poll. UNO finished as runner-up at the Summit League Championship last November, finishing a game shy of an NCAA Tournament berth.
•Omaha's seven true freshmen on the 2016 roster are the most since 2011.
•Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign and led the squad again with 24 more as a sophomore. Her 52 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy is the Mavericks' sole returning All-Summit player from last season, as they also lost all-league performers Megan Schmale and Kimberly Bailey.
•Omaha returns seven letterwinners, including three starters in O'Shaughnessy, junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey and sophomore outside hitter Gessica Gdowski.
•UNO lost six seniors from the 2015 squad to graduation.
•The Mavericks achieved the 1,000th win in program history last year with a 3-0 sweep at Oral Roberts on Oct. 9, 2015. All-time, Omaha is 1,014-586-7.
•O'Shaughnessy, senior outside hitter Elise Brown and sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson were selected as Omaha's 2016 team captains.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota, which plays Iowa State on Tuesday, enters the week with a record of 17-2 (6-0 Summit League) and a six-match win streak. Last weekend, the Coyotes defeated IUPUI, 3-0, and Fort Wayne, 3-2. Brittany Jessen, who leads the league in assists per set (11.20), was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 5.38 digs, 12.50 assists and 0.50 blocks per set last week.
Jessen is the defending Summit League Setter of the Year, and she and Audrey Reeg were both All-Summit honorees in 2015.
Head coach Leanne Williamson is in her third season at South Dakota with a career record of 51-30.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota, 57-15. UNO swept last season's series from the Coyotes, winning 3-1 on Sept. 26 at Sapp Fieldhouse and 3-1 on Oct. 30 in Vermillion, S.D.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State enters the week with a record of 5-13 (3-2 Summit League) and plays South Dakota State on Tuesday and Denver on Friday before coming to Omaha. Last weekend, the Bison fell to Fort Wayne, 3-2. Hadley Steffen paces NDSU with 3.86 kills per set, followed by Emily Minnick (2.60) and Emily Miron (2.34). Minnick and Miron were both All-Summit Honorable Mention picks in 2015.
Head coach Kari Thompson is in her seventh season leading the Bison program with a record of 93-93.
Omaha leads the all-time series with North Dakota State, 42-38. The Mavericks swept last season's series from the Bison, winning 3-2 on Oct. 3 in Fargo, N.D., and 3-1 on Oct. 23 at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall in 3-0 Setback to IUPUI
Omaha came up short Saturday night against IUPUI, falling 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 22-25) at Sapp Fieldhouse. Freshman Chloe Dousette paced Omaha with 10 kills on a season-best .304 attack percentage, marking her third double-figure kill performance of the season.
Sophomore Kayla Torson added another nine kills with six digs, and freshman Ellie Brown followed up with seven kills of her own.
Junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy finished with 32 assists for the night in addition to eight digs. Freshmen Ashley Smith and Hannah Angeli both had double-figure defensive efforts, totaling 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back
Omaha will host an Alumni Weekend for Friday and Sunday's matches at Sapp Fieldhouse, welcoming back dozens of former members of the Maverick program. The weekend will also include a presentation of UNO's 1996 team, which went 35-2 and won the NCAA Division II Championship, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the national title later this year.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 30 nationally in four categories: seventh for attacks per set (38.17), 14th for total attacks (2,901), 17th for total digs (1,260) and 29th for digs per set (16.58).
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy etched her name into the UNO record books near the end of the 2015 season. Midway through her junior year, she ranks eighth in school history for career assists, having amassed 2,888 since joining the program in 2014. The Omaha native most recently passed Darla Melcher (1986-87), who had 2,628, and currently sits behind Christie Johnson (2002-05), who totaled 3,019.
O'Shaughnessy averaged 10.25 assists per set last season, becoming the first Maverick to average over 10.0 per set since Emily Myers in 2009.
Approaching Milestones
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy sits 30 digs away from hitting the 1,000 career digs milestone. The last Maverick to register 1,000 digs was Kimberly Bailey, who achieved the feat in 2014.
With 2,888 assists to her credit as well, O'Shaughnessy is on the brink of becoming the first Maverick since Amy Steffel (1993-96) to put up at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career. Steffel had 5,482 assists and 1,463 digs over four seasons.
Double-Double Tracker
The Mavericks owned a combined 47 double-doubles last season, led by 24 from setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy. She was the first Maverick in 13 years to register 20 or more double-doubles in a single season, as the last to achieve the feat was Amy McLeay, who had 20 in 2003.
O'Shaughnessy has a team-leading nine double-doubles this season, followed by seven for sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson, six for freshman setter Hannah Angeli, two for redshirt freshman rightside hitter Meagen Roth and one for junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey.
Dousette Stepping Up
Freshman outside hitter Chloe Dousette worked past an injury to start the season, made her career debut on Sept. 24 and earned her first career start Oct. 8 vs. IUPUI. Dousette finished with 10 kills with a season-best .304 hitting percentage against the Jaguars, marking her third double-figure kill performance in five matches.
With Dousette in the lineup, the Mavericks have hit .167 as a team and averaged 12.7 kills per set, up from matches without her, when they hit .137 and averaged 11.5 kills per set.
Torson On a Tear
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson stepped into a starting role at the UND Classic and has started every match this season. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has led the Mavericks in kills in nine matches and owns seven double-doubles, including her latest effort with 10 kills and 16 digs vs. Western Illinois on Sept. 27.
Angeli on the Attack
Freshman setter Hannah Angeli has made 14 straight starts since Sept. 3, first starting as a setter vs. Drake, then filling a hitting role in the last 13. The Maplewood, Minn., native had double-digit kill performances twice at the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic, Sept. 9-10, tallying 10 vs. Bradley and 11 vs. Cornell. Angeli also had a season-high four blocks against the Big Red.
Angeli achieved four straight double-doubles from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2 to start league play: vs. Denver (14 kills/18 digs), vs. Western Illinois (12 kills/14 digs), at South Dakota State (season-high 15 kills/16 digs) and at Oral Roberts (10 kills/12 digs).
2016 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2016 schedule includes 30 matches against 22 different opponents, and the team will play in eight states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from 12 other conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley and one apiece from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big Sky, Big Ten, Big West, Ivy League, MAC, Ohio Valley, SEC, Southland and WAC. Four opponents -- Denver, Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa -- played in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Entering 2016, the Mavericks have never faced four of their opponents: Ole Miss, Ball State, Cornell and Murray State. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 222-164-2 over all teams on the slate this season.
Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 46 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 27th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 479-359 (.572), 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 26th season, assistant coach Elena Pietro, in her second year, and volunteer assistant coach Tyler Yanez, who is in his first year on the Maverick staff.
Home Sweet Home Advantage
The 2016 season will see Omaha play 13 home contests, including eight conference tilts. UNO will play at two venues, with nine matches at Baxter Arena and four matches at Sapp Fieldhouse.
UNO has increased its number of home wins in each of the last four seasons, going from one in 2012 to two in 2013, five in 2014 and seven in 2015.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, Oct. 21, kicking off a weekend roadtrip with a match at IUPUI at 6 p.m. CT in Indianapolis, Ind. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team hosts two home matches this weekend at Sapp Fieldhouse, welcoming South Dakota on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. and North Dakota State on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Noah Sullinger, Justin Doering and Kimberly Bailey will have Friday's call on the MavRadio student broadcast, while Sullinger and Doering will handle Sunday's duties. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2016 Summit League Preseason Poll. UNO finished as runner-up at the Summit League Championship last November, finishing a game shy of an NCAA Tournament berth.
•Omaha's seven true freshmen on the 2016 roster are the most since 2011.
•Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign and led the squad again with 24 more as a sophomore. Her 52 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy is the Mavericks' sole returning All-Summit player from last season, as they also lost all-league performers Megan Schmale and Kimberly Bailey.
•Omaha returns seven letterwinners, including three starters in O'Shaughnessy, junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey and sophomore outside hitter Gessica Gdowski.
•UNO lost six seniors from the 2015 squad to graduation.
•The Mavericks achieved the 1,000th win in program history last year with a 3-0 sweep at Oral Roberts on Oct. 9, 2015. All-time, Omaha is 1,014-586-7.
•O'Shaughnessy, senior outside hitter Elise Brown and sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson were selected as Omaha's 2016 team captains.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota, which plays Iowa State on Tuesday, enters the week with a record of 17-2 (6-0 Summit League) and a six-match win streak. Last weekend, the Coyotes defeated IUPUI, 3-0, and Fort Wayne, 3-2. Brittany Jessen, who leads the league in assists per set (11.20), was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 5.38 digs, 12.50 assists and 0.50 blocks per set last week.
Jessen is the defending Summit League Setter of the Year, and she and Audrey Reeg were both All-Summit honorees in 2015.
Head coach Leanne Williamson is in her third season at South Dakota with a career record of 51-30.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota, 57-15. UNO swept last season's series from the Coyotes, winning 3-1 on Sept. 26 at Sapp Fieldhouse and 3-1 on Oct. 30 in Vermillion, S.D.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State enters the week with a record of 5-13 (3-2 Summit League) and plays South Dakota State on Tuesday and Denver on Friday before coming to Omaha. Last weekend, the Bison fell to Fort Wayne, 3-2. Hadley Steffen paces NDSU with 3.86 kills per set, followed by Emily Minnick (2.60) and Emily Miron (2.34). Minnick and Miron were both All-Summit Honorable Mention picks in 2015.
Head coach Kari Thompson is in her seventh season leading the Bison program with a record of 93-93.
Omaha leads the all-time series with North Dakota State, 42-38. The Mavericks swept last season's series from the Bison, winning 3-2 on Oct. 3 in Fargo, N.D., and 3-1 on Oct. 23 at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Last Time Out: Mavericks Fall in 3-0 Setback to IUPUI
Omaha came up short Saturday night against IUPUI, falling 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 22-25) at Sapp Fieldhouse. Freshman Chloe Dousette paced Omaha with 10 kills on a season-best .304 attack percentage, marking her third double-figure kill performance of the season.
Sophomore Kayla Torson added another nine kills with six digs, and freshman Ellie Brown followed up with seven kills of her own.
Junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy finished with 32 assists for the night in addition to eight digs. Freshmen Ashley Smith and Hannah Angeli both had double-figure defensive efforts, totaling 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back
Omaha will host an Alumni Weekend for Friday and Sunday's matches at Sapp Fieldhouse, welcoming back dozens of former members of the Maverick program. The weekend will also include a presentation of UNO's 1996 team, which went 35-2 and won the NCAA Division II Championship, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the national title later this year.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 30 nationally in four categories: seventh for attacks per set (38.17), 14th for total attacks (2,901), 17th for total digs (1,260) and 29th for digs per set (16.58).
O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy etched her name into the UNO record books near the end of the 2015 season. Midway through her junior year, she ranks eighth in school history for career assists, having amassed 2,888 since joining the program in 2014. The Omaha native most recently passed Darla Melcher (1986-87), who had 2,628, and currently sits behind Christie Johnson (2002-05), who totaled 3,019.
O'Shaughnessy averaged 10.25 assists per set last season, becoming the first Maverick to average over 10.0 per set since Emily Myers in 2009.
Approaching Milestones
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy sits 30 digs away from hitting the 1,000 career digs milestone. The last Maverick to register 1,000 digs was Kimberly Bailey, who achieved the feat in 2014.
With 2,888 assists to her credit as well, O'Shaughnessy is on the brink of becoming the first Maverick since Amy Steffel (1993-96) to put up at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career. Steffel had 5,482 assists and 1,463 digs over four seasons.
Double-Double Tracker
The Mavericks owned a combined 47 double-doubles last season, led by 24 from setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy. She was the first Maverick in 13 years to register 20 or more double-doubles in a single season, as the last to achieve the feat was Amy McLeay, who had 20 in 2003.
O'Shaughnessy has a team-leading nine double-doubles this season, followed by seven for sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson, six for freshman setter Hannah Angeli, two for redshirt freshman rightside hitter Meagen Roth and one for junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey.
Dousette Stepping Up
Freshman outside hitter Chloe Dousette worked past an injury to start the season, made her career debut on Sept. 24 and earned her first career start Oct. 8 vs. IUPUI. Dousette finished with 10 kills with a season-best .304 hitting percentage against the Jaguars, marking her third double-figure kill performance in five matches.
With Dousette in the lineup, the Mavericks have hit .167 as a team and averaged 12.7 kills per set, up from matches without her, when they hit .137 and averaged 11.5 kills per set.
Torson On a Tear
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson stepped into a starting role at the UND Classic and has started every match this season. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native has led the Mavericks in kills in nine matches and owns seven double-doubles, including her latest effort with 10 kills and 16 digs vs. Western Illinois on Sept. 27.
Angeli on the Attack
Freshman setter Hannah Angeli has made 14 straight starts since Sept. 3, first starting as a setter vs. Drake, then filling a hitting role in the last 13. The Maplewood, Minn., native had double-digit kill performances twice at the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic, Sept. 9-10, tallying 10 vs. Bradley and 11 vs. Cornell. Angeli also had a season-high four blocks against the Big Red.
Angeli achieved four straight double-doubles from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2 to start league play: vs. Denver (14 kills/18 digs), vs. Western Illinois (12 kills/14 digs), at South Dakota State (season-high 15 kills/16 digs) and at Oral Roberts (10 kills/12 digs).
2016 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2016 schedule includes 30 matches against 22 different opponents, and the team will play in eight states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from 12 other conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley and one apiece from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big Sky, Big Ten, Big West, Ivy League, MAC, Ohio Valley, SEC, Southland and WAC. Four opponents -- Denver, Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa -- played in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Entering 2016, the Mavericks have never faced four of their opponents: Ole Miss, Ball State, Cornell and Murray State. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 222-164-2 over all teams on the slate this season.
Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 46 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 27th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 479-359 (.572), 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 26th season, assistant coach Elena Pietro, in her second year, and volunteer assistant coach Tyler Yanez, who is in his first year on the Maverick staff.
Home Sweet Home Advantage
The 2016 season will see Omaha play 13 home contests, including eight conference tilts. UNO will play at two venues, with nine matches at Baxter Arena and four matches at Sapp Fieldhouse.
UNO has increased its number of home wins in each of the last four seasons, going from one in 2012 to two in 2013, five in 2014 and seven in 2015.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, Oct. 21, kicking off a weekend roadtrip with a match at IUPUI at 6 p.m. CT in Indianapolis, Ind. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Players Mentioned
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