Omaha Opens Road Stretch at IUPUI, Fort Wayne
Oct 18, 2016 | Volleyball
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team opens a four-match road swing this weekend, visiting IUPUI on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. (CT) and Fort Wayne on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. (CT). Live stats, audio and video, as available, will be linked 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 53 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 1,015-587-7.
•O'Shaughnessy, senior outside hitter Elise Brown and sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson were selected as Omaha's 2016 team captains.
Scouting the IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI, which hosts Fort Wayne Tuesday night, enters the week with a record of 8-14 (4-3 Summit League) after defeating Oral Roberts, 3-1, last weekend. Returning All-Summit selection Kori Waelbroeck paces IUPUI with 3.51 kills per set, which ranks third in the Summit League. Abby Boatman is also third among conference players for blocks per set (1.13), and she was honored as Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Head coach Steve Payne is in his 20th season leading the Jaguar program with a career record of 259-319.
IUPUI leads the all-time series with Omaha, 9-1. The two teams last met on Oct. 8 in Omaha, with IUPUI winning 3-0.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne, which plays at IUPUI and hosts Western Illinois before welcoming Omaha Saturday night, enters the week with a record of 9-11 (5-2 Summit League). Nicole Rightnowar, the 2015 Summit League Freshman of the Year, paces Fort Wayne with 3.40 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the Summit League. Olivia Hahn, last season's league digs leader, ranks second in the conference for total digs (384), while Madison Jaqua is second for assists per set (9.47).
Head coach Steve Florio is in this third season at Fort Wayne with a career record of 29-56.
Fort Wayne leads the all-time series with Omaha, 9-1. The two teams last met on Sept. 23 in Omaha, with the Mastodons winning in a 3-2 decision.
Last Time Out: Dousette Leads Omaha Past North Dakota State, 3-2
Omaha gutted out a 3-2 triumph over North Dakota State Sunday afternoon, winning by set scores of 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 15-9 at Sapp Fieldhouse. Freshman Chloe Dousette led the way with a match-high and season-best 20 kills, adding two blocks, two digs and an ace. Junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy tallied her team-best 10th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 12 digs along with three blocks, two kills and an ace.
Senior Nicki Carson also had three career highs in her effort, finishing with 11 kills, nine digs and four aces, along with two assists and a block.
Sophomore Kayla Torson and freshman Ellie Brown each notched nine kills, with Torson chipping in 17 digs as well and Brown putting up a match-high four blocks. Junior Amanda Conlin finished the day with eight kill and four blocks of her own, and freshman Olivia Spanton rounded out the day with a season-high 30 digs.
Approaching Milestones
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy sits nine 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 2,972 assists to her credit, O'Shaughnessy also needs 28 more to reach 3,000 in her career. She 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, as Steffel had 5,482 assists and 1,463 digs over her four seasons.
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 has now led Omaha in kills in four straight matches, punctuated with a season-high 20-kill performance last Sunday vs. North Dakota State.
With Dousette in the lineup, the Mavericks have hit .171 as a team and averaged 12.2 kills per set, up from matches without her, when they hit .137 and averaged 11.5 kills per set.
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 2,972 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.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 30 nationally in three categories: 10th for total attacks (3,208), 11th for attacks per set (37.74) and 22nd for total digs (1,381).
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 10 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.
Torson On a Tear
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson stepped into a starting role at the UND Classic and has started all but one 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.
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 223-165-2 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 480-360 (.571), 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.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, Oct. 28, visiting South Dakota at 7 p.m. in Vermillion, S.D. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team opens a four-match road swing this weekend, visiting IUPUI on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. (CT) and Fort Wayne on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. (CT). Live stats, audio and video, as available, will be linked 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 53 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 1,015-587-7.
•O'Shaughnessy, senior outside hitter Elise Brown and sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson were selected as Omaha's 2016 team captains.
Scouting the IUPUI Jaguars
IUPUI, which hosts Fort Wayne Tuesday night, enters the week with a record of 8-14 (4-3 Summit League) after defeating Oral Roberts, 3-1, last weekend. Returning All-Summit selection Kori Waelbroeck paces IUPUI with 3.51 kills per set, which ranks third in the Summit League. Abby Boatman is also third among conference players for blocks per set (1.13), and she was honored as Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Head coach Steve Payne is in his 20th season leading the Jaguar program with a career record of 259-319.
IUPUI leads the all-time series with Omaha, 9-1. The two teams last met on Oct. 8 in Omaha, with IUPUI winning 3-0.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne, which plays at IUPUI and hosts Western Illinois before welcoming Omaha Saturday night, enters the week with a record of 9-11 (5-2 Summit League). Nicole Rightnowar, the 2015 Summit League Freshman of the Year, paces Fort Wayne with 3.40 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the Summit League. Olivia Hahn, last season's league digs leader, ranks second in the conference for total digs (384), while Madison Jaqua is second for assists per set (9.47).
Head coach Steve Florio is in this third season at Fort Wayne with a career record of 29-56.
Fort Wayne leads the all-time series with Omaha, 9-1. The two teams last met on Sept. 23 in Omaha, with the Mastodons winning in a 3-2 decision.
Last Time Out: Dousette Leads Omaha Past North Dakota State, 3-2
Omaha gutted out a 3-2 triumph over North Dakota State Sunday afternoon, winning by set scores of 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 15-9 at Sapp Fieldhouse. Freshman Chloe Dousette led the way with a match-high and season-best 20 kills, adding two blocks, two digs and an ace. Junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy tallied her team-best 10th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 12 digs along with three blocks, two kills and an ace.
Senior Nicki Carson also had three career highs in her effort, finishing with 11 kills, nine digs and four aces, along with two assists and a block.
Sophomore Kayla Torson and freshman Ellie Brown each notched nine kills, with Torson chipping in 17 digs as well and Brown putting up a match-high four blocks. Junior Amanda Conlin finished the day with eight kill and four blocks of her own, and freshman Olivia Spanton rounded out the day with a season-high 30 digs.
Approaching Milestones
Junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy sits nine 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 2,972 assists to her credit, O'Shaughnessy also needs 28 more to reach 3,000 in her career. She 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, as Steffel had 5,482 assists and 1,463 digs over her four seasons.
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 has now led Omaha in kills in four straight matches, punctuated with a season-high 20-kill performance last Sunday vs. North Dakota State.
With Dousette in the lineup, the Mavericks have hit .171 as a team and averaged 12.2 kills per set, up from matches without her, when they hit .137 and averaged 11.5 kills per set.
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 2,972 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.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 30 nationally in three categories: 10th for total attacks (3,208), 11th for attacks per set (37.74) and 22nd for total digs (1,381).
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 10 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.
Torson On a Tear
Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson stepped into a starting role at the UND Classic and has started all but one 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.
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 223-165-2 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 480-360 (.571), 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.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, Oct. 28, visiting South Dakota at 7 p.m. in Vermillion, S.D. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
