Mavericks Hit the Road for SDSU, ORU
Sep 28, 2016 | Volleyball
This Week
The Omaha volleyball team takes its first Summit League roadtrip this weekend, visiting South Dakota State on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and Oral Roberts on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m. Links to live stats 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 51 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 1,013-584-7.
•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 State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend with a record of 1-12 (0-1 Summit League) after falling to IUPUI (3-0) in the Jackrabbits' Summit League opener. Ashley Beaner paces SDSU with 3.33 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the conference. Ellie Benson also ranks fifth in the league for digs per set (4.28), while Mattison Munger ranks fifth for assists per set (9.07).
Head coach Nicole Cirillo is in her second season at SDSU with a career record of 6-39.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 38-19, having won the last four consecutive matches. The two teams last met on Nov. 6, 2015, with the Mavericks winning 3-0 at Baxter Arena. In their last meeting in Brookings, S.D., on Sept. 25, 2015, UNO picked up a 3-1 victory.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts enters the weekend with a record of 8-8 (0-2 Summit League) after suffering setbacks to North Dakota State (3-1) and South Dakota (3-0) to open league play last weekend. Laura Milos leads the Summit League with 5.80 kills per set, 325 total kills and 0.93 service aces per set. Lucija Bojanjac is also second in the conference with 10.18 assists per set.
Head coach Sheera Sirola is in her 14th season at Oral Roberts with a career record of 246-172.
Oral Roberts leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-4, though the Mavericks have won the last three meetings. The two teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Summit League Championship on Nov. 20, 2015, where the Mavericks defeated the Golden Eagles, 3-0. UNO also swept regular-season play against ORU last season, winning 3-0 in Omaha on Nov. 10, 2015 and 3-0 in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 9, 2015.
Last Time Out: Western Illinois Drops Omaha, 3-1
Omaha completed its three-match homestand Tuesday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to Western Illinois at Baxter Arena. Three Mavericks had double-double efforts for the night: junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy (48 assists/12 digs), freshman Hannah Angeli (12 kills/14 digs) and sophomore Kayla Torson (10 kills/16 digs). O'Shaughnessy's was her team-leading eighth such effort of the season.
Freshman Chloe Dousette also had a season-high 11 kills, and junior Amanda Conlin had 10 more. Defensively, freshman Ashley Smith and redshirt freshman Meagen Roth both had double-figure dig performances with 21 and 10, respectively. Freshman Ellie Brown led the way on the block, totaling three stops in addition to six kills.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 50 nationally in four categories: third for total attacks (2,509), fifth for total digs (1,102), sixth for attacks per set (38.6) and 20th for digs per set (16.95). Individually, sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson is 32nd for total attacks (644), freshman libero Ashley Smith is 35th for total digs (282) and junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy is 41st for total assists (565).
League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is first in the Summit League in total attacks (2,509) and total digs (1,102), marking its second straight year as the league's leader for both categories.
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. Fourteen matches into her junior year, she ranks eighth in school history for career assists, having amassed 2,776 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.
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 eight double-doubles this season, followed by seven for sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson, four 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 17 matches 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 11 straight starts since Sept. 3, first starting as a setter vs. Drake, then filling a hitting role in the last 10. The Maplewood, Minn., native had double-digit kill performances twice at the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic, Sept. 9-10, tallying 10 vs. Bradley and a season-high 11 vs. Cornell. Angeli also had a season-high four blocks against the Big Red.
Last weekend, Angeli averaged a team-high 5.11 digs per set along with 2.11 kills, 0.22 aces and 0.44 blocks per set. On Friday vs. Fort Wayne, she totaled a season-high 28 digs, followed by a double-double on Saturday vs. Denver with team highs of 14 kills and 18 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 221-162-2 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 478-357 (.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.
Schmale Signs Professionally With Haro Rioja Voley
Former Omaha standout Megan Schmale is headed overseas to play professionally after signing a contract with Haro Rioja Voley in Haro, Spain. Haro Rioja Voley plays in the Superliga Femenina de Voleibol, Spain's top volleyball league.
Schmale, a middle blocker from Murdock, Neb., was a four-year starter in the Omaha program from 2012 to 2015. She earned All-Summit recognition after leading the Summit League in total blocks (159), block assists (146) and blocks per set (1.28) last season and was also third in the conference for hitting percentage (.336). Schmale capped her Maverick career as Omaha's all-time leader for career block assists (460), breaking a 27-year-old school record in the final week of the 2015 regular season.
Schmale will join her professional club in early September. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in elementary education from UNO in May 2016.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8, hosting IUPUI at Sapp Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha volleyball team takes its first Summit League roadtrip this weekend, visiting South Dakota State on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and Oral Roberts on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m. Links to live stats 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 51 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 1,013-584-7.
•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 State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend with a record of 1-12 (0-1 Summit League) after falling to IUPUI (3-0) in the Jackrabbits' Summit League opener. Ashley Beaner paces SDSU with 3.33 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the conference. Ellie Benson also ranks fifth in the league for digs per set (4.28), while Mattison Munger ranks fifth for assists per set (9.07).
Head coach Nicole Cirillo is in her second season at SDSU with a career record of 6-39.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 38-19, having won the last four consecutive matches. The two teams last met on Nov. 6, 2015, with the Mavericks winning 3-0 at Baxter Arena. In their last meeting in Brookings, S.D., on Sept. 25, 2015, UNO picked up a 3-1 victory.
Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts enters the weekend with a record of 8-8 (0-2 Summit League) after suffering setbacks to North Dakota State (3-1) and South Dakota (3-0) to open league play last weekend. Laura Milos leads the Summit League with 5.80 kills per set, 325 total kills and 0.93 service aces per set. Lucija Bojanjac is also second in the conference with 10.18 assists per set.
Head coach Sheera Sirola is in her 14th season at Oral Roberts with a career record of 246-172.
Oral Roberts leads the all-time series with Omaha, 5-4, though the Mavericks have won the last three meetings. The two teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Summit League Championship on Nov. 20, 2015, where the Mavericks defeated the Golden Eagles, 3-0. UNO also swept regular-season play against ORU last season, winning 3-0 in Omaha on Nov. 10, 2015 and 3-0 in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 9, 2015.
Last Time Out: Western Illinois Drops Omaha, 3-1
Omaha completed its three-match homestand Tuesday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to Western Illinois at Baxter Arena. Three Mavericks had double-double efforts for the night: junior Sydney O'Shaughnessy (48 assists/12 digs), freshman Hannah Angeli (12 kills/14 digs) and sophomore Kayla Torson (10 kills/16 digs). O'Shaughnessy's was her team-leading eighth such effort of the season.
Freshman Chloe Dousette also had a season-high 11 kills, and junior Amanda Conlin had 10 more. Defensively, freshman Ashley Smith and redshirt freshman Meagen Roth both had double-figure dig performances with 21 and 10, respectively. Freshman Ellie Brown led the way on the block, totaling three stops in addition to six kills.
Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Omaha ranks among the top 50 nationally in four categories: third for total attacks (2,509), fifth for total digs (1,102), sixth for attacks per set (38.6) and 20th for digs per set (16.95). Individually, sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson is 32nd for total attacks (644), freshman libero Ashley Smith is 35th for total digs (282) and junior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy is 41st for total assists (565).
League Leaders
As a team, Omaha is first in the Summit League in total attacks (2,509) and total digs (1,102), marking its second straight year as the league's leader for both categories.
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. Fourteen matches into her junior year, she ranks eighth in school history for career assists, having amassed 2,776 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.
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 eight double-doubles this season, followed by seven for sophomore outside hitter Kayla Torson, four 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 17 matches 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 11 straight starts since Sept. 3, first starting as a setter vs. Drake, then filling a hitting role in the last 10. The Maplewood, Minn., native had double-digit kill performances twice at the UMKC Kangaroo Klassic, Sept. 9-10, tallying 10 vs. Bradley and a season-high 11 vs. Cornell. Angeli also had a season-high four blocks against the Big Red.
Last weekend, Angeli averaged a team-high 5.11 digs per set along with 2.11 kills, 0.22 aces and 0.44 blocks per set. On Friday vs. Fort Wayne, she totaled a season-high 28 digs, followed by a double-double on Saturday vs. Denver with team highs of 14 kills and 18 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 221-162-2 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 478-357 (.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.
Schmale Signs Professionally With Haro Rioja Voley
Former Omaha standout Megan Schmale is headed overseas to play professionally after signing a contract with Haro Rioja Voley in Haro, Spain. Haro Rioja Voley plays in the Superliga Femenina de Voleibol, Spain's top volleyball league.
Schmale, a middle blocker from Murdock, Neb., was a four-year starter in the Omaha program from 2012 to 2015. She earned All-Summit recognition after leading the Summit League in total blocks (159), block assists (146) and blocks per set (1.28) last season and was also third in the conference for hitting percentage (.336). Schmale capped her Maverick career as Omaha's all-time leader for career block assists (460), breaking a 27-year-old school record in the final week of the 2015 regular season.
Schmale will join her professional club in early September. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in elementary education from UNO in May 2016.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8, hosting IUPUI at Sapp Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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