Junior Mackenzie Horkey and the Omaha volleyball team travel to the Cyclone Invitational.
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Opens 2017 Season at Cyclone Invitational
Aug 24, 2017 | Volleyball
Complete Match Notes
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team opens the 2017 campaign this weekend at the Cyclone Invitational, Aug. 25-26, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Mavericks take on New Mexico on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader with host Iowa State at Noon and Kent State at 4 p.m. Live stats and video, as available, will be linked on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha is 21-6 in season openers in the Rose Shires era, including 4-2 since moving to Division I in 2011.
•Omaha opens the season with three straight weekend tournaments in the state of Iowa, first at the Iowa State Challenge (Aug. 25-26), then the Hawkeye Classic (Sept. 1-2) and the Drake Tournament (Sept. 7-9). The Mavericks make their home debut with the Omaha Challenge, Sept. 14-16, when they host Nebraska, Kansas State and Northern Iowa.
•Omaha was picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Poll. UNO finished seventh in the league standings in 2016.
•Head coach Rose Shires, the winningest coach in program history, enters her 28th year at Omaha.
•Senior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy has led the Mavericks in double-doubles each of the last three seasons with 19 in her freshman campaign, 24 as a sophomore and 13 more as a junior. Her 56 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy is the only Maverick with All-Summit honors on her resume, as she was an all-league performer in 2015.
•Omaha returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, from 2016.
•All-time, Omaha is 1,018-592-7.
Scouting the New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico went 16-16 (6-12 Mountain West) in 2016 and was picked ninth in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Lobos return seven letterwinners, including three starters and their libero, alongside nine newcomers.
Head coach Jeff Nelson is in his 23rd season and has a record of 188-117 with the Lobos, as well as a career mark of 429-263.
Friday marks the first meeting between Omaha and New Mexico.
Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State finished 18-11 (10-6 Big 12) in 2016 after making their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cyclones were picked to finish fourth in the 2017 Big 12 Preseason Poll, and outside hitter Jess Schaben was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after earning first-team all-conference honors a year ago.
Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is in her 13th season at Iowa State and carries a career record of 246-123.
ISU leads the all-time series with Omaha, 6-4. The two teams last met on Sept. 1, 2016 at Baxter Arena, where the Cyclones earned a 3-0 sweep. Their last meeting in Ames was Sept. 4, 2014, when ISU picked up a 3-0 victory.
Scouting the Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State compiled a record of 15-15 (8-8 MAC) in 2016. KSU was slotted to finish third in the MAC East Division in the league's preseason coaches' poll, and outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger and libero Challen Geraghty were named to the Preseason All-MAC East Team.
Head coach Don Gromala is in his sixth season with the Golden Flashes' program and owns a career record of 70-79.
Saturday marks the first meeting between Kent State and Omaha.
What Makes Up the Mavericks
•Omaha returns eight letterwinners from the 2016 season, including four starters.
•UNO returns 53 percent of its total offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 725 of the Mavericks' 1,366 kills.
•The Mavericks also return 72 percent of their total blocking production from last year, with the returners credited for 237 out of 331 stops.
•Dousette is UNO's top returning hitter, having averaged 3.00 kills per set last year.
•Dousette was named to the 2016 Summit League All-Freshmen Team.
•The Mavericks are made up of five freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.
•Omaha's roster includes six players from Nebraska, three from Minnesota, two from Iowa and one apiece from Illinois, Arizona and Virginia.
Sydney's Smashing Milestones
Senior Sydney O'Shaughnessy reached a pair of long-awaited career milestones near the end of her junior season, passing both the 1,000 career digs and 3,000 career assists marks in just under three years. She is the first Maverick since Amy Steffel (1993-96) to put up at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career.
O'Shaughnessy enters her senior campaign with 3,188 career assists to her credit, which ranks seventh in school history. Her next target on the list is Wendy Melcher (1980-83), who had 3,343.
Mack's Back
Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey earned a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury six matches into the 2016 season. The Jordan, Minn., native started the first six matches, averaging 3.35 kills and 3.55 digs per set.
Horkey tallied back-to-back double-figure kill efforts early in 2016 with 18 vs. Iowa State (Sept. 1, 2016) and a career-high 27 vs. Ball State (Sept. 2, 2016). Her performance vs. BSU marked most kills in a match by any Maverick since Abby Sorensen's 26 vs. UC-Colorado Springs in 2011.
Dousette Stepping Up
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Dousette had a delayed start to her freshman season due to injury, but finally hit the court last September and never looked back. The St. Paul, Minn., native went on to earn Summit League All-Newcomer Team recognition after appearing in 15 matches with seven starts, and she averaged 3.00 kills per set with nine double-figure kill efforts. Dousette led the Mavericks in kills in 10 of the last 12 matches of the year and had back-to-back, season-high 21-kill efforts vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 4, 2016) and Oral Roberts (Nov. 6, 2016).
Fresh Faces
The Mavericks have welcomed a transfer and five true freshmen to the roster this season: junior outside hitter Abby Bergsten (Council Bluffs, Iowa), freshman libero Claire Mountjoy (Omaha, Neb.), freshman setter Kelli Nee (Powhatan, Va.), freshman right side hitter Abigayle Meyer (Murdock, Neb.), freshmen middle blockers Bella Sade (Marion, Iowa) and Anna Blaschko (Shakopee, Minn.).
Bergsten began her collegiate career with two seasons at Iowa Western Community College, where she was a two-time ICCAC All-Region selection. She helped IWCC to a national runner-up finish in 2016 and was second on the team with 3.43 kills per set while ranking 10th nationally with a .364 hitting percentage.
Nee was a two-time all-state selection at Powhatan High School. Sade, named a Top 50 Junior by PrepVolleyball.com, was also an all-state pick and helped Marion High School to a state semifinalist finish in 2014, followed by state quarterfinalist finishes in 2015 and 2016. Blaschko, a product of Shakopee High School, was an all-state honoree and paced her team in blocks and hitting percentage three consecutive seasons.
Mountjoy was an all-conference outside hitter at Elkhorn High School, where she was part of three straight state tournament appearances. Meyer, who also hails from Nebraska, picked up all-state an honorable mention award as a senior at Elmwood-Murdock High School.
Back on the Block
Omaha returns its top three blockers from the 2016 season in senior Amanda Conlin (0.78 b/s) and sophomores Ellie Brown (0.64 b/s) and Daria Taylor (0.59 b/s).
Conlin started all 30 matches as a junior and ranked fifth in the Summit League for solo blocks (16) and seventh for total blocks (89) and block assists (73).
Brown appeared in 26 matches and started 25 in her freshman year, while Taylor appeared in nine matches and started five.
Five-Set Fighters
Omaha went 8-1 (.889) in five-set matches last year. The last time the Mavericks had just one five-set loss in a season was 2013 (2-1).
Additionally, all nine five-game matches last season have clocked in at more than two hours. The longest lasted 2:36 when Omaha pulled off a 3-2 win over Oral Roberts on Nov. 6.
2017 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2017 schedule includes 27 matches against 20 different opponents, and the team will play in eight states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from seven other conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley, two each from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West and one apiece from the MAC, Big Sky and Ohio Valley. Five opponents -- Nebraska, Iowa State, K-State, Northern Iowa and Denver -- played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Entering 2017, the Mavericks have never faced three of their opponents: New Mexico, Kent State and Montana. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 186-164 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 47 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 28th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 483-365 (.570), 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 assistant coach Elena Pietro, who is in her third season, assistant coach Micah Rhodes, in his first year, and volunteer assistant coach Gina Mancuso, who is in her first year on the Maverick staff.
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
Omaha was picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference office announced Aug. 17. Defending league champion Denver was selected as the league's favorite after collecting five first-place votes and 47 total points. South Dakota finished second with three-first place votes and 45 points, while Oral Roberts claimed the third spot with 35 points. Fort Wayne (33) came in fourth, with Omaha (22) and North Dakota State (22) knotted for fifth. South Dakota State (12) and Western Illinois (eight) rounded out the poll.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action next weekend at the Hawkeye Classic, Sept. 1-2, in Iowa City, Iowa. The Mavericks open the tournament on Friday with host Iowa at Noon and Indiana State at 5 p.m. They close with a second match against the Sycamores on Saturday at Noon.
This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team opens the 2017 campaign this weekend at the Cyclone Invitational, Aug. 25-26, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Mavericks take on New Mexico on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader with host Iowa State at Noon and Kent State at 4 p.m. Live stats and video, as available, will be linked on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha is 21-6 in season openers in the Rose Shires era, including 4-2 since moving to Division I in 2011.
•Omaha opens the season with three straight weekend tournaments in the state of Iowa, first at the Iowa State Challenge (Aug. 25-26), then the Hawkeye Classic (Sept. 1-2) and the Drake Tournament (Sept. 7-9). The Mavericks make their home debut with the Omaha Challenge, Sept. 14-16, when they host Nebraska, Kansas State and Northern Iowa.
•Omaha was picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Poll. UNO finished seventh in the league standings in 2016.
•Head coach Rose Shires, the winningest coach in program history, enters her 28th year at Omaha.
•Senior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy has led the Mavericks in double-doubles each of the last three seasons with 19 in her freshman campaign, 24 as a sophomore and 13 more as a junior. Her 56 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy is the only Maverick with All-Summit honors on her resume, as she was an all-league performer in 2015.
•Omaha returns eight letterwinners, including four starters, from 2016.
•All-time, Omaha is 1,018-592-7.
Scouting the New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico went 16-16 (6-12 Mountain West) in 2016 and was picked ninth in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Lobos return seven letterwinners, including three starters and their libero, alongside nine newcomers.
Head coach Jeff Nelson is in his 23rd season and has a record of 188-117 with the Lobos, as well as a career mark of 429-263.
Friday marks the first meeting between Omaha and New Mexico.
Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State finished 18-11 (10-6 Big 12) in 2016 after making their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cyclones were picked to finish fourth in the 2017 Big 12 Preseason Poll, and outside hitter Jess Schaben was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after earning first-team all-conference honors a year ago.
Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is in her 13th season at Iowa State and carries a career record of 246-123.
ISU leads the all-time series with Omaha, 6-4. The two teams last met on Sept. 1, 2016 at Baxter Arena, where the Cyclones earned a 3-0 sweep. Their last meeting in Ames was Sept. 4, 2014, when ISU picked up a 3-0 victory.
Scouting the Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State compiled a record of 15-15 (8-8 MAC) in 2016. KSU was slotted to finish third in the MAC East Division in the league's preseason coaches' poll, and outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger and libero Challen Geraghty were named to the Preseason All-MAC East Team.
Head coach Don Gromala is in his sixth season with the Golden Flashes' program and owns a career record of 70-79.
Saturday marks the first meeting between Kent State and Omaha.
What Makes Up the Mavericks
•Omaha returns eight letterwinners from the 2016 season, including four starters.
•UNO returns 53 percent of its total offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 725 of the Mavericks' 1,366 kills.
•The Mavericks also return 72 percent of their total blocking production from last year, with the returners credited for 237 out of 331 stops.
•Dousette is UNO's top returning hitter, having averaged 3.00 kills per set last year.
•Dousette was named to the 2016 Summit League All-Freshmen Team.
•The Mavericks are made up of five freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.
•Omaha's roster includes six players from Nebraska, three from Minnesota, two from Iowa and one apiece from Illinois, Arizona and Virginia.
Sydney's Smashing Milestones
Senior Sydney O'Shaughnessy reached a pair of long-awaited career milestones near the end of her junior season, passing both the 1,000 career digs and 3,000 career assists marks in just under three years. She is the first Maverick since Amy Steffel (1993-96) to put up at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career.
O'Shaughnessy enters her senior campaign with 3,188 career assists to her credit, which ranks seventh in school history. Her next target on the list is Wendy Melcher (1980-83), who had 3,343.
Mack's Back
Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey earned a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury six matches into the 2016 season. The Jordan, Minn., native started the first six matches, averaging 3.35 kills and 3.55 digs per set.
Horkey tallied back-to-back double-figure kill efforts early in 2016 with 18 vs. Iowa State (Sept. 1, 2016) and a career-high 27 vs. Ball State (Sept. 2, 2016). Her performance vs. BSU marked most kills in a match by any Maverick since Abby Sorensen's 26 vs. UC-Colorado Springs in 2011.
Dousette Stepping Up
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Dousette had a delayed start to her freshman season due to injury, but finally hit the court last September and never looked back. The St. Paul, Minn., native went on to earn Summit League All-Newcomer Team recognition after appearing in 15 matches with seven starts, and she averaged 3.00 kills per set with nine double-figure kill efforts. Dousette led the Mavericks in kills in 10 of the last 12 matches of the year and had back-to-back, season-high 21-kill efforts vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 4, 2016) and Oral Roberts (Nov. 6, 2016).
Fresh Faces
The Mavericks have welcomed a transfer and five true freshmen to the roster this season: junior outside hitter Abby Bergsten (Council Bluffs, Iowa), freshman libero Claire Mountjoy (Omaha, Neb.), freshman setter Kelli Nee (Powhatan, Va.), freshman right side hitter Abigayle Meyer (Murdock, Neb.), freshmen middle blockers Bella Sade (Marion, Iowa) and Anna Blaschko (Shakopee, Minn.).
Bergsten began her collegiate career with two seasons at Iowa Western Community College, where she was a two-time ICCAC All-Region selection. She helped IWCC to a national runner-up finish in 2016 and was second on the team with 3.43 kills per set while ranking 10th nationally with a .364 hitting percentage.
Nee was a two-time all-state selection at Powhatan High School. Sade, named a Top 50 Junior by PrepVolleyball.com, was also an all-state pick and helped Marion High School to a state semifinalist finish in 2014, followed by state quarterfinalist finishes in 2015 and 2016. Blaschko, a product of Shakopee High School, was an all-state honoree and paced her team in blocks and hitting percentage three consecutive seasons.
Mountjoy was an all-conference outside hitter at Elkhorn High School, where she was part of three straight state tournament appearances. Meyer, who also hails from Nebraska, picked up all-state an honorable mention award as a senior at Elmwood-Murdock High School.
Back on the Block
Omaha returns its top three blockers from the 2016 season in senior Amanda Conlin (0.78 b/s) and sophomores Ellie Brown (0.64 b/s) and Daria Taylor (0.59 b/s).
Conlin started all 30 matches as a junior and ranked fifth in the Summit League for solo blocks (16) and seventh for total blocks (89) and block assists (73).
Brown appeared in 26 matches and started 25 in her freshman year, while Taylor appeared in nine matches and started five.
Five-Set Fighters
Omaha went 8-1 (.889) in five-set matches last year. The last time the Mavericks had just one five-set loss in a season was 2013 (2-1).
Additionally, all nine five-game matches last season have clocked in at more than two hours. The longest lasted 2:36 when Omaha pulled off a 3-2 win over Oral Roberts on Nov. 6.
2017 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2017 schedule includes 27 matches against 20 different opponents, and the team will play in eight states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from seven other conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley, two each from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West and one apiece from the MAC, Big Sky and Ohio Valley. Five opponents -- Nebraska, Iowa State, K-State, Northern Iowa and Denver -- played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Entering 2017, the Mavericks have never faced three of their opponents: New Mexico, Kent State and Montana. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 186-164 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 47 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 28th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 483-365 (.570), 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 assistant coach Elena Pietro, who is in her third season, assistant coach Micah Rhodes, in his first year, and volunteer assistant coach Gina Mancuso, who is in her first year on the Maverick staff.
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
Omaha was picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the 2017 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference office announced Aug. 17. Defending league champion Denver was selected as the league's favorite after collecting five first-place votes and 47 total points. South Dakota finished second with three-first place votes and 45 points, while Oral Roberts claimed the third spot with 35 points. Fort Wayne (33) came in fourth, with Omaha (22) and North Dakota State (22) knotted for fifth. South Dakota State (12) and Western Illinois (eight) rounded out the poll.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action next weekend at the Hawkeye Classic, Sept. 1-2, in Iowa City, Iowa. The Mavericks open the tournament on Friday with host Iowa at Noon and Indiana State at 5 p.m. They close with a second match against the Sycamores on Saturday at Noon.
Players Mentioned
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