Photo by: Iowa State/Luke Lu
Omaha Hosts South Dakota in Summit Showdown
Oct 13, 2021 | Volleyball
OMAHA, Neb. - Midseason matches don't get much bigger than Thursday's Summit League showdown at Baxter Arena.
First-place Omaha plays host to reigning conference tournament champion, 2021 NCAA qualifier and preseason league favorite South Dakota in a matchup of the top two teams in the current standings.
The Mavericks enter the first of two meetings between the rivals as the only unbeaten team in league play. It's still early on but, at 6-0, Omaha controls its own destiny in the race for the regular-season title.
"It's where you want to be," coach Matt Buttermore said. "[Now], it's what you do when you get there."
The Mavericks (9-7) have been on a roll since conference play began. They've dropped only two sets through six Summit League matches, beating reigning conference champion Denver in the process.
Buttermore said his team put a lot, emotionally, into that match. Still, Omaha recovered to sweep Oral Roberts, then undefeated in league play, three days later. It then won twice in North Dakota last week.
The fact that the Mavericks are playing at a high level isn't much of a surprise. This is the same Omaha team that had Nebraska on the ropes, nearly knocked off Arizona State and swept Georgia last month.
The Mavericks endured a challenging nonconference schedule in which they went 3-7 in their first 10 matches. Buttermore said his team is better because of that experience, although it was dangerous.
"We never came apart. That was my big worry with the schedule," he said. "If we did [only] go one, two or three and whatever, what is it going to do with the team chemistry? The girls really hung together really well. I think that's been maybe the most important thing that came out of all that."
Buttermore said there was always good chemistry on this team. Adversity seems to have made it stronger.
"Believing in ourselves in some of those tough moments, I believe we've seen some of that," he said. "We saw it at home here, whether it was that third set against Oral Roberts and, against Denver, I know there were moments. We're better at that kind of stuff, being tougher in some of those moments."
Inevitably, Omaha will see more of those moments in the future, perhaps as soon as Thursday. The Coyotes (9-7) are riding a four-match winning streak and have taken 10 consecutive sets in doing so.
South Dakota returned 14 players from last season's NCAA team, including Summit League tournament MVP Elizabeth Juhnke, who ranks third in the conference in kills per set. Omaha's Sadie Limback, named league Player of the Week three times already this season, leads all conference hitters in that category.
These teams are much more than their star players, however. Balance and depth are their hallmarks.
For the Mavericks to win the Summit League title, they'll have to go through South Dakota. Thursday's matchup is the first of two regular-season meetings. USD also hosts the league tournament next month.
There's a lot of volleyball to play before then. Thursday's contest starts a crucial three-match homestand for Omaha, which plays seven of its nine games in the second half of the conference season on the road.
Buttermore said it will be a race between the teams to see who improves the most before they meet for the second time during regular season, especially with those battling for the championship.
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 "That's been the goal," he said. "Our goal is to try to win the league every year."
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First-place Omaha plays host to reigning conference tournament champion, 2021 NCAA qualifier and preseason league favorite South Dakota in a matchup of the top two teams in the current standings.
The Mavericks enter the first of two meetings between the rivals as the only unbeaten team in league play. It's still early on but, at 6-0, Omaha controls its own destiny in the race for the regular-season title.
"It's where you want to be," coach Matt Buttermore said. "[Now], it's what you do when you get there."
The Mavericks (9-7) have been on a roll since conference play began. They've dropped only two sets through six Summit League matches, beating reigning conference champion Denver in the process.
Buttermore said his team put a lot, emotionally, into that match. Still, Omaha recovered to sweep Oral Roberts, then undefeated in league play, three days later. It then won twice in North Dakota last week.
The fact that the Mavericks are playing at a high level isn't much of a surprise. This is the same Omaha team that had Nebraska on the ropes, nearly knocked off Arizona State and swept Georgia last month.
The Mavericks endured a challenging nonconference schedule in which they went 3-7 in their first 10 matches. Buttermore said his team is better because of that experience, although it was dangerous.
"We never came apart. That was my big worry with the schedule," he said. "If we did [only] go one, two or three and whatever, what is it going to do with the team chemistry? The girls really hung together really well. I think that's been maybe the most important thing that came out of all that."
Buttermore said there was always good chemistry on this team. Adversity seems to have made it stronger.
"Believing in ourselves in some of those tough moments, I believe we've seen some of that," he said. "We saw it at home here, whether it was that third set against Oral Roberts and, against Denver, I know there were moments. We're better at that kind of stuff, being tougher in some of those moments."
Inevitably, Omaha will see more of those moments in the future, perhaps as soon as Thursday. The Coyotes (9-7) are riding a four-match winning streak and have taken 10 consecutive sets in doing so.
South Dakota returned 14 players from last season's NCAA team, including Summit League tournament MVP Elizabeth Juhnke, who ranks third in the conference in kills per set. Omaha's Sadie Limback, named league Player of the Week three times already this season, leads all conference hitters in that category.
These teams are much more than their star players, however. Balance and depth are their hallmarks.
For the Mavericks to win the Summit League title, they'll have to go through South Dakota. Thursday's matchup is the first of two regular-season meetings. USD also hosts the league tournament next month.
There's a lot of volleyball to play before then. Thursday's contest starts a crucial three-match homestand for Omaha, which plays seven of its nine games in the second half of the conference season on the road.
Buttermore said it will be a race between the teams to see who improves the most before they meet for the second time during regular season, especially with those battling for the championship.
Â
 "That's been the goal," he said. "Our goal is to try to win the league every year."
Â
Players Mentioned
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