The University of Nebraska at Omaha volleyball team (15-9/5-5), currently in fifth place in the NCC standings, will close out the 2004 regular season on the road when they travel to ninth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth (20-4/8-2) for a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Nov. 12. The Mavericks will then head to Mankato, Minn. for a 7 p.m. match at Minnesota State (9-16/2-8) on Saturday, Nov. 13.

The Record:
Nebraska-Omaha is currently 15-9 on the season and 5-5 in the NCC after splitting a pair of home matches last week including a three-game non-conference sweep over Northwest Missouri State and a four-game loss to St. Cloud State. The Mavericks, who are 9-5 against North Central Region opponents, are 5th in the latest NCAA II North Central Region rankings. The top eight teams in the Region advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. UNO received 43 votes in the most recent CSTV/AVCA top 25 poll.

Maverick Magazine:
Listen to head coach Rose Shires on Maverick Magazine, a weekly radio show which airs each Tuesday night from 6:05 to 6:30 p.m. on KOZN, 1620 am. Local radio personality Kevin Kugler, the voice of UNO football, is the host of Maverick Magazine, which highlights all of Nebraska-Omaha's athletic teams.

Live Stats on the Internet:
Live stats for all of Nebraska-Omaha's home matches will be available on the UNO Athletics official website: gomavs.unomaha.edu. Click on the following link to access the UNO "Live Stats" page.

Last Week:
Hot-Hitting Mavs Sweep Past Northwest Missouri State:
OMAHA, Neb. - Behind a season-high .396 hitting percentage, the University of Nebraska at Omaha breezed past visiting Northwest Missouri State 3-0 (35-33, 3015, 30-14) in non-conference volleyball action Tuesday night before 714 fans at the Sapp Fieldhouse.
After a tight first game, which saw six lead changes and 16 ties as well as two-game points for each team, the Mavericks dominated the remainder of the match, hitting .556 and .517 in the second and third games, respectively. UNO committed just three hitting errors in the final two frames.
The Mavericks were paced in the match by juniors Ashley Freeman and Heather Hainline. Freeman collected 12 kills, four blocks, and hit .579 with just one hitting error in 19 attempts. Hainline added nine kills on a blistering .900 hitting percentage with no errors in 10 attempts. She also tallied four blocks.
Junior setter Christie Johnson dished out 42 assists, while adding six digs and two kills. Freshman Carlie Christensen contributed with seven kills, while hitting .462 on the night. The Mavericks were led defensively by junior Chelsea Miller, who recorded a match-high 24 digs.

St. Cloud State Spoils Seniors' Home Finale
OMAHA, Neb. -- St. Cloud State battled back after a first-game loss, to upend the University of Nebraska at Omaha 3-1 (26-30, 31-29, 30-22, 30-21) in North Central Conference volleyball action Saturday night before 911 fans at the Sapp Fieldhouse. The match marked the final home appearance for UNO's four seniors: Julia McConahay, Amy McLeay, Jenny Rankin, and Andrea Wegner.
Junior Heather Hainline hit .440 with 14 kills to pace the Maverick attack. Three other Mavericks notched double-digits in kills including: Ashley Freeman (13), Rankin (11), and McLeay (11).
Andrea Wegner, who made her first start of the 2004 season, finished with eight kills and a match-high .467 hitting percentage with only one error in 15 attempts. Junior Christie Johnson recorded a double-double with 55 assists and 10 digs.
The Mavericks nearly led the match 2-0, with Johnson serving for the second game at 29-28. St. Cloud State answered the challenge with three straight points on two kills by Jamie Schlagel and an attack error by McLeay.
Nebraska-Omaha was led defensively by junior Chelsea Miller who tallied 18 digs in the loss.
The Huskies (18-10, 7-4 NCC) were led in the match by freshman Kristi Pangrac, who registered 15 kills and hit .429. Junior Angie Mayers added 14 kills and two blocks and sophomore Lindsay Gothe recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 17 digs.

Shires Earns 300th Career Victory:
Rose Shires picked up her 300th career victory when the Mavericks swept Hillsdale 3-0 (30-17, 31-29, 30-25) on Aug. 28 at the North Alabama Classic. Shires has amassed a 311-173 (. 643) career record in her 15th season as the Mavericks' mentor. Shires, the 1996 AVCA Division II national coach of the year, is the second winningest coach in the school's history behind Janice Kruger who recorded a 352-96 mark in her nine Maverick seasons from 1979-87.

Rankin Joins 1,000-Kill Club:
With her third kill in the Mavericks' 3-0 sweep over Minnesota State on Oct. 2, outside hitter Jenny Rankin became just the 15th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. Rankin, a senior from North Platte, Neb., has now registered 1,065 kills in her four-year Maverick career.

2004 NCC Statistical Rankings:

Overall
1. Team - Aces (2.03 sapg)
2. Carlie Christensen - Hitting % (.346)
2. Team - Kills (15.12 kpg)
2. Amy McLeay - Kills (4.02 kpg)
2. Christie Johnson - Assists (12.30 apg)
3. Christie Johnson - Aces (0.43 sapg)
5. Briana Ritter - Aces (0.39 sapg)
6. Jenny Rankin - Aces (0.34 sapg)
7. Carlie Christensen - Blocks (1.00 bpg)
7. Chelsea Miller - Digs (4.41 dpg)
8. Heather Hainline, Hitting % (.277)
11. Ashley Freeman - Hitting % (.257)
15. Julia McConahay - Aces (0.29 bpg)

NCC Matches Only
2. Amy McLeay - Kills (4.22 kpg)
2. Team - Kills (15.51 dpg)
2. Carlie Christensen - Hitting % - (.302)
2. Christie Johnson - Assists (12.76 apg)
2. Christie Johnson - Aces (0.39 sapg)
3. Chelsea Miller - Digs (5.07 dpg)
7. Carlie Christensen - Aces (0.29 sapg)
7. Ashley Freeman - Hitting % - (.269)
9. Jenny Rankin - Aces (0.27 sapg)
10. Carlie Christensen - Blocks (0.95 bpg)
10. Heather Hainline - Hitting % (.252)
12. Julia McConahay - Digs (3.51 dpg)
12. Ashley Freeman - Blocks (0.89 bpg)
14. Jenny Rankin - Kills (2.68 kpg)

Probable Starters:
L - #10 Chelsea Miller (5-9, Jr., Aurora, Neb.)
"C/ Starting libero in every match in 2004
"C/ Career-high 30 digs in five-game loss at Augustana on Oct. 23
"C/ Leads team with 4.41 digs per game
"C/ Ranks 3rd in the NCC in digs per game (5.07 dpg)
"C/ Recorded 20-or-more digs in 10 matches

OH - #16 Amy McLeay (6-0, Sr., Omaha, Neb.)
"C/ Leads team with 4.02 kills per game
"C/ Second in the NCC in kills per game (4.22)
"C/ NCC player of the week on Aug. 30 and Oct. 4
"C/ MVP of the North Alabama Classic
"C/ Has led the Mavericks in kills in 16 of 24 matches
"C/ Team leader with 14 double-doubles
"C/ Registered 20-or-more kills in eight matches

OH - #3 Jenny Rankin (6-0, Sr., Omaha, Neb.)
"C/ Second on the team with 2.50 kills per game
"C/ Third on the team with 0.34 service aces per game
"C/ Ninth in the NCC in service aces per game (0.27 sapg); 14th in kills (2.68 kpg)
"C/ Has 1,084 career kills, becoming 15th player in school history to join 1,000 kill club

MB - #17 Carlie Christensen (6-0,Fr., Omaha, Neb.)
"C/ Second on the team with .346 hitting percentage
"C/ Leads UNO with 1.00 blocks per game
"C/ Third on the squad with 2.49 kills per games
"C/ Second in the NCC with .302 hitting %; ranks 7th with 0.29 service aces per game; ranks 10th with 0.95 blocks per game
"C/ NCC player of the week on Sep. 7

MB - #8 Ashley Freeman (6-0, Jr., Council Bluffs, Iowa)
"C/ Fourth on the team with .257 hitting percentage
"C/ Averaging 2.44 kills and 0.73 blocks per game
"C/ Ranks 7th in the NCC with .269 hitting percentage; ranks 12th in blocks (0.89 bpg)

S - #1 Christie Johnson (5-8, Jr., Lincoln, Neb.)
"C/ Leads the team 12.30 assists per game
"C/ Ranks 2nd in the NCC with 12.76 assists and 0.39 service aces per game
"C/ Team leader with 0.43 service aces per game
"C/ NCC setter of the week on Aug. 30, Oct. 4, and Oct. 18
"C/ All-tournament team at North Alabama Classic

RS - #11 Heather Hainline (6-2, Jr., Papillion, Neb.
"C/ Transfer from Wichita State
"C/ Averaging 1.90 kills and 0.61 blocks per game
"C/ Third on the team with .277 hitting percentage
"C/ Ranks 10th in the NCC in hitting percentage (.252)

Scouting Minnesota Duluth:
Minnesota Duluth is currently in first place in the NCC standings with an 8-2 conference record and a 20-4 overall mark. The Buuldogs are ranked No. 9 in the latest AVCA top 25 poll and No. 2 in the most recent NCAA II North Central Region rankings.
The Bulldogs are led by senior outside hitter Callie Zwettler, who is averaging 5.04 kills and 3.33 digs per game. Zwettler leads the NCC with 4.69 kills per NCC game. Senior setter Greta IIsakka leads the NCC with 13.63 assists per NCC game. Freshman Vicky Braegelmann is averaging 3.28 kills per game while hitting a team-leading .370.
This will the 36th meeting between Minnesota Duluth and UNO with the Mavericks holding a 27-8 advantage in the series. The Mavericks handed UMD their first conference loss of the season with a four-game win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 22 in Omaha.

Scouting Minnesota State:
Minnesota State is currently 9-16 on the season and 2-8 in the NCC. The Mavericks have lost three out of their last four matches.
The Mavericks are led by freshman outside hitter Cassie Wolpern who is averaging 3.93 kills and 2.71 digs per game. Junior middle blocker Tiffany Graham is hitting at a team-leading .333 clip while averaging 3.52 kills and a team-best 1.21 blocks per game. Senior setter Melanie Jude directs the Maverick attack with 11.66 assists per game. Leading MSU defensively is senior libero Kari Sandstrom with 4.34 digs per game.
This will the 40th meeting between Minnesota State and UNO with the Mavericks holding a 30-9 advantage in the series. UNO ended a six-match losing streak against MSU when the Mavericks swept Minnesota State in three games earlier this season on Oct. 2 in Omaha.