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The UNO volleyball team (1-6) faces a future Summit League foe this week, traveling to South Dakota State on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D., and live stats and live video will be linked through OMavs.com.
    
Last weekend, the Mavericks went 1-3 at the annual UNO Showcase at Sapp Fieldhouse. After falling 3-1 to Winona State in the opening game, Nebraska Omaha earned its first victory of the season in a hard-fought 3-2 tilt with Minnesota State Moorhead. On Saturday, the Mavs dropped a pair of matches to Northern State (3-1) and nationally-ranked Nebraska-Kearney (3-2). Three UNO players finished with double-figure kills against the Lopers -- junior outside hitters Natalie Ebke (12) and Sydney Fleege (12) and sophomore outside hitter Abby Sorensen (10). Ebke grabbed her third double-double of the year with 11 digs, while Sorensen earned the first double-double of her career along with 12 digs. Fleege's mark off the bench was a career high.

Nebraska Omaha, which is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I institution, is guided by Head Coach Rose Shires, who is in her 22nd year at the helm of the Maverick program. In 2010, UNO finished with a record of 17-15 and had two All-MIAA honorees in third-team pick Kayla Uhing and honorable mention selection Ebke. Uhing has since rejoined the Mavericks as a student assistant in 2011, and Ebke is one of 10 returning letterwinners this year.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters Tuesday's game with a 5-2 record, as the Jackrabbits went 2-1 at last weekend's Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. SDSU earned wins over Appalachian State (3-1) and Belmont (3-1) before being swept by host Kansas. Nebraska Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 34-14, though the Jacks last won 3-1 in Brookings on Oct. 24, 2003.

Digging In
Senior Angie Reicks is on track to become UNO's all-time career digs leader, as she ranks fourth in school history with 1,592 digs. The Bellevue, Neb., native, who entered the year ranked fifth, had 47 digs over the Mavs' opening weekend at the CEFCU Classic in Peoria, Ill., which moved her ahead of former Maverick Laura Monahan and also earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. In addition, Reicks holds the school record for most digs in a match, as she totaled 46 against Central Missouri as a sophomore in 2009.

Entering Tuesday's game with South Dakota State, Reicks needs just 12 digs to tie Amy Gradoville (1987-90) for third all-time with 1,604 digs.

UNO All-Time Career Digs Leaders
Player -- Years -- Digs
Kevin Campbell -- 1991-94 -- 1,782
Tracy Ankeny -- 1997-00 -- 1,691
Amy Gradoville -- 1987-90 -- 1,604
Angie Reicks -- 2008-present -- 1,592
Laura Monahan -- 1990-93 -- 1,524

Mavericks Reclassify to Division I
Nebraska Omaha announced in March 2011 its plan to reclassify from NCAA Division II to Division I, beginning with the 2011-12 school year. UNO, which was previously a member of the MIAA, accepted an invitation to join The Summit League and will compete as a full-fledged member with a regular-season conference schedule in 2012-13.

2011 Schedule Features Mix of Division I, Division II Talent
UNO's schedule for the 2011 season includes a slate of regional road matches and a mix of Division I teams and top Division II squads. Eight 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifiers highlight the list -- Wichita State and North Dakota State for Division I and Seattle Pacific, Central Missouri, Emporia State, Abilene Christian, Washburn and Nebraska-Kearney for Division II. UCM made an appearance in the national semifinals, while SPU, UNK and WU played through their regional semifinals.

In addition, five squads -- UCM (No. 2), WU (No. 5), UNK (No. 6), SPU (No. 13), ESU (No. 18) and ACU (No. 23) -- were included in the AVCA Division II Preseason Poll, and Wichita State received votes in the Division I poll.

Healthy Mach Granted Medical Redshirt by NCAA
Junior middle blocker Lizzy Mach was granted a medical redshirt year by the NCAA this summer, as she sat out the majority of the 2010 season with an ACL injury. After being named third-team All-MIAA in 2009, she suffered the season-ending knee injury just 11 matches in last year. As a sophomore, Mach averaged 2.11 kills, 0.60 blocks and 0.45 digs per set while ranking fourth on the team with 274 kills.

Last weekend at the UNO Showcase, Mach averaged 2.17 kills and 0.56 blocks per set. The Wahoo, Neb., native totaled a season-high 12 kills against Northern State on Sept. 3 and also reached double figures against Winona State with 11 on Sept. 2.

Shires Enters 22nd Year as Winningest Coach in School History
Head Coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 41 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 22nd year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 425-250 (.630), the most wins of the five coaches who have served at Nebraska 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 22nd season with UNO, and Assistant Coach Tanya Cate, who is in her second year on the Maverick staff.

Kids Growing Up In the Heartland
The 2011 UNO roster is loaded with local talent, as 14 of the 17 players listed hail from nine Nebraska towns. Two pairs of student-athletes also come from the same high school programs -- senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen and freshman setter Bailey Baxter are both products of Grand Island Central Catholic, while junior middle blocker Lizzy Mach and freshman middle blocker Alyssa Stanek both played at Bishop Neumann in Wahoo.
     
UNO Welcomes Seven Freshmen to Roster
In its first year as a Division I program, UNO has welcomed seven freshmen to campus -- setter Bailey Baxter (Grand Island, Neb.), outside hitter Kimberly Bailey (Lincoln, Neb.), defensive specialist Rachelle Kruml (Ord, Neb.) and middle blockers Valerie Hecht (Bern, Kan.), Alyssa Stanek (Ceresco, Neb.), Jessy Schroedter (Fremont, Neb.) and Diane Banderas (Lincoln, Neb.). Armed with multiple all-state awards and four players who participated in the Nebraska High School All-Star Game (Bailey, Baxter, Banderas, Stanek), the group of newcomers will provide a solid foundation as UNO prepares for Summit League competition in the coming years.

At the CEFCU Classic in Peoria, Ill., Schroedter was the lone Maverick newcomer to see game action. She appeared in six sets over two matches on Aug. 26, totaling five kills, three blocks and two digs.

Last weekend's UNO Showcase saw Kruml earn playing time in two sets against Northern State.

Player -- Hometown (High School)
Kimberly Bailey -- Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln North Star)
    Third-team Super State, Second-team all-state (2010)
Diane Banderas -- Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southwest)
    All-state honorable mention (2010)
Bailey Baxter -- Grand Island, Neb. (Central Catholic)
    Two-time all-state selection (2009-10)
Valerie Hecht -- Bern, Kan. (Bern)
    Two-time all-state (2009-10)
Rachelle Kruml -- Ord, Neb. (Ord)
    Two-time all-state honorable mention (2009-10)
Jessy Schroedter -- Fremont, Neb. (Archbishop Bergan)
    All-state honorable mention (2010)
Alyssa Stanek -- Ceresco, Neb. (Bishop Neumann)
    Two-time all-state (2009-10)

Hanssen Hits Career High in Blocks at Bradley
Senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen led the Mavericks' effort to outblock Bradley 12-9 on Aug. 26, putting up a career-high eight blocks against the Braves. For the weekend, the Grand Island, Neb., native averaged 1.36 blocks per set, totaling 15 over three matches. Over three years at UNO, Hanssen had tied her previous career high of seven blocks on four occasions.

All-Conference Honorees Lead Mavs in 2011
UNO returns four players to its 2011 roster who have earned all-conference honors -- junior middle blocker Lizzy Mach, senior setter Emily Myers, senior libero Angie Reicks and junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke. Reicks garnered second-team All-MIAA status in 2009, while Mach and Myers were selected to the third team. Ebke was an honorable mention pick in 2010.

UNO has had 46 players combine for 78 All-MIAA or All-NCC accolades. In year one of their transition to Division I and full membership in The Summit League, the Mavericks will be ineligible for all-league recognition this season.

2010-11 Squad Earns 12th Straight AVCA Academic Award
The UNO volleyball earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Team Academic Award for the 12th straight year, the AVCA announced in July. As a team, the Mavericks recorded a 3.68 grade-point average during the 2010-11 academic year to claim the honor, which was their 12th straight and 15th overall.

The annual AVCA award honors collegiate and high school volleyball programs that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Up Next for the Mavs
UNO returns to action Sept. 9-10, traveling to the Premier Volleyball Classic in Denver, Colo. On Friday, the Mavs face Seattle Pacific at Noon and Cal Baptist at 3:30 p.m., followed by Saturday's matches against opponents to be determined.