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The Omaha volleyball team is set for a two-match stand at Sapp Fieldhouse this weekend, hosting Fort Wayne on Friday, Oct. 5 and Oakland on Saturday, Oct. 6. Friday's match starts at 7 p.m., while Saturday's tilt is set for 5 p.m. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
UNO is in its second year as a reclassifying Division I school in 2012-13 and officially joined The Summit League in July 2012 with a full regular-season conference schedule ahead. The Mavericks are led by head coach Rose Shires, who is in her 23rd year at the helm of the UNO program with a career record of 435-278.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne enters Friday's match with a record of 15-3 (5-1 Summit League), as the Mastodons have been on a six-match win streak and sit stop the conference standings. Last weekend, IPFW swept South Dakota State, 3-0, then defeated North Dakota State, 3-2. Head coach Kelley Hartley Hutton is 286-144 in 14 seasons and holds a career record of 423-211 over 19 years.
IPFW leads the all-time series 1-0, as the Mastodons took the only meeting, 3-2, on Sept. 7, 1990 in Annapolis, Md.
Scouting the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
Oakland brings a record of 9-8 (2-4 Summit League) into Saturday's match, as the Golden Grizzlies dropped a pair of losses last weekend to North Dakota State, 3-1, and South Dakota State, 3-2. Head coach Rob Beam is in his sixth year at OU and holds a career record of 77-83.
Saturday marks the first meeting in school history between Omaha and Oakland.
Mavs Rank in Nation's Top 30 for Aces
Strong serving has UNO tied for 52nd nationally in service aces, as the Mavericks have 108 total and 1.44 per set through matches of Sept. 30. Three Mavericks are also among the Summit League's top performers, ranking third in aces per set: senior Natalie Ebke and redshirt freshmen Kimberly Bailey and Bailey Baxter (0.27 aces per set).
As a team, Omaha has had 10 or more aces in three matches this season: vs. Norfolk State (11), at Navy (10) and vs. Connecticut (10). Against North Dakota State, Ebke accounted for a season-best five of the Mavs' seven aces, which tied the most of any individual Maverick this year.
Schmale on a Surge
Freshman Megan Schmale has been on a surge in the last five matches, averaging 2.10 kills and 0.90 blocks per set. She has hit at a .375 clip or better in four of the last five contests, including a .562 performance with no errors at IUPUI on Sept. 29. Schmale also totaled a season-best 11 kills at UMKC on Sept. 25 and put up a season-high seven blocks on two occasions (vs. Drake on Sept. 21 and at IUPUI on Sept. 29).
Hecht Leading Mavs at the Net
Redshirt freshman Valerie Hecht has been solid in her career debut, leading UNO in blocks in 11 matches. The Bern, Kan., native has 0.90 blocks per set, which ranks seventh in the Summit League. Hecht notched a season-high nine blocks to tie with teammate Michaela Schimmer against Connecticut on Sept. 8 at the Wynn Invitational.
Youth Defines Mavericks in 2012
Omaha returns five letterwinners from its 2011 squad, led by a trio of seniors: outside hitter Natalie Ebke, middle blocker Chelsea Snyder and defensive specialist Amy Roberts. Sophomore middle blocker Jessy Schroedter and sophomore defensive specialist Rachelle Kruml also provided depth in their freshman campaigns.
UNO is defined by the youth on its roster this season, which includes five true freshmen and four redshirt freshmen who will challenge for starting positions. Eight Maverick newcomers have seen time on the floor, including four who have assumed starting roles: Bailey Baxter, Valerie Hecht, Megan Schmale and Kelley Wollak.
Welcome to The Summit League
The 2012 season marks UNO's first year with a full regular-season Summit League schedule. UNO will play all eight Summit League foes twice, once in Omaha and once on the road, starting with a Sept. 14 match against South Dakota State. Although the Mavericks will appear in the Summit League standings, they cannot qualify for the Summit League Championship or the NCAA Tournament, and Maverick student-athletes are not eligible for all-conference awards until 2015-16.
Home Sweet Home
After playing just four home dates at Sapp Fieldhouse in 2011, Omaha has a much more typical schedule on tap for 2012. The Mavericks play 10 home matches, including eight against Summit League opponents. UNO opened the home slate with a sweep of Syracuse on Sept. 4 and began conference play against South Dakota State and North Dakota State, Sept. 14-15. The match was the first home Summit League contest for any UNO athletic team.
Ebke Aims for Top 10 in Digs
Outside hitter Natalie Ebke enters her senior season as UNO's top returner, having averaged 2.99 kills and 2.89 digs as a junior. A three-year starter, she needs 113 digs to break into the top 10 in school history for career digs. Sitting at 1,126 career digs through Sept. 29, her first target to reach will be 1,239 to tie Erin Shafer (1994-97).
Schimmer Shines With Triple-Double
Freshman Michaela Schimmer was UNO's triple threat at the Kansas Volleyball Invitational, starring in both matches on Friday. The Grand Island, Neb., native had a triple-double against Arkansas State and a double-double against Sam Houston State. Schimmer became the first Maverick in 13 years to post a rare triple-double, as Krista Niezwaag had the last one with 15 kills, 13 digs and 10 blocks against North Dakota State on Sept. 18, 1999.
For the day, Schimmer totaled a combined 16 kills, 35 assists and 22 digs, along with six blocks. In the opening match with ASU, she tallied 13 kills, 15 assists and 11 digs with .478 hitting, followed by three kills, 20 assists and 11 digs in the nightcap against SHSU.
Baxter, Roberts Named to All-Tournament Teams
For their efforts at the season-opening Kristen Dickmann Invitational, redshirt freshman Bailey Baxter and senior Amy Roberts were both named to the all-tournament team, and Baxter was voted the tournament's most valuable player. As the Mavs' starting setter, Baxter averaged 9.50 assists, 1.70 digs and 0.40 blocks per set and guided UNO to a .272 hitting percentage, including a weekend-best .309 clip in the finale against Navy. Roberts led the Mavericks defensively with a team-leading 3.80 digs per set.
Roberts also earned a spot on the Wynn Invitational All-Tournament Team on Sept. 8, having averaged 4.55 digs per set over three matches. She totaled 50 digs and added four service aces for the weekend.
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
The Summit League released its annual preseason volleyball coaches' poll on Aug. 15, with newcomer Omaha picked ninth for its first year of conference play. The poll was conducted with a vote of the league's head coaches.
Two-time defending Summit League champion North Dakota State was selected as the preseason favorite to repeat. The Bison, looking to win their third straight league title and fourth in five years, collected six first-place votes and 62 total points to lead the poll. Fort Wayne came in second with 58 points and the final three first-place tallies. Oakland and South Dakota State tied for third with 43 points, while five points separated IUPUI and South Dakota in fifth and sixth. Rounding out the poll were Kansas City (23 points), Western Illinois (13) and Omaha (11).
2012 Schedule Highlighted by Four NCAA Tournament Qualifiers
In 2011, Omaha played a mixed schedule with Division I and Division II competition, but the 2012 season will be the Mavericks' first with a full Division I slate for their second year of reclassification. UNO has 28 matches against 20 different opponents, 11 of whom it has never faced in program history. The Mavs will also play in nine different states.
In addition, four foes were 2011 NCAA Tournament qualifiers: defending Summit League champion North Dakota State, Kansas State, Northern Illinois and Tulsa. Of those four, KSU had the longest postseason run, falling to Pepperdine in the semifinals of the Honolulu Regional.
Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head Coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 42 years of UNO volleyball history. Entering her 23rd year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 435-279 (.609), with 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 23rd season with UNO, and Assistant Coach Tanya Cate, who is in her third year on the Maverick staff.
Kids Growing Up In the Heartland
The 2012 UNO roster is loaded with local talent, as 11 of the 14 players listed hail from seven Nebraska towns. Two come from Grand Island -- redshirt freshman Bailey Baxter (Central Catholic) and freshman Michaela Schimmer (Northwest) -- while another pair -- senior Chelsea Snyder and freshman Jenna Schlautman -- come from the same program at Skutt Catholic. Three are products of Lincoln high schools: redshirt freshmen Kimberly Bailey (North Star) and Diane Banderas (Southwest) and senior Natalie Ebke (East), and senior Amy Roberts is a native of Norfolk. Sophomores Jessy Schroedter and Rachelle Kruml hail from Fremont and Ord, respectively, and freshman Megan Schmale calls Murdock her hometown.
2011-12 Squad Earns 13th Straight AVCA Academic Award
UNO earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Team Academic Award for the 13th straight year, the AVCA announced in July. As a team, the Mavericks recorded a 3.55 grade-point average during the 2011-12 academic year to claim the honor, which was their 13th straight and 16th overall.
The annual AVCA award honors collegiate and high school volleyball programs that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale.
2011 Seniors Leave Legacy
UNO had an exceptional senior class in 2011, as all three athletes -- libero Angie Reicks, middle blocker Brittany Hanssen and setter Emily Myers -- left their mark in the school record books. Reicks finished her career as the all-time leader in career digs, racking up 1,935 over four years as a starter and breaking a 17-year-old UNO record. She also holds the single-match mark with 46 digs in a game, set in her sophomore year against Central Missouri.
Myers closed her career ranked No. 2 in career assists, totaling 4,102 over four seasons, while Hanssen clinched her spot among UNO's best blockers at No. 10 with 325 block assists and No. 15 with 342 total blocks.
Up Next
Omaha travels to South Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 12 and North Dakota State on Saturday, Oct. 13. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.
