2012 UNO Volleyball Schedule

OMAHA, Neb. – The UNO volleyball team has released its 2012 season schedule, head coach Rose Shires announced Friday. The Mavericks' second season of Division I play and their first as a member of the Summit League will be highlighted by 10 home matches at Sapp Fieldhouse.
 
Omaha's slate spans 28 contests against 20 Division I opponents, and the team will play in nine different states. With the first year of conference membership ahead, the Mavs will play a full regular-season league schedule.
 
The schedule also features matches against four 2011 NCAA Tournament qualifiers – defending Summit League champion North Dakota State, Kansas State, Northern Illinois and Tulsa.
 
Nebraska Omaha makes its season debut at the Kristin Dickman Invitational, Aug. 24-25, in Annapolis, Md. Opening day brings Norfolk State, followed by two matches the next day against Hartford and host Navy.
 
The next weekend, the Mavericks head to the Kansas Volleyball Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., facing Arkansas State and Sam Houston State on Aug. 31 and Tulsa on Sept. 1.
 
UNO makes its home debut on Sept. 4, hosting Syracuse at Sapp Fieldhouse. The team then hits the road again for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Tournament in Springfield, Mo., connecting with Northern Illinois (Sept. 7) and Connecticut and New Orleans (Sept. 8).
 
League play opens with a pair of home matches on back-to-back dates, as the Mavs host South Dakota State (Sept. 14) and North Dakota State (Sept. 15). Another home tilt against non-conference opponent Drake is set for Sept. 21, followed by a travel date at Kansas State on Sept. 22.
 
Omaha continues its road swing with three consecutive away matches at UMKC (Sept. 25), at Western Illinois (Sept. 28) and at IUPUI (Sept. 29). Home games against IPFW (Oct. 5) and Oakland (Oct. 6) provide a break in the travel swing, followed by more road challenges: at South Dakota State (Oct. 12), at North Dakota State (Oct. 13) and at South Dakota (Oct. 22).
 
The Mavs return home to battle IUPUI (Oct. 26) and Western Illinois (Oct. 27), then take their final road trip of the season to square off with Oakland (Nov. 2) and IPFW (Nov. 3). UNO closes the year with a pair of home matches, hosting UMKC (Nov. 8) for Homecoming Week and South Dakota (Nov. 10) for Senior Night.
 
“The 2012 season will be a very exciting one for us,” Shires said. “We are a very young team with nine out of 14 players being freshmen. I will count on everyone to play a major role in the progress of this team, and our three seniors -- Natalie Ebke, Amy Roberts and Chelsea Snyder -- will provide outstanding leadership for our squad.
 
“I believe our team will be extremely competitive and fun to watch playing this schedule, and we are excited to prove what we can do. We are looking forward to our schedule, which includes a 10-game home schedule that begins Sept. 4 against Syracuse.”
 
Shires enters her 23rd year as head coach of the Maverick program, having compiled a career record of 429-267 the winningest coach in school history. The Mavericks return five letterwinners from the 2011 squad, including senior Natalie Ebke, who led the way with 2.99 kills per set as a junior.
 
Tickets are available by phone at (402) 554-MAVS or online at OmahasTeam.com.