This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team hits the road again this weekend, traveling to the Billiken Invitational, Sept. 12-13, in St. Louis, Mo. Action kicks off on Friday against host Saint Louis at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Pavilion, followed by two Saturday matches with Air Force at 10 a.m. and Canisius at 4:30 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on OMavs.com.

Billiken Invitational Schedule Set
The schedule for this weekend's Billiken Invitational has been set, and it includes six matches for four teams over two days. Home teams for each match are the first team listed.

Friday, Sept. 12
Air Force vs. Canisius – 4:30 p.m.
Saint Louis vs. Omaha – 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 13
Omaha vs. Air Force – 10 a.m.
Saint Louis vs. Canisius – Noon
Canisius vs. Omaha – 4:30 p.m.
Saint Louis vs. Air Force – 7 p.m.

Scouting the Saint Louis Billikens
Saint Louis enters the weekend with a record of 5-3 (0-0 Atlantic 10) and a four-match win streak. The Billikens earned three wins at the Leatherneck Invitational in Macomb, Ill., last weekend, defeating UTEP (3-0), Eastern Illinois (3-1) and Western Illinois (3-0). They followed with a 3-2 road win at Missouri on Tuesday night. Sophomore Danielle Rygelski had a match-high 23 kills and 10 digs at Mizzou, and sophomore Meredith Boe totaled a match-best 55 assists with 14 digs.

Junior Megan Gilbert was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 pick last season, while Rygelski was the 2013 A-10 Rookie of the Year. Head coach Kent Miller is in his fourth year at SLU, carrying a record of 38-50 at the school and a career mark of 178-279.

Saint Louis leads the all-time series against Omaha, 1-0-1. The two squads last faced each other on Sept. 21, 1991, with the Billikens taking a 3-1 win.

Scouting the Air Force Falcons
Air Force enters the weekend with a record of 4-3 (0-0 Mountain West) after winning three straight in last weekend's Air Force Invitational. The Falcons swept past Marist and Houston Baptist, then earned a 3-1 victory over Weber State. Head coach Matt McShane is in his fifth season at the helm of the Air Force program, and he holds a career record of 28-100. The Falcons were chosen ninth in the Mountain West's preseason coaches' poll.

Akokwe Clement ranks fourth in the conference with a team-leading 3.33 kills per set, while Maggie Sherrill has 3.04 kills per set and a .320 attack percentage. Setter Hillary Keltner is second among Mountain West players with 10.78 assists per set.

The all-time series between Omaha and Air Force is tied at 3-3. UNO won the last meeting with a 3-1 win on Oct. 1, 1994 in USAF, Colo.

Scouting the Canisius Golden Griffins
Canisius enters the weekend with a record of 0-6 (0-0 MAAC) after opening the season at the Appalachian Invitational. The Golden Griffins fell to Montana State (3-2), Gonzaga (3-0) and Grand Canyon (3-2) at last weekend's Gonzaga Invitational. Head coach Cathy Hummel is in her 14th season, holding a career mark of 171-206.

Canisius was picked sixth in the MAAC's preseason coaches' poll. Senior Emily Litwin was a second-team All-MAAC selection last season, while sophomore Katlyn Tyler was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.

This weekend marks the first meeting all-time between Omaha and Canisius.

Quick Hits
•Last weekend's 3-0 win over Tennessee was Omaha's first sweep of the 2014 season.
•Junior outside hitter Kelley Wollak was named to the all-tournament team for the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Omaha Classic on Aug. 30 after averaging a team-best 3.50 kills and 3.79 digs per set over three matches.
•With its 216 attacks against Drake on Aug. 30, UNO totaled over 200 attacks in a single match for the first time since Oct. 5, 2011. The Mavericks also had over 100 digs for the first time since Oct. 1, 2011, finishing with 101 against DU.
•Omaha was picked to finish ninth in the 2014 Summit League Preseason Poll released by the conference office.
•Junior middle blocker Megan Schmale was Omaha's first Division I all-conference pick last season, earning All-Summit honorable mention status. A native of Murdock, Neb., she led the conference in blocking and ranked in the top 100 nationally for blocks per set. Schmale also earned Academic All-Summit accolades for the first time.

Block Party
Omaha claims three of the top five blockers in the Summit League after the opening weekend. Junior middle blocker Megan Schmale is third in the conference with 1.22 blocks per set, while junior setter/rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer is fourth (1.13), and junior middle blocker Diane Banderas is fifth (1.05). As a team, the Mavericks lead the league with 2.59 blocks per set and are also first in block assists (109) and second in total blocks (60).

Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 44 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 25th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 444-315 (.585), with the most wins of the five coaches who have served at 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 24th season with UNO, and assistant coach Tanya Cate, who is in her fifth year on the Maverick staff.

Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2013 schedule includes 29 matches against 21 different opponents, and the team has played in 10 states across the country. UNO have squared off with opponents from 10 different conferences. Two foes -- IUPUI and Iowa State were 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. The Jags were dropped 3-0 by Missouri in the first round, while the Cyclones lost 3-1 to Colorado in the first round.

The Mavericks have never faced five of their 2014 opponents: Central Michigan, Tennessee, Canisius, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Boise State. Omaha holds a combined all-time record of 152-114-2 over all teams on the slate this season.

Up Next
Omaha returns to action next weekend at the Islanders Classic hosted by Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Sept. 19-20, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Mavericks face TAMU-CC on Friday at 11 a.m. and Incarnate Word at 5 p.m., followed by Saturday matches with Boise State at 11 a.m. and UT-Pan American at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.