This Weekend
The Omaha volleyball team makes its first appearance at the 2015 Summit League Championship this weekend, Friday, Nov. 20 through Sunday, Nov. 22 at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colo. The Mavericks, in their first year with full NCAA Division I postseason eligibility, went 17-12 (12-4 Summit League) during the regular season, clinching the third seed for the tournament. They face No. 6 seed Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals on Friday at 8:30 p.m. (CT) and with a win there, advance to meet No. 2 seed IUPUI in the semifinals on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (CT). The winner of that match advances to the championship final on Sunday at 3 p.m. (CT).

All five tournament matches will be televised by Altitude or Altitude 2, where available. In the Omaha area, Altitude is on Qwest Choice TV channel 71, Dish Network channel 413 and DirecTV channel 681, while Altitude 2 is on DirecTV on channel 681-1.

Additionally, Friday's quarterfinals and Saturday's semifinals will be streamed free online, and Sunday's championship match will be broadcast on ESPN3. Links for live video and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Omaha makes its first Division I postseason appearance in school history with this weekend's Summit League Championship. The Mavericks are the tournament's third seed after finishing the regular season 17-12 (12-4).
•UNO's last postseason appearance came in its Division II days, when the Mavericks played Washburn at the NCAA South Central Regional on Nov. 19, 2009.
•The Mavericks rank second nationally with 17.72 digs per set in 2015.
•UNO went 8-5 at home this year. Its last season with a winning home record was 2010.
•Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale seized the Omaha school record for career block assists last Friday.
•Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy had a team-leading 19 double-doubles in her freshman campaign and leads the squad again with 21 more this year. Her 40 career double-doubles are the most of any active Maverick.
•O'Shaughnessy registered five aces in Omaha's win over North Dakota State on Oct. 23, the most of any Maverick in over three years. The last player with five aces in a match was Natalie Ebke, who also achieved the feat against North Dakota State on Sept. 15, 2012.
•UNO's six seniors on the roster mark the most since 2009.
•Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the 2015 Summit League Preseason Poll, its highest place in the poll since joining the conference in 2012.

2015 Summit League Volleyball Championship Field Set
The six-team field for the 2015 Summit League Volleyball Championship was set last weekend at the conclusion of the regular season. The tournament champion will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
    
    SUMMIT LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
    Friday, Nov. 20 – Quarterfinals
    6 p.m. CT – Match One: (4) North Dakota State vs. (5) South Dakota
    8:30 p.m. CT – Match Two: (3) Omaha vs. (6) Oral Roberts

    Saturday, Nov. 21 – Semifinals
    6 p.m. CT – Match Three: (1) Denver vs. Winner Match One
    8:30 p.m. CT – Match Four: (2) IUPUI vs. Winner Match Two

    Sunday, Nov. 22 -- Championship Final
    3 p.m. CT – Championship Match: Winner Match Three vs. Winner Match Four

Scouting the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Sixth-seeded Oral Roberts brings a record of 14-15 (8-8 Summit League) into Friday's quarterfinal match after a 3-0 loss to North Dakota State Sunday to close the regular season. The Golden Eagles have dropped three straight matches to Omaha, Denver and North Dakota State since Nov. 10. Sophomore outside hitter Laura Milos won five Summit League Offensive Player of the Week awards this season and leads the league in kills (575), kills per set (5.13), aces (54) and aces per set (0.48). Head coach Sheera Sirola is in her 13th year at ORU, holding a career record of 238-163.
    
Oral Roberts leads the all-time series with UNO, 5-3. The Mavericks swept this year's regular season series with wins of 3-0 in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 9 and 3-0 at Baxter Arena on Nov. 10.

Scouting the IUPUI Jaguars
Second-seeded IUPUI carries a record of 21-9 (12-4 Summit League) into the weekend after back-to-back wins over South Dakota (3-2) and Omaha (3-1) to close the regular season. The Jaguars earned a bye for the first round of tournament action and will play the winner of Friday's Omaha/Oral Roberts quarterfinal match in Saturday's semifinals. Head coach Steve Payne is in his 19th year at IUPUI, holding a career record of 251-304.

IUPUI leads the all-time series with Omaha, 8-0. The Jaguars won both meetings in this season's series against the Mavericks, 3-0 at Sapp Fieldhouse, on Oct. 17, then 3-1 last Friday in Indianapolis, Ind.

Last Time Out: Mavs Fall 3-1 at IUPUI, Lock No. 3 Tournament Seed
Omaha's eight-match win streak came to an end last Saturday, as the Mavericks fell 3-1 (20-25, 20-25, 30-28, 18-25) to IUPUI at The Jungle to close the regular season. Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy notched her 21st double-double of the season on 50 assists and 23 digs against the Jaguars, adding four kills, two blocks and two aces. Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey also had a double-double -- her 11th of the year -- with 13 kills and 19 digs, as well as two blocks and two aces.

Senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer led the Mavericks with a match-high 17 kills, as well as three blocks and three digs. Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale posted 12 kills on .345 hitting with a match-best eight blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Gessica Gdowski had a well-rounded performance with nine kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Senior libero Kimberly Bailey added to the defensive charge with 22 digs for her 13th match this season – and her fifth consecutive -- with 20 or more digs.

As a team, Omaha hit .204 to IUPUI's .244. The Mavs outblocked the Jaguars 11-10 and outdug them 101-89, with the digs total a season high. It also marked UNO's highest team dig tally since 103 vs. Grand Canyon on Nov. 22, 2014.

Mavericks Making Their Mark Nationally
Through matches of Nov. 14, Omaha ranks among the top 40 nationally in four categories, coming in at second for digs per set (17.72), 15th for total digs (1,967), 16th for attacks per set (37.95) and 33rd total attacks (4,212).

Individually, senior middle blocker Megan Schmale is 11th in the country for total blocks (146) and 31st for blocks per set (1.32), and sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy is 35th for total assists (1,134).

Studying the Streak
UNO won eight straight matches from Oct. 20 to Nov. 13, its longest stretch since in 2010, before the streak was snapped last Saturday at IUPUI. With the Mavericks' three consecutive 3-0 wins over Western Illinois on Nov. 1, South Dakota State on Nov. 6 and Oral Roberts on Nov. 10, they also equaled their longest stretch of consecutive sweeps since Nov. 2-7, 2008 vs. Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western.

League Leaders
Omaha leads the Summit League in digs (1,967) and digs per set (17.72) and also ranks second in total attacks (4,212) and block assists (430) and third in aces (143), aces per set (1.29), total blocks (244) and blocks per set (2.20).

Senior Megan Schmale tops the league in total blocks (146), block assists (134) and blocks per set (1.32) and is third in hitting percentage (.334). Senior Kimberly Bailey is second for digs per set (4.61) and third for digs (512), and sophomore Sydney O'Shaughnessy is third for assists (1,134), assists per set (10.22) and aces (35).

Double-Double Tracker
The Mavericks own a combined 42 double-doubles this season, led by 21 from sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy. She is the first Maverick in 13 years to register 20 or more doubles in a single season, as the last to achieve the feat was Amy McLeay, who had 20 in 2003.
    
Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Horkey also has 11 double-doubles this season, while senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak has eight and senior rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer has two.

Schmale Smashes School Block Assists Record
Senior middle blocker Megan Schmale entered the top 10 in school history for career block assists earlier this year and rapidly moved up the list, finally breaking the 27-year-old school record last weekend. With her six assisted blocks at Fort Wayne last Friday, Schmale moved past former school recordholder Ruth Evans (1985-88), who had 436.

Bailey Snags Second Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Award
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week for her performance the week of Nov. 2-8, the league office announced Nov. 9. It marked the second weekly conference award of Bailey's career and her second in as many weeks.

Bailey averaged 7.33 digs per set for the week, tallying 22 digs in a sweep of South Dakota State on Nov. 6. The performance was her third straight match with 20 or more digs and her 11th such effort this season. It also helped extend Omaha's winning streak to six matches.

The previous week, Bailey became the first Omaha player to earn a Summit League Defensive Player of the Week award since the Mavs joined the conference in 2011-12.

O'Shaughnessy Races Into Top 10 Assists List
Sophomore setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy etched her name into the UNO record books last month. Less than two years into her career, she ranks 10th in school history for career assists, having amassed 2,074 since joining the program in 2014. The Omaha native passed former Maverick Cheri Pribyl, who had 1,768 from 1995 to 1998, and currently sits behind Katie Agnew (2004-07), who totaled 2,359 during her run at UNO.

O'Shaughnessy is averaging 10.22 assists per set this year. The last Maverick setter with over 10.0 assists per set was Emily Myers in 2009.

Bailey Climbs to Fifth on Career Digs Chart
Senior libero Kimberly Bailey joined UNO's top 10 for career digs on Sept. 26, and she is now fifth on the list with 1,528 digs over the last four seasons. Last weekend, she passed Laura Monahan (1990-93), who had 1,524 and now sits behind Amy Gradoville (1987-90), who owned 1,604.

Bailey also ranks second in the Summit League this season for digs per set (4.61) and third for total digs (512). She owns 14 performances with 20 or more digs in a match, including six straight since Oct. 30.

Wollak Joins 1,000 Kill Club
On Sept. 11, senior outside hitter Kelley Wollak became the 19th player in program history -- and the first in the Division I era -- to pass the 1,000 career kills milestone. She hit No. 1,000 just two plays into the third set against SIUE.

Omaha last added players to the 1,000 Kill Club in 2009, when Kelli Goeser (2006-09) finished with 1,058 and Ellen Thommes (2006-09) closed with 1,282. Over her career, Wollak has compiled 1,129 kills in just over three seasons.

Shires Guides Mavericks as Winningest Coach in School History
Head coach Rose Shires is the all-time winningest coach in 45 years of UNO volleyball history. In her 26th year at the helm of the Maverick program, Shires owns a career record of 473-342 (.580), 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 25th season with UNO, assistant coach  Elena Pietro, in her first year, and volunteer assistant coach Tanya Cate, who is in her sixth year on the Maverick staff.

Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2015 schedule includes 20 matches against 21 different opponents, and the team will play in 10 states across the country. UNO will square off with opponents from 10 different conferences, with three from the Missouri Valley, two from the Mountain West and once each from the American Athletic, BIG EAST, Big West, Big Sky, MAC, OVC, Southland and the WAC. Three foes -- Seton Hall, Central Florida and Denver -- were 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifiers.

Entering 2015, the Mavericks had never faced five of their opponents: Seton Hall, UNLV, Central Arkansas, Central Florida and San Jose State. UNO holds a combined all-time record of 212-143-1 over all teams on the slate this season.

Freshman Foursome
The Mavericks have welcomed four true freshmen to the roster this season: defensive specialist Jessica Plake (Kansas City, Kan.), rightside hitter Meagen Roth (Lincoln, Neb.) and outside hitters Kayla Torson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Gessica Gdowski (Fremont, Neb.).

Plake was a two-time all-state selection at Bishop Miege High School, where she helped the Stags to three state championships. Torson was a three-time all-state player at Xavier High School. Roth, a product of Lincoln Southeast High School, twice earned All-Nebraska honors and was part of three consecutive district championship teams, while Gdowski was a three-time all-state honorable mention pick at Fremont High School.

Plake, Gdowski and Torson have seen the court this year, with Gdowski starting nine matches since Oct. 20.

O'Shaughnessy, Wollak, Schmale Collect All-Tournament Honors
Sophomore Sydney O'Shaughnessy was named to the CMU Chippewa Challenge all-tournament team, UNO's -- last regular-season tournament on the schedule -- having averaged 9.00 assists, 1.83 digs and 0.67 blocks per set over the three matches. The Omaha native helped the Mavericks to a 3-2 win over Evansville, posting 46 assists, six digs and six blocks.

Senior Kelley Wollak was previously named to the all-tournament teams for the UNLV Invitational, Omaha Classic and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic. Senior Amy Taylor joined her on the Kangaroo Klassic all-tournament list, while senior Megan Schmale also earned all-tournament honors for the Omaha Classic.

Triple Trouble
Senior Michaela Schimmer has accounted for the last five triple-doubles in Omaha volleyball history. She tallied her fifth career triple-double on Nov. 15, 2013 vs. South Dakota, finishing with 12 kills, 26 assists and 20 digs. Schimmer had three triple-doubles as a freshman in 2012 and two more in 2013. Prior to her, the last triple-double came from Krista Niezwaag in 1999.

No Longer the Newcomers
In 2015-16, Omaha is in its first year as a Division I institution with full Summit League and NCAA postseason eligibility. The Mavericks competed the last four seasons as a reclassifying Division I school, and they officially joined the Summit League in 2012. During the reclassification period, UNO was ineligible for the league tournament and NCAA postseason play, but played a full regular-season conference schedule in its last three transitional years.

What Makes Up the Mavericks
•Omaha returned 11 letterwinners from the 2014 season, including seven in the starting lineup: libero Kimberly Bailey, middle blockers Diane Banderas and Megan Schmale, setter/rightside hitter Michaela Schimmer, setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy and outside hitters Kelley Wollak and Mackenzie Horkey.
•UNO returned 98 percent of its total offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 1,470 of the Mavericks' 1,495 kills.
•The Mavs also returned 98 percent of their total blocking production from last year, with the returners credited for 287.5 out of 292.5 stops.
•Wollak was UNO's top returning hitter, having averaged 3.24 kills per set last year. At the net, Amanda Conlin had a team-high 1.16 blocks per set, and Schmale had 1.14 blocks per set.
•O'Shaughnessy and Horkey were both named to the Summit League All-Freshmen team at the end of 2014.
•The Mavericks are made up of four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and six seniors.
•Schmale was Omaha's first Division I all-conference pick in 2013, earning All-Summit honorable mention status. She led the conference in blocking and ranked in the top 100 nationally for blocks per set. Schmale also earned Academic All-Summit accolades, which she repeated in 2014.