OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha heads into the week with its two final home matches and a road match against in-league opponents.
The Mavericks take on South Dakota State inside Sapp Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 4, and follow up with Senior Day on Sunday, Nov. 6, against South Dakota inside Baxter Arena.
Following Senior Day, the Mavericks head to Macomb, Ill., on Tuesday, Nov. 6, to take on Western Illinois.
Follow The Mavericks
Both matches are free to watch and links to live stream, live stats, audio and radio can be found on OMavs.com. Harrison Popp and DK Kellum will be on the call for MavRadio in home contests.
Everyone For Omaha
Fans are encouraged to connect with the Mavericks on Facebook (OmahaVB), Instagram (@omahavb) and on Twitter (@OmahaVB). Maverick fans can also use the hashtag #EveryoneForOmaha when connecting with the team on social media posts.
Opening Serve
• Omaha currently sits in third behind Denver and South Dakota in The Summit League standings.
• The Mavericks defeated all three upcoming opponents in the earlier meetings this season.
• Omaha looks to continue its impressive play at home with an 8-1 record.
• Friday's contest marks the second regular season game in Sapp Fieldhouse, where Omaha is 1-0.
• The Mavericks are led by a quintet of players who average over two kills per set in
Isabella Sade (2.83),
Sadie Limback (2.76),
Claire Leonard (2.43),
Anna Blaschko (2.38) and
Abby Bergsten (2.20).
•
Sydney Case leads The Summit League with 11.09 assists per set going into the week.
• Sade ranks third in the league for hitting percentage at .344 percent, while
Claire Mountjoy ranks fifth in the league with 3.92 digs per set.
• Sade and Case also rank tied for fifth in the league with 0.29 assists per set.
Salute To The Seniors
This Sunday, Nov. 4, against South Dakota, the Maverick volleyball program will honor three seniors.
Abby Bergsten,
Mackenzie Horkey and
Gessica Gdowski make up the senior class.
Bergsten, a transfer from Iowa Western, has played in 48 career matches and tallied 428 kills, 51 blocks and 135 digs over a two-year span. She is majoring in biology with an emphasis in pre-dentistry. Bergsten also garnered All-Summit Honorable Mention honors last year in her debut season with the Mavericks.
Horkey, a fifth-year senior, has battled through injuries in her career, but has made an impact on the team. She has totaled 99 career matches with 848 kills, 1,048 digs, 103 blocks and 80 assists. She is majoring in criminology and criminal justice and garnered All-Freshmen team honors in 2014.
Gdowski had her career cut short due to injuries after last season, but has played a vital role with the team off the court. In her three seasons of competition with the Mavericks, she garnered All-Freshman Team honors in 2015, and capped off her career with 43 total matches, 204 kills, 364 digs, 50 blocks and 37 assists. She is majoring in exercise science.
Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota state sits in eighth of nine teams thus far in The Summit League. The Jackrabbits recently earned their second league win of the season with a 3-2 victory over North Dakota on Oct. 30 at home. Their only other league win is over Western Illinois on Oct. 12. SDSU is led by Payton Richardson's 1.21 blocks per set.
Makenzie Hennen leads the team with 3.21 kills per set, followed by Ashlynn Smith who averages 2.48 per set. Ellie Thein averages a team-best 3.15 digs per set. Head coach Nicole Cirillo is in her fourth season with a 17-95 career record. The Mavericks own the series 42-20, including a 3-1 win in Brookings on Sept. 21 earlier this season.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota is 16-9 overall and sits in second place in the league standings. The Coyotes recently fell in five sets on the road at Denver Oct. 30. In the last meeting between both teams, Omaha defeated the Coyotes 3-1 in Vermillion, S.D., on Oct. 12.
The Coyotes rank 10th nationally in digs per set (18.10) which is also a league-best. Anne Rasmussen averages a league-best 5.48 digs per set, while Taylor Wilson leads the league in hitting percentage at .368. Madison Jurgens ranks third in the league in assists per set (10.33) and aces per set (0.33). Omaha leads the all-time series 58-19, and head coach Leanne Williamson is in her fifth season with a 92-55 record.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois aims for its first Summit League win of the season entering the final portion of the league schedule. The Leathernecks recently fell 3-0 at Oral Roberts, and looks ahead to a trio of matches against North Dakota, North Dakota State and Omaha. In the last meeting against the Mavericks, Western Illinois fell 3-0 inside Baxter Arena on Sept. 28.
Claire Grove ranks fourth in the league with 4.03 digs per set, while Mackenzie Steckler ranks second amongst league members with 1.09 blocks per set. Cassie Hunt ranks fourth with 0.32 aces per set. The Mavericks lead the all-time series 9-4 and head coach Ben Staupe is in his first year with the Leathernecks as they sit at 1-23 overall.
Up Next
Omaha closes out the season at Oral Roberts on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Oral Roberts. The first serve is set for 1 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla. The Mavericks then set their sights on The Summit League Championship, which takes place Nov. 16-18 in Denver, Colo.
