OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha volleyball program looks to extend its Summit League winning streak with a pair of home matches against Western Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne.
The Mavericks take on the Leathernecks this Friday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. inside Baxter Arena, followed by a Sunday, Sept. 30, matchup against the Mastodons inside Sapp Fieldhouse at 1 p.m.
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.
Opening Serve
• Omaha opened The Summit League season 2-0 for the second consecutive year.
• The Mavericks defeated South Dakota State 3-1 in Brookings, S.D., and followed up with a five-set win over North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. for head coach
Rose Shires' 500th career win.
• Omaha meets Western Illinois for just the 13th time in program history, while the Mavericks take on Fort Wayne for the 15th time.
• In total, Omaha is a combined 12-14 against both opponents.
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Sydney Case is the current Summit League Offensive Player of the Week, which marks her second honor this season.
• Since joining The Summit League, Omaha is 2-5 in conference home openers.
• So far, Omaha carries the league's best hitting percentage at .331.
• The Mavericks also rank third assists (121) and assists per set (13.44) amongst league members.
• Omaha also sits third in the league in kills (131) and kills per set (14.56).
• This past Tuesday, Purdue Fort Wayne defeated Western Illinois 3-1 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The 500 Club
• Head coach
Rose Shires earned her 500th career win last Sunday at North Dakota State.
• Her 500 total wins make her No. 29 all-time among active winningest coaches.
• She is also one of 29 active coaches to have at least 500 career wins in any NCAA Division.
In Case You Didn't Know
Freshman setter
Sydney Case has emerged as a force for the Mavericks throughout the last month and a half. With 11.33 assists per set, she currently leads The Summit League and ranks 13th in the nation.
The Lakeville, Minn., native won Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 4 after she helped the Mavericks to a 3-0 home tournament record and garnered the award again on Sept. 24 after the wins over South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Case became the first Maverick since Kimberly Bailey in 2015 to win a Player of the Week award twice in a season. In the Omaha Challenge, Case posted an average of 13.7 assists and totaled 151 for the three matches to earn all-tournament honors.
Against North Dakota State, Case recorded a career-high 65 assists, which are the most in a single match for an individual Mavericks since Katie Agnew (66 vs. Minn. State, 2007). Case is also the first Omaha player in the Division I era to have 60 or more assists in a match. She now has five matches this season of 50 or more assists and eight of 40 or more.
Scouting the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks
After winning their first match of the season 3-0 against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Leathernecks look to erase a 14-match losing skid. The team is led by first-year head coach, Ben Staupe. Recently, the Leathernecks fell in five sets to North Dakota in Macomb, Ill. on Sept. 21, and fell 3-1 against Purdue Fort Wayne on the road.
Mackenzie Steckler ranks fourth in The Summit League with 1.07 blocks per set, while Cassie Hunt sits at third with 0.36 service aces per set. Defensively, Claire Grove ranks fourth with 4.16 digs per set. As a team, the Leathernecks rank third with 2.00 blocks per set.
Omaha swept Western Illinois in both meetings last season. The Mavericks defeated Western Illinois 3-1 in Macomb, and followed with a 3-0 win in Sapp Fieldhouse. The match against Omaha marks the second of three straight road contests for the Leathernecks before returning home against North Dakota State on Oct. 5.
Scouting the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is off to a hot start this season with an 11-5 record and a 2-0 mark in league play. The Mastodons sit second in the league standings right now behind Denver's 13-1 overall record. In league play thus far, the Mastodons defeated North Dakota 3-0 and Western Illinois 3-1 at home. Outside hitter Nicole Rightnowar leads The Summit League with 4.00 kills per set and has tallied an Offensive Player of the Week honor this season.
Fellow teammate Madison Jaqua ranks second in the league behind Omaha's Case with 10.62 assists per set, and has won an Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Purdue Fort Wayne ranks second in assists per set (13.86) and kills per set (15.71) amongst league members. Head coach Steve Florio is in his fifth season with the Mastodons and has a 56-87 record. Last season, the Mavericks swept Purdue Fort Wayne 3-2 on the road and 3-1 in Sapp Fieldhouse.
Up Next
Omaha continues the home slate against North Dakota on Friday, Oct. 5. The match is featured as "Serve Pink" night for breast cancer awareness, and is set for a 7 p.m. start time at Baxter Arena. Links to live stream, stats and audio can be accessed on OMavs.com.
