OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha volleyball program looks ahead to a four-match weekend that includes a trio of contests down the road at the Creighton Bluejay Invitational, Sept. 13-14, followed by a Sunday, Sept. 15, match against High Point at Baxter Arena.
The Mavericks take on No. 17 Creighton Friday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. and then play a pair of matches the following day, Sept. 14, against No. 12 Washington and Drake at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
The Sunday match against High Point is set to take place at 1 p.m.
OPENING SERVE
• The Mavericks enter the weekend with a 5-2 overall record after a 2-1 showing at the K-State Invitational in Manhattan, Kan.
• In those matches, Omaha defeated Central Arkansas, 3-1, Clemson, 3-0, and fell 3-2 against Kansas State.
• The win over Clemson marked Omaha's second victory over a Power-Five opponent in the Division I era (2011-Present).
• Omaha's matchup against No. 17 Creighton and No. 12 Washington marks the first time this season the team will play a ranked opponent. The Mavericks faced off against (RV) Kansas back on Sept. 3, but fell 3-0.
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Isabella Sade leads the team with 4.50 kills per set through seven matches. She is coming off her first-career double-double of 19 kills and 15 digs at Kansas State. She also set a new high of 24 kills for a single match this season against UAlbany on Aug. 31 at the Omaha Challenge.
• Sade ranks in the top-5 amongst Summit League members in numerous categories. The junior from Marion, Iowa, ranks third with 0.54 service aces per set, second in kills per set (4.50), second in total service aces (14), and first in total kills (117). Her total kills also rank ninth nationally.
• As a team, Omaha averages 2.19 aces per set, which leads The Summit League and ranks 11th nationally.
• In team service aces, Omaha's 57 ranks third in the nation.
A JACLYN OF ALL TRADES
Junior
Jaclyn Taylor has taken the starting setter duties for the 2019 season and has made her presence known offensively and defensively. The St. Charles, Ill., native is coming off a pair of double-doubles at the K-State Invitational Sept. 5-6.
Taylor posted 36 assists and 12 digs in the 3-0 sweep over Clemson, and followed up with 45 assists and 11 digs in the five-set loss to Kansas State.
So far, the Creighton transfer has two matches of 40-plus assists and a career-high of 52 assists (Aug. 31 vs. UAlbany). Her 10.15 assists per set rank second in The Summit League and her 264 total assists also rank second in the league and sit at 15th nationally.
MOUNTJOY JOINS THE 1000-DIG CLUB
Junior libero
Claire Mountjoy has been a staple in the Maverick starting lineup since her freshman season.
The Omaha native recently surpassed the 1,000-career dig mark over the weekend and sits at 1,028. She became the first Maverick since
Sydney O'Shaughnessy (2014-17) to reach 1,000 career digs. O'Shaughnessy ranks 10th all-time in program history with 1,342 career digs.
Mountjoy was also the first Summit League Defensive Player of the Week award winner this season after her three-match performance at the Omaha Challenge tournament. Mountjoy has two matches of 20-plus digs this season, including a 29-dig performance in the win over UAlbany on Aug. 31.
SCOUTING NO. 17 CREIGHTON
Creighton enters the weekend with a 3-2 overall record after losses to No. 2 Nebraska (3-1) and No. 20 Baylor (3-0). The team bounced back and won three-straight over No. 12 Kentucky (3-1), Northern Iowa (3-2) and No. 15 USC (3-1).
The team is led by vast experience in seniors Megan Ballenger, Madelyn Cole and Brittany Witt, who were each selected All-BIG EAST Preseason honors. The Mavericks and Bluejays have never faced off in the Division I era, but Omaha leads the all-time series 9-6.
SCOUTING NO. 12 WASHINGTON
For the first time in series history, Omaha and Washington will face off. The Huskies join Creighton as the only other ranked team on Omaha's schedule this year.
Washington is 4-1 that includes wins over No. 21 San Diego and No. 5 Illinois. They are led by Kara Bajema's 4.10 kills per set.
SCOUTING DRAKE
Omaha and Drake meet for the 21st time in the series history. In the last meeting, Omaha fell in five sets to the Bulldogs on Sept. 7, 2017. The Bulldogs sit at 5-2 this season with a recent 3-1 win over Western Illinois this past Tuesday.
The team is led by Haley Bush (6.64 kps) and Emily Plock (3.36 kps) offensively. Drake is coming off a 21-15 season where they made the postseason for the first time since 1995. Current Omaha assistant volleyball coach and former Creighton volleyball player and alum
Maggie Baumert served as an assistant coach on Darrin McBroom's staff in 2018.
SCOUTING HIGH POINT
Following the Bluejay Invitational, the Mavericks and High Point will meet for the first time Sunday, Sept. 15.
The Panthers are off to a slow start with a challenging schedule that has produced a 2-5 record thus far. Prior to the meeting with Omaha, the Panthers will play in a three-match tournament in Lincoln, Neb., against No. 2 Nebraska, (RV) Loyla Marymount and Denver. The team is led by Molly Livingston's 2.78 kills per set and Abby Bottomley's 5.31 digs per set.
