OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha volleyball gears up for its final non-conference tournament of the season with a three-game road swing in Phoenix, Ariz., at the GCU Invite. In that tournament, the Mavericks take on Idaho Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (CST), followed by a pair of matches on Saturday, Sept. 20, against CSUN and Grand Canyon at Noon and 9 p.m., respectively.
OPENING SERVE
• The Mavericks are coming off a 1-3 weekend where they fell to then-No. 17 Creighton, No. 12 Washington and defeated Drake at the Creighton Bluejay Invitational. The next day, Omaha fell 3-2 to High Point.
• Omaha has dropped four of its last five contests.
• At libero, Claire Mountjoy has been off to a solid start this season with a Summit League-leading 4.62 digs per set.
• The junior from Omaha was named to The Bluejay Invite All-Tournament team, while also earning All-Tournament honors early this season at the Omaha Challenge.
• She also became the first Mavericks in three years to surpass 1,000 career digs.
• Sophomore Sadie Limback is coming off a career-high of 18 kills against High Point.
THE ACE OF SADE
Since making the switch from middle blocker to outside hitter, Isabella Sade has been able to find points on her serving. The junior from Marion, Iowa, has a Summit League-best 0.58 aces per set, which ranks 34th nationally. Through 11 matches, she has four matches of three or more aces, including four-straight from Sept. 6-13. Sade also ranks seventh in the nation with 23 total aces and her 158 kills are 22nd nationally.
This season, Sade has garnered Omaha Challenge Tournament MVP honors and notched a career-high of 24 kills earlier this year against Albany on Aug. 31 at the Omaha Challenge. Out of 11 matches, Sade only has three matches where she has not recorded multiple service aces in a match. This past weekend, Sade eclipsed the 700-career kill mark. She now has 708 entering the weekend.
BULLSEYE!
Omaha's serving has been on point through the first 11 matches of the season. With 86 total service aces this season, the Mavericks rank second in the nation only behind Maryland-Eastern (UMES) Shore with 95.
Omaha averages 2.10 aces per set which ranks ninth nationally. This year, Omaha has notched 10 aces in three matches and nine aces on four different occasions. Omaha has lost the service ace battle in only two matches this year. When recording more aces than its opponent, Omaha is 5-3.
FRESH FACES MAKING AN IMPACT
Omaha has a pair of freshmen that have seen time in the 2019 rotation. Freshman defensive specialist Erin Williams ranks behind Sade for the second-most service aces on the team with 14. That mark ranks fifth in the conference.
Fellow freshman Sami Clarkson has started the last three matches for the Mavericks at setter. In her weekend debut, Clarkson averaged 9.71 assists per set and tallied back-to-back double doubles in the last two matches. Against Drake, Clarkson had 39 assists and 11 digs. She followed up with a career-high 51 assists and 10 digs in the five-set loss to High Point.
SCOUTING IDAHO
Idaho sits at 3-6 overall entering the tournament. The team is coming off a 1-2 finish at the UNLV Invite last weekend where it beat UNLV in five sets, before losing to Pacific (3-2) and getting swept by Texas Tech. The Vandals are led by Kennedy Warren's 3.54 kills per set, while on the defensive end, Nicole Ball has a team-best 1.20 blocks per set and Delaney Hopen averages 3.29 digs per set.
Omaha and Idaho have never met prior to this weekend. Head coach Debbi Bucnahan is in her 20th season at the helm of the program with a 296-258 overall record. Idaho marks the second Big Sky conference opponent for Omaha this season. Earlier this year, the Mavericks swept Idaho State on Aug. 30 in the Omaha Challenge tournament.
SCOUTING CSUN
Omaha and CSUN meet for eighth time in the series history. The Mavericks will aim for their first win over the Matadors, as they trail 0-7 in the series. Both programs last met on Sept. 22, 1989, where CSUN won 3-0. CSUN enters the weekend with a 3-6 overall record and competes in the Big West Conference.
They are coming off a tournament in Portland, Ore., at the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown. In that tournament, the Matadors fell 3-1 to Nevada, won 3-0 over Morgan State and 3-2 over Portland State. CSUN's offense has revolved around Seyvion Waggoner lately. She has averaged 4.24 kills per set through eight starts. Hayden Warnock averages 1.78 blocks per set while Makayla Bradford paces the team with 3.75 digs per set.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
The Lopes are off to a blistering, 8-1 start. Grand Canyon is undefeated at home with a 3-0 record and are paced by freshman setter Klaire Mitchell, who leads her team with 334 assists on the season.
The team is off to its best start in Division I program history and has won five-straight. Grand Canyon has wins over New Mexico (3-2), Rutgers (3-2), Northern Colorado (3-1), Gonzaga (3-1), Montana (3-0), Eastern Washington (3-0), UC Riverside (3-1) and San Diego State (3-0). Its only loss is to Ball State (3-2) on Sept. 6 at the Gonzaga Invitational. Grand Canyon owns a 3-0 series record over Omaha. Both programs last played each other on Nov. 22, 2014, where the Lopes won 3-2 over the Mavericks. Head coach Tim Nollan is in his fourth season with the program.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Mavericks open Summit League play with a pair of home matches Friday, Sept. 27, vs. North Dakota and Sunday, Sept. 29, against North Dakota State. For more information, visit OMavs.com.
