OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha volleyball is set to take on Nebraska, Arizona State, and Georgia in the Ameritas Players Challenge hosted by Nebraska this weekend. The Mavericks split their opening weekend with a loss to Iowa State and a win vs. Drake and look to keep the momentum going into their second tournament of the season.
Weekend Slate
Friday, Sept. 3 – vs. No. 5 Nebraska at 11 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 3 – vs. Arizona State at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 4 – vs. Georgia at 3:30 p.m.
Follow the Matches
Fans can tune into all matches on BTN+. Links for the stream and live stats are available at OMavs.com.
Updates can also be found on Twitter via @OmahaVB.
Quick Digs
- Omaha split its opening weekend with a loss to Iowa State and a sweep of Drake in the Cyclone Challenge. Rachel Fairbanks and Sami Clarkson were named All-Tournament.
- Fairbanks played all six sets and tallied 23 kills and 14 digs over the action. Clarkson totaled 69 kills over six sets and finished with one kill.
- Claire Mountjoy averaged 5.33 digs per set over the weekend, which leads the Summit League.
- Omaha was tabbed third in the Summit League Preseason Poll after the Mavericks finished fourth in the regular season last year. Omaha went 13-6 and earned a trip to the Summit League Tournament. The Mavericks fell in the semifinals to Denver.
- Sadie Limback and Clarkson were named Preseason Players to Watch. Limback hit .404 on the year and was named to the AVCA All-Midwest Region Team. Clarkson led the league with 10.57 assists per game and posted a single-game high of 60 assists on the season vs. NDSU.
Scouting the Nebraska Huskers
The Huskers are 2-0 to start the season and come into the weekend ranked No. 4. Nebraska is the highest ranked opponent the Mavericks will play in the Division I era. The Huskers swept Colgate 3-0 to open 2021 action. They then took down Kansas State 3-1. Last season, Nebraska finished 16-3 overall and 14-2 in league action. The Huskers beat Texas State (3-0) and No. 11 Baylor (3-0) in the NCAA Tournament last spring before falling to No. 5 Texas (3-1) to conclude their season.
Huskers to Watch
- Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week following her career debut. She tallied seven assists and 26 digs over the first two matches.
- Kayla Caffey leads the Big Ten with a .682 attack percentage. She tallied 16 kills over six sets and totaled 19 points over the two matches.
- Lexi Sun recorded 21 kills, 12 digs, five aces, and five blocks over seven sets.
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series 16-1. The Huskers and Mavericks last met in the 2017 season. Nebraska won, 3-0.
Scouting the Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils are 2-1 on the year with wins vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Cal Poly. The lone loss of the season was to No. 13 Louisville. Arizona State was 6-13 in the spring season. The Sun Devils were tabbed 11th in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll.
Sun Devils to Watch
- Iman Isanovic earned All-Pac 12 honorable mention honors last season. She is currently averaging 3.18 kills per set.
- Ella Snyder posted three straight 30+ assists games so far this season. She totaled a season-best 38 assists vs. Cal Poly and 30 in 34 in each match vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Louisville. She is averaging 9.64 assists per set.
- Annika Larson has 41 digs this season for the Sun Devils. She is averaging a team-leading 3.73 per set. She also has one ace on the year.
Series History
This marks the first regular season meeting between the Mavericks and Sun Devils.
Scouting the Arizona State Sun Devils
- The Bulldogs are 2-1 entering the weekend after sweep vs. Morehead State and Winthrop. Georgia lost in five sets to No. 22 Pepperdine. With an 8-14 record last spring, the Bulldogs finished ninth in the SEC. They return five starters and their libero, while the team was tabbed to finish eighth in the SEC preseason poll.
Bulldogs to Watch
- • Abby Maesch leads the Bulldogs with 30 kills over 11 sets for a 2.73 kills per set average.
- • Clara Brower has 111 of Georgia's 121 assists on the season. She also has three service aces and 17 digs.
- • Six Bulldogs have double-digit digs on the year. They're led by Claire Rothenberger who has a team-high 23 digs for 2.09 per set.
Series History
This marks the first regular season meeting between the Mavericks and Bulldogs.
