OMAHA, Neb. - The red-hot Mavericks are back home this week for two of the most important matches of the season. Currently riding a five-match shutout streak, the Mavericks will face off with the University of North Dakota on Thursday and North Dakota State University on Saturday. Both squads are currently right in front of Omaha in the Summit League standings.

Weekend Slate

• Thursday, October 13, vs. North Dakota (8-9, 5-1) at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, October 15, vs. North Dakota State (12-6, 5-1) at 3 p.m.

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks come into this week having swept five matches in a row, their longest streak since 2000. Last week, they swept Denver, Oral Roberts, and Kansas City on the road. Before that, the streak began with a pair of home victories over Western Illinois and St. Thomas.
• At 10-7 overall and 5-2 in league play, Omaha is currently in fifth place in the Summit League. Depending on how South Dakota (5-1) and Denver (5-2) perform this week, the Mavericks have a chance to move into first place if they triumph over UND and NDSU.
• McKenna Ruch earned her second Summit League defensive peak performer of the week honor of the season after recording 15 total blocks and 1.67 blocks per set last week. She became the first player in the league to reach 100 total blocks in the process.
• Shayla McCormick also comes into this week with some new hardware, having won Summit League offensive peak performer of the week. Her first career weekly honor, McCormick led the Mavericks with 39 kills and 4.33 kills per set, as well as notching a pair of double-doubles against Oral Roberts and Kansas City.
• Kali Jurgensmeier racked up 20 kills and 14 total blocks last week, propelling her back into the top 20 in the league in total blocks and hitting percentage (.234), as well as the top 25 in points (170.5).  
• Since Sami Clarkson and Olivia Curry have started splitting time on the court the team has yet to drop a single set. The duo combined for 110 assists last week, with Curry leading the team in assists for the first time this year at Oral Roberts with 17.

Scouting South Dakota
The Fighting Hawks enter the week at 8-9 overall, but are still in third in the Summit League thanks to a 5-1 record in conference play. They are currently on a three-match winning streak, most recently taking down North Dakota State 3-2 on the road.

Junior Elizabeth Norris is one of the most versatile players in the Summit League as she leads the Fighting Hawks with 299 assists and is second in kills (140) and digs (143). She also owns eight service aces and 23 total blocks. Freshman Izzy McCormick currently leads the team with 19 service aces and 0.31 aces per set, both of which rank in the top 10 in the league. Along with this she's picked up 132 digs and 30 assists. Graduate Student Marissa Stockman is the team leader in blocks (54) and blocks per set (0.94), and has recorded 104 kills and 26 digs.

Series History
Omaha maintains a strong edge in all-time head-to-head competition with North Dakota, going 50-13 heading into this week. Omaha has won the last eight matches against UND dating back to October 5, 2018.

Scouting North Dakota State
The Bison own the second-best overall record in the league at 12-6, while also being tied with North Dakota and South Dakota at 5-1 in conference play. They carried a five-match win streak into last week, before being stopped at home by North Dakota on October 8. Before coming to Omaha on Saturday, they will be in Colorado for an away match with Denver on Thursday.

Senior Syra Tanchin is NDSU's top attacker as her 252 kills rank third in the Summit League, while her 3.76 kills per set place her in fourth. In addition to this, she currently leads the team in service aces with 23, good for fifth most in the league. Junior Ali Hinze is right next to Tanchin in several categories, with her 216 kills and 3.38 kills per set both being second on the team, and her 23 service aces tie her for the lead. Her 32 total blocks are also the second most on the team, and her 176 digs place her at third. Senior Michelle Glover is the Bison's top blocker with 64 total blocks and 0.96 blocks per set. With 192 kills this year, she is currently second in the Summit League with a .434 hitting percentage.
 
Series History
Omaha owns a slight lead over NDSU in the all-time series, going 49-43 against them. The last seven contests have gone to the Mavericks, including a 3-0 shutout on November 4 last season.