OMAHA, Neb. - After a successful home stand that saw the Mavericks go 3-1 and improve to 13-8 overall and 8-3 in Summit League play, the team will hit the road this week as they head to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on the University of St. Thomas on Thursday, before traveling to Macomb, Illinois for a Saturday match with Western Illinois University. 

Weekend Slate

• Thursday, October 27, at St. Thomas (3-20, 1-10) at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, October 29, at Western Illinois (4-19, 0-11) at 12 p.m.

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks ended their consecutive wins streak at eight in a row last week when South Dakota became the first team to defeat them in the month of October. Two days prior to the loss, Omaha had secured their eighth win after topping South Dakota State 3-1, evening out the season series and giving UNO its second longest winning streak of the Division I era.
• Shayla McCormick racked up 34 kills last week, as well as her 11th and 12th double-doubles of the season with 19 kills and 16 digs vs. SDSU, and 15 kills and 11 digs vs. USD. She is currently third in the Summit League in kills (311) and kills/set (3.89).
• Jaiden Centeno recorded 19 digs in both matches last week, giving her 38 in total and 4.75 digs/set. Her 314 digs are the third most in the league.
• Marriah Buss added another 28 kills against SDSU and USD, giving her 265 on the year. This slots her in at seventh in the league in total kills, while her 3.40 kills/set also rank seventh.
• Mariah Murdie turned in another strong week with nine kills, six digs, and a team-high 12 total blocks against SDSU and USD. 

Scouting St. Thomas
The Tommies enter the week at 3-20 overall and 1-10 in league play. After defeating Western Illinois 3-0 on October 15, they went 0-2 last week against North Dakota and North Dakota State. In their first meeting with Omaha this season, the Mavericks came out on top in a 3-0 sweep on October 1.

Sophomore Lauren Galvin is St. Thomas' leading scorer with 258 kills and 3.19 kills/set. She's also second on the team with 175 digs. Against Omaha this year, she led the Tommies with nine kills while also recording a one service ace and eight digs. Freshman Emma Goerger is the top blocker for St. Thomas with 79 total blocks on the season. Her 150 kills and 19 aces are both the second highest on the team. She also scored nine kills against Omaha earlier this year, as well as leading the Tommies with 10 total blocks. Freshman Allie Kopp leads the Tommies with 350 assists and 20 service aces. She earned a double-double against the Mavericks back on October 1, with 16 assists and 12 digs.

Series History
Since transitioning to Division I last season, Western Illinois is winless vs. Omaha, going 0-3 through their first three meetings.

Scouting Western Illinois
The Leathernecks are currently 4-19 overall and 0-11 in conference play. Like St. Thomas, they also went 0-2 last week during their road trip through North Dakota. When Western Illinois last played UNO, the Mavericks swept them 3-0, officially kicking off their eight-match winning streak on September 29. 

Sophomore Brittany Wulf leads Western Illinois' offense with 228 kills, 3.12 kills/set, and 34 service aces. Her 16 kills against Omaha on September 29, were the most on the team and the second most among all players that day. Freshman Elizabeth Ziegler is second on the team in kills (180), kills/set (2.40), and total blocks (42). She picked up six kills against the Mavericks earlier this year. Sophomore Maggie Craker is the Leathernecks' top setter with 353 assists and 5.88 assists/set. In addition to this, she also has 14 service aces and 127 digs this season. She had 10 assists and eight digs against Omaha.

Series History
Omaha holds a 17-4 lead in the all-time series with Western Illinois. The Mavericks have also taken 12 straight matches from them, dating all the way back to November 12, 2016.