OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks will make their 2022 regular season home debut this Thursday when they host Wichita State University and University of Northern Colorado in the MH Hospitality Omaha Challenge. Omaha will open the series against Wichita State on Thursday, before wrapping things up things up with a match against Northern Colorado on Saturday.

Weekend Slate

• Thursday, September 1 vs. Wichita State at 7 p.m.
• Friday, September 2, Wichita State vs. Northern Colorado at 5 p.m.
• Saturday, September 3 vs. Northern Colorado at 4 p.m.

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks return home after going 2-1 in the Carolina Classic to open the season. Omaha swept Winthrop 3-0 before falling to host South Carolina 0-3. Against Sacred Heart, they went past the third set for the first time this year, holding on to win 3-2.
• McKenna Ruch was named the season's first TicketSmarter Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week after leading the league with 22 blocks and 2.00 blocks per set.. She set a career single-game high with 12 against Sacred Heart.
• Shayla McCormick led all players in the Carolina Classic with 48 kills and 4.36 K/S, while also recording 28 digs. She picked up the first double-double of the season for the Mavericks with 20 kills and 15 digs against Sacred Heart.
• Preseason Summit League Player to Watch Sami Clarkson notched 108 assists to start the season, while fellow preseason honoree Jaiden Centeno leads the team with 36 digs and six service aces.
• Freshmen Kali Jurgensmeier and Morgan DeBow impressed in their Omaha debuts, combining for 33 kills and 15 blocks in their first three matches.

Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State enters the Omaha Challenge at 2-1. They opened their season with the Rumble in the Rockies, topping Wyoming and Iowa State while losing to Creighton.

Redshirt junior Brylee Kelly was a unanimous First Team All-Conference pick in 2021 and led the Shockers with 368 kills in total. So far this season, she leads the Shockers with seven aces and is second on the team with 36 kills. Junior Lily Liekweg was one of the top defensive players in the AAC last year, winning an AAC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Through the first three games of 2022, she leads the team with 42 digs. Junior Sophia Rohling finished 2021 in the top five on the team in kills (217) and blocks (57) and is currently atop the team's leader boards in kills (49) and blocks (15). 

Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado is a perfect 3-0 to start its season after defeating UC Santa Barbara, North Carolina, and Colorado State.

Senior Rachel Hickman was named First Team All-Big Sky in 2021 after earning Second Team honors in 2020. In three games this year she owns 27 kills and 11 blocks. Graduate Student Kailey Jo Ince also earned First Team All-Big Sky honors in 2021 after leading the Bears with 373 kills. So far she's recorded 39 kills and 23 digs. Senior Makenzie Harris was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP last year with 50 kills in three matches. She currently leads the team with 43 kills and 33 digs.

Series History
Omaha and Wichita State have met seven times in the past, with the Mavericks taking a slight 4-3 lead in the series. The last time these two teams met was in 2011, Omaha's first year in Division I competition. The Shockers won the contest in three sets (10-25, 15-25, 17-25). The former NCC rivals haven't played each other since 2002, Northern Colorado's final year before jumping to Division I. The Bears own the all-time series lead at 26-11, winning their last match in three sets (23-30, 14-30, 17-30).