OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks will begin their second road trip of the season this week when they head to Lawrence, Kansas for the Jayhawk Classic, hosted by the University of Kansas. The three-day tournament will see Omaha take on the University of Central Florida, Lipscomb University, and finally No. 23 Kansas.

Weekend Slate

• Thursday, September 15, vs. Central Florida at 4 p.m.
• Friday, September 16, vs. Lipscomb at 4 p.m.
• Saturday, September 17, at No. 23 Kansas at 2:30 p.m.

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks dropped two hard-fought matches last week in the Omaha Invite. Florida State bested them 3-0 to open the tournament, before No. 17 Creighton just barely came out on top 3-2 after narrowly winning set five 15-13.
• Shayla McCormick led the team in kills during the Omaha Invite, racking up 31 in addition to 27 digs and seven total blocks. She recorded her fourth double-double of the season vs. Creighton when she finished with 21 kills and 20 digs, both of which matched her career highs. She now has 117 kills and 87 digs on the year, the former being the fifth most in the Summit League.
• McKenna Ruch added 24 more kills during the Invite, including a career-high 18 vs. Creighton. She increased her attack percentage to .331, slotting her in at fourth in the Summit League. Ruch also picked up 11 more blocks, giving her 43 in total, good for second in the league.
• For the third time in her career, Marriah Buss eclipsed 20 kills in a single match after notching 21 vs. Creighton.
• With another 89 assists over the weekend, Sami Clarkson remains atop the Summit League in assists per set with 11.14. Her 312 total assists also rank fourth in the league.

Scouting Central Florida
The Knights enter this weekend undefeated at 5-0. In their last match, they triumphed over UIC 3-1 at home. Last season, UCF finished 27-7 overall and 19-1 in conference play, winning the AAC Championship and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Graduate student McKenna Melville is the reigning, two-time AAC Player of the Year and led the entire country last season in total points at 701. This year, she currently leads the Knights with 114.5 along with a team-high 106 kills. Junior Chloe Sheer leads UCF with 68 digs, while also being tied for second on the team with six service aces. Graduate Student Abby Hansen is a transfer from Oregon and currently leads the team with 27 total blocks, as well as owning the third most kills on the team with 44.

Series History
This will be just the second time Omaha and UCF will meet. The Knights won their only meeting 3-0 back on 9/5/15.

Scouting Lipscomb
The Bison are currently 3-5, having lost their previous match to No. 4 Louisville 0-3. Last year, they went 14-13 overall and 11-5 in the ASUN. 

Junior Caroline Stogner leads the team in points per set (3.15) thanks to her 63 kills, six service aces, and seven total blocks, all of which rank in the top five on the team. Her 34 digs also put her in the top five for Lipscomb. Junior Delaney Smith leads the team in service aces (14) and digs (97). Her 0.54 service aces per set rank fourth in the ASUN. Junior Meg Mersman is coming off a rookie season in which she was named to the ASUN All-Freshman team. Through eight matches this year, she leads the Bison with 27 total blocks, while also being top five on the team in kills (49), service aces (3), and points (68). 

Series History
This will be the first ever meeting between Omaha and Lipscomb.

Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks enter the tournament at 8-1. Their undefeated streak ended last week with a 1-3 loss to UNLV. They went 18-12 last season and 8-8 in the Big 12. In the NCAA Tournament, Kansas took down Oregon and Creighton in the opening rounds, before falling to Pitt in the Sweet 16.

Sophomore Caroline Bien earned All-Big 12 First Team honors and was named the Freshman of the Year last season. This year, she leads the Jayhawks with 97 kills, good for sixth in the Big 12. She is also third on the team in digs with 71. Graduate Student Lauren Dooley is one of only three players in the Big 12 with an attack percentage of at least .400 (.417). Her 54 kills are the fourth most on the team while her 35 total blocks rank second. Sophomore Camryn Turner was a member of the 2021 All-Big 12 Rookie Team and led the team with 602 assists in 27 matches. This year, through nine matches, she is already at 312 assists, the second most in the Big 12.

Series History
The Mavericks and the Jayhawks have met 10 times in the past, with Kansas taking a 8-2 series lead. Their last meeting was on 9/3/19 and ended in a 3-0 Kansas victory.