OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks will continue their home stand this week when they open up competition in the Omaha Invite presented by Sarpy County Tourism. The three-day event will see the Mavericks take on the ACC powerhouse Florida State Seminoles and the 17th ranked Creighton Bluejays.

Weekend Slate

• Thursday, September 8, vs. Florida State at 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, September 9, Creighton vs. Florida State at 5 p.m.
• Saturday, September 10, vs. Creighton at 3 p.m. (Match will be televised on Nebraska Public Media)

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks went 2-0 over the weekend during the Omaha Challenge, besting Wichita State 3-1 on Thursday, before staging a wild comeback to defeat Northern Colorado 3-2 on Saturday.
• Shayla McCormick enters the weekend as the team's leading scorer with 86 kills. She is also third in the Summit League in total kills and has picked up a double-double in three straight matches.
• Marriah Buss recorded 24 kills in Saturday's match against Northern Colorado for a new career, single-match high. She led all Mavericks in kills during the Omaha Challenge with 41, and now has 70 on the year.
• Sami Clarkson had a season-high 59 assists vs. Northern Colorado and is now second in the league with 223. Her 11.15 assists per set lead the entire league, besting second place by more than 1.5 points.
• McKenna Ruch still leads the Summit League in solo blocks at nine, and is second in total blocks with 32 after picking up 10 more over the weekend.
• Freshmen Kali Jurgensmeier and Morgan DeBow continue to impress this season, already notching 46 and 21 kills, respectively, as well as blocking 14 shots each.

Scouting the Seminoles
The Seminoles enter the Omaha Invite at 6-1. Their previous match was a 3-1 win vs. Austin Peay at home. Last season, FSU finished 20-10 overall and 10-4 in conference play, ultimately making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore Audrey Koenig was a member of the 2021 All-ACC Freshmen Team and is now the FSU's current leader in kills (71), aces (11), and digs (48). Sophomore Khori Louis was also a member of the 2021 All-ACC Freshman Team. Through seven matches this year she is tied for second on the team in kills (62) and blocks (19). Graduate Student Emily Ryan was a 2021 All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention before transferring to FSU. Currently, she is atop the team's leader boards in blocks (25) and is third in kills (60).

Scouting the Bluejays
The Bluejays are currently 5-1, with another match later today vs. No. 2 Nebraska. Creighton won its previous match vs. Northern Iowa 3-0 this past Saturday. Last year they went 31-4 with a 16-2 conference mark. After winning the Big East Championship, they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore Norah Sis, the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year and a 2021 All-Big East selection, paces the Bluejays in kills (90) and kills per set (4.09). Redshirt Sophomore Kiara Reinhardt missed 2021 due to injury, but has returned to lead the team in blocks with 22 on the year. Senior Keeley Davis led the Big East with 50 service aces in 2021 and currently leads the team with 11. Her 57 kills are second on the Bluejays while her 53 digs are good for third.

Series History
This will be the first ever meeting between Omaha and Florida State. As for Creighton, the crosstown rivals have played each other 18 times, with each school winning nine a piece. The Bluejays have won the last seven contests, including a 25-17, 25-18, 25-16 victory in last year's Bluejay Invitational.