OMAHA, Neb. - After earning a first-round bye, the No. 2 Omaha Mavericks are set to make their 2023 Summit League Tournament debut this Monday in the semifinals round vs. No. 3 Denver who defeated No. 6 South Dakota State 3-0 in the quarterfinals.

Tournament Slate

• Semifinals - Monday, November 20, No. 2 Omaha vs. No. 3 Denver at 4 p.m.
• Finals - Tuesday, November 21, TBD at 7 p.m.

Quick Hits

• Following a lengthy tie-breaking process, the Mavericks enter the Summit League Tournament as the No. 2 seed as they finished with a share of the Regular Season Title at 12-4 with No. 1 Kansas City, No. 3 Denver, and No. 4 South Dakota. Omaha edged out Denver for the No.2 seed and a first-round bye thanks to winning five of the eight sets the two teams played against each other this season.
• The Summit League Announced its All-League honors today, with five Mavericks earning accolades.
• McKenna Ruch and Shayla McCormick earned First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Ruch once again topped 100 total blocks (113) and in conference-only stats, she finished fifth in total blocks (67), sixth in blocks/set (1.02), fifth in hitting percentage (.327), and 11th in kills (179). As for McCormick, she was sixth in conference kills (194) and kills/set (3.13), and made the top 15 in hitting percentage (.262) and digs (178). On the season, McCormick totaled 14 double-digit kills matches, 16 double-digit digs matches, and 10 double-doubles.
• Rachel Fairbanks received her first ever All-Summit award with an Honorable Mention as she cracked the top 25 in hitting percentage (.206), kills (168), kills/set (2.55), digs (207), and digs/set (3.14). In 2023, Fairbanks racked up 10 double-digit kills matches and eight double-doubles, both career highs. She was also the only Maverick this year to top 20 kills and 20 digs in one match with her career-high 20 kills and 23 digs at Kansas City.
• Amanda Hardt and Emily Huss both made the All-Freshman Team after each posted incredible numbers in their debut season. Hardt ended the regular season in the top 20 in hitting percentage (.255), kills (157) and kills/set (2.66) in conference games, while finishing the whole season with 238 kills and 13 double-digit kill matches. Meanwhile, Huss led the entire Summit in blocks/set with 1.50, while recording the sixth most total blocks at 66. 
• Other notable performances this year include Brynlee Arnold topping 100 kills for the first time (152), Ivy Leuck and Olivia Tukuafu recording 484 and 318 assists in their rookie seasons, respectively, and Erica Fava totaling 35 service aces, including 26 in conference matches to finish second in the league.

Scouting Denver
The Pioneers earned a share of the Regular Season Title at 12-4 in the conference and 13-11 overall after sweeping ORU on the final day of the season.

Pioneers To Watch
Denver had six All-Summit honorees this year, headlined by First-Team selection Cassie Davis (223 kills, 3.60 K/S). Gianna Bartalo (248 digs, 4.00 D/S), Cadi Boyer (148 kills, 2.39 K/S, 72 blocks, 1.16 B/S), and Molly Mirabelli (73 blocks, 1.18 B/S) all earned an Honorable Mention, as well as Briley Decker (617 assists/21 service aces) who also made the All-Freshman team.

Series History
Omaha's five-match winning streak against Denver ended with their second meeting this year when the Pioneers hung on to win 3-2. The Mavericks are now 8-20 all-time vs. the Pioneers.