Young, Talented Mavericks Look to Reach Top of Summit
OMAHA – It was three short years ago when the Omaha volleyball team looked poised to make the NCAA Tournament in its first year with post-season eligibility at the Division I level.
Tied with top-seeded and home team Denver 9-9 in the fifth set of the Summit League championship match could almost taste the big dance.
Denver, however, would close out the match on a 6-1 run, dashing the Mavericks’ big for history.
With two weeks until Omaha opens the 2018 season at the New Orleans Invitational, could the Mavericks again be on the cusp of something special? Head coach Rose Shires thinks they might be.
“Ultimately, where we want to be at the end of the season is vying for a Summit League championship and vying for a berth in the NCAA Tournament,” Shires said during the team’s media day on Thursday. “I feel we have the tools to do it, but we have to allow ourselves the growth opportunity, because with 14 freshmen and sophomores, you’re going to have a lot of learning to do along the way.”
You read that correctly. The Mavericks have 14 freshmen and sophomores on the roster thanks to a large recruiting class, the addition of multiple transfers and the loss of just two seniors. One of those seniors, though, was setter Sydney O’Shaughnessy, who graduated as one of the best to ever play the position for the Mavericks.
A trio of players also had injuries bring about the end of their Omaha careers early as right side Meagan Roth, middle Ellie Brown and outside Gessica Gdowski are no longer playing. Middle Daria Taylor and outside Chloe Dousette transferred out.
As Shires went about reconstructing the team’s roster, she said Thursday her staff focused on finding competitive and athletic players capable of playing multiple positions. That’s resulted in Omaha having perhaps it’s deepest pool of talent in many years.
“I feel very confident in the level of practice – it’s at a high level,” Shires said. “There is a lot learning to do with 14 freshmen and sophomores on the team, but the players are really hungry to be a great volleyball program.
“The energy in our practices is as high as it has been in a decade.”
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2018 Mavericks.
Setters (listed alphabetically)
Sydney Case, 5’10, Fr., Lakeville, Minn.
Kelli Nee, 5’8, Soph., Powhatan, Va.
Jaclyn Taylor, 5’11, Soph., St. Charles, Ill.
In many ways, the arrival of Taylor in January as a transfer from Creighton gave the Mavericks a huge boost of confidence heading into the 2018 season. Taylor sat behind All-American Lydia Dimke at Creighton last season, but did play in 32 sets, finishing with 24 assists, eight digs, six blocks, six kills and one ace. Taylor said at media day she transferred to Omaha for an opportunity for more playing time and it looks like she will definitely get it with the Mavericks. Shires even hinted that Taylor may get quite a few swings on the right side.
“She’s brought a complete package to us,” Shires said of Taylor’s skill set.
That might open the door for a two-setter system in which Taylor would set from the back row and then play right side in the front. It seems possible because Shires said she likes both of her main setters, referring to Taylor and freshman Case. The freshman was an All-State selection in Minnesota last year for Lakeville South and was a four-year starter and holds the school record for assists and aces. Nee played mostly in the back row and as a serving specialist last year for the Mavericks, getting 50 digs and three aces.
The feeling here is that Shires wants to get as much athleticism and talent on the court as possible. Taylor seems to have the best athletic ability of the group and could be a very effective hitter on the right side. Case, meanwhile, is more of a pure setter with excellent location.
Pin Hitters (listed alphabetically)
Abby Bergsten, 6’1, Sr., Council Bluffs, Iowa
Alexa Blasé, 5’11, Fr., Grand Island, Neb.
Mackenzie Horkey, 5’9, Sr., Jordan, Minn.
Claire Leonard, 6’0, Soph., Bettendorf, Iowa
Sadie Limback, 6’0, Fr., Waverly, Mo.
Abigayle Meyer, 6’2, Soph., Murdock, Neb.
Baylee Mittelstaedt, 6’0, Fr., Farmington, Utah
The success of the Mavericks will be greatly impacted by whether or not they can find two consistent and effective attackers on the outside. Shires expressed a lot of excited about Horkey on Thursday. Horkey’s career started of amazing as she was named to the Summit League All-Freshman Team after averaging 2.06 kills and 2.86 digs per set while starting all 33 matches her first year. She improved those numbers to 2.54 kills and 3.01 digs per set as a sophomore – including an 18 kill, 19 dig performance in the Summit League championship loss to Denver.
Injuries, however, forced her into a medical redshirt year and then last year she was limited to just 24 matches, averaging 2.36 kills and 2.90 digs per set. Shires, however, said Horkey looks as healthy now as she did early in her career and has been consistently touching 10’2-10’3 on her approach jumps. If Horkey can stay healthy and play at the level she did early in her career, that will be a huge boost for the Mavericks.
Bergsten was a huge surprise as a late transfer from Iowa Western last year and earned All-Summit League Honorable Mention despite only starting 18 matches. She had a double-double (11 kills, 13 digs) against Kansas State and finished the season with an average of 2.90 kills and 1.09 digs per set. Shires praised her power and consistency on Thursday and also said she thinks the senior is in the best shape of her career. Bergsten would certainly seem to be the L2 at this point for Omaha.
Leonard was the other outside Shires spoke about on Thursday, and for good reason. Leonard is a transfer from Canisius, where she started every match her freshman year and finished fifth in the MAAC with 308 kills and was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
Blasé was one of the most athletic high school attackers in Nebraska last season at Grand Island, where she finished with 345 kills and was a second team All-State selection. A gifted leaper and fierce competitor, Blasé earned 12 letters in high school as a multi-sport athlete. She flashed her potential at the NCA All-Star Match last month with a dominating performance. She’s probably the most athletic outside hitter the Mavericks have, but she is also very raw.
Mittelstaedt has the athletic and winning pedigree Shires noted she was looking for. Mittelstaedt helped guide her team to three straight state titles in Utah and was a Salt Lake Tribune All-State First Team performer.
You hate to put big expectations on a freshman, but Limback has the potential to go down as perhaps one of the best recruits in program history, despite coming from a high school where the volleyball net was anchored to the gym stage. Playing for the KC Power club program, Limback was an All-American during this past club year according to PrepVolleyball.com and she was a Second Team All-American during high school according to MaxPreps. She has tremendous leaping ability and powerful arm and will start on the right side. Shires even went as far as to say she thinks Limback has the potential to be the Freshman of the Year in the Summit League.
Meyer, another right side, appeared in 10 matches a year ago for the Mavericks – starting four times – and finished with 20 kills, 16 blocks, four aces and two assists on the season. She had five kills at Iowa State last year
Middles (listed alphabetically)
Anna Blaschko, 6’1, Soph., Shakopee, Minn.
Rylee Marshall, 6’1, Fr., Fort Calhoun, Neb.
Isabella Sade, 6’2, Soph., Marion, Iowa
Omaha’s talent and depth is certainly one of its biggest strengths and is likely the envy of Summit League teams. Sade returns after being named the Summit League Freshman of the Year, the first Maverick to ever earn that honor. She finished second in the Summit League in blocks per set after averaging 2.33 kills, 1.04 blocks and 0.65 digs per set last year for Omaha. She also delivered 30 aces in 28 matches.
There is no such award, but if there was a Summit League Freshman of the Year Runner-Up, it likely would have gone to Blaschko. She finished second behind Sade in total blocks and finished the year averaging 1.97 kills and 1.03 blocks per set while earning Summit League All-Freshman Team honors. She had a 17 kill, 10 block performance last year against South Dakota.
Shires actually used the word “beast” in describing freshman Marshall and said she will be pushing for court time in the middle. In earning second team All-State honors last year at Fort Calhoun, she established single-season and career records for both kills and blocks at the school. She also holds the school record for kills in a match with 26.
Liberos/DS (listed alphabetically)
Giselle Eiche, 5’7, Fr., Arvada, Colo.
Kenzie Michalek, 5’7, Fr., Papillion, Neb.
Courtney Morehead, 5’6, Jr., Bellevue, Neb.
Claire Mountjoy, 5’5, Soph., Omaha, Neb.
An area in absolute need of an infusion of bodies for the Mavericks was in the back row after Omaha went all of last year with only Mountjoy listed as a libero or defensive specialist on the roster. It was a baptism by fire experience for Mountjoy, but she thrived under the pressure, earning All-Summit League Freshman Team honors. She finished the year with 458 digs and 94 assists and had a season-high 33 digs against North Dakota State. She enters the year as the clear favorite for the libero position, but has plenty of competition this season.
Morehead is a former Bellevue West standout that transferred to Omaha after spending her first two seasons in the back row at Drake. She was second on the team last year with 17 ace serves and had 205 digs in 70 sets as a sophomore.
Eiche comes from the talent-rich Colorado club program NORCO, where her team had three top-five finishes in the Open division of regional qualifiers. In high school, she averaged 4.2 digs per set and was a First Team All-Conference selection as a senior.
Michalek was a four-year letterwinner at volleyball powerhouse Papillion-LaVista. Over the course of her career she had 1,024 digs in 382 sets (2.7 digs per set) and 96 service aces.