OMAHA – The UNO volleyball team kicks off its spring 2012 schedule this weekend, hosting a three-team event with the UNO Spring Volleyball Tournament.

On Saturday, March 17, Nebraska Omaha will play two matches at Sapp Fieldhouse. The Mavericks face future Summit League foe South Dakota at 1 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. match with in-state rival Creighton.

"We as a team are extremely excited to compete against two quality opponents such as South Dakota and Creighton on our home floor," Head Coach Rose Shires said. "Entering 2012, we have an young squad in that we have four juniors and six freshmen on the roster, but we are confident in the work we have done this spring and the level of competitiveness we'll bring to the court. The team has made significant strides this spring, and the redshirt freshmen in particular are anxious to get on the floor to show what they can do."

VERMILLION, S.D. – The South Dakota volleyball team will open its spring season Saturday at the Nebraska-Omaha tournament in Omaha, Neb. The Coyotes will play two matches as part of the weekend.

South Dakota will face Nebraska-Omaha – which joins the Summit League in 2012-13 – at 1 p.m. Saturday, and follows with a match against Creighton at 2:30 p.m. later in the day.

The Coyotes will return four starters plus their libero from last year’s team that finished 14-18 overall and 7-11 in the Summit League, which tied them for sixth in their first season in the league.

FARGO, N.D. – The UNO volleyball team capped its 2011 season on Saturday night, falling 3-0 (11-25, 18-25, 19-25) to future Summit League foe North Dakota at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Mavericks finish their first year transitioning to Division I with a record of 5-23, while NDSU improves to 20-8.

Junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke finished with a team-leading 10 kills, while junior middle blocker Lizzy Mach had seven. Senior setter Emily Myers ended her career with a 21-assist performance, and senior libero Angie Reicks had a team-best 19 digs. Senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen was one of four Mavs to tally a block for the night, along with three kills of her own.

As a team, Nebraska Omaha hit .071 to North Dakota State’s .302 mark. The Bison also had 11 total team blocks to the Mavs’ three.

The UNO volleyball team (5-21) returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 25, facing in-state opponent Nebraska-Kearney for a second time this season. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start at the Health and Sports Center in Kearney, Neb., with a radio broadcast through Kearney’s KGFW 1340 AM and live stats available on OMavs.com.

Nebraska Omaha last took the court on Oct. 19 at future Summit League foe UMKC, where the Mavericks struck for a 3-2 win. The victory was UNO’s first over a fellow Division I opponent this season and gave the Mavs their fifth win of the year. Two players finished with double-double performances -- junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke (13 kills, 13 digs) and senior setter Emily Myers (42 assists, 13 digs). Senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen’s five blocks moved her into the top 15 in school history for career total blocks, and UNO also outblocked its opponent for the 15th time this season.

UNO, which is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I institution, is guided by Head Coach Rose Shires, who is in her 22nd year at the helm of the Maverick program. In 2010, UNO finished with a record of 17-15 and had two All-MIAA honorees in third-team pick Kayla Uhing and honorable mention selection Ebke. Uhing has since rejoined the Mavericks as a student assistant in 2011, and Ebke is one of 10 returning letterwinners this year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UNO volleyball team earned its first win over a Division I opponent Wednesday night, defeating future Summit League foe UMKC by a score of 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 25-19, 15-25, 15-10) at Swinney Recreation Center. With the victory, the Mavericks improve to 5-21 on the year, while UMKC drops to 7-15.

Nebraska Omaha was led by two players with double-figure kill performances – junior Natalie Ebke (13) and sophomore Abby Sorensen (10). The number 13 proved to be lucky for Ebke, who, in addition to her 13 kills, added 13 digs for her team-leading 13th double-double of the season. Senior setter Emily Myers chipped in 42 assists and 13 digs of her own for her 10th double-double.

In addition, senior libero Angie Reicks totaled 29 digs, and sophomore right side hitter Ali Jansen had a career-best 14 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Amy Roberts added 11.

The UNO volleyball team (4-21) returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 19, facing UMKC for a second time this season. The match is set for 6:30 p.m. start at Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City, Mo., with live stats and live video available on OMavs.com.

Nebraska Omaha last took the court on Oct. 15 at Washburn, where the Lady Blues took a 3-1 win. Senior setter Emily Myers finished with 33 set assists and 16 digs for the night, marking her ninth double-double of the season. Myers’ assist total moved her up to second all-time in school history for career assists, as she now has 4,008 over four years as a starter. Junior Natalie Ebke also had her team-leading 12th double-double of the year, totaling 18 kills and 11 digs. As a team, UNO outblocked WU seven to five, which was the 14th time in 2011 that the Mavs have outblocked an opponent.

UNO, which is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I institution, is guided by Head Coach Rose Shires, who is in her 22nd year at the helm of the Maverick program. In 2010, UNO finished with a record of 17-15 and had two All-MIAA honorees in third-team pick Kayla Uhing and honorable mention selection Ebke. Uhing has since rejoined the Mavericks as a student assistant in 2011, and Ebke is one of 10 returning letterwinners this year.

The UNO volleyball team (4-19) returns to action with a two-game road swing this weekend, meeting Emporia State on Friday, Oct. 14 and Washburn on Saturday, Oct. 15. Friday's match is set for 7 p.m. at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan., with live stats available on OMavs.com. Saturday's action begins at 6 p.m. at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan., and live stats and live video will be linked on OMavs.com.

Nebraska Omaha last took the court on Oct. 11 in a rematch at South Dakota, where the Coyotes took a 3-0 sweep. Junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke grabbed her team-leading 10th double-double of the year with 13 kills and 11 digs. Senior setter Emily Myers narrowly missed a double-double of her own, tallying 31 assists and nine digs for the night. Myers currently ranks fourth all-time in school history for career assists, with 3,945 assists over four years as a starter. She is just seven away from passing former Maverick Kylie Lebeda for third (3,951).

UNO, which is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I institution, is guided by Head Coach Rose Shires, who is in her 22nd year at the helm of the Maverick program. In 2010, UNO finished with a record of 17-15 and had two All-MIAA honorees in third-team pick Kayla Uhing and honorable mention selection Ebke. Uhing has since rejoined the Mavericks as a student assistant in 2011, and Ebke is one of 10 returning letterwinners this year.

VERMILLION, S.D. – The UNO volleyball team faced South Dakota in a rematch on Tuesday night, but the Mavericks suffered a 3-0 sweep (24-26, 25-20, 28-26) at the hands of the Coyotes. With the loss, Nebraska Omaha drops to 4-19 on the year, while USD improves to 11-10.

Junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke grabbed her team-leading 10th double-double of the year with 13 kills and 11 digs. Senior setter Emily Myers narrowly missed a double-double of her own, tallying 31 assists and nine digs for the night. In addition, senior libero Angie Reicks finished with 19 digs to her credit.

Myers currently ranks fourth all-time in school history for career assists, with 3,945 assists over four years as a starter. She is just seven away from passing former Maverick Kylie Lebeda for third (3,951).

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The UNO volleyball team dropped a 3-0 sweep to Kansas with set scores of 20-25, 16-25, 26-28 at the Horejsi Center on Tuesday evening. With the loss, the Mavericks are 4-17 on the year, while KU improves to 12-4.

UNO was led by junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke’s 11 kills and senior setter Emily Myers, who had a match-leading 25 assists. Senior libero Angie Reicks, who recently became UNO’s all-time leader in career digs, added to her program-leading total with 10 digs for the night, improving her four-year mark to 1,799.

As a team, UNO outblocked the Jayhawks 8.5 to 5.0, helped by five blocks apiece from senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen and sophomore outside hitter Abby Sorensen.

TOPEKA, KAN. - The UNO volleyball team closed the Washburn Lady Blues Classic in style on Saturday, defeating Dallas Baptist 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 16-14) and Central Oklahoma 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-16) at Lee Arena. With the wins, the Mavericks are now 4-16 on the year.

Senior libero Angie Reicks starred for UNO, breaking the school career digs record with 31 digs for the day. Reicks now tops the all-time digs chart with 1,789 in four seasons as the Mavericks’ libero.

Two Mavericks finished with double-doubles – senior setter Emily Myers (53 assists, 23 digs) and junior outside hitter Natalie Ebke (career-high 21 kills, 19 digs) against Dallas Baptist. Senior middle blocker Lizzy Mach and junior outside hitter Sydney Fleege also reached double-figures kills with 16 and 10, respectively.