Who | Western Illinois (1-11, 0-1) at Omaha (4-7, 1-0)

When | Saturday, Sept. 25 (3 p.m. CT)

Where | Omaha, Neb. (Baxter Arena)

Social Media | Twitter + Instagram + Facebook + #TRADITIONofTOUGH
 

Quick Hits

• Prepping for its second Summit League foe, Western Illinois volleyball makes the trip to Nebraska for a Saturday afternoon match against the Omaha Mavericks

• The contest will serve as WIU's final road test before holding its home opener on Thursday (Sept. 30)

• Kennedy Davis leads Western with a .299 hitting percentage. Peyton Bowman, the team's leader in that category during 2020-21, is second with a .277 clip

• In her last showing, first-year Maggie Craker reached a new career-high in assists (23) versus Denver.

Most Recently … | Stepping into league action for the first time this fall on Thursday (Sept. 23), WIU took on a challenge in visiting Denver (10-1, 1-0); the 2020-21 regular-season league champs. Protecting its home floor, the Pioneers won in a sweep (22-25, 10-25, 16-25).

Bowman and Davis led the attacking game with eight and seven kills, respectively. Craker dished out a new single-match, career-high of 23 assists. Aubrey Putman added five kills and five digs. Gabby DePersio finished with a team-high seven digs.

A Brief History | Currently on a nine-match win streak, Omaha leads the all-time series, 14-3. Western hosted the Mavericks this past spring season in back-to-back days of competition. Putman posted a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs during the Feb. 28 matchup.

Scouting the Opposition | Picked to finish third in this year's Summit preseason poll, Omaha has started off 4-7 overall. The team won its home league opener over St. Thomas, 3-0 on Thursday (Sept. 23). Sadie Limback is back as a senior right-side hitter after piecing together a standout spring season. Named a 2020-21 All-Summit first-teamer and becoming the second Maverick in the Division I era to be named to the AVCA All-Region Team, she again stands as a highly efficient attacker -- having plugged in a team-best 157 kills on a .353 percentage. Sami Clarkson, a 2020-21 All-Summit honorable mention selectee, is second among league individuals in assists (441) and assists per set (10.26). Additional team standouts include Claire Mountjoy (212 digs), Lakyn Graves (43.0 blocks), and Shayla McCormick (13 service aces). Omaha has advantages in kills (530-496), assists (509-470), and digs (656-634) over its opponents.

What's Next? | WIU takes its own floor in Macomb for the first time this season next week -- facing North Dakota State (Sept. 30) and North Dakota (Oct. 2).