UNO athletes performing well

The fall semester is well underway, which means UNO's fall sports are in season by now. Volleyball, football, soccer, golf, swimming and diving and others are almost at the mid-points of their seasons, but the early outlook is very positive for the Mavs.

Here's a recap of the happenings so far this season:

Volleyball

Head coach Rose Shires looks to have her team poised to make a serious run in the NCAA II tournament. The team is 15-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Mavs are ranked #15 in Division II and are currently on top of the standings in the MIAA.

Shires' team had a nine-match winning streak before Sept. 26's loss at Emporia State, including victories over #6 Washburn and #22 Pittsburg State.

Shires won her 400th career game on Sept. 19 against Southwest Baptist.

Most Valuable Player (so far..)

Senior Ellen Thommes

http://www.omavs.com/

Thommes has been an absolute beast for the Mavs. She leads the team in kills and blocks, with 3.39 and 1.03 per set, respectively. She has 244 kills on the season with 74 blocks.

She also became the 17th member of the 1,000-kill club in UNO's history on Sept. 11.

Football

The Mavs are off to a good start to their season. An early-season loss to rival Nebraska-Kearney still lingers, but the team appears to be putting things together very nicely.

The team is 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference, with the only conference loss coming to Northwest Missouri State on Sept. 19.

One concern for head coach Pat Behrns is the running back position. Duane Bowen, Bryce Hawthorne and Robert Wesley are all banged up with injuries, which left Behrns to play freshman Levi Terrell. Terrell has been a pleasant surprise for the Mavs, however, as he has rushed for 192 yards in back-to-back games along with three touchdowns.

Most Valuable Player (so far..)

Senior Greg Wunderlich

www.omavs.com

Senior quarterback Greg Wunderlich has transformed the way the Mavs play ball. Gone are the days of option-runs. Wunderlich has a cannon, which I believe needs a license in this state.

Wunderlich has completed 102 of 163 passes for 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games. He has two of the highest passing yards performances in the Behrns era, with 369 yards against Missouri Southern and 332 yards against Northwest Missouri. He's also third in the MIAA in passing yards per game. He's filled in nicely for departed QB Zach Miller.

Soccer

The women's soccer team had a rough opening schedule with two top-25 opponents in the first three games. But since conference play has started, the Mavs have turned really improved their play.

Since conference play began on Sept. 10 against Missouri Western, the Mavs have won six of the last seven games and have shut out three of their last five opponents.

As of today, they are 7-4 overall and 6-1 in the conference. One important stat is that the Mavs have been the first team to score in all of their conference wins.

Another positive for head coach Don Klosterman is the improvement of junior goalkeeper Lauren Fox. She's started in net for the Mavs since Sept. 12 against Truman State and has helped the Mavs with her 5-1 record. She has 36 saves and 2.8 shutouts, with the other .2 going to senior Elizabeth Odorisio.

Most Valuable Player (so far..)

R.Frsh. Nicole Baier

www.omavs.com

Redshirt freshman Nicole Baier has successfully recovered from her injuries. She leads the team in goals with 7, assists with 6, and points with 20. She also leads the team in shots on goal. She's been a beast since her coming out party on Sept. 4 against Central Oklahoma when she had three goals.

She's been the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week once, and is poised for more.


Golf


The golf team has performed extremely well this year. They've placed first in three of the five tournaments played so far, and the other two finishes were in second place.

Erin Ommen, Armana Christianson, Rebecca Pollock and Dani Suponchick have all been individual medalists for finishing first individually.