Friday, December 6
Chicago, Ill.
7 p.m.
DePaul University
21-13,10-8Big East
3
vs
2
Omaha
17-13,14-2Summit League
1
2
3
4
5
F
Omaha
25
23
26
20
13
2
DePaul
20
25
24
25
15
3
DePaul Takes Down Omaha in Five-Set Battle, Advances to NIVC Great 8
12/6/2024 10:58:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Krasowski breaks her own DePaul single-season digs record
CHICAGO – DePaul volleyball defeated the Omaha Mavericks 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 15-13) Friday evening, earning their fifth win in five sets of the year. The Blue Demons advance to the NIVC Great 8 for the first time in program history, and improve to 21-13 overall. The Mavericks conclude their season with a 17-13 record.
The offense was led by outside hitter Jill Pressly, who posted 26 kills and ten digs, for her 16th double-double of the season, also adding five blocks. Middle blocker Aly Kindelberger earned her second match of the year with 20 or more kills, contributing 21 on the night. Freshman Luisa Juncu was the third Blue Demon in double-figure kills, with 12.
Amanda Saeger organized the DePaul side, dishing out a career-best 54 assists, also a season-high for any one Blue Demon. The San Diego, California native notched ten digs, good for her third consecutive double-double.
2024 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Rachel Krasowski continued to make her presence felt, rocketing past her own DePaul single-season digs record, tallying 23 on the evening. The graduate student continues to hold the honor at 601 digs and counting. Freshman Abby Cahill saw her second consecutive match in double-figure digs, totaling ten, while middle blocker Meghan Scholz was pivotal at the net, logging a team-high six blocks.
"I would like to give my team some extra credit here," said head coach Marie Zidek.
"We had an unfortunate late scratch yesterday before the match that took away a key leader in our offense. We have played with a completely new offense the past two matches, having played the entire rest of the season in our original offense. Not only that, but we had to play complete teams who won their league in regular season or challenged in championships during their respective conference tournaments. We won with a blend of veterans and new players, and most importantly, we won as a team. These performances move our program into 'first-ever' category. This is the first time we have won two matches in a postseason tournament, and now our third postseason win total in program history.
They chose not to let go of the team, and to instead level up and continue to battle. I like to think it's our coaching, but in this case, they deserve all of the credit. They brought guts, grit, and belief, they took risk, and they balled out. They found a way to improve as the match went on, and they earned that win tonight. This team is special."
Omaha was paced by 12 kills from outside hitter Shayla McCormick.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE
A 4-0 scoring run led by two Pressly kills gave DePaul the early advantage. Omaha clawed their way back to knot the set at eight, and the teams swapped points until Omaha pulled ahead, 14-11. The Blue Demons came within two late, but the Mavericks took the set, 25-20.
SET TWO
The sides traded 3-0 runs to open the set and remained close until the Blue Demons exploded for a 10-0 run mid-set, which included three kills from Kindelberger and two from Pressly. Omaha surged back with a 6-0 run of their own, marking the set equal at 22 points. From there, one kill each from Pressly and Kindelberger along with a Maverick error earned DePaul the set, 25-23.
SET THREE
Neither side could pull away until a 5-0 scoring run, which included kills from four different players, gave DePaul a five-point margin. Omaha then went on two runs of their own, which included two services and three blocks. Even at 24, two consecutive aces gave the Mavericks the set, 26-24.
SET FOUR
The sides against remained close, trading points that included three DePaul service aces. Equal at eight apiece, the Blue Demons began to inch in front, leading by four after two kills from Pressly, and one each from Saeger and Kindelberger. DePaul retained their lead the rest of the way, with a Meghan Scholz kill sealing the set, 25-20.
SET FIVE
DePaul quickly jumped in front 5-1, led by two kills from Kindelberger and one from Pressly. Omaha fought to tie the deciding set at nine, but three Maverick errors and two more Blue Demon kills earned DePaul the final stanza, 15-13.
UP NEXT
DePaul will face Bowling Green in the Great 8 round, the farthest the Blue Demons have ever advanced in the NIVC tournament. The Blue Demons will host the match at McGrath-Phillips Arena, slated for 7 p.m. CT on Monday, December 9. Tickets can be purchased here, and streaming will be made available on the DePaul Athletics YouTube closer to the match.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.
TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Volleyball at McGrath-Phillips Arena to celebrate 50 seasons of Blue Demon volleyball! Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information, including single-game tickets and group opportunities.
The offense was led by outside hitter Jill Pressly, who posted 26 kills and ten digs, for her 16th double-double of the season, also adding five blocks. Middle blocker Aly Kindelberger earned her second match of the year with 20 or more kills, contributing 21 on the night. Freshman Luisa Juncu was the third Blue Demon in double-figure kills, with 12.
Amanda Saeger organized the DePaul side, dishing out a career-best 54 assists, also a season-high for any one Blue Demon. The San Diego, California native notched ten digs, good for her third consecutive double-double.
2024 BIG EAST Libero of the Year Rachel Krasowski continued to make her presence felt, rocketing past her own DePaul single-season digs record, tallying 23 on the evening. The graduate student continues to hold the honor at 601 digs and counting. Freshman Abby Cahill saw her second consecutive match in double-figure digs, totaling ten, while middle blocker Meghan Scholz was pivotal at the net, logging a team-high six blocks.
"I would like to give my team some extra credit here," said head coach Marie Zidek.
"We had an unfortunate late scratch yesterday before the match that took away a key leader in our offense. We have played with a completely new offense the past two matches, having played the entire rest of the season in our original offense. Not only that, but we had to play complete teams who won their league in regular season or challenged in championships during their respective conference tournaments. We won with a blend of veterans and new players, and most importantly, we won as a team. These performances move our program into 'first-ever' category. This is the first time we have won two matches in a postseason tournament, and now our third postseason win total in program history.
They chose not to let go of the team, and to instead level up and continue to battle. I like to think it's our coaching, but in this case, they deserve all of the credit. They brought guts, grit, and belief, they took risk, and they balled out. They found a way to improve as the match went on, and they earned that win tonight. This team is special."
Omaha was paced by 12 kills from outside hitter Shayla McCormick.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE
A 4-0 scoring run led by two Pressly kills gave DePaul the early advantage. Omaha clawed their way back to knot the set at eight, and the teams swapped points until Omaha pulled ahead, 14-11. The Blue Demons came within two late, but the Mavericks took the set, 25-20.
SET TWO
The sides traded 3-0 runs to open the set and remained close until the Blue Demons exploded for a 10-0 run mid-set, which included three kills from Kindelberger and two from Pressly. Omaha surged back with a 6-0 run of their own, marking the set equal at 22 points. From there, one kill each from Pressly and Kindelberger along with a Maverick error earned DePaul the set, 25-23.
SET THREE
Neither side could pull away until a 5-0 scoring run, which included kills from four different players, gave DePaul a five-point margin. Omaha then went on two runs of their own, which included two services and three blocks. Even at 24, two consecutive aces gave the Mavericks the set, 26-24.
SET FOUR
The sides against remained close, trading points that included three DePaul service aces. Equal at eight apiece, the Blue Demons began to inch in front, leading by four after two kills from Pressly, and one each from Saeger and Kindelberger. DePaul retained their lead the rest of the way, with a Meghan Scholz kill sealing the set, 25-20.
SET FIVE
DePaul quickly jumped in front 5-1, led by two kills from Kindelberger and one from Pressly. Omaha fought to tie the deciding set at nine, but three Maverick errors and two more Blue Demon kills earned DePaul the final stanza, 15-13.
UP NEXT
DePaul will face Bowling Green in the Great 8 round, the farthest the Blue Demons have ever advanced in the NIVC tournament. The Blue Demons will host the match at McGrath-Phillips Arena, slated for 7 p.m. CT on Monday, December 9. Tickets can be purchased here, and streaming will be made available on the DePaul Athletics YouTube closer to the match.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Volleyball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.
TICKET INFORMATION
Join DePaul Volleyball at McGrath-Phillips Arena to celebrate 50 seasons of Blue Demon volleyball! Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information, including single-game tickets and group opportunities.
Team Stats
UNO
DePaul
Kills
61
71
Errors
17
34
Attempts
159
180
Hitting %
.277
.206
Points
80.0
83.0
Assists
55
63
Aces
4
5
Blocks
15
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
26
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLOH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
MB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
S
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLMB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLEpisode 24: Marie Zidek, Women's Volleyball
Tuesday, September 02
Bowling Green vs. DePaul - NIVC Great 8
Saturday, December 07
Omaha vs. DePaul - NIVC Second Round
Friday, December 06
Volleyball vs. Omaha - NIVC Super 16
Friday, December 06