All freshmen, all the time.

Almost.

University of Nebraska at Omaha coach Rose Shires, who opens fall practice Monday in preparation for the Mavericks' second season of Division I volleyball, counts nine freshmen among her 14 players after redshirting a four-player class of newcomers last season.

Outside hitter Natalie Ebke and defensive specialist Amy Roberts, two of the three UNO seniors, are far and away the most experienced returning players from last year's team that went 5-23 in its short-notice initial foray into Division I.

There is no junior class. Two sophomores appeared in a total of eight matches last year between them.

"Natalie and I have had a few conversations, and I told her to make sure to introduce herself to who is on her left and who is on her right," Shires said. "It's been the same for three years for her, but now it's going to be a freshman on either side."

Top contenders for playing time among the freshmen would figure to be either Bailey Baxter or Michaela Schimmer - possibly both - at setter, as well as outside hitter Kelley Wollak (a clone of UNO all-time kills leader Tracy Ankeny, Shires said), and middle blockers Valerie Hecht and Amy Taylor.