LAWRENCE, Kan. – Facing their second nationally ranked team of the season in No. 23 Kansas, the Mavericks again gave their opponents a good fight, but fell short of victory in a 1-3 loss to close out the Jayhawk Classic.
Omaha is now 5-5 on the season after going 1-2 in the tournament, while the Jayhawks climb to 10-2 after finishing 2-1 in the series.
Set By Set (16-25, 17-25, 25-20, 16-25)
- After an opening block by McKenna Ruch and Shayla McCormick, the Jayhawks promptly took control of the match, scoring three straight points en route to taking a 13-11 lead through the first half of the set. Ruch and McCormick provided the bulk of Omaha’s offense during this span, combining for four kills along with another blocked shot by Ruch and a service ace from McCormick. Later on, trailing 21-14, Mariah Murdie would come in and record the first two blocks of her career. However, Kansas’ attack proved to be too much as they took the set with a nine-point lead.
- The Mavericks made things a little closer in set two, even taking an early 5-4 lead thanks to kills from Marriah Buss and Rachel Fairbanks, as well as the second ace of the day from McCormick. The Jayhawks responded by reestablishing control over the court, outscoring Omaha 6-1 over the next few serves. Kali Jurgensmeier managed to keep Omaha within four as she racked up four kills to make it 17-21, but a 4-0 run from Kansas finished off the set.
- Facing a potential sweep, Omaha was at its best during set three. Sami Clarkson helped give the Mavericks a 7-5 lead by blocking a shot, scoring a kill, and hitting an ace one after another. Despite Kansas retaking the lead at 10-7, the Mavericks fought back to a to go up by one at 17-16 after two kills each from McCormick and Jurgensmeier. Omaha got a couple more aces from Fairbanks and Jurgensmeier to grow their lead to four points, before Clarkson and Ruch ended the set with a block.
- This new shift in momentum was short lived, unfortunately, as Kansas opened up set four with a 7-1 lead. The Mavericks seemed to be on the verge of a comeback after Fairbanks scored back-to-back kills to make it 6-11, but the Jayhawks quickly reestablished control and made it 6-14. From there, Omaha struggled to get the offense restarted, despite the third service ace of the day from Clarkson, and ultimately fell to Kansas.
Inside the Box Score
- The Mavericks led the Jayhawks in a single category today, blocking 12 shots to their 10.
- Ruch lead Omaha with 12 kills, giving her double-digit kills for the fourth match in a row and the sixth time this season. Her six total blocks also give her a new career-high of 63 total, besting her 59 blocks in 2021.
- Fairbanks nearly doubled her season kills total by knocking a season-high seven today.
- Clarkson matched her season-high with three service aces, while also falling one dig short of a double-double as she put up 32 assists.
Up Next
With their time in Kansas at an end, the Mavericks will continue their road trip as they head to Vermillion, S.D. on Thursday, September 22, for their first Summit League match of the season when they take on South Dakota at 7 p.m. Then, they will travel to Brookings, S.D. for a contest with South Dakota State on Saturday, September 24, at 1 p.m.
