UNO Volleyball sweeps Western Illinois

OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha volleyball program secured a three-set win over Western Illinois (25-16, 25-19, 25-21) in its final home match of the season Monday afternoon.

The Mavericks (16-12, 9-5) won their 10th match this season in straight sets with the win over the Leathernecks (6-21, 3-11).

NOTES 
•    Omaha finishes the season 8-5 at home.
•    The Mavericks complete the season sweep over the Leathernecks this season.
•    Rachel Fairbanks recorded a match-high 13 kills on .500 hitting.
•    Sadie Limback’s 10 kills gives her 14-straight matches of double-digit kills.
•    Anna Blaschko recorded 11 kills on .556 hitting with three blocks and an ace.
•    Claire Mountjoy recorded 13 digs while Sami Clarkson notched 44 assists in the win.

INSIDE SET ONE 
The Mavericks jolted off a 9-3 run to start the match. The lead increased to 16-7 midway through the contest, but the Leathernecks went on a run and cut it to three, which forced a Maverick timeout. A 7-1 run out of the break followed and helped the team close out the 25-16 opening-set win.

INSIDE SET TWO 
With the score tied at 8-all, the Mavericks scored four-straight, capped off by a Fairbanks kill. Western Illinois went on another short run and cut Omaha’s lead at 16-15. After an Omaha timeout, the team bounced back with a 6-2 run sparked by a kill from Blaschko and an ace from Kenzie Michalek. From there, Omaha secured the set victory with a score of 25-19.

INSIDE SET THREE 
For the first time all match, Omaha trailed early. The final set saw five ties and a pair of lead changes. Down 5-4, Omaha rattled off three-straight points and never trailed the remainder of the match. A late Western Illinois run tied the score at 18-all, but a trio of Omaha points gave the team enough of a gap to finish the set. A 4-1 run on a late Claire Leonard kill sparked the final run for Omaha in the 25-21 win.

LOOKING AHEAD 
Omaha now takes on Denver on the road this Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. (CST). The team follows with a road match at South Dakota State Sunday, Nov. 17., at 1 p.m. in the regular season finale. For more information, visit OMavs.com.