(OMAHA)- Playing four matches in three days, with two of those matches being against ranked teams, the Omaha Volleyball squad had all they can handle over the course of the weekend.
Playing in three matches at the Bluejay Invitational, hosted by Creighton University in Omaha, and one match at home to wrap-up the weekend, Omaha finished with a 1-3 record in a long, tiring non-conference stretch.
The Mavs opened up the weekend Friday night with a cross-town tilt against tournament host Creighton. A sold-out D.J. Arena was rocking, including a good contingency of Maverick faithful. However, Omaha was overmatched by a good Bluejay team, who came in ranked seventeenth in the country. Creighton swept the match 3-0, anchored by a strong performance from Erica Kostelac who finished with 10 kills.
Despite getting swept, the Mavericks showed positive signs. Sophomore Rylee Marshall recorded a career-high six blocks. Freshman setter Sami Clarkson got her first start of the season, tallying 15 assists. Claire Leonard led the way in kills with nine.
After a disappointing first night, Omaha came into day two with some extra fire and made a little history. The Mavericks fell to the number twelve team in the country Washington in four sets. However, it was the first time in program history Omaha took a set from a ranked team.
Omaha constantly bugged the Huskies, refusing to go away and ultimately taking that third set. Omaha tallied nine service aces, opposed to Washington’s four. Sami Clarkson once again played well against a ranked foe notching 31 assists. Junior Anna Blaschko held her own at the net against a tall Huskie team. She finished with twelve kills.
Dropping the first two matches of the Bluejay Invitational, Omaha still had a chance to end the tournament on a solid note. They found that melodious note on Saturday evening by sweeping Drake 3-0.
Omaha dominated the match in every facet. The Mavericks tallied 45 kills, as opposed to Drake’s 30. Claire Leonard and Sami Clarkson each finished with double-doubles, with Leonard picking up 11 kills and 11 digs. For Clarkson, it was her first career double-double, finishing with 39 assists and 11 digs. Claire Mountjoy, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished with 14 digs in the match, bringing her tournament total to 37.
While a 1-2 record in the Bluejay Invitational doesn’t look great on the surface, Omaha showed a competitive spirit, particularly against Washington. The experience against such good teams gave them plenty of good experiences that should prove beneficial as the season progresses.
Although they already played three matches, Omaha’s weekend was not over there. The Mavs came back to Baxter Arena to face High Point Sunday afternoon to wrap-up the weekend.
High Point had a busy weekend as well. They played in the Ameritas Players Challenge, hosted by Nebraska. The Panthers went 1-2, as well, with their win coming against a familiar Omaha-opponent, Denver. It was clear this match-up was going to pretty even.
Omaha came out of the gates strong, taking the first two sets. However, a combination of fatigue and some great net play by High Point spurred the Panthers to a raging comeback, taking the next two sets. In the all-deciding fifth set, Omaha played well early, leading at one point 9-7. However, a good timeout by High Point sparked a rally that the Panthers rode to a 15-11 fifth set win, taking the back-and-forth match.
The Mavericks did play well against a High Point team that did make the NCAA Tournament a season ago but weren’t ever to fully close the door in the final three sets. Sami Clarkson started her fourth match of the weekend at setter, picking up an astounding 51 assists. Mountjoy led the way on defense, netting 22 digs. Sophomore Sadie Limback led the way on the attack with 18 kills.
Omaha now heads off for a long road trip as they head to play in the Grand Canyon Invitational down in Arizona. They will face Idaho, CSUN and host, Grand Canyon. When they come back home on Sep. 27, they’ll begin conference play against North Dakota.
