Boxscore -- Washburn 3, UNO 0

OMAHA, Neb. -- The UNO volleyball team faced a tough opponent in No. 6 Washburn, dropping a 3-0 match at Sapp Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. Despite hitting .169 as a team, the nationally-ranked Lady Blues took the match 25-22, 25-20, 25-22. With the loss, the Mavericks are 14-12 (4-10 MIAA), while WU improves to 24-2 (12-2 MIAA).

Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Ebke finished with 10 kills and 10 digs for the night, marking her seventh double-double of the season. Freshman setter Miranda Wisehart contributed 24 set assists, while freshman middle hitter Megan Hutson totaled four blocks.

UNO outhit WU in the first set, .263 to .226, for its highest team attack percentage of the evening. Despite Ebke totaling six kills individually in the first game, it was not enough to escape the Lady Blues. With the score tied 8-8, Washburn took advantage of two errors, but Uhing and Ebke had back-to-back kills to come within striking range at 11-10. Another Ebke point again kept it within one, and the sophomore's service ace tied the game at 13-all.  Washburn then went on an 8-3 run before three consecutive Ebke kills – paired with one from junior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen -- made it 22-21. With a WU attack error, the game sat tied at 22-22, but two kills by Hillary Hughes helped the Lady Blues take the first stanza 25-22.

Washburn  took an immediate lead in game two, going up 6-2. The Mavs capitalized on four attack errors and added a Uhing kill to go ahead 7-6, but it was the only advantage they would enjoy, as the Lady Blues came back to regain the lead. UNO evened the score again at 12-12, and WU's 9-3 run was punctuated by a pair of kills by Hughes. A Sorensen kill and a Lady Blues attack error halted the momentum, and a block from Hutson and Uhing helped hold off Washburn, but two kills by Breanna Lewis and Jessica Kopp resulted in a 25-20 score.

In the final set, WU jumped out to an 8-3 margin before the Mavericks nearly tied it on kills by Abby Sorensen. Washburn's Mollie Lacy made it 17-13, and despite points from Wisehart and Ebke, two Hughes kills kept the deficit at four. Facing a match-point situation at 24-20, Ebke put down a kill coupled with a WU setting error that brought the game within two. Lacy, however, added one more kill to put it away at 25-22 and grab the overall sweep.

Washburn's Hughes notched 10 kills, while three players finished in double-figure digs – Molly Smith (19), Abby Wittman (11) and Amanda Guess (10). Guess and Wittman also shared setting duties with 20 and 19 assists, respectively.

UNO returns to action on Friday, Oct. 30, traveling to No. 12 Emporia State. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Emporia, Kan.