Boxscore -- Missouri Western 3, UNO 2

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The UNO volleyball team had four players reach double-figure kills, but dropped a close 3-2 match – 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 10-15 -- at Missouri Western's MWSU Fieldhouse on Friday night. With the loss, the Mavericks are 12-8 (2-6 MIAA), while MWSU improved to 8-8 (4-3 MIAA).

Senior outside hitter Kayla Uhing led the way offensively, notching 17 kills with 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Ebke also achieved a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs, while junior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen and freshman Megan Hutson each contributed 10 kills. Hutson finished with a team-best .526 hitting percentage for the night, and her kills total marked a career high.

Junior setter Emily Myers totaled 42 set assists with 16 digs, a block and two kills of her own.

Defensively, junior libero Angie Reicks had 19 digs, and redshirt freshman defensive specialist Amy Roberts chipped in a career best of 10. At the net, Uhing and Hutson each added four blocks.

UNO opened with a bang, taking the first set 25-23 and not once forfeiting the lead. The Mavericks went on a 6-2 run aided by kills from Hutson and Ebke and a block assist by Hanssen and Ebke to make it 15-9. The Griffons hit just .027 and committed nine errors, while Nebraska-Omaha finished at a .179 clip – highlighted by five Uhing kills -- to propel itself to the opening win.

Western then grabbed the momentum in games two and three, which it won by identical scores of 25-23. The Griffons hit .225 in the second game for their highest percentage of the night, led by Kelli Sicner's six kills.

The Mavs fought back and took a 25-17 win in the fourth game, dominating with a .317 team hitting performance. Hanssen had six kills in the set, while Uhing had five, pushing the squad total to 17. Missouri Western kept within striking distance for the first half, coming within one point midway through the set. At 14-13 UNO, the Mavericks used a 6-1 run to take a sizable lead. The Griffons tacked on just three more points on a trio of kills, but Nebraska-Omaha's attack put it away with an Ebke kill to close at 25-17.

In the final set, the two teams sat tied at 6-6, and the Griffons added three more points to take back the lead. Back-to-back kills from Ebke tied it again at 9-9, but three consecutive blocks by MWSU finished it off at 15-10 for the overall 3-2 victory.

MWSU's Sicner and Stephanie Hattey both finished in double figures with 13 and 10 kills each, respectively. 

UNO returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 9, as it travels to nationally-ranked Truman. The Mavs face the No. 10 Bulldogs at 4 p.m.