Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Match 1 Boxscore (PDF/HTML)
Match 2 Boxscore (PDF/HTML)

TOPEKA, Kan. – The UNO volleyball team opened the Washburn Lady Blues Classic on Friday, dropping a pair of 3-1 matches to Tarleton State and Abilene Christian at Lee Arena. The Mavericks are now 2-16 on the year.

MATCH 1 – TARLETON STATE 3, UNO 1
Tarleton State took UNO's first match of the day at 3-1, with the Mavericks falling 18-25, 12-25, 32-30, 22-25.
Sophomore outside hitter Abby Sorensen led UNO with 11 kills, while senior middle blocker Brittany Hanssen had nine, and juniors Sydney Fleege and Lizzy Mach each chipped in eight. Senior setter Emily Myers totaled a match-high 36 assists, and senior libero Angie Reicks finished with 14 digs.

As a team, UNO posted 10 total blocks, its fourth double-figure block performance this year. Myers led the Mavericks in blocking for the second straight game with six block assists, a total which was also matched by Mach.

Tarleton State had four players finish with double-figure kills: Flynn Harrell (15), Katie Covell (15), Nikki McNorton (11) and Stacie Murrah (10). Covell and Harrell had double-doubles, as they posted 19 and 12 digs, respectively. Emily Klein also posted a match-leading 23 digs of her own.
TSU won the first two sets, but UNO fished out a win in the third set with a dramatic 32-30 victory. Behind by one, a Sorensen kill tied the game at 25-25. Back-to-back kills from Hanssen and Mach pushed UNO ahead at 27-26, but Tarleton State knotted the score again at 28, 29 and 30. The Mavs then capitalized on a TSU error to go up by one, and a final service ace from Myers sealed the win.

Tarleton State regained momentum in the fourth set to take the 3-1 match win.

GAME 2 – ABILENE CHRISTIAN 3, UNO 1
Abilene Christian took the second match of the day at 3-1, as the Mavs fell by set scores of 13-25, 20-25, 25-23, 13-25.

Mach recorded 11 kills against the Wildcats for her fifth double-figure kill performance of the year. Ebke also put up nine kills of her own, and Sorensen chipped in 11 digs. Reicks added 17 digs as well, which moved her career total up to 1,758. Reicks is now just 25 away from breaking former Maverick Kevin Campbell's school record of 1,782 digs.

At the net, Fleege and Mach totaled four blocks apiece to lead the way. Myers finished with 30 assists, her 13th match of the year with 30 or more set assists.

ACU had three players with double-figure kills and five with double-figure digs, highlighted by Jennie Hutt's double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs. Sara Oxford also had 12 kills, and Neely Borger had 11. As a team, the Wildcats hit .216 to UNO's .057.

Down 2-0 after the first two sets, Nebraska Omaha battled back for a 25-23 win in the third game. Behind six kills from Ebke, the Mavs hit .258 as a team – their highest mark of the match – and outperformed ACU's .125 mark. UNO never trailed in the set, taking as much as a six-point lead at 11-17 and holding off the Wildcats for the 25-23 victory. It was not enough, however, as Abilene Christian came back to take the fourth game and the 3-1 match win.

UNO returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 1 to close the Lady Blues Classic with two matches at Lee Arena. The Mavericks face Dallas Baptist at 9 a.m., followed by a 3 p.m. finale against Central Oklahoma.