Box Score Box Score (PDF/HTML)

OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha volleyball team put up a hard fight Friday night but saw conference leader Fort Wayne prevail, falling 3-2 (26-24, 25-20, 24-26, 27-29, 19-21) at Sapp Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Mavericks are now 6-11 (1-5 Summit League), while the Mastodons improve to 16-3 (6-1 Summit League).

Senior Natalie Ebke had a career performance with 24 kills on .306 hitting, along with 14 digs and three blocks, marking her sixth double-double of the season.

In addition to Ebke, three other Mavericks had double-doubles for the night. Freshman Kelley Wollak put up 15 kills and 10 digs with three blocks, and redshirt freshman Bailey Baxter's came on 26 assists and 14 digs. Redshirt freshman Kimberly Bailey chipped in 21 assists and 13 digs.

Senior Amy Roberts led the way defensively with 22 digs and was one of five Omaha players to finish in double figures in the category.

At the net, freshman Megan Schmale paced the Mavericks with eight blocks and added six kills. Redshirt freshman Valerie Hecht chipped in five stops and kills, and sophomore Jessy Schroedter contributed another three blocks.

As a team, UNO hit .138 to IPFW's .134 and outblocked the Mastodons, 13-8 for a season high. The Mavericks also finished with a season-best 12 team service aces, and their 60 total kills were also a season mark.

In game one, Schmale totaled four kills on .800 hitting and no errors, as well as two blocks. Hecht and Ebke also added two blocks apiece, and Wollak chipped in four kills. With the set tied 15-15, a Wollak kill and two IPFW hitting errors spotted the Mavs a three-point lead. The Mastodons then put up a 6-1 run to go up 21-19, but back-to-back kills from Schmale evened the score again. The scored tied three more times, with another Schmale kill making it 24-24. A Hecht kill and an ace serve from Roberts sealed UNO's opening 26-24 win.

In the second set, Ebke came out swinging, totaling six kills on .417 hitting to lead UNO. IPFW opened with a quick 6-0 lead, but the Mavericks fought back to tie the game at 14-14. UNO then surged ahead to 19-16 with kills from Wollak and Hecht, followed by a 5-1 surge to go up 24-19. IPFW's Jessie Manwaring managed a score, but a final kill by Ebke gave Omaha the 25-20 win and a two-set lead.

Despite seven kills from Ebke in game three, Fort Wayne turned the tables and posted its highest team hitting percentage, .220, to earn a 26-24 victory. Ebke notched an identical seven kills in the fourth set, and the UNO block put up three stops, but the Mastodons again slipped by with a 29-27 win to tie the match at 2-2.

UNO battled again in the fifth set with four kills from Ebke and another three from Wollak, as well as a trio of blocks by Schmale. The game first tied at 10-10, then stalled eight more times to bring it to 19-19. IPFW's Emily Spencer then put down a kill, and the Mastodons capitalized on a UNO last attack error, taking the fifth game, 21-19 and the match at 3-2.

Omaha returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 6, hosting Oakland at Sapp Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and live video will be available on OMavs.com.