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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Omaha volleyball team opened the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn/Doubletree Hotel Invitational on Friday, falling 3-0 (16-25, 14-25, 19-25) to Northern Illinois at the Hammons Student Center. With the loss, the Mavericks are now 4-4 on the year, while NIU improves to 4-5.

Senior Natalie Ebke paced UNO with eight kills, five digs and a block, while sophomore Jessy Schroedter had six kills and a block. Freshman Michaela Schimmer had a team-leading 11 assists, and senior Amy Roberts chipped in nine digs. Redshirt freshman Valerie Hecht's three blocks were also a team best.

Northern Illinois, the defending Mid-American Conference champion and a 2011 NCAA Tournament qualifier, was led by Meghan Romo's 21 kills on .447 hitting with nine digs. MacKenzie Roddy also finished in double figures with 10 kills and hit .350 for the day. Alex Gonzalez dished out 27 assists and helped the Huskies to a .326 team hitting percentage. As a squad, NIU totaled nine blocks to Omaha's four.

Omaha returns to action at the Wynn Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 8, facing Connecticut at 10 a.m. and New Orleans at 5 p.m. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com