SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Omaha volleyball snapped a four-match losing streak Friday night, sweeping past South Dakota State 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-21) at the Sanford Pentagon. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 7-14 (4-4 Summit League), while the Jackrabbits drop to 2-20 (0-9).
Leaders for Omaha
Sophomore
Gessica Gdowski exploded for a career-high 14 kills, adding six digs, two blocks, two aces and an assist. Junior
Abby Bergsten joined her in double figures with 11 kills on .500 hitting with no attack errors alongside two blocks.
Senior
Sydney O'Shaughnessy finished with a match-high 41 assists, seven digs, three kills and two aces. The Omaha native also moved up to fourth in school history for career assists (3,963) and 10th all-time for career digs (1,257).
Freshman
Bella Sade added eight kills with a match-high six blocks and two aces, and classmate
Claire Mountjoy returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 7 and to post a team-leading 12 digs.
Leaders for South Dakota State
Sierra Peterson paced the Jackrabbits with 10 kills, and Maddie Fay had a team-high 26 assists in the match.
Team Stats
Omaha outhit SDSU .306 to .184 and enjoyed a 9-3 blocking advantage.
Inside Set 1
The Mavericks came out firing to hit .382 with just one error in the first set, and Bergsten led the way with four kills on .364 hitting. Omaha also had five blocks as a team, powered by four from Sade alone. The set included 14 ties and four lead changes, with the Mavericks finally breaking through an 18-18 lock. A 7-0 closing run that included four blocks from Sade, Bergsten and senior
Amanda Conlin finished it off at 25-18.
Inside Set 2
Sade put up four kills and two more blocks in game two to lead the way. The Mavericks worked past an 8-8 tie when a kill and a block from freshman
Anna Blaschko bookended a 5-0 run, which prompted an SDSU timeout at 13-8. Omaha maintained the lead until the Jackrabbits knotted it at 24-all, but a Sade kill and an O'Shaughnessy ace capped it as the Mavericks outlasted SDSU, 26-24.
Inside Set 3
Omaha hit at a .350 clip in the third set, and Gdowski dominated the offensive onslaught with nine kills. Locked at 17-17, she pounded out four consecutive kills as part of a 5-0 Maverick run, which pushed it to 21-17. Two late kills from Bergsten put it away for Omaha, which took the set, 25-21, and completed the sweep.
Noting Tonight's Match
-Gdowski's nine kills in the third set were the most of any Maverick in a single set this season.
-O'Shaughnessy's 41 assists were her highest three-set total of the season and her 10th performance with 40 or more assists this year.
-Omaha's .306 team attack percentage was its second highest of the season.
-The match extended South Dakota State's losing streak to eight matches.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, Oct. 27, welcoming Western Illinois to Sapp Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
