OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha split its matches on the opening day of the CEFCU Classic in Peoria, Ill.
 
The Mavericks defeated Milwaukee in four sets (19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-21). In the second match, Omaha battled back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set, but fell short to host Bradley (17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 10-15).
 
Match 1 -- OMAHA 3, MILWAUKEE 1

Leaders for Omaha
Sydney Case, once again, tallied another 50-plus assist match, which puts her at four this season to go with nine digs. Sadie Limback set career-highs in kills (18) and blocks (8), followed by Anna Blaschko's 17 kills on .500 hitting with nine blocks. Isabella Sade rounded out the trio with 11 kills and career-high nine blocks.
 
Inside Set 1
Omaha led 12-9, but six straight Milwaukee points made it a three-point deficit. From there, the Panthers did not look back and took the first set 25-19 after they scored three straight to close it out.
 
Inside Set 2
Omaha bounced back and won the second set off an early 5-1 run to take a 10-5 lead. The Panehrs tied it up at 12 apiece, but Omaha came out of the timeout and scored six straight, sparked by a pair of aces by Sade to make it 18-12. The Mavericks went on and cruised to a 25-21 second set victory and even things up.
 
Inside Set 3
Milwaukee opened with a 5-1 lead, but a pair of Limback kills capped off a 5-0 run that helped the Mavericks retake the lead. Omaha eventually trailed 21-19 after the Panthers scored four straight, but did not waiver. The Mavericks outscored the opposition 5-1 and win a crucial third set, 26-24, off kills by Blaschko, Bergsten, Sade and Panther errors.
 
Inside Set 4
Milwaukee Opened with a 4-0 lead and remained ahead for the majority of the match. The Mavericks' first lead of the set came off a block assist from Sade and Limback to make it 18-17. Omaha eventually held on for the 25-21 win and take the match 3-1.
 
MATCH 2 -- BRADLEY 3, OMAHA 2
A five-set heartbreaker proved to be the story for Omaha Friday evening. After being down 2-0 in the match, Omaha forced a fifth set, but fell by five points in the final frame to fall 3-2.
 
Inside Set 1
Bradley jumped out to a 14-10 lead midway through the match was able to create enough separation to cruise to the set victory, 25-17. Omaha scored three straight near the end, but the gap was too massive as Bradley took a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Inside Set 2
Omaha led 11-10 in the second set, but saw it dwindle away after the Braves rattled off six straight to make it a five-point deficit. The Mavericks could not muster a comeback in the set, as Bradley took the frame 25-20 with a 2-0 lead.
 
Inside Set 3
The third set came down to the wire. Omaha fell into a 4-1 hole, but refused to waiver and eventually tie it at 12-all. Both teams exchanged points until the end, with the Mavericks taking the set point on their second try. With the score tied at 24-24, kills by Bergsten and Sade sealed the set for Omaha, 26-24.
 
Inside Set 4
Omaha led by as many as six (12-6) to start off the frame, but the Braves kept answering. With the match tied at 18-all, Omaha scored two crucial points off Bergsten and Blaschko kills to make it 20-18. This time, Omaha took its opportunity and sealed the set point off an attack error by Bradley to win 25-22.
 
Inside Set 5
The Mavericks led 5-2 early on, but four straight Bradley points put them in a 7-6 deficit. From there, Omaha could never close the gap despite tying it on two separate occasions, and fell 15-10.

Notable

• The Mavericks put on a blocking showcase, with a season-high 19 in the first match against Milwaukee, followed by 15 team blocks against Bradley.
• Blaschko tied her career-high of 17 kills and nine blocks in the win over Milwaukee, and netted her second-career double-double with a career-high 13 blocks to go with 11 kills in the loss against Bradley.
• Her 13 blocks against Bradley ties for third-all time in program history for a single match.
• The last time an individual Maverick had 13 blocks in a match was Carlie Christensen vs. North Dakota, Oct. 21, 2006.

 
Up Next
Omaha caps off its final non-conference tournament season tomorrow, Sept. 15, against Eastern Illinois. The first serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Peoria, Ill. The CEFCU Classic match will have live stats available, which can be found on OMavs.com.