MANHATTAN, Kan. – Omaha volleyball dropped a three-set match to the Kansas State Wildcats in the final contest of the K-State Invitational Saturday night.

The Mavericks fell 25-11, 26-24 and 25-22 in the match.

Leaders for Omaha
Isabella Sade paced the Mavericks with eight kills and four blocks en route to K-State Invitational All-Tournament Honors. The sophomore from Marion, Iowa, tallied 3.30 kills per set on .375 hitting with 1.10 blocks per set over the course of the weekend. 

In the match, Claire Leonard recorded a team-high nine kills and three digs, while Sadie Limback followed with seven kills and five digs. Sydney Case recorded a match-high 33 assists, six digs and two blocks in the contest.

Breaking Down the Box Score

• Kansas State edged Omaha in the following categories: kills (39-35), digs (55-49), blocks (9-5) and aces (6-4).
• The Mavericks won the assist battle 35-33 in the match.
• Omaha hit .133 as a team compared to the Wildcats' .219.

Inside Set 1
Kansas State raced out to a 5-0 lead that forced an Omaha timeout. The Mavericks tried to gather some momentum later on a reversed decision that gave them a point to cut the deficit to 16-10. The Wildcats scored three straight before a kill by Sade ended the run to make it 19-11. Omaha was unable to stop the 6-0 final spurt by the Wildcats and fell 25-11 in the first set.

Inside Set 2
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the second set, with the Mavericks closing in on tying the match. An early start helped keep up with the Kansas State attack. Omaha led 23-21 late in the set off back-to-back kills by Blaschko and a kill from Leonard. The Wildcats, however, were able to respond and edged Omaha 26-24 in the second set capped off by an ace.

Inside Set 3
Omaha, once again, came off to a fast start and jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Kansas State. Omaha trailed 11-9, but responded with a 6-2 run to lead 15-13 off a block assist by Blaschko and Sade, who also followed up with another kill. 

The Wildcats regained the advantage and led 20-18 late in the match. From there, Omaha was never able to get within tying position despite three more points. Kansas State took the third set 25-22 and swept Omaha 3-0 to cap off its home tournament.

Up Next
The Mavericks compete in their final non-league road tournament in Peoria, Ill., for the CEFCU Classic Sept. 14-15. Omaha plays a pair of matches Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. against Milwaukee and host Bradley. On Saturday, the Mavericks have a matchup against Eastern Illinois at 11 a.m. to conclude the tournament.