DENVER, Colo. – The Omaha volleyball team began Summit League play on Sunday afternoon, falling 3-0 (27-29, 21-25, 18-25) to Denver at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colo. The Mavericks are now 1-2 (0-1) Summit League on the season while the Pioneers improve to 1-0 (1-0).
 
Senior Claire Mountjoy became the seventh Maverick in program history to surpass the 1,500-dig mark. With eight digs on Sunday, the Omaha native is seventh all-time in program history with 1,502 digs.
 
Leaders for Omaha
Sadie Limback led the Maverick attack with 11 kills while adding six digs. Anna Blaschko had eight kills, followed by Claire Leonard and Rylee Marshall with five and four kills, respectively.
 
Sami Clarkson tossed out a match-high 33 assists and had a team-leading eight digs. Marshall, Blaschko and Limback led the Omaha defense with three blocks each.
 
Leaders for Denver
Lorrin Poulter fell three digs short of a triple-double to lead the Pioneers with 10 kills, 15 assists and seven digs. Ari Winters totaled eight kills while Tina Boe added six and Brianna Green and Erica Andrich chipped in five kills apiece.
 
Ellie Anderson handed out 16 assists and Macy Carrabine had a match-high 12 digs. Green recorded six blocks and Winters added five blocks to pace the DU defense.
 
Team Stats
The Mavericks hit .127 to Denver's .183. Omaha totaled 38 kills with two service aces and 35 digs. The Pioneers notched a 13-6 advantage in blocks over the Mavericks and garnered 40 kills and seven service aces in the three-set match.
 
Inside the First Set
Denver led 4-2 before the Mavericks rattled off five straight points to grab a 7-4 edge. Omaha held off the Pioneers and maintained throughout the set while expanding the lead to 19-13. A kill by Alexa Blase gave Omaha its first set point with a 24-22 advantage. The Mavericks and Pioneers exchanged points back-and-forth as Denver fought off three different set points for Omaha to clinch the 29-27 victory.
 
Omaha hit .100 while stifling the Pioneer offense to .048 hitting. Blaschko led the way for the Mavericks with six kills on eight tries. Marshall had a trio of kills while Leonard added a pair of kills. The set featured six ties and two lead changes with Omaha leading for much of the set.
 
Inside the Second Set
Coming off a first-set victory, the Pioneers scored the first four points. Omaha battled back to tie it all up at five before Denver gradually stretched the lead to 18-13. The Mavericks nearly overcame the deficit after Olivia Curry's service brought Omaha within two at 22-20.  DU held off the late Maverick rally to secure the second set, 25-22.
 
Denver held the Mavericks to .081 hitting while posting a .233 hitting percentage. Limback carried Omaha in the set with six kills, followed by Fairbanks with three kills. Poulter and Winters had six and four kills to lead DU, respectively.
 
Inside the Third Set
The Pioneers and Mavericks traded points through the first half of the set, playing to a tie at 16. Denver capped the set with a 9-2 run to clinch the straight-set victory over the Mavericks.
 
DU hit .312 to Omaha's .212 in the set. The third set included 13 ties and seven lead changes. Limback had four kills and Leonard added three kills. McKenna Ruch posted all three of her kills in the match in the third set. Green had three kills for DU while four other Pioneers tallied two kills apiece.
 
What's Next
The Mavericks and Pioneers wrap up the two-match series in Denver tomorrow. First serve is set for 3 p.m. at Hamilton Gymnasium.