MACOMB, Ill. – The Omaha volleyball team dropped its first set but bounced back to record a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-20) over Western Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Macomb, Ill.
 
The win is Omaha's fourth in a row and moves the Mavericks to 7-4 (6-3 Summit League) on the season while the Leathernecks fall to 0-10 (0-9).
 
Leaders for Omaha
Sadie Limback picked up where she left off from last weekend, totaling a match-high 19 kills while hitting .567 in the match. Anna Blaschko followed Limback with a season-high 18 kills while hitting .600 in the four sets. Alexa Blase totaled 10 kills, seven digs and two service aces.
 
Rachel Fairbanks posted a team-high 18 digs with eight kills while Kenedy Schaecher had 11 digs and team-high three service aces. Sami Clarkson dished out 38 assists and Claire Mountjoy garnered 12 digs in the win.
 
Leaders for Western Illinois
Aubrey Putman recorded a team-high 13 kills and 23 digs for WIU while Mariah Mitchell had 12 kills. Cassie Hunt posted 28 assists, four kills and three service aces and Emma Norris and Erika Moore totaled 18 and 17 digs, respectively.
 
Team Stats
Omaha hit .357 to Western Illinois' .237. The Mavericks totaled 61 kills, 54 digs and eight service aces while posting a slim 9-8 advantage in blocks over the Leathernecks. WIU recorded 45 kills, 45 digs and seven service aces.
 
Inside the First Set
Western Illinois scored the first six points of the match and stretched its lead to 19-11 out of the gates. A kill by Blaschko brought the Mavericks within 21-17, but the Leathernecks held off Omaha for the 25-21 first-set win.
 
Inside the Second Set
Three consecutive kills from Fairbanks, Blaschko and Blase guided the Mavericks to a 10-3 advantage. Back-to-back points by Western Illinois allowed the Leathernecks to trim the Omaha lead to 22-20, prompting a Maverick timeout. Limback's and a WIU error gave the Mavericks set point before Mountjoy's service ace clinched the 25-20 win.
 
Inside the Third Set
Omaha held a 5-4 lead before a Leatherneck error, back-to-back Blaschko kills and two straight aces by Schaecher allowed the Mavericks to expand the lead to 10-4. The Mavericks posted another 5-0 run in the set to stretch the lead from seven to 24-12. Blocks by Mitchell and Kennedy Davis denied Omaha from ending the set on a 6-0 run. Blaschko and Fairbanks teamed up to reject a Leatherneck attack and clinch the set point for a 25-13 win.
 
Inside the Fourth Set
A pair of Western Illinois errors and kill by Limback moved the set from tie at nine to a 12-9 Maverick lead. The Leathernecks tied the set back up at 16 before kills from Blaschko and Mountjoy gave Omaha the lead at 19-16.

Leading 21-20, Rylee Marshall slammed home a kill and Blase garnered an ace to force a Leatherneck timeout with the Mavericks leading 23-20. Omaha continued its momentum as Limback's kill set up match point before Limback and Marshall's block sealed the 25-20 victory.
 
What's Next
The Mavericks and Leathernecks wrap up the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Macomb, Ill. A link to live stats is available on OMavs.com.