OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Mavericks dropped the first two sets before overcoming a 14-12 deficit in the fifth set to capture a 3-2 win (23-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-14, 16-14) in a five-set thriller vs. Kansas City on Sunday at Baxter Arena.
 
The win pushes the Mavericks to 3-2 (2-1 Summit League) on the season while Kansas City falls to 2-1 (2-1).
 
Leaders for Omaha
McKenna Ruch posted a match-high 14 kills with 12 digs for her third double-double of the season. Sadie Limback tallied 13 kills and Claire Leonard totaled a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.
 
Rylee Marshall garnered a match-high nine blocks with eight kills while Anna Blaschko had eight kills and six blocks. Sami Clarkson recorded a double-double with 49 assits and 11 digs and Claire Mountjoy had a match-high 27 digs.
 
Leaders for Kansas City
Melanie Brecka led the Roos with 11 kills and nine digs. Alex Ratzlaff posted eight kills and 14 digs, followed by eight kills by Ashia Dorsey.
 
Alli Schomers handed out 43 assists and recorded nine digs and four kills.
 
Team Stats
Omaha hit .183 to Kansas City's .075. As a team, the Mavericks had 57 kills with five service aces and 77 digs. Omaha posted a dominant 16-6 advantage in blocks over the Roos. KC totaled 50 kills with six service aces and 70 digs.
 
Inside the First Set
Trailing 15-11, the Mavericks climbed back to tie the set at 20. Omaha and Kansas City traded points before the Roos escaped with a 25-23 victory in the opening set.
 
Ruch and Marshall led the attack early for Omaha with five and four kills, respectively. Limback, Blaschko and Marshall tallied three blocks apiece for the Maverick defense. Brecka had four kills to pace Kansas City early.
 
Inside the Second Set
Omaha led halfway through the set on a kill by Limback to take a 13-10 lead over the Roos. Kansas City responded with a 10-3 run to hold a 20-16 advantage. The Mavericks got within 21-19 after Ruch's kill but the Roos held off a comeback attempt by Omaha to post the 25-20 second-set win.
 
Kansas City hit .207 while limiting the Mavericks to .091. Brecka and Warren had three kills to push the Roos in the set. Blaschko hit .444 and had four kills while Ruch added four kills and three digs.
 
Inside the Third Set
After exchanging scores throughout much of the set, Kansas City took a 22-19 lead after a service ace by Alex Ratzlaff. Back-to-back KC errors and a kill by Ruch tied the set back up at 22. Olivia Curry's ace gave the Mavericks the lead and kills by Ruch and Marshall clinched the 25-22 comeback win in the third set for Omaha.
 
Limback notched five kills, followed by four kills by Leonard and Ruch while the Mavericks hit .220 as a team. Omaha limited the Roos to .051 hitting in the set and Mountjoy had nine of her digs in the third set.
 
Inside the Fourth Set
Fresh off the third-set victory, the Mavericks opened the set with a 10-2 lead after back-to-back kills by Limback and Blaschko. Kansas City battled back to get the score within three at 14-11 before the Mavericks reeled off an 11-3 rally to cruise to a 25-14 win and tie the match up at two.
 
Limback and Leonard combined for nine of Omaha's 13 kills in the set while the Maverick defense stifled the Roos to a -.056 hitting percentage.
 
Inside the Fifth Set
The Roos raced out to a quick 7-3 lead before holding a 12-8 lead over the Mavericks late in the set. Omaha stormed back behind kills from Leonard and Limback, an ace by Mountjoy and a KC error to tie it up at 12.

Facing match point at 14-12, Leonard and Kenedy Schaecher posted back-to-back kills. Omaha took a 15-14 lead before Blaschko and Leonard stuffed a KC attack at the net to clinch the 3-2 come-from-behind win for Omaha.
 
What's Next
Omaha and Kansas City wrap up the doubleheader tomorrow at Baxter Arena with first serve set for 6:30 p.m.