OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks dropped a pair of matches to close the Bluejay Invitational. Omaha and SMU battled through five sets with the Mustangs winning 3-2. Omaha then faced off with crosstown rival Creighton who took a 3-0 win.

With the losses, Omaha falls to 2-6 on the year.

Match One: SMU 3, Omaha 2 (15-25, 25-15, 17-25, 25-22, 12-15)
How It Happened

• The first set started competitively with seven ties and seven lead changes between the Mavericks and Mustangs. SMU was able to gain a bit of ground with a 3-0 run highlighted by an ace and kill to edge Omaha 14-11. The Mavericks would get within two of the Mustangs twice later in the set, but a 5-0 run capped the win for SMU, 25-15.
• Omaha took an edge early in the second set with a 3-0 run to take a 6-2 lead. The Mustangs chipped away at the lead and got within one of the Mavericks on a kill from Kaitlyn Knobbe. Rylee Marshall and Rachel Fairbanks recorded late kills in an Omaha 3-0 run to take a 19-11 lead. The teams traded points to end the set with the Mavericks prevailing, 25-15.
•  The Mavericks opened the third set on a 7-2 tear. Lakyn Graves and Limback tallied back-to-back kills followed by two aces from Clarkson. The Mustangs got within three twice before using a 9-0 run to jump out to a 17-12 lead. Lily Heim recorded three aces in the stretch. Limback, Buss, and McKenna Ruch attacked for Omaha late in the set, but momentum stayed in SMU's favor winning 25-17.
• Set four was the closest of the day. It saw 13 lead changes and 12 ties. Neither team led by more than two points until the end of the set. Omaha took a 23-21 lead on an attack error from SMU. Limback closed the set with two kills to capture the win 25-22.
• Heim recorded another ace for the Mustangs to start the fifth set. The ace sparked an 10-3 run for SMU. The Mavericks responded with a 4-0 run. Marshall sparked it with a kill. The run also saw two aces from Fairbanks. Omaha got within two of SMU three times with a kill from Buss and two attack errors from the Mustangs. Kaylyn Winkler closed the match with a kill sealing the win for SMU, 3-0.

Inside the Box Score

• Limback tied her season-high 22 kills and hit .462 on the match. She tallied 22 last weekend vs. Arizona State.
• Buss added 12 kills.
• Claire Mountjoy, Fairbanks, and Shayla McCormick recorded double-figure digs. Mountjoy recorded 18, while Fairbanks and McCormick added 13 and 12, respectively.
• Sami Clarkson fell short of a double-double with 53 assists and eight digs. She added five aces for Omaha.
• SMU led in kills (64-56) and blocks (9-3). 
• Omaha led in aces (10-9), assists (62-54), and digs (63-61)

Match Two: Creighton 3, Omaha 0 (17-25, ​​​​​​18-25, 16-25)
How it Happened

• The Mavericks came out hot offensively notching the first two points of the match. Limback got things going with a kill out of the gate. Buss and Graves made it a 4-2 lead with early kills for Omaha. Rylee Marshal extended Omaha's lead with back-to-back solo blocks extending the lead to 7-3. Kendra Wait sparked a 4-0 run for Creigton with a kill that gave the Bluejays their first lead of the set, 9-8. Creighton pulled away with a 7-1 run to take a 15-10 lead. Despite late kills from Buss, Omaha fell 25-17.
• The Bluejays opened the second set with an ace, but the Mavericks responded with a 5-0 run sparked by a kill from Graves. Limback tallied a kill and block in the run. Buss and Limback scored on two consecutive kills sparking a 4-0 run. Graves and Buss stepped up with a block to end the run giving Omaha a 14-6 edge. Creighton chipped away at Omaha's lead and gained the lead with a 12-0 run to edge the Mavericks. Keeley Davis tallied two straight kills, while Naomi Marshall and Norah Sis each recorded a kill to knot it 18-18. A solo block from Sis would capture the lead and the Bluejays wouldn't give up another point. Creighton took a 2-0 advantage with a 25-18 win in set two.
• Omaha took an early 5-2 lead over Creighton to start set three with two kills from Buss and Limback and a block from Limback and Graves. The Bluejays then took charge with a 10-1 run leading to a five-point lead. Fairbanks used a kill and an ace to cut the lead to three for Omaha, but Creighton used a 9-3 run to extend the lead to double-digits, 20-10. Despite kills from four different Mavericks, the Bluejays pulled away for a 25-16 win.

Inside the Box Score

• Mountjoy was named All-Tournament. 
• She finished with 14 digs vs. Creighton.
• Fairbanks led the Mavericks with 10 kills. She notched a double-double with 10 digs. Fairbanks also tallied the only Omaha ace of the match.
• Clarkson tallied 29 assists.
• Marshall recorded two solo blocks.

Up Next
Omaha returns to Baxter Arena for its home opener. The Mavericks will play Weber State on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. It is the first match of a three-game tournament. Weber State and Kansas State will play on Friday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. and action will close with Omaha vs. Kansas State on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.