FARGO, N.D. - After four consecutive wins, the Mavericks were finally stopped on the road when North Dakota State narrowly defeated them 3-2 Thursday night.
With just two matches left in the regular season, the Mavericks, who have already clinched a playoff spot, are virtually tied now with NDSU for second place in the Summit League at 17-9 and 12-4 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Bison improve to 19-8 with a 12-3 record in league play.
Set by Set (21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 15-17)
- The Mavericks were never able to hold a lead in set one after immediately falling behind 0-2 to start the day. Down 9-16, it seemed like they were on the verge of one of their patented late comebacks as they fired off five unanswered points, including a kill and a block each for McKenna Ruch and Kali Jurgensmeier. However, despite three more late kills from Shayla McCormick, the Bison were able to pull away at the last second.
- Omaha got off to a hot, 5-1 start in set two thanks to a couple of kills from Mariah Murdie, only for the Bison to come right back and take the lead. This time, though, the Mavericks were able to fight back as they tied the set at 16-16 on four-straight Bison errors. From there, a few more costly errors for North Dakota State, along with kills from Ruch, McCormick, and Rachel Fairbanks allowed Omaha to tie the match at 1-1.
- Once again, the Mavericks came out to an early lead, going up 6-3 after three kills from Marriah Buss, only for North Dakota State to gradually claw its way back, eventually coming out ahead 17-14. Omaha managed to keep it close thanks to three more kills from Ruch, but it was too little too late as the Bison won another set.
- With their backs against the wall, it was finally time for the Mavericks to pull off a stunning comeback. Facing an 8-12 deficit, a couple of NDSU errors and a block from Ruch and Buss, along with a Jaiden Centeno ace tied everything up. The Bison were able to briefly retake the lead, only for Omaha to again tie it at 19-19 on another kill from Ruch. Back-to-back kills from McCormick would break the tie and put Omaha up 24-23, paving the way for Murdie and Buss to close out the set with two more kills.
- Set five was about as close as it gets, as neither team was able to take a lead larger than two points. Initially, Omaha went up 8-6 on a 4-0 run that began with a kill and an ace from McCormick. After NDSU retook the lead, McCormick again came in clutch with three-straight kills to make it 14-12, before adding another a couple minutes later to get the Mavericks to match point at 15-14. Unfortunately, things did not end up going in Omaha's favor as the Bison scored three in a row to win the set and match.
Inside the Box Score
- The Mavericks held a slight edge in kills (77-73), hitting percentage (.343-.287), and assists (69-68), while being tied in blocks (6-6).
- Sami Clarkson reached 50 assists for the first time since September 24, when she racked up 57 against South Dakota State. Not only is this her seventh time reaching this mark this season, but it also puts her at 4095 career assists, just seven away from third place on Omaha's all-time assists leader board.
- McCormick earned her 15th double-double of the season after tying her career high with 21 kills, along with 13 digs.
- Buss was just one kill away from her fifth 20+ kill match of the season as she scored 19 today.
- With a .586 hitting percentage, Ruch topped .500 for the third time this season and the eighth time in her career.
Up Next
The Mavericks will play their final road match of the season this Saturday at 11 am when they head to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota.
