BROOKINGS, S.D. - In the final match of their South Dakota road trip, the Mavericks battled hard in a back-and-forth battle against a formidable squad from South Dakota State, ultimately coming up just short in a 2-3 loss Saturday afternoon.

The Mavericks fall two games below .500 for the first time this season as they now sit at 5-7 overall, and 0-2 in Summit League play. Meanwhile, the Jackrabbits improve to 7-7 with a 1-1 record in the conference.

Set by Set (25-22, 22-25, 16-25, 25-22, 12-15)

• Set one immediately set the tone for just how evenly matched both teams were today. After the Mavericks tied up the set at 11-11 with a pair of kills from Sami Clarkson and McKenna Ruch, each squad would alternate points all the way to 17-17. Ruch picked up two more kills during this sequence, as did Marriah Buss. Omaha finally broke the tie and took a 20-17 lead after a 4-0 run featuring three-straight SDSU attack errors. While the Jackrabbits would rally to re-tie the set at 22-22, the Mavericks would take the set on a couple more kills from Buss and a service ace from Clarkson.
• Set two saw some huge momentum shifts for both teams as there were six runs of at least three points. After Shayla McCormick and Buss got things started with five quick kills, South Dakota State would take seven of the next eight points to take a 10-7 lead. Omaha responded with four unanswered, including a block by McCormick, only for the Jackrabbits to follow up with five-straight points to go up 16-12. While the Mavericks would again even the score with a 4-0 run capped off by an ace from Kali Jurgensmeier, SDSU had a late surge that powered them to a set-two victory.
• Set three was the first time either team truly took control of the match, as the Jackrabbits blew the game open at 10-9 by scoring eight of the next nine points. Even with a few more kills from McCormick, Buss, and Ruch, the deficit was too great as the Mavericks couldn't get fully started on offense while the Jackrabbits took the set.
• Down 6-11 early in set four and in danger of dropping the match, Omaha finally retook control of things as they scored four-straight off kills from Buss and Jurgensmeier, and an ace from Rachel Fairbanks. After tying the set up at 14-14, Buss fired off two kills in a row to give Omaha their first lead of the set at 16-14. Things looked like they might be over when SDSU came back to take a 22-20 lead, but the Mavericks came right back and scored five unanswered, book ended by a pair of McCormick kills, and tied the match at 2-2. 
• Both teams came out hard in set five, keeping things tied at 7-7. Omaha's offense was fueled by three more kills from Buss, as well as a kill and a service ace from Ruch. The Mavericks would soon take a 10-7 lead thanks in part to another kill and a block from McCormick. Victory was almost in reach for Omaha when SDSU went on one last offensive surge, going on two separate 3-0 scoring runs to pull ahead late and take the set.

Inside the Box Score

• The Mavericks had the edge over the Jackrabbits in points (80-79), kills (66-56), and assists (63-51).
• With 21 kills, Buss had her second match in a row with at least 20, giving her four on the season. 
• McCormick earned her team-leading eighth double-double of the season after picking up 11 digs along with her 19 kills.
• Ruch is now riding a six-match double-digit kills streak after scoring 11 today. She also reached 80 total blocks on the year after adding seven more.
• Clarkson notched her second match in a row with at least 50 assists (57) and her seventh of the season. She also earned her second double-double of the year with 10 digs as well.

Up Next
After two weeks playing on the road, the Mavericks return to Baxter Arena next week to face Western Illinois on Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m. in their first Summit League tilt at home. Two days later, they will continue their home stand with a match vs. St. Thomas at 12:30 p.m.