OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks challenged the No. 16 Creighton early on but could not come out on top as they fell 3-0 in their second match of the MH Hospitality Omaha Challenge.

Omaha drops to 0-6 on the year as the Bluejays improve to 6-2.

Set by Set: (22-25, 25-27, 12-25)

• The Mavericks made it clear early on that they were not going to let their crosstown rivals run away with this one. Early kills from Amanda Hardt, McKenna Ruch, and Shayla McCormick tied the set at 7-7. After the Bluejays started to pull away a bit, back-to-back kills from Ruch and a service ace from Rachel Fairbanks made it a one-point game at 14-13. Five attack and service errors from Creighton and a kill from Fairbanks kept Omaha alive later in the set at 23-22, only for the Bluejays to just barely hang on to win on an ace.
• Set two proved to be even closer than the first, with Omaha eventually reaching set point at 24-22. As the Bluejays continued to have trouble handling the ball cleanly and getting it over the net, a steady stream of kills from Ruch and Hardt kept Omaha on top. However, with the Mavericks at set point, Creighton managed to score three in a row to go up 25-24. While Ruch's fifth kill of the set briefly tied it up at 25-25, the Bluejays would be the ones to score the final two points and take a 2-0 lead.
• The final set was all Creighton as the Bluejays initially came out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back. Though Hardt continued to play well, adding three more kills, and fellow freshman Emily Huss picked up another kill and a block, the early deficit proved to be too great to overcome.

Inside the Box Score

• Making her first appearance in nearly two years, Kenedy Schaecher was the starting libero for the Mavericks. She ended the day with a team-leading 10 digs, as well as four assists and an ace.
• Ruch broke double-digit kills for the first time this season as she led the team with 11 on the day.

Up Next
The Mavericks close out the Omaha Challenge tomorrow at 6 p.m. when they host Iowa State.