LONG BEACH, Calif. – Omaha volleyball opened a challenging west coast stretch with a hard fought three set loss at Long Beach State.
Playing on the court at Walter Pyramid where five NCAA indoor championship banners hang, the Mavericks (0-6) matched Long Beach State (3-2) swing for swing much of the first two sets before eventually falling, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22.
Mavericks senior Shayla McCormick led both teams with 14 digs and nine kills, moving her closer to 1,000 in both career categories. She now has 992 career digs and 958 kills in 94 career matches at Omaha. Mavericks junior Kali Jurgensmeier finished with eight kills and two blocks.
In the opening set, neither team built more than a three point lead until late when the Beach went on a run to go up 23-18. Omaha typically countered, as Sarah Galligan’s ace and McCormick’s kill cut the margin to 23-21 before the Beach closed out the 25-21 win.
The second set was competitive from the outset once again. Omaha’s Jurgensmeier provided a spark when entering the lineup mid-set with a block and two kills, the latter tying the game at 13. Long Beach State then reeled off seven straight points en route to the second set win, 25-17.
Long Beach controlled the third set early before a late Mavericks run cut the margin to 24-22. But Long Beach State finished off the 25-22 win and the sweep.
Meghan Tiahrt, a sophomore from Sioux Falls, played in her first career match, coming up with two digs.
Next the Mavericks travel up Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu for matches in the Pepperdine Asics Classic, Friday Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. CT versus UC Santa Barbara (2-5), who fell to #2 Stanford in four sets Tuesday night. Omaha then plays the Wave Saturday Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. CT. Pepperdine also lost in four sets to Stanford, Wednesday night.
The Mavericks are playing on the road for the first time this season. Their six matches leading to the start of Summit League play are away from Baxter Arena.
UNO Volleyball comes up short at Long Beach State
