MALIBU, Calif. – Omaha volleyball (1-6, 0-0 Summit League) came from behind to defeat UC Santa Barbara in a five-set thriller Friday in the middle match of three contests in California.
The Mavericks hit at a .324 clip in the opening set, won by Omaha 25-18, with just four errors in 34 total attacks. UC Santa Barbara took the middle two sets by scores of 25-20 and 26-24 in the second and third, respectively, before Omaha rallied for a 25-22 fourth set win, setting up the decisive fifth.
Down 10-8 in the fifth set, Matt Buttermore‘s Omaha team earned three-straight points to take a one-point lead before Kali Jurgensmeier’s service ace closed the book on the Maverick’s first win of the 2024 season.
Jurgensmeier finished her night with 15 kills to lead the Mavericks while McKenna Ruch contributed to seven blocks. Ivy Leuck dished a game-high 42 assists. Jurgensmeir’s three service aces, including the match-winner, are a new career-best.
Emily Huss tied her career-best with six kills on a new high of 10 attacks.
The Mavericks close their time in the Golden State tomorrow, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. CT against Pepperdine on ESPN+
