TULSA, Okla. – Coming off three-straight shutout victories, the Mavericks kept their momentum rolling on the road as they swept Oral Roberts University 3-0 Thursday evening, winning four in a row for the first time this season.
The Mavericks continue to climb the Summit League standings as their new 9-7 record and 4-2 conference mark put them in fourth place. As for the Golden Eagles, they drop to 5-12 overall, but remain at .500 in the conference at 3-3.
Set by Set: (25-18, 25-21, 26-24)
- Omaha got off to another hot start today, taking an early 2-0 lead on a kill and a service ace by Shayla McCormick. The Golden Eagles managed to hang on for a little while in the first half, but after a 5-0 scoring run that saw two kills and a block from Kali Jurgensmeier, the Mavericks took a 14-10 lead and never looked back. McKenna Ruch logged three additional kills in the second half of the set, while Rachel Fairbanks picked up a couple of her own before Jurgensmeier closed things out with her third of the day.
- The Mavericks pulled away early on in set two when they scored six unanswered points to take a 10-4 lead. Olivia Curry recorded two aces during this run, while Marriah Buss added two more kills to her stat sheet. Ruch and Brilee Wieseler would also pick up a service ace each during this set, in addition to McCormick who notched her second of the match earlier on. Though ORU did mount a late comeback attempt, scoring five in a row to make it 23-20 Omaha, another kill from Ruch got the Mavericks to set point, paving the way for McCormick to finish them off.
- Oral Roberts gave the Mavericks a run for their money in set three, coming out to a 15-7 lead halfway through. With their hopes of getting a fourth-straight sweep looking bleak, Omaha gradually started to make up some ground and eventually got within three points at 16-19, thanks in part to three more aces from McCormick, Sami Clarkson, and Jaiden Centeno. Jurgensmeier also scored a pair of kills, and Mariah Murdie got in on the action as well with a kill of her own. Then, trailing 17-22, a few costly errors by the Golden Eagles, in conjunction with kills from Buss and Ruch, allowed the Mavericks to tie it up at 22-22. McCormick then recorded the next three Omaha kills to give them a 25-24 lead, before one last block from Jurgensmeier and Murdie ensured another sweep for the Mavericks.
Inside the Box Score
- Omaha’s sheer dominance continues to show itself throughout the current streak, as they topped the Golden Eagles in kills (39-36), assists (37-32), digs (43-42), and most impressive of all, aces (9-1).
- McCormick now has nine double-doubles this season after leading the team with 11 kills and 11 digs. Her three aces also led all players today.
- Buss tied McCormick with 11 kills, giving her 10 matches this year with double-digit kills.
- This was the first time this season that Curry led the team in assists, picking up 17 along with her two aces.
- Likewise, tonight was the first time Jurgensmeier has led the team in total blocks, stopping six shots while also scoring six kills of her own.
Up Next
The Mavericks will close out their road trip this Saturday at 1 p.m. when they head to Kansas City, Missouri for a Summit League match with the Kansas City Roos.
