Top News: Highlight As Omaha Volleyball Swept By Wichita State After Third Set Marathon

Maha volleyball fought off five match points on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately, Wyoming clinched a hard-fought third set to secure a win with scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 31-29 over the Mavericks at Baxter Arena.

The Cowgirls maintained leads throughout the match thanks to several extended scoring runs, improving their tournament record to 2-0.

“We had some lapses on our side,” said UNO coach Matt Buttermore. “We didn’t put enough pressure on them.”

UNO showed its strongest performance in the third set, leading for much of it. Wyoming took its first lead at 21-20 and had its initial match point at 24-23. Each time the Cowgirls had a match point, UNO responded, even earning a set point at 29-28. However, Wyoming rallied to win the next three points and secure the match.

UNO nearly shifted the momentum in the first set with their own comeback.

Wyoming surged to a 17-10 lead by scoring eight consecutive points, but UNO responded with a 10-2 run, highlighted by a kill from Brynlee Arnold, taking a 20-19 lead. Nevertheless, Wyoming managed to win five of the next six rallies to regain an early advantage.

Buttermore noted that his team didn’t react well in the second set, where the Cowgirls closed out the set with a 9-3 run. “We came out flat, and credit goes to Wyoming for not doing the same. That was the difference,” he said.

On Friday, UNO had four players with double-digit kills against Houston, but on Saturday, Kali Jurgensmeier led the team with eight kills. UNO was out-hit .242 to .107.

UNO is set to face Washington State in their final match of the season-opening tournament. Both teams hold an 0-2 record, as Houston defeated Washington State in four sets on Saturday, having previously outlasted UNO in five sets.

Buttermore emphasized that the Mavs need to improve their blocking and transition play against Washington State.