The Basics
Score: No. 1 Omaha 3, No. 5 Oral Roberts 1
Records: Omaha (20-9, 16-2 SL), Oral Roberts (18-11, 11-7 SL)
Location: The Sanford Coyote Sports Center– Vermillion, S.D.

VERMILLION, S.D. – Top-seeded Omaha advanced to the title match compliments of a 3-1 victory over fifth-seeded Oral Roberts in the opening semifinal of the 2021 Summit League Volleyball Championship at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

The Mavericks took the opening two sets by the scores of 25-15 and 25-20, but after building 13-6 advantage early in the third set, Oral Roberts rallied to force a fourth set by finishing off its fifth set point to post a 29-27 victory.

In the fourth set, Summit League Player of the Year Sadie Limback and sophomore Mariah Buss took over for the Mavericks, who clinched their first title shot since 2017 with a 25-15 victory. The duo combined for 15 kills as Omaha hit .613 in the finale.
   
Who Stood Out

• Summit League Player of the Year Sadie Limback finished one shy of her season-high with 21 kills and added 18 digs to post her third straight double-double and ninth of the season.
• Mariah Buss registered a season-high 20 kills, including 19 in the final three sets and led the team with a .548 hitting percentage.
• Summit League Setter of the Year Sami Clarkson dished out a career-high 61 assists and added nine digs. Clarkson's efforts helped the Mavericks finish with a season-best 68 assists that led to a .344 hitting percentage.
• Shayla McCormick added 15 kills to finish one shy of her season-best. 
• Oral Roberts' Kaia Dunford and Aixa Vigil both had double-doubles for the Golden Eagles. Dunford led the team with 15 kills and had 10 digs, while Vigil added 12 kills and a team-best 13 digs.

 Turning Point

•  With the fourth set tied 12-12, Buss took over, accounting for six kills and a block assist during an 8-2 stretch for the Mavericks that put the match out of reach for ORU.

Notable

• Omaha will be making its third appearance in The Summit League Championship match, reaching the final in 2015 and 2019, falling both times to Denver.
• With the victory, Omaha posted its first 20-win season of its Division I era and first overall since 2009 under former head coach Rose Shires.  

Up Next
Omaha, who last played for the title in 2019, will meet the winner of the No. 2 South Dakota-No.6 South Dakota State matchup Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.