VERMILLION, S.D. – Second-seeded Omaha avoided a reverse sweep, rallying to take a 16-14 victory in the fifth set of its semifinal match against third-seeded Denver Monday at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
The Mavericks won the first two sets by the score of 25-21 and led 12-9 in the third set before Denver staged a rally that saw them win that set 25-20, then dominate the fourth set, 25-15.
The Pioneers went up early in the decisivie fifth set 6-2 and appeared to take a 14-12 lead before a challenge by Omaha reversed a potential kill into a net violation that squared things at 13-13. After a service error by DU put Omaha ahead 15-14, McKenna Ruch finished things off with her 11th kill of the match.
In the opening set, Denver built an early 6-1 lead and extended that advantage to 16-8 before the Mavericks came to life. Omaha reeled off a 10-2 run to even things up at 18-18 and closed the set on a 5-0 run thanks to back-to-back blocks by Amanda Hardt and Emily Huss.
The Mavericks overcame five service errors early in the set and ended up hitting as Shayla McCormick and Rachel Fairbanks led the way with four kills a piece. Denver's Cassie Davis had seven kills in that opening set but her efforts went for naught after Omaha rallied for the 25-21 victory.
The Pioneers scored the opening point of the second set but that would be their only lead as Omaha carried the momentum from their comeback win in the opener. The Mavericks went on a 7-1 run from there and were ahead 17-7 before DU did make things interesting down the stretch
The Pioneers went on a 7-2 run to close within 19-14 and had their deficit down to three before Fairbanks put an end to the rally with her eighth kill of the match to cap a 25-21 victory. Omaha also had five service aces in the set to aid its cause.
Denver managed to force a fourth set after pulling away late in the third set. The Pioneers led 20-19 and took advantage of four attack errrors by Omaha and a kill by Davis during a 5-1 set-closing run that allowed DU to claim a 25-20. Davis had two blocks during that closing stretch as Denver hit .250 in that set and held the Mavericks to an .068 clip.
The Pioneers controlled the fourth set from start to finish, eventually posting a 25-15 victory after hittig .455. Cassie Davis had seven of her match-high 25 kills in the set. It was the fifth time this season the graduate student eclipsed the 20-kill mark in a match.
Who Stood Out
Kali Jurgesnmeier, who was playing in just her fifth match since coming back from a two-month absene, led four Mavericks in double-digit kills with 13. Rachel Fairbanks added 12 kills and 10 digs to register her ninth double-double of the season. Ruch added 11 kills and Shayla McCormick contributed 10 for the Omaha offense. Denver's Cassie Davis had 25 kills on 56 swings to hit .357 in the match. She also added five blocks. Mackenzie Fidelak was the only other Pioneers in double-digit kills with 11. Gianna Bartolo ad a match-high 28 digs to pace the DU defensive efforts.
Turning Point
Omaha head coach Matt Buttermore used a challenge late in the fifth set that saw a kill by DU reversed into a net violation that shifted a 14-12 advantage for DU back into a 13-13 tie. From there, the Mavericks scored three of the next four points to secure the five-set victory.
Notable
- Omaha advanced to the title match for the third consecutive season but will face a new opponent after dropping the previous two against South Dakota, who was knocked out in quartefinal action Sunday against NDSU
- Denver's Cassie Davis had a match-high 25 kills, which was her fifth 20-plus kill performance of the season.
- Omaha's Rachel Fairbanks posted her ninth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs, which was her sixth in the last nine matches.
- For the fourth time this year, the Mavericks had at least 10 services aces in a match, ending the match with 11.
Up Next
Omaha will play the winner of the No. 1 Kansas City-No. 5 North Dakota State matchup in Tuesday's title match at 7 p.m. CT on Midco Sports and the Summit League Network.
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