OMAHA, Neb. — Chicago State lost to Omaha 3-0 on Saturday at Baxter Arena, with set scores of 11-25, 20-25 and 10-25. CSU finished with 14 kills and a -.086 hitting percentage, committing 21 attack errors on 81 attempts. The Cougars added three aces, 25 digs and four total blocks, while Omaha hit .349 with 44 kills.

The opening set was even at 3-3 after a Graci Littlejohn kill and a block by Nina Mitchell and Camryn McCollum helped Chicago State match Omaha early. Omaha moved from a 5-4 lead to 13-4 with Maddie Stuesser serving, getting blocks involving Alizabeth Jacobsen, a Stuesser ace and kills from Lara Maric and Faith Venable during the stretch. CSU later put together brief answers, including a Jenesis Perrin-Littlejohn block and a McCollum kill, but Omaha pushed the margin to 24-10 before closing the set 25-11.

Omaha used two Faith Venable kills, a Cora Metcalf ace and a block by Dara Obeid and Maddie Stuesser to move in front 7-2 early in the second set. The Cougars cut the deficit to 11-9 as Nayella George put down a kill and Tenese Buttry served back-to-back aces, then pulled within 13-11 on a Kristine Bakhad ace. Omaha pushed back ahead 18-12 and later led 22-16 before CSU got kills from McCollum and George, an Omaha attack error and a Littlejohn block to close to 22-19. Omaha reached set point on a Venable kill, and after a Chicago State point on an attack error, Metcalf finished the set with a kill for a 25-20 Omaha win.

Littlejohn's kill from Bakhad tied the third set at 1-1, but Omaha answered with eight straight points, getting kills from Dara Obeid and Lara Maric while moving ahead 9-1. The Cougars stopped that stretch on a service error and added kills from Mitchell, Skye Riley and Bakhad, but Omaha continued to separate and reached 21-6 after a four-point run that included two Cora Metcalf kills and one from Obeid. CSU added late points on a Maddie Stuesser attack error, a block by Littlejohn and McCollum and a Perrin kill, before Obeid finished the set for Omaha, 25-10.

McCollum led Chicago State with four kills and added two block assists. Bakhad finished with 10 assists, four digs and a service ace. Littlejohn posted a team-high three total blocks, including one solo block, and added two kills. Riley converted her lone attack for a kill and collected six digs.

Up next, CSU volleyball team travels to Edwardsville, Illinois, to face NIU on Friday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m.