OMAHA, Neb.  – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to Morningside University on Friday evening, 25-18, 25-22, 25-14.

The Braves battled in the opening two frames, hitting .139 in the first set and improving to .167 in the second. However, Morningside's efficient offense and defensive pressure proved difficult to overcome as the Mustangs closed out the match in three.

Offensively, Samantha Stahl led Ottawa with nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage, while Hollie Peters and Kira Cherry added six and five kills, respectively. Makela Martinez paced the offense with 12 assists, and Madison Brauner contributed 11. From the service line, the Braves tallied four aces, including two from Carson Schuman.

Defensively, Schuman anchored the back row with a team-high 21 digs. At the net, Ottawa totaled 5.0 blocks, highlighted by solo blocks from Bailee Nickel, Lillian Holden, and Campbell Stark.

Morningside was led by Emma Haren's 11 kills and Adelyn Harris' .667 hitting percentage. The Mustangs finished with 41 kills as a team, hitting .248 while recording 6.0 blocks and six service aces.

Ottawa (0-4) returns to the court on Saturday, Aug. 30 against The Master's. The match is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.