Eight thousand fans came out excited for the annual volleyball showdown between Creighton and Nebraska, and they were not disappointed. Creighton lost in three (19-25, 18-25, 19-25), but forced the No. 2, undefeated Huskers to stay on their toes.

“We did a lot of good things. I didn’t think we were out of our league,” Creighton coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth said.

After getting behind early in the first set, the Jays rallied for a late comeback, pulling within three points before Nebraska closed it out.

Four kills by senior Carolyn Decker helped the Jays with another late comeback in the second set. Unfortunately, the rally came too late, and NU’s Jordan Larson put the game away with a back row kill.

The Jays were most successful in the third game, which contained 14 ties, nine lead changes, and 6.5 blocks for the Jays. After Creighton gained a 15-14 advantage, Nebraska scored 11 of the last 15 points to win the match.

Creighton finished with 30 kills, 54 digs and 8.5 blocks, while the Huskers tallied 47 kills, 65 digs and 12 blocks.

Nebraska improves to 15-0, and Creighton drops to 6-7. Six of Creighton’s losses came to NCAA tournament teams from last season.

The Jays resume conference play next weekend as they travel to Illinois State and Indiana State.