OMAHA – The Bulls' volleyball team continued their play against some of the best teams in the country Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 19 Creighton in three sets at the Bluejay Invitational, despite strong stretches against the host team.

The Bluejays (4-0 overall) used six service aces to help control the tempo of the match, forcing USF's offense into tough situations to beat the Bulls (3-3) 25-15, 25-22, 25-14. USF played a strong defensive game, holding Creighton to a .183 hitting percentage, but  the Bulls couldn't break through offensively, averaging just over nine kills per set in the loss.

The first set was a game of runs as a tough-serving Creighton team sandwiched the Bulls' 6-0 run with runs of seven and six points early in the match, giving the Bluejays a 17-11 lead before either team could get through three full rotations. Creighton added a 5-0 run two points later and completed the 25-15 first-set win, out-hitting the Bulls .273-.059. USF looked strong at the net early in the set, getting a pair of solo blocks from Andrea Rodriguez Gomez to out-block the Bluejays 3-1 in the set, but managed just nine kills in the set – five coming from sophomore Erin Fairs, who finished with a team-high 11 kills and 13 digs.

The Bulls responded well in the second set, putting together a 4-0 run on Amy Van Sant's serve and grabbing a 7-3 lead. Through 16 points, USF had matched its nine first-set kills and led 16-14 with help from Kayla Bivins' four kills and a stronger serve-receive game. Tied at 22 late in the second, Creighton edged out the Bulls for the final three points, taking a 2-0 match lead heading into intermission.

Creighton used its serving game and a 7-0 run to jump out to a 16-9 lead in the third set, and didn't look back as USF sided out at just 33 percent in a 25-14 setback.

The Bulls look to rebound Saturday evening, taking on Northern Colorado at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time to finish off the tournament.