OMAHA – The previously unbeaten Drake University volleyball team suffered its first setback of the season, falling 3-0 to UCF, in the first match of the Omaha Invitational.

The Knights (3-1) swept the Bulldogs (5-1), 25-23, 25-20, 25-23, behind 20 kills from Kia Bright. Drake was led by Kyla Inderski's 20 kills while four others registered four or more kills in the loss. The Bulldogs recorded 10 blocks in the match with Katie Dulek (Lenexa, Kan.) and Katie Allen (Mokena, Ill.) each recording four. Rebecca Brown (Bentonville, Ark.) had 13 assists and 10 digs.

“We played pretty well against a very good team, but they edged us in the areas they needed in order to win,” Drake head coach Darrin McBroom said. “We were able to compete and contend point for point against a team of this caliber and I think speaks well of where our team is at and what it took to get here.”

UCF began the year as the preseason favorite to win the American Athletic Conference championship.

Drake held a 15-12 advantage in the first set until UCF started chipping away with an 11-5 run to take a 23-20 lead. The Bulldogs clawed back within a point at set point, but a UCF kill gave the Knights the 25-23 win to open the match.

The second set started equally as tight until UCF used a 7-2 spurt to build up a 19-14 lead. That margin never dipped below three points as the Knights took the second set, 25-20.

The Bulldogs responded to the 2-0 deficit in the match by jumping out to a 10-4 lead in the third set thanks for four kills from Inderski. From there, the set was another close affair as neither team led by more than three points with the match knotted at 20-20 for the final points. But two kills in the final five points from Bright propelled UCF to the 25-23 in in the set and the 3-0 victory in the match.

The Bulldogs continue competition at the Omaha Invitational on Saturday against the hosts, Omaha, at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 4 p.m. match against North Dakota.