OMAHA – The Gophers wanted this moment, a rematch with Creighton in the second round of the NCAA tournament to showcase the growth they’ve displayed since losing to the Bluejays in September.

Turns out Creighton has been improving, too.

The Bluejays defeated the Gophers 25-21, 25-20, 29-27 behind a swelling home crowd in a match where they were simply more effective.

Creighton rode the setting of Kendra Wait and the attack of Norah Sis and Ava Martin — a trio of Big East superstars that reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in their careers.

This wasn’t the discombobulated Gophers that showed up in early losses this season, but their offense struggled to find rhythm as they were kept running all over the court to keep balls alive.

Then there was that home court advantage.

The sold-out D.J. Sokol Arena didn’t disappoint. The Bluejays, undefeated here this season, have become a tournament mainstay under coach Kristen Bernthal Booth but have struggled to reach the second weekend. Their fans knew the magnitude of this match and were rabid. They exploded when Gophers coach Keegan Cook called timeouts after Creighton went on a scoring run. Students in blue and white face paint and pinstripe pants barked like dogs anytime the Gophers went back to serve.

It was the kind of atmosphere that college volleyball fans exalt in, and the Gophers seemed uncomfortable in the early goings.

Kylie Murr lunged for a ball late that appeared headed out of bounds, Lydia Grote stacked up uncharacteristic attack errors, and the offense didn’t get going until late in the first set — making it 23-21 before the Bluejays closed it out.

The second set was just as tight, all it took was one crucial scoring run to swing the momentum. The Gophers had finally quieted the crowd, taking a 14-12 lead when errors started stacking up. Creighton ran off six-straight points to take a 18-14 lead. In this tense of a match, that was the difference.

A sweep can feel a certain way, but the Gophers were far from overwhelmed. Arica Davis was phenomenal on the attack, with punishing swings off assists from Melani Shaffmaster. Taylor Landfair searched for gaps and Mckenna Wucherer swung mightily on the attack, everyone was diving on defense — the team posting 55 digs.

The third set was a showcase of the Gophers best characteristic this season: their resolve. They crawled to keep points alive, literally, with Zeynep Palabiyik hitting a pass over from her stomach. Shaffmaster used all of her offensive tools to help the Gophers build a 18-14 lead. Even that wasn’t enough as Sis and Wait ripped kills while the crowd screamed, “Let’s Go Jays!” The set tightened and swayed. Extra points heaving with tension. Creighton finally won the match, after a Cook challenge, on a kill by Ellie Bichelmeyer.

Losing in this environment, to this level of team, doesn’t diminish the Gophers turnaround this season. But it served as a reminder that how they start next season will matter just as much as how they end it — especially if they want to get back to hosting tournament matches and avoid this kind of mania in the early rounds.

The bulk of this roster will have to rebound from this loss, only Murr and middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye are slated to graduate. Those two were essential to the development of this roster, transfers that helped steady the Gophers in Cook’s first year.

Even if their careers didn’t end the way they hoped, huddled on the court one last time while the crowd cheered their opponents, they provided something essential — a framework their teammates and coaches can build on next year.