One in the Books: Sabercats fall to Panthers to Conclude Season

THE OVERVIEW

• Results: Maranatha 0-3 Greenville (20-25, 19-25, 22-25)
• Venue: H.J. Long Gymnasium, Greenville University
• Attendance: 147
• Record: Sabercats finish the season at 4-24

THE LEAD

GREENVILLE, Ill. — The Sabercats exited the H.J. Long Gymnasium with their heads held high after competing and improving against an established NCAA DIII program - it was a microcosm of a promising season of "firsts" for MBU.

Despite a straight-set loss to the Greenville University Panthers, Maranatha came together as a team and recorded 30 kills in the match - it was just the fourth time this season that MBU reached the 30-kills mark in a 3-match set.

THE STORY 

The match was tightly contested. Each set was decided by a slim margin, and neither team gained any real control of any one set.

Maranatha started off with the lead in the first set, but a mid-set killing spree from GU's Kyle Ward shifted the momentum, giving the hosts a 17-21 lead. Andrew Carpenter tried to keep the Sabercats in it, as the big man recorded 4 kills in the opener, but Ward and the Panthers had other ideas. Greenville finished what they had started, winning the first set by 5 points. 

Greenville never trailed in the second act. In the early goings, it was back-and-forth, tooth-and-nail stuff, as both attacks heated up in the early stages of the set. Carpenter found support in Devon Steuerwald, Luke Hassenplug, and Brendan Burckart at the net, as Maranatha showcased the balanced attack that has been present all season long. Despite pressure from MBU, the hosts held on, posting an 8-2 run in the middle of the set to extend the lead out to 6 points.

With the tightness of this match, it might as well have been a 60-point cushion - that's what it must have felt like to the Panthers, anyway.

Greenville kept the 6-point lead to win the second set, 19-25. 

The third set gave people what they expected: another tight opener. Derek Wallis led the charge for Maranatha, as he has done this entire season, and the Sabercats began to gain momentum with a mid-set 6-2 run that made it a 1-point contest.

Shortly after, Maranatha recorded 3 unanswered points to hold an 18-17 lead - their first significant lead since the opening set.

Re-enter the Panthers, whose determination - and some quick-handed hitting from Peter Binder - pulled them through. Greenville posted a 6-2 run to help them to a scape-by 25-22 win in the third and final set.

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The win sealed the match for Greenville, and it was the final chapter in the Sabercats' first season on the NCAA varsity stage.

There's no denying that this Sabercats team has come a long way since they started. The odds were against this rookie team all season long but they showed grit, determination, and enjoyment as they went. And they certainly improved along the way.

A solid "first step" for the program, and one to build on in future seasons? No doubt about it. 

THE NUMBERS

Wallis - as per usual - led Maranatha with 9 kills and added 4 digs and 3 blocks.

Carpenter contributed 7 kills and 5 blocks. That's the fifth time this season Carpenter has had 5 blocks or more.

Hassenplug pitched in 6 kills.

Steuerwald cashed in 4 kills and 2 blocks.

Joel Depue added 10 digs and 2 assists.

Tim Kile and Matt Wetzel notched 15 and 12 assists, respectively.

The Sabercats' mark of 30 kills was their best in a 3-set match since March 3.

THE OUTLOOK

A more in-depth recap of the Sabercats' first intercollegiate varsity season will be forthcoming at mbusabercats.com.