Photo credit: Kaitlyn Dobson
Photo credit: Kaitlyn Dobson

Maranatha Marathon

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats fell twice on Parents' Day, and their first match of the day against Viterbo was a marathon four-set loss.

After falling in four to Viterbo, the Sabercats were swept by the Loras College Duhawks to conclude the winless, competitive day on the MBU campus. 

  • Results: 
    • Maranatha 1-3 Viterbo (28-26, 16-25, 27-29, 12-25)
    • Maranatha 0-3 Loras (13-25, 16-25, 19-25)
  • Venue: MBU Gymnasium
  • Location: Watertown, Wis.
  • Attendance: 73, 56
  • Records: Maranatha (1-21), Viterbo (2-13), Loras (14-4)

The first match of the day was a marathon. Viterbo won in four, but two of the frames went into a tie.

Viterbo ran a 5-1, but John Nonn and Chris Kahler did the lion's share of the attacking for the V-Hawks, notching 20 and 25 kills, respectively. Andrew Lepage was making it all happen for VU, as the setter dished out 54 assists in the match.

For MBU, Joel Smith whacked down a career-high 11 kills while Derek Wallis led the Sabercats with 15. Rory Massey contributed nine kills and nine digs while Taylor Dafoe hit the V-Hawks for four kills, 36 assists, and eight digs.

The turning point in the first set came when a 6-0 run featuring kills from Wallis, Smith, and James Rossiter gave the Sabercats their first lead of the match at 19-16, and when the V-Hawks restored a match-point lead at 25-24, three straight points from MBU sealed the deal in a scintillating opener.

But the Sabercats' celebrations were short-lived, as Viterbo came pushing back to take the final three sets in succession. A match-high 15 kills in the third frame helped Maranatha challenged Viterbo, but it wasn't enough in the end - the morning match was a V-Hawk victory.

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In the second match of the day, the Sabercats were swept for the third time in two seasons by the Duhawks of Loras College, who are rolling this season to the tune of a 14-4 record.

MBU had a tough time passing the serve receive in the first set, as seven Duhawk points came as aces. After a 25-13 win in the opener, Loras showed they were still in the zone after sweeping Viterbo not 45 minutes prior. The closest the Sabercats could come in the second match was six points, as the hard-hitting Duhawks compiled 31 kills in the final two sets to take the double sweep back home to Dubuque.

      

(Two-match totals) 

  • Wallis: 21 kills, 7 digs, 5 blocks
  • Dafoe: 50 assists, 10 digs
  • Smith: 17 kills, 12 digs, 3 blocks
  • MBU: 64 kills

The Sabercats continue this five-match homestand with a 7:00 matchup with Graceland (Iowa) on Monday night. Follow at mbusabercats.com/composite.