LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Maranatha Men's Volleyball season came to a close today with two straight-set losses at home to NCAA Division III powerhouse California-Santa Cruz.

The Sabercats fought all the way to the end of the doubleheader - seniors Taylor Dafoe, Isaac McKee, James Rossiter, Joel Smith, and Steve Wagner played their final games for Maranatha.

OVERVIEW

• Match 1: Maranatha 0-3 Santa Cruz (13-25, 22-25, 19-25)
• Match 2: Maranatha 0-3 Santa Cruz (18-25, 18-25, 15-25)
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 87, 104
• Records: Maranatha (2-16), Santa Cruz (5-0)

STORY

The Slugs came out swinging, smacking down 15 kills in the opener and attacking at a clip of 44 percent to take a 25-13 win. Santa Cruz held Maranatha to attacking below 0 percent, showing right out of the gate why they've competed for recent NCAA national titles.

Maranatha slowed the Slugs' progress down in the second set but still came up short in the end after a 25-22 all-out battle characterized by determined defending. The Slugs had won the second set, but they had lost some momentum. Like the second set, the third was close, as Maranatha chalked up 19 points to keep pace with Santa Cruz. Cinjun Coe and Xander Vriesman combined for 23 kills for Santa Cruz while Phillip Holbrook cranked out 6 for Maranatha in the opener.

Santa Cruz had completed the straight-set win, but Maranatha had made a statement.

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The second match of the day just restarted the battle. Maranatha fought to a 25-18 loss in the first two sets but struggled to generate momentum offensively. On the other side of the net, Santa Cruz muscled through the first two sets with 31 kills and 6 blocks.

Isaac McKee and Taylor Dafoe both reached significant career milestones in the final match of the season. McKee passed the 300-kills mark while Dafoe registered his 1,500th career assist. But Santa Cruz was gaining momentum as the game went on, and they ran out to a 25-15 win in the final set to take their second sweep from the Sabercats.

.@TjDabro just reached 1,500 career assists in his final match as a Sabercat!! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/lsC6sIlhCy

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) March 27, 2021

As the match came to a close, the Sabercats showcased their defining trait since becoming a varsity program four seasons ago: fight. All the way to the final point of the last set, the Sabercats remained focused, resilient, and determined - just some of the traits that have helped shape this program from the ground up.

Seniors Taylor Dafoe, Isaac McKee, James Rossiter, Joel Smith, and Steve Wagner all played their final game for Maranatha.

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Maranatha Starters: 4- McKee, 5- Dafoe, 6- Rossiter, 10- Warner, 12- Holbrook, 13- Wagner (L), 15- Smith

STATS 

• Box Score Game 1
• Box Score Game 2
• Dafoe: Reached 1,500 career assists
• McKee: Reached 300 career kills
• Series: Santa Cruz now leads the series 2-0

OPPONENTS

• Santa Cruz competes in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference
• Santa Cruz's 10-game trip to the Midwest comprises their entire regular-season schedule
• Santa Cruz finished as the 2019 NCAA DIII National Runner-Up

NEXT

A full season recap will be coming at mbusabercats.com.