The Day Before
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Tomorrow marks the start of the third NCCAA National Invitational for Sabercats Men's Volleyball, as the team prepares to take on rigid competition at the national stage.
Maranatha will face #1 Erskine and #3 Ottawa, who won nationals in 2019 before finishing as runners-up in 2020. It will be the first games of the year for Maranatha, who are looking to capitalize on hard-earned momentum from the 2020 season.
Captain's Corner
"We know what we’re going up against," said team captain Taylor Dafoe. "We’re coming into this tournament with no fear at all and we’re not worried about the seedings. We’re just going to go in and compete. We know what to expect and we’re gonna try to win nationals this year.
"[Winning] would mean a lot. To win nationals would be super emotional for a lot of us - we're only a five-year program. Just thinking of how hard we worked over these past few years to actually compete with big schools. And we're coming in with last year's momentum into the beginning of this season.
"Who knows how short our season will be this year? This could be it. So we're just going to go out there and give it everything we have."
Inside Pool A
#1 Erskine competes for the first time at the NCCAA National Invitational but has been tabbed with the #1 seed based on their strength of schedule. The Fleet are used to facing Conference Carolinas (NCAA DII) opponents, as well as powerhouse names like Ohio State (Big Ten), Princeton (Ivy League), and George Mason (Atlantic 10).
The Fleet may have finished the 2020 season with a 4-10 record, but don't let that fool you - they have experience.
#3 Ottawa has competed in the title match in the last two years, and they will be looking to settle the score with Campbellsville after last year's championship loss. The Spirit finished the 2020 season with a 13-5 record and will be looking to give their 2021 season some momentum with their performance this weekend.
The Spirit's first season may have been just in 2018, but the young program is already playing like it's been around for a long time.
#5 Maranatha is looking to capitalize on momentum. This is the third year the Sabercats have garnered the invite to the National Invitational, and after posting their first nationals win last year, the Sabercats will be gunning for even better things to start 2021.
The big story for the Sabercats is that they haven't played a game yet this season - but they aren't the only team in the field that is going in "cold" into the tournament.
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