November 17, 2021 | by Taylor Pill

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Maranatha and Bob Jones have played each other only four times in Women's Volleyball, but tomorrow's meeting between the two teams is easily the biggest rivalry of the season. At least for Maranatha.

Ask any one of the seniors on the team and they'll tell you why: because Bob Jones is responsible for stopping Maranatha's national title run not once, but three times in a row. This year's seniors had a chance to win what would've been Maranatha's fourth straight national title in 2018, making it back to the coveted championship match.

But Bob Jones won.

The next year, things seemed to be tilting back in favor of Maranatha, who had more than ample motivation to reclaim their national fame, and once again, they made it to the title match after a roller-coaster ride through pool play.

But Bob Jones won.

Then last year, after playing through constant uncertainty and a COVID-impacted schedule during the regular season, Maranatha made it through pool play with one eye on the Bruins, then faced their nemesis again - this time in the national semifinal. Third time's the charm, right?

Bob Jones won again.

The two teams have but one context in which they've lived out the rivalry: when the stakes are at the highest point of the season. When the pressure's at its highest point. And given the results of the last three meetings, there is no doubt that the Sabercats will be gunning for some serious revenge. When the pressure's on, most coaches will tell the team something along the lines of "this is just like any other game" - the goal is to reduce the importance of the moment and focus the players on playing their game.

At least, from a spectator's view, tomorrow is anything but "any other game."

So here's all the context you need for tomorrow: three years in a row, the Sabercats have clashed with Bob Jones in the national championship. And three years in a row, the Bruins have won. Maranatha's win in the 2017 NCCAA DII National Semifinal is now a distant memory - and it shines in Maranatha's glittering trophy case of nine NCCAA national titles.

But it's BJU's title now. And it has been for the last three years.

Tomorrow at 9:30 Eastern signals the start of the tournament and the start of Pool Play for both teams, but this one hits different.

It's anything but "any other game."