Inside Pool A
November 16, 2022 | by Taylor Pill
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The 2022 NCCAA DII National Tournament begins tomorrow morning, and the Sabercats are preparing for Pool A, which holds two South Region and one Southwest Region opponent.
Maranatha, the only North Region representative, opens play tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern against #5 Toccoa Falls College and will go on to face #8 Johnson University Florida and #1 Manhattan Christian College in pool play.
The top two teams will advance out of pool play and qualify for the NCCAA National Semifinal.
The tournament will be held in Kissimmee, Florida Thursday through Saturday, with the schedule as follows (all times Eastern):
| Date | Time (EST) | Matchup |
| Thursday, 11/17 | 11:30 a.m. | #4 Maranatha vs #5 Toccoa Falls |
| Thursday, 11/17 | 7:30 p.m. | #4 Maranatha vs #8 Johnson (Fla.) |
| Friday, 11/18 | 1:30 p.m. | #4 Maranatha vs #1 Manhattan |
| Saturday, 11/19 | 10 a.m./12:30 p.m. | National Semifinals |
| Saturday, 11/19 | 5 p.m. | National Championship |
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LINKS
SCHEDULE :: LIVE VIDEO (PPV) :: TOURNAMENT INFO :: LIVE STATS
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FIELD
Here is an overview of the field:
| Pool A | Qualifying Method | Location | Nickname | Record | Power Rating | 2021 Finish |
| #1 Manhattan Christian | Southwest Champion | Manhattan, Kan. | Thunder | 26-4 | 5.134 | Semifinal |
| #4 Maranatha | North Champion | Watertown, Wis. | Sabercats | 23-5 | 4.600 | 1st Round |
| #5 Toccoa Falls | At-Large (South) | Ankeny, Iowa | Eagles | 11-9 | 3.853 | DNP |
| #8 Johnson (Fla.) | Host | Kissimmee, Fla. | Suns | 8-13 | 2.551 | DNP |
| Pool B | ||||||
| #2 Arlington Baptist | At-Large (Southwest) | Arlington, Texas | Patriots | 19-3 | 4.701 | DNP |
| #3 Bob Jones | South Champion | Greenville, S.C. | Bruins | 23-11 | 4.507 | Champion |
| #6 Boyce | At-Large (Mideast) | Louisville, Ky. | Bulldogs | 14-16 | 3.161 | DNP |
| #7 Welch | Mideast Champion | Nashville, Tenn. | Flames | 14-10 | 3.443 | DNP |
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A CLOSER LOOK AT POOL A
#1 Manhattan Christian (26-4, 20-1 NCCAA) enters the tournament after beating #2 Arlington Baptist 3-1 in the Southwest Region Championship. Last year's national semifinalists will be looking to make no mistake in their bid for the title, as they have captured both the Southwest Region title and the Midwest Christian College Conference Championship earlier this season.
The Thunder went a perfect 10-0 against MCCC opponents and their only blemish in NCCAA competition this year was a five-set loss to Arlington Baptist in September. Manhattan is the hottest team coming into the tournament, as their 15-match unbeaten streak extends all the way back to September 14, when they took a loss at NCCAA DI opponents Central Christian.
The last time Maranatha met the Thunder was in a 3-0 win at the Faith Spikefest Tournament in 2017. Maranatha holds an 8-0 series advantage all-time.
#5 Toccoa Falls (11-9, 8-3 NCCAA) come in as an at-large selection from the South Region. The Eagles missed the 2021 national tournament but had qualified for the previous four, so they will look to make the most of their return. Most notably, the Eagles defeated the #3 seed for the tournament, Bob Jones University, in the NCCAA regular season on October 14.
Maranatha held off Toccoa Falls 3-1 in pool play at the 2019 NCCAA National Tournament, but haven't taken on the Eagles since. All-time, Maranatha holds a 6-0 series advantage, each of the matches coming at NCCAA Nationals.
#8 Johnson (Fla.) (8-13, 7-5 NCCAA) returns to the tournament as tournament host and one of three South Region representatives. The Suns went 0-3 in pool play at last year's tournament.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Maranatha and Johnson Florida.
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The stage is set, and the action starts tomorrow. Visit mbusabercats.com/schedule for up-to-date information on the tournament all weekend long.
