THE OVERVIEW

• Results: Maranatha 0-3 Mount Mercy (18-25, 19-25, 17-25) Maranatha 0-3 Judson (23-25, 19-25, 13-25)
• Venue: Hennessey Rec Center, Mount Mercy University
• Attendance: 110, 51
• Record: Sabercats are now 2-11
• Next Match for MBU: Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. at Loras

THE LEAD

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- For a young program, competitive improvement is the name of the game. The Sabercats showed competitiveness in their last outing against 2 established NAIA programs.

THE STORY

This wasn't the first time the Sabercats have faced the powerhouse Mustangs of Mount Mercy University. But despite playing the Mustangs at their home court, the Sabercats notched 5 more points against MMU compared to the previous meeting of the 2 teams, which took place last month at MBU. In this second fixture, Maranatha fought hard in each set, staying tight with the Mustangs until late in each of the 3 frames. Unfortunately for MBU, Mount Mercy showed the quality of the 12-3 side that they are, as the pulled away at the end to seal the win in each set.

The Sabercats also limited the Mustangs to hitting .226, compared to .349 from the January clash. Consistency was evident in the Sabercats' play as well, as they had a clean average of 18 points per set against the hard-hitting Mustangs.

Derek Wallis came ready to play, as he registered 14 kills, 6 digs, and 2 blocks. The 14-kill mark was the highest mark for Wallis in a 3-set match this season.

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Up next was Judson University - another NAIA school, and a tall one at that. Judson came in hungry for a win, and their determination paid off in the end against the Sabercats. Maranatha started well by forcing the first set into a 23-23 tie, but after falling 25-23 in the opener, the Sabercats got sloppy in the closing stages of the match. In the last 2 sets combined, the Sabercats hit below the .000 mark and took away an average of 16 points in the last two sets.

On the other side of the net, Judson's Manny Andrade proved to be the danger man, as he registered 22 of the Eagles' 38 kills in the match.

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Despite the losses on the scoreboard, the Sabercats showed the grit that has characterized them in a difficult inaugural season. Down the road, they will be looking to cash in on their investment in terms of results.

THE NUMBERS

Wallis recorded 22 kills in the 2 matches combined.

Luke Hassenplug had a good day at the net with 6 kills and 5 blocks.

Joel Depue scrambled for 29 digs over the 2-match stretch.

Matt Wetzel logged 25 assists on the day.

THE CALENDAR

The Sabercats will travel to Loras College Tuesday to complete the match that was scheduled for Feb. 9. The first serve is set for 4 p.m. Catch the details at mbusabercats.com/composite.