WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats had their hands full in their final home match of the season tonight, taking a 3-0 loss to Illinois Tech.

Seniors Robert Kile and Derek Wallis both played in their final home game for the Blue and Gold tonight in the straight-set loss.

• Result: Maranatha 0-3 IIT (12-25, 15-25, 19-25)
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 52
• Records: Maranatha (1-23), Illinois Tech (7-12)

In the first set, the Sabercats had a hard time dealing with the quick swinging of a powerful IIT team. Tech put up 18 kills in the opening frame while swinging at a rate of .457, cruising out to a 25-12 win. Right away, the visitors had announced their intentions.

MBU improved in the second set, as some strong play at the net kept them in the running in the middle stages. But once again, the Scarlet Hawks showed their attacking prowess, adding a 17-kill performance in the second set to up their kill count to 35 for the match. With a 15-25 win in the second frame, the visitors looked to be headed for a quick win.

That win came in the next set, as IIT took a 19-25 win to take home their second sweep of the Sabercats this season. But it wasn't without the characteristic resistance from MBU. Wallis was leading the way on both sides of the ball, as the Sabercats were playing some alert defense in the final frame. Wallis upped his kill count to six to lead MBU, but the Scarlet Hawks proved to be too difficult to beat in the end.

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MBU Starters: 1- Kile, 3-Massey, 4-McKee, 5-Dafoe, 12-Wallis, 13-Wagner (L), 15-Smith // IIT Starters: 2-Djurick, 3-Johnson, 4-Kays, 5-Bostick, 9-Bench, 13-Ganczar, 15-Robeck

• Wallis: 6 kills, 8 digs, 2 blocks
• Rory Massey: 4 kills, 6 digs
  
• IIT: .406 attack percentage
• Last time: IIT swept Maranatha 10 days ago in Chicago
• Series: IIT leads the series 3-0

• IIT competes in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA DIII)
• The Scarlet Hawks are 1-8 in conference play
• Illinois Tech has faced four NCAA DIII ranked opponents this season

The Sabercats will take spring break off before resuming action on Saturday, March 30, with a 2:00 p.m. tri-match at Loras College. Follow at mbusabercats.com/composite.