LEAD

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. -- The Sabercats had quite the fight on their hands on the first day of the NCCAA National Invitational.

With straight-set losses to #1 Ottawa and #4 Warner, the Sabercats will have to face off with Trinity Christian College tomorrow to determine the final matches of the tournament.

OVERVIEW

• Results: 
  • #8 Maranatha 0-3 #1 Ottawa (17-25, 13-25, 20-25)
  • #8 Maranatha 0-3 #4 Warner (24-26, 16-25, 21-25)
• Venue: DeVos Gymnasium, Trinity Christian College
• Location: Palos Heights, Ill.
• Attendance: 40, 40
• Records: MBU (0-5), OU (4-0), WU (2-1)

STORY

#1 Ottawa: The defending national champions were a polished and deep team from start to finish in the opening match of the day, as they developed a lead early in the first set and never looked back.

Maranatha had five different student-athletes register kills in the opening frame, but their offensive offering was no match for a .440-percent, 15-kill offense from the Spirit, who took home an eight-point win in the opening set of the match.

The precise attack would be Ottawa's calling card in the second set as well, as they swung out to a .435 attack percentage in the second frame to tighten their grip on the match. With a 25-13 win in the second, the defending champs were looking like a championship-caliber side once again.

The match ended in the next set, but it wasn't without a fight from MBU, who put up a match-high 20 points in the final frame. Rory Massey led the defensive efforts with a couple of blocks, but his efforts couldn't turn the set into a win, as Maranatha fell to the defending national champs in straight sets.

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4 Warner: The Royals proved to be just as difficult. Maranatha was once again out-gunned, as Warner put down an average of 15 kills per set to take a commanding win. James Rossiter and Joel Depue both had five kills each, but the Sabercats were outmatched in the second match of the day.

Maranatha had a hard time dealing with three Royals in particular, as Eduardo Ayala, Augusto Silva, and Jose Gonzalez all put down double-digit kills en route to the straight-set win.

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MBU Starters: 3- Massey, 4- McKee, 5- Dafoe, 6- Rossiter, 8- Depue, 12-Holbrook, 13- Wagner (L), 15- Smith

STATS (two-match totals)

• Rossiter: 8 K, 2 B
• Isaac McKee: 7 K, 3 B
• Steve Wagner: 13 D
• Taylor Dafoe: 27 A, 7 D
• Series: Maranatha trails the Ottawa series 0-1
• Series: Maranatha trails the Warner series 0-1

OPPONENTS

• Ottawa competes in the Golden State Athletic Conference of the NAIA
• Warner competes in the Sun Conference of the NAIA

NEXT

The Sabercats will take on Trinity Christian tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., which will decide the 5th- and 7th-place matchups. Stay updated at mbusabercats.com/schedule.