LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- On their return home, the Sabercats earned their first home win of the season in front of a noisy crowd, splitting a pair of four-set matches with Cornerstone University.

Phillip Holbrook and James Rossiter boosted the offense with 28 and 18 kills, respectively. Taylor Dafoe (71 assists, 13 digs), Steve Wagner (22 digs), and Joel Smith (18 digs) led the defense as the Sabercats strung together the performance they had been looking for.

OVERVIEW

• Results:
  • Game 1: Maranatha 3-1 Cornerstone (25-20, 27-29, 25-23, 25-18)
  • Game 2: Maranatha 1-3 Cornerstone (22-25, 14-25, 25-20, 17-25)
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University Gymnasium
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 79, 86
• Records: Maranatha (2-10), Cornerstone (2-16)

STORY

The first match of the day began with high energy in the gym, and when Isaac McKee had a set-winning kill in the opener, Maranatha had the 25-20 and the home crowd behind them.

�� McKee puts an end to the first set ‼️

We lead the first match of the day against Cornerstone 1-0 �� pic.twitter.com/Ll8u7q7IYs

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) March 13, 2021

Cornerstone wasn't fazed. For a team with just one win to their season, they had the energy to match the Maranatha crowd, and they tied the match with a tough 29-27 win in the second set. In response, Maranatha set up a big block at the end of the third set to take the win 25-23. Already, the two teams had slugged it out for 90 minutes, and the match was only three sets old. 

Fueled by their polished team play from top to bottom, Maranatha outlasted Cornerstone in the fourth set to take the win. A few late errors from the Golden Eagles made the difference late, and Maranatha had a hard-earned 25-18 win to seal the match.

Holbrook led Maranatha with 14 kills, 8 digs, and 2 aces. Rossiter added 10 kills and 6 blocks and Isaac McKee contributed 7 kills, 6 digs, and 4 blocks as the Sabercats took the big home win.

--

Cornerstone needed a breather so it seemed, and they rolled out to 25-22 and 25-14 wins to grab the second match by the reins. The Golden Eagles looked menacing but Maranatha put together a gritty 25-20 win in the third set to surprise CU and change the match. Jacob Valeria smacked down the final kill in and the momentum looked like it may be shifting.

�� Valeria wins us the third set ��

Maranatha 1
Cornerstone 2

This isn't over ��

(22-25, 14-25, 25-20) pic.twitter.com/ZTSI0HaZWv

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) March 13, 2021

But the rally was short-lived. Cornerstone posted a match-high 15 kills in the fourth set, sealing the four-set win to split the series.

Holbrook once again led Maranatha with 14 kills and 8 digs. McKee pitched in 9 kills, 4 digs, and 4 blocks and Dafoe logged 40 assists, 5 digs, and 4 blocks.

--

Maranatha Starters: 4- McKee, 5- Dafoe, 6- Rossiter, 10- Warner, 12- Holbrook, 13- Wagner (L), 15- Smith

SOUND BITES

"[Today] was very eye-opening to us," said Taylor Dafoe. "It's been a rough season and we've had a lot of frustrations. But today we had the whole team together, and that gave us a boost. Plus we were on our home court and the home crowd just gave us the hype. It was just a great feeling to play well regardless of whether we won or lost. We just played so well today."

"I can't even tell you how nice it is to have people in the stands," said Joel Smith. "It was huge. It's just nice to have that energy because it makes a night and day difference. Last night [at Trinity Christian] there was no one there. It's especially hard to generate energy yourself but when you play well in front of a crowd like this, just willing us on, that's huge."

STATS 

• Box Score (Game 1)
• Box Score (Game 2)
• Series: The series now stands at 1-1

OPPONENTS

• Cornerstone competes in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
• Cornerstone's conference has three NAIA teams appearing in the latest Top-25 poll
• This is Cornerstone's first season as a varsity intercollegiate program

NEXT

The Sabercats stay at home Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Viterbo University. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.