February 11, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Sabercats continue to search for their first win after falling in straight sets to Wisconsin Lutheran and Edgewood, on day one of the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational.

Daniel Says led the Sabercats on the front line for the day with a total of nine kills.

OVERVIEW

• Final:
  • Maranatha 0-3 Wisconsin Lutheran (10-25, 15-25, 20-25)
  • Maranatha 0-3 Edgewood (18-25, 17-25, 21-25)
• Venue: Shirk Center - Illinois Wesleyan University
• Location: Bloomington, Ill.
• Event: IWU Invitational 
• Records: MBU (0-13), WLC (4-6), EC (3-5)

STORY  

Although it was not the start to the invitational the Sabercats had hoped for, Maranatha still showed improvement on the day. The first set against Wisconsin Lutheran was a bit of a slow start for the Sabercats. The Warriors went on an early 7-1 run to take an earlier lead of 12-3. The Sabercats couldn't find their rythmn, handing many points over to the Warriors in errors. Maranatha fell in the first set 10-25. The Sabercats pulled together slightly better in set two. However, Wisconsin Lutherans front line was too strong for Maranatha. With 16 kills in the second set, the Warriors finished off the Sabercats 25-15. Point-by-point the Sabercats continued to show signs of improvement even in set three. It was Maranatha that jumped into the lead to start the set, and due to multiple errors on the Warriors end, Maranatha was able to maintain that lead for much of the match (16-13). But three aces from Wisconsin Lutheran's Jay Thammavongsa turned the momentum in the game. The Warriors were able to come back and finish the match 25-20.

The Sabercats match against Edgewood, later that day, proved to be much closer all the way around. Starting the first set down 10-3 early on, the Sabercats were able to put themselves back in the game after four consecutive Edgewood errors (14-10 EC). The Sabercats fought back, with Tyler Lacock staying active along the net to put down some kills and putting up a block. Despite their best efforts, the Sabercats fell 18-25 in set one. Set two was a very similar story, finishing with almost the same score as the first set (25-17 EC). In the final set, Edgewood once again jumped out to the lead. But the Sabercats didn't give up and eventually were able to bring their deficit to just one point (13-12). While Maranatha prevented Edgewood from any large runs, the Eagles were still able to finish the job with a 25-21 win to end the game. 

--

Maranatha Starters: 2- Mueller, 4, Harris, 7- Lacock, 8-Hoffmann (Libero), 12- Says, 13- Huston, 17- Valeria

Match 2 Starters: 1- Smith, 2- Mueller, 7- Lacock, 8- Hoffmann (Libero), 12- Says, 13- Huston, 17- Valeria

STATS 

• Box Score (Wisconsin Lutheran)
• Box Score (Edgewood)
• Last time: Maranatha swept Wisconsin Lutheran 3-0 on February 21, 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the series against Wisconsin Lutheran 2-1
• Last time: The Sabercats were swept 0-3 by Edgewood earlier this season (Jan. 31)
• Series: Edgewood leads the series against Maranatha 3-0

OPPONENTS

• Wisconsin Lutheran competes in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA Dlll)
• Wisconsin Lutheran is in its third season as a program
• Wisconsin Lutheran finished the 2022 season with a 0-24 record
• Edgewood competes in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA-Dlll)
• Edgewood is in its third season as a program
• Edgewood finished the 2022 season with a 6-16 record

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Bloomington for day two of the IWU Invitational. They play today at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.