THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-1 Alverno (16-25, 25-14, 25-15, 25-22) 
• Venue: Reiman Gymnasium, Alverno College
• Attendance: 76
• Record: Sabercats are now 13-11
• Next Match for MBU: Friday, October 13 at Judson - 7:00 p.m.

THE LEAD

MILWAUKEE -- After suffering a 3-0 loss to Alverno earlier this season, Maranatha bounced back with a commanding 3-1 win on Alverno's home court tonight.

Madeline Suderman had 10 kills to lead the Sabercats offensively, and Alexis Bueltel had 7 kills, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists. The Sabercats forced Alverno into a somewhat sloppy night, as the hosts registered consistent errors under the pressure from the Sabercats' attack.

THE STORY

The Inferno had the upper hand to start, as they caught the Sabercats flat-footed with a commanding 25-16 win in the first set. Nine kills from Jessica Wewers and 7 from Cailey Jeske powered the Inferno to an impressive 18-kill showing in the opening act.

The Wewers and Jeske show seemed to light a fire under the Sabercats, who responded positively by taking the next 3 sets. As has been the case all season, Maranatha had a well-balanced attack. Five players got in on the kills category, and Suderman led the charge with 3 in the second set.

A 9-2 run at the end of the third set gave MBU the set win and a 2-1 advantage in the match. Jessica Ureke and Kelsey Johnson each tallied 2 kills in the late run to set MBU up for the match win. Katie Bender and the Sabercats limited the Inferno to just 15 points in the set, and Bueltel and Johnson both had solo blocks to keep the momentum in favor of MBU.

A couple of Karley Johnson aces helped get the ball rolling in the fourth set for MBU. The Sabercats had thrown off the Alverno rhythm, as the hosts could not shake off some early errors. Despite the constant pressure from MBU, Alverno brought the set back to 21-20, but could not close it out, as late errors proved to be the difference-makers. In 4 sets, the Sabercats had evened the odds from that September loss to Alverno.

THE NUMBERS

Suderman's 10-kill night marked the 8th time she has registered double digits in that category. 

Tonight was the 4th time this season that Bueltel has recorded multiple solo blocks. 

Alverno finished the night with 55 errors. 

Wewers finished the night with 20 kills and Jeske added 18.

Claire Hansel (12), Kelsey Johnson (11) and Katie Bender (18) all finished the night with double-digit digs.

Jessica Ureke logged a season-high 5 kills. Ureke finished the night without a hitting error.

THE CALENDAR

The Sabercats will travel to Elgin, Illinois to take on Judson University Friday night. The Sabercats met the NCCAA DI powerhouse in September, and Judson took away a 3-0 win over MBU.

Catch the details of Friday's match at mbusabercats.com/composite.