THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-0 Rockford (27-25, 25-12, 25-18) 
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Attendance: 243
• Record: Sabercats are now 16-14
• Next Match for MBU: NCCAA Regionals @ Maranatha - Nov. 3-4

THE LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- MBU showed fight to earn their second consecutive sweep on their home floor tonight. The win concluded their regular season on a high note.

The Sabercats discarded the Rockford University Regents in three sets to secure one last regular-season win. Alexis Bueltel continued her heroics on the court, as she registered a line of 16-1-33, a .455 attack percentage, and 10 digs.

THE STORY

Going into the match, the Sabercats were perhaps expecting an easy night against the 2-25 Regents, but the visitors gave MBU a real scare when they maintained a 5-point cushion through most of the first set. When the Regents went up 20-14, the set was in serious jeopardy. 

Undaunted, the Sabercats turned their fortunes around with an 8-2 run to tie the match at 22 and force Rockford to call a timeout. Rockford earned set-point after that breather, but 2 late kills from Bueltel brought the Sabercats back to an exciting 27-25 win.

Looking back, the Sabercats got the worst part out of the way with that first-set clash. The Sabercats pounced on their newfound momentum to cruise out to a 15-5 lead in the second set. MBU swung with confidence across the board, as 5 different players tallied kills early on. The MBU attack was both varied and precise, as the team combined for just 2 errors and hit a .385 percentage en route to a 25-12 win.

The final set saw the Sabercats record a match-high 16 kills in a 25-18 win. Bueltel recorded 3 straight kills early on and ended with 7 kills in the set to lead the Sabercats to the 3-0 win.

THE NUMBERS

The Sabercats had a strong defensive showing with 60 digs and 8 blocks as a team. 

Bueltel led the blocks category with 6; Katie Bender led the digging with 15.

Kelsey Johnson had a solid night with a line of 9-2-22, 12 assists, 13 digs, and 2 blocks.

Karley Johnson added 21 assists and 8 digs. This was the 8th time that Johnson has tallied 20-plus assists.

THE CALENDAR

The Sabercats will host the 2017 NCCAA North Regional Tournament next weekend. Match times and seedings are still to be determined. Catch the details at mbusabercats.com/composite.