WYOMING, Mich. -- Things could have been different, but the Sabercats had their eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Rochester University this afternoon.

OVERVIEW

• Results:
  • Maranatha 3-0 Grace Christian (25-22, 26-24, 25-19)
  • Maranatha 2-3 Rochester (25-22, 13-25, 23-25, 25-16, 12-15)
• Venue: Aldrich Atheltic Center, Grace Christian University
• Location: Wyoming, Mich.
• Attendance: 91, 62
• Records: MBU (8-1), GCU (6-4), RU (0-1)

STORY

Grace Christian had a point to prove, as they face the Sabercats for the fourth time in 14 days, and this time, their home floor was theirs to defend. The Tigers put the Sabercats under considerable pressure in the opening two sets but Maranatha weathered the storm, taking tight wins in the openers to put the Tigers on the back foot. 

From there, the Sabercats removed any doubt that they are the team to beat this year, taking home a 25-19 win in the final set to sweep the Tigers for the third time this season.

Rochester had all the energy of their first match of the season, as they shook off the rust of an opening-set loss to hand the Sabercats a 13-25 defeat in the second to even the match. The third set was a fight from start to finish, as both teams struggled for the upper hand in the match. As the marathon third set came to its climax, the Warriors won it after the ball was ruled out by the official. Maranatha's challenge proved futile. The call stood and Rochester had the 2-1 lead.

The Sabercats needed to be resilient, and they were. Claire Hansel's firepower led the Sabercats out to a lead in the fourth set, and they never looked back, taking a 25-16 win to put Rochester on the back foot.

The final set was a nervy one, as both teams had to fight nerves and fatigue as the match approached the two-hour mark. After a back and forth battle, the Warriors had what it took, topping Maranatha 15-12 to take the match 3-2.

MBU Starters (combined games): 3- Johnson, 4- Hansel, 6- Bailey, 8-Bumpus, 11-Ureke (L), 14- Kemlo, 22- Miller, 24- Rueb

STATS

• Hansel: Career-high 27 kills vs Rochester
• Johnson: Career-high 45 assists vs Rochester
• MBU: Attacked at a .303 percent clip vs Rochester
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against Rochester, 0-1
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Grace Christian, 26-0

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Ellendale, North Dakota next Saturday to square off against Trinity Bible College. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.