ANKENY, Iowa --  Winning both matches on the day, the Sabercats started the Faith Classic Tournament off strong.

They beat Randall in a close 3-2 match and later went on to take down Faith 3-1. Emily Johnson jumped into the record books, registering 44 assists against Faith - the most in a four-set match in program history.

OVERVIEW

• Results:
  • Maranatha 3-2 Randall (21-25, 15-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-10)
  • Maranatha 3-1 Faith (24-26, 25-9, 25-19, 25-8)
• Venue: Nettleton Center, Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Classic Volleyball Tournament
• Attendance: 190 (two games combined)
• Records: MBU (11-4), RU (3-14), FBBC 12-9)

STORY

RANDALL - The Sabercats came into the tournament a little slow. They struggled to find their rhythm in the first two games against Randall. The Sabercats had a combined 20 errors in those first two games, which helped the Saints win 25-21 and 25-15. The Saints went into the third set feeling confident that it would be the last. But the Sabercats had other plans. A seemed a spark was ignited in Maranatha as, from that point on, they were unstoppable. 

Mattie Bumpus, Caitrin Kemlo, and Delaney Thompson went off on the front line, raking in a combined total of 47 kills between the three. Bumpus led the pack with 52 attacks, 25 of which were kills. Thompson had a big game as well, setting her career-high 13 kills. 

Setter Emily Johnson added another 41 assists to her numbers in the match. She saw much help from her teammates as it seemed like everyone wanted to experience the role of a setter. Reid, Bumpus, Cooper, Miller, and K. Henkel all chipped in to add a combined 9 assists. 

The Sabercats went on to easily win the next three sets, adding another win to their season record. (25-13, 25-14, 15-10)

FAITH - Maranatha would not play again until 9 P.M. after having their game get delayed an hour. This delay left the Sabercats feeling a little cold in their first set. They started off with multiple attack errors which gave Faith a quick 8-2 cushion. Maranatha would not give up easily however and they fought their way back, tying the game up 16-16 and even gaining a 19-18 lead! From that point on it was a back-and-forth battle. A kill from Delaney Thompson tied the game up at 24, but the Sabercats could not hold on as the Eagles delivered two kills to finish the first set 26-24. 

At this point the Sabercats were back to feeling like their normal selves. They trampled Faith in the next set, giving up only 9 points. Once again the Maranatha hitters could not be stopped. It was Delaney Thompson that let the Sabercats this time, with ANOTHER new career-high of 16 kills in the match. The Eagles' hitters struggled to place their attacks around the brick wall that was made up of Mattie Bumpus and Caitrin Kemlo. Both girls had 6 blocking assists and Bumpus even threw in a solo block. 

Marri Reid did her job as Libero, holding the defense together with her 17 digs. Kiarra Henkel made the most of her time on the court, helping out in every area she could. She raked in 14 digs, 8 kills, 2 assists, and 1 blocking assist. 

The Sabercats finished the Eagles off in the next two sets 25-19 and 25-8. 

MBU Starters:

• Match 1: 3-Johnson, 4-Reid (Libero), 6-Bailey, 8-Bumpus, 13-Eryn Bates, 22-Megan Miller, 24-Thompson
• Match 2: 3-Johnson, 4-Reid (Libero), 6-Bailey, 8-Bumpus, 22-Megan Miller, 23-Kiarra Henkel, 24-Thompson

STATS (two matches combined)

• Johnson: 85 A, 26 DIGS
• Bumpus: 37 K, 7 DIGS, 9 BLK
• Kemlo: 17 K, 8 BLK
• K. Henkel: 14 K, 19 DIGS
• Reid: 27 DIGS
• Miller: 22 DIGS
• Thompson: 29 K
• MBU: 110 K, 90 A, 148 DIGS
• Last Time: Maranatha fell to Randall 3-2 in the NCCAA Dll National Tournament on November 19th, 2020.
• Last Time: Maranatha defeated #1 seeded Faith 3-1 in the NCCAA North Region Championship on November 6th. They met again on November 19th at the NCCAA Dll National Tournament where Maranatha pulled out another 3-1 victory. 
• Series: Maranatha currently leads the all-time series against Randall 5-2
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 22-1

OPPONENT

• Randall University competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (southwest region).
• Randall University finished the 2021 season with a 14-14 record
• Randall University did not make the 2021 NCCAA Dll National Tournament
• Faith Baptist Bible College competes regionally alongside Maranatha in the National Christian College Athletic Association 
• Faith Baptist Bible College also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• In 2021 FBBC finished 2nd in the MCCC and they made it to the NCCAA Dll National Tournament with a 5th seed ranking.
• Faith Baptist Bible College finished the 2021 season with a 17-12 record

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown where they will play Emmaus, Tuesday at 7 p.m. Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.