MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Sabercats finished off their weekend at the Blue Angel Bash in style. They took down Lawrence University 3-1 and later Alverno 3-0.

Arielle Henkel led the Sabercats on the front line for the day, finishing with a combined 37 kills. She simply could not be stopped as she had a .400 hitting percentage against Lawrence and a .533 hitting percentage against Alverno. Kiarra Henkel also produced a new career high with 14 kills and Megan Miller set her new career high at 23 digs.

OVERVIEW

• Results:
  • Maranatha 3-1 Lawrence (25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 25-23)
  • Maranatha 3-0 Alverno (25-19, 25-22, 25-18)
• Venue: Bloechl Center, Mount Mary University
• Location: Milwaukee, Wis.
• Event: Blue Angel Bash
• Attendance: 95 (two games combined)
• Records: MBU (3-1), LU (2-6), AC (0-4)

STORY (to come)

LAWRENCE - After two close matches, Maranatha and Lawrence found themselves tied up at one set apiece. But Maranatha showed they were not to be taken lightly as they defeated their opponents in the third set by a 10-point margin. Lawrence was not ready to go down without a fight, however, and with the fourth set tied up at 23, it was anybody's game. A service ace from Sarah Nason put the Sabercats back in the lead and Arielle Henkel finished the match with a kill. 

While A. Henkel led the front line with 18 kills, her sister Kiarra Henkel showed she was just as dangerous, finishing with a career-high 14 kills.  Senior Megan Miller did her job keeping the floor clean, setting a new career-high for herself as well with 23 digs. 

ALVERNO - Having just come off a win, the Sabercats were already feeling hot. A. Henkel did not slow down and added 19 more kills to her total for the day, finishing the match with a .533 hitting percentage. 

While the Inferno put up a good fight throughout every set, their struggle at the front line is what ruined their hopes for a victory. Maranatha was able to more than double their opponent's hitting percentage, paving the way for their 3-0 sweep. 

MBU Starters:

• Match 1: 3-Johnson, 7-Steuerwald, 9-Hinze, 13-Swaffer, 21-A. Henkel, 22-Miller (Libero), 23-K. Henkel
• Match 2: 3-Johnson, 7-Steuerwald, 9-Hinze, 13-Swaffer, 21-A. Henkel, 22-Miller (Libero), 23-K. Henkel

STATS (two matches combined)

• MBU: 79 K, 77 A, 130 DIGS
• A. Henkel: 37 K
• K. Henkel: 14 K*, 8 DIGS
• Johnson: 8 K, 57 A, 18 DIGS
• *Miller: 35 DIGS
• Nason: 30 DIGS
• Last Time: Maranatha defeated Lawrence 3-0 on September 16, 2022
• Last Time: Maranatha defeated Alverno 3-0 on September 27, 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Lawrence 15-3
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Alverno 26-1

*Career-High

OPPONENT

• Lawrence competes regionally in the Midwest Conference (NCAA Dlll)
• Lawrence finished the 2022 season with a 1-26 record
• Alverno competes regionally in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA Dlll)
• Alverno finished the 2022 season with a 5-20 record

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown for their home opener, Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.