WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The No. 10 nationally ranked Sabercats swept Moody 3-0 in the doubleheader matches last Saturday. With those wins, they are now 5-1 in the NCCAA Midwest Region Conference.

Arielle Henkel led the Sabercats with a combined 21 kills and 4 blocks on the day. Kiarra Henkel contributed 16 kills on the day, also doing her part defensively by leading the team with 18 digs. Sarah Nason made a difference from the serving line, finishing with a combined 10 aces.

OVERVIEW

• Results:
  • Match One: Maranatha 3-0 Moody (25-16, 25-6, 25-10)
  • Match Two: Maranatha 3-0 Moody (25-9, 25-9, 25-13)
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wisconsin
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region / Parent's Day
• Attendance: 215
• Records: MBU (10-9), MBI (3-12)

STORY

Maranatha went straight to work last Saturday against conference rival Moody. The injury-laden Archers did what they could with their six-person lineup, but they were ultimately no match for the Sabercats who swept them in two straight matches. 

The day started with two kills from Moody's Sophie Schwartzbauer. This starting two-point lead would be the largest lead the Archers would see all day as Maranatha quickly took control. 

Sarah Nason got her team rolling with her consistent serving, putting down two quick aces. She went 13 for 13 with four aces in the first match. After the Sabercats grabbed the early lead it was smooth sailing. They swept the match with scores of 25-16, 25-6, and 25-10.

But things were not over yet, as the teams took a quick break and got right back on the court. The short-handed Archers were winded but on the other side of the net the Sabercats had plenty of opportunities to catch their breath, as interim head coach Mattie Bumpus dug into her bench and got every player in for an opportunity to shine.

Freshman Ella Malmanger had a near-perfect day on the front line, finishing with zero hitting errors and finishing seven out of eight attacks for kills. Continuing on from the first match, Nason added to her service stats, recording six more aces.  Freshmen Rachel Boye and Marissa Gelfand contributed to the impressive serving day by recording four and two aces respectively. 

The Archers failed to find any rhythm on the front line in match two, finishing with a total of 15 kills compared to Maranatha's 33, a contributing factor in the Sabercats' second sweep on the day (25-9, 25-9, 25-13).

MBU Starters: 

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

STATS 

• MBU (Two Matches Combined): 70 K, 61 A, 23 SA, 94 DIGS
• A. Henkel: 21 K, 4 BLK
• K. Henkel: 16 K, 18 DIGS
• Johnson: 59 A, 6 K, 10 DIGS
• Steuerwald: 6 K, 17 DIGS
• Miller: 16 DIGS
• Malmanger: 7 K
• Last Time: Maranatha swept Moody 3-0 earlier this season on September 30, 2023.
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Moody 43-10

*Career-High

OPPONENT

• Moody competes with Maranatha in the National Christian College Athletic Association Midwest Region
• Moody finished the 2022 season with a record of 6-7

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on Alverno for the third time this season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.