WATERTOWN, Wis.-- Maranatha just couldn't seal the deal tonight at home, falling to Faith 3-2. With both teams earning 56 kills apiece on the night, the outcome ultimately came down to Maranatha handing over more points in errors. 

Kiarra Henkel led the Sabercats on the front line for the night, finishing with 21 kills. Her sister Arielle Henkel finished just behind her with 20 kills.

It was a great defensive match for Maranatha, as five Sabercats recorded over 15 digs on the night. Emily Johnson led overall, finishing with 30.

OVERVIEW 

• Results: No. 10 Maranatha 2-3 No. 8 Faith (14-25, 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 11-15)
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: Senior Night
• Attendance: 275
• Records: MBU (12-12), FBBC (16-7)

STORY 

Even though the outcome was not what Maranathah had hoped for, it was an exciting night, to say the least. The energy in the gym was high from the start, as the bleachers were packed full to see the clash between the two long-time rivals. 

Arielle Henkel wasted no time early on, recording three kills within the first few minutes of the match. The two teams remained neck and neck until Faith went on a five-point run and gained some momentum. The Eagles, who had already defeated Maranatha once earlier this season (3-1), went on to take set one pretty easily with a score of 25-14.

But the Sabercats weren't going to go down on their home court without a fight. They came out swinging hard, recording a total of 12 kills compared to Faith's 10, which played a huge role in the Sabercats' 25-22 victory in set two. 

Set three served as a bit of payback for set one. Emily Johnson went on a streak from the service line, recording four aces in a five-serve span. The Sabercats showed their opponents no mercy, grabbing a 17-4 lead. Still, the Eagles fought back, producing a couple of small runs to reduce the point gap. But the damage had already been done and the Sabercats took set three, 25-16.

A couple of kills apiece from the Henkel sisters set things into motion for Maranatha early in set four. But despite having their best-attacking set of the match, finishing with 15 kills, the Eagles just so happened to have their best set as well earning one more kill than the Sabercats. A few unfortunate errors from the Sabercats would ultimately cost them set, as they fell 20-25.

Both teams were giving everything they had in the final set, as the lead flipped back and forth. Just when it seemed as if Maranatha was going to pull away, after gaining a 9-5 lead, Faith's Codie Wirges put down two kills to keep her team in the game. After a series of hitting errors, Maranatha suddenly found themselves trailing and in the end just couldn't pull through. Faith took set five 15-11, giving them a 3-2 match win.

Both teams put up very similar statistics on the night. The teams each finished with 56 kills apiece, were within two assists of each other and one dig from each other. The night's outcome ultimately came down to who had the cleaner match. Faith finished with 35 overall errors while Maranatha had 41.

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MBU Starters: 3-Johnson, 7- Steuerwald, 13-Swaffer, 15-Bartlett, 21-A. Henkel, 22-Miller (Libero), 23-K. Henkel

STATS 

• MBU: 56 K, 52 A, 122 DIGS, 7 SA, 6 BLKS
• FBBC: 56 K, 50 A, 121 DIGS, 2 SA, 5 BLKS
• Johnson: 46 A, 30 DIGS, 6 K, 5 SA
• K. Henkel: 21 K, 18 DIGS
• A. Henkel: 20 K, 6 BLKS
• Miller: 25 DIGS, 3 A
• Wright: 20 DIGS
• Nason: 16 DIGS
• Last Time: Maranatha fell to Faith 1-3 earlier this season on September 22, 2023
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 25-3

OPPONENT

• Faith Baptist Bible College competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association - North Region
• Faith Baptist Bible College also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Faith Baptist Bible College finished the 2022 season with a 19-17 record

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown, Wisconsin to face Mount Mary, tomorrow at 5:00 P.M. Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.