WATERTOWN, Wis.-- After starting out slow, the Sabercats were able to find a spark of energy late in the match last night against Mount Mary. They split the first two sets going 1-1 against the Blue Angels, but fought back to finish things off in four, taking the final two sets 25-20 & 25-13. 

Both Arielle Henkel and Kiarra Henkel were on fire from the front line. They finished with 18 kills a piece and a combined nine blocks. Seven of those blocks came from Arielle who achieved a career-high on the night along with a career milestone of 101 blocks. 

OVERVIEW 

• Results: Maranatha 3-1 Mount Mary (25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 25-13)
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Records: MBU (15-14), MMU(5-18)

STORY 

Maranatha came out a little slower than usual last night as they took on Mount Mary for the third time this season. Although they were able to pull off a 25-17 win in set one, things fell apart in the second set for the Sabercats.

They could not seem to find their rhythm on the front line, ending the set with only 10 kills and nine hitting errors.  On the other side of the net, the Blue Angels had their best hitting set of the night, finishing with 12 kills and only four errors. Maranatha was defeated in set two by their own mistakes, tying the match up 1-1. 

Set three did not look to be off to a great start. Three hitting errors in a row for the Sabercats helped Mount Mary take an early 5-1 lead. But the Sabercats refused to go down again on their home court. Kaili Swaffer tied the game up 15-15 with a perfectly placed roll to the middle of Blue Angel territory. After that, Kiarra Henkel found her spark, recording five kills and igniting energy into the gym. Maranatha took set three 25-21. 

Set four was a Henkel sister takeover. Mount Mary had no answers for Arielle and Kiarra who put down a combined 13 kills in the set. The Sabercats looked like a whole new team in this final set, as they finished with a hitting percentage of .500, doubling their percentage from set one. One final crushing blow from K. Henkel put the Blue Angels away and gave the Sabercats a 25-13 victory to close out the match 3-1.

Last night closed out the 2023 regular season for the Sabercats. The team is now changing gears as they prepare for the NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament this Friday. They are scheduled to take on Emmaus for their first match, which is set to take place at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois at 6:00 P.M. The recent power ratings ranked Emmaus at No. 3 in the region and Maranatha at No. 2.

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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: 47 K, 45 A, 83 DIGS, 11 BLKS
• MMU: 38 K, 34 A, 74 DIGS, 7 BLKS
• A. Henkel: 18 K, 7 BLKS*^
• K. Henkel: 18 K, 16 DIGS, 2 BLKS
• Johnson: 40 A, 10 DIGS, 1 BLK
• Miller: 26 DIGS, 3 A
• Swaffer: 4 K, 5 DIGS, 1 BLK
• Boye: 12 DIGS
• Nason: 10 DIGS
• Last Time: Maranatha defeated Mount Mary 3-2 on Saturday (Oct. 28, 2023).
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Mount Mary 46-16

*Career-High::^Career-Milestone

OPPONENT

• Mount Mary University competes regionally in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA Dlll)
• Mount Mary finished the 2022 season with an 8-23 record

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Chicago, Ill. to face No. 3 Emmaus in the first round of the NCCAA Midwest Region Tournament on Friday at 6 P.M. Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.