CHICAGO, Ill. -- Maranatha has lived to play another day after a sweeping win against Emmaus in the NCCAA Midwest Region semi-final. They will face Grace Christian tomorrow at 1 P.M. in the championship. 

Arielle Henkel was the leading hitter on the night, finishing with 14 kills while Kiarra Henkel finished just behind her with 12 kills. Megan Miller kept the floors clean defensively, recording 17 digs. 

OVERVIEW

• Results: No. 2 Maranatha 3-0 No. 3 Emmaus (25-16, 25-13, 25-19)
• Venue: Solheim Center - Moody Bible Institute
• Location: Chicago, Ill.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region Semi-final
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (16-14), EBC (10-12)

STORY 

In the last meeting between Maranatha and Emmaus, the Sabercats were swept on their home court. While the Eagles may have thought that tonight's match would share a similar outcome, they were quickly corrected. 

Maranatha set the pace early on, jumping out to a 10-3 lead after several kills from Arielle Henkel, Kiarra Henkel, and Emily Johnson. The flabbergasted Eagles struggled to climb their way out of the hole as they gave up seven points in hitting errors. The Sabercats, who finished the set with a .302 hitting percentage, cruised their way to an early 1-0 lead (25-16).

Maranatha gave Emmaus no time for a breather, starting set two just as quickly as set one. They again grabbed an early lead (13-4) and continued to hit the ball down their opponent's throats. With only one hitting error in the set and 15 kills, the Sabercats had their best set of the night, recording a hitting percentage of .519. Maranatha won set two comfortably with a score of 25-13.

But Emmaus was not ready for their season to come to an end. They quickly turned things around and earned their first cushioned lead of the night, after jumping out 7-2 in the third set. 

A quick time-out from interim head coach Mattie Bumpus was all the Sabercats needed to get their heads back in the game and they quickly evened things up 14-14. The Eagles still had some momentum going for them, but the tides changed quickly with a kill from K. Henkel and an ace from Johnson. The Sabercats' late lead in the set left Emmaus flustered, ultimately resulting in Maranatha's 25-19 victory.

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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: 44 K, 38 A, 59 DIGS
• Johnson: 4 K, 27 A, 9 DIGS
• A. Henkel: 14 K, 2 DIGS
• K. Henkel: 12 K, 5 DIGS
• Swaffer: 6 K, 5 DIGS
• Miller: 17 DIGS
• Wright: 12 DIGS
• Last Time: Maranatha got swept by Emmaus 3-0 earlier this season, on October 3.
• Series: Maranatha leads in the all-time series against Emmaus 13-2

OPPONENT

• Emmaus competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Emmaus also competes with Maranatha in the National Christian College Athletic Association Midwest Region
• Emmaus finished the 2022 season with a record of 0-16

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay in Chicago to face Grace Christian in the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship at 1 P.M.  Follow all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.