LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Although Maranatha fell in straight sets to Viterbo, the Sabercats did not go down without a fight. Late runs in sets two and three kept the match interesting as the Sabercats fought to come back in games that had seemed to be decided early on. 

Tyler Lacock had his second best hitting night of the year, finishing with eight kills and leading his team. 

OVERVIEW

• Final: Maranatha 0-3 Viterbo (19-25, 19-25, 18-25)
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 132
• Records: MBU (0-15), VU (6-7)

STORY (To come)

Maranatha came out to a fairly strong start against the V-Hawks, as they their best hitting percentage of the season in the first set. Tyler Lacock, who finished with eight kills on the night, led the Sabercats in set one with five of their eight kills. The back-and-forth battle turned in favor of Viterbo late in the set as they pulled away for a 25-19 win.

The following sets seemed to favor Viterbo early on, as the Sabercats failed to dig up the powerful hits coming from the V-Hawks. The more than doubled the Sabercats in their number of kills, earning points with 42 of their 91 attacks. 

But late runs by the Sabercats in both sets got the crowd engaged, raising the energy both in the stands and on the court. While Viterbo sealed the night with a 3-0 sweep, Maranatha gave them a run for their money as they finished the final sets with scores of 25-19 and 25-18. 

Jacob Valeria put up three massive blocks on the night, putting him just five blocks away from his 100 block career milestone. Valeria has moved into the number three all-time leaders spot for total career blocks and reigns at number one all-time for solo career blocks. 
 

BIG SOLO ?? ?? ?? 

Jacob keeping us alive! pic.twitter.com/pUvABPmHcd
— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) February 21, 2024
 

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Maranatha Starters:  6- Goetz, 7- Lacock, 12- Says, 13- Huston, 14- Nason (Libero), 16-Knight, 20- Valeria

SERIES 

• Last time: Viterbo swept Maranatha 3-0 on March 6, 2023
• Series: Viterbo leads 10-0 in the all-time series against Maranatha

OPPONENTS

• Viterbo competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA)
• Viterbo finished the 2023 season with a record of 9-17

NEXT

Maranatha stays in Watertown, Wisconsin to take on Wisconsin Lutheran on Tuesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com