LEAD
LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Maranatha ends weekend empty-handed after falling in straight sets in two tough matches against Viterbo and Roosevelt.
The Sabercats continue to work towards their first win as the season nears an end with just three matches to go.
Jacob Valeria and Tyler Lacock both led the Sabercats on the day with a combined seven kills and three blocks apiece over the two matches. Caleb Goetz earned his career-high of four kills and nine digs in the match against Viterbo.
OVERVIEW
- Final:
- Match 1: Maranatha 0-3 Roosevelt (14-25, 14-25, 15-25)
- Match 2: Maranatha 0-3 Viterbo (18-25, 13-25, 22-25)
- Venue: R.W. Beggs Sr. Gymnasium - Viterbo University
- Location: La Crosse, Wis.
- Event: Viterbo Triangular
- Attendance: 29
- Records: MBU (0-20), VU (9-10), RU (8-9)
STORY
Once again the Sabercats struggled to find success on the front line. Despite fighting it out until the end, Maranatha just couldn't put up the points needed to compete with Roosevelt, finishing with 11 kills and a hitting percentage of -.056.
On the other side of the net, the Lakers' hitters found no trouble connecting with the ball. Miguel Mendez Palencia (.400 H%) and Lachlan Diamond (.500 H%) finished with 16 of Roosevelt's 35 kills.
Daniel Says was the play-maker for the Sabercats in the match, putting up numbers all around the board, with with three kills, eight assists, and 12 digs (career-high).
After 3-0 sweep by Roosevelt, Maranatha took back to the court to take on Viterbo. The V-Hawks started the match strong with a five-point run to earn a 6-1 lead over the Sabercats. But a couple of late four point runs for Maranatha brought them back into the set. Unfortunately, the V-Hawks found a string of success, putting down two kills and an ace to take the 25-18 win in set one.
The start of set two seemed to favor Maranatha as a string of errors from Viterbo put the Sabercats in front with a 10-7 lead. But things quickly went downhill for Maranatha after the V-Hawks changed gears. Three-kills in a row from Viterbo's Ethan Davis started off what turned into a 15-2 run.
The Sabercats receiving defense struggled to dig up the ball, awarding their opponents eight aces which helped decide the game (25-13 VU).
Despite trailing 0-2 in the match, Maranatha was not ready to give up. Although Viterbo finished with the sweep, the Sabercats battled back-and-forth in their final set. They fell by just three points, which was the kill difference between the two teams.
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Maranatha Starters: 6- Goetz, 7- Lacock, 12- Says, 13- Huston, 14- Nason (Libero), 16-Knight, 20- Valeria
STATISTICS (Two matches combined)
- Jacob Valeria: 7 K, 3 BLK
- Tyler Lacock: 7 K, 3 BLK
- Daniel Says: 3 K, 19 A, 14 DIGS*
- Caleb Goetz: 5 K*, 13 DIGS*
- Last time: Viterbo swept Maranatha 3-0 on February 20, 2024
- Series: Viterbo leads 11-0 in the all-time series against Maranatha
- Last time: Roosevelt swept Maranatha 3-0 on February 4, 2023
- Series: Roosevelt now leads 2-1 in the all-time series against Maranatha
*Career-High
OPPONENTS
- Viterbo competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA)
- Viterbo finished the 2023 season with a record of 9-17
- Roosevelt competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA)
- Roosevelt finished the 2023 season with a record of 6-18
NEXT
Maranatha travels to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday to take on Wisconsin Lutheran at 7 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com
