CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. -- In the Sabercats' second tri-meet of the season, they continued to show improvement, but couldn't quite steal a set from either Illinois Wesleyan or Wabash College, taking two 3-0 losses on Saturday.

OVERVIEW

• Final: 
  • Maranatha 0-3 Illinois Wesleyan (8-25, 7-25, 15-25)
  • Maranatha 0-3 Wabash (16-25, 21-25, 16-25)
• Venue: Chadwick Court - Wabash College
• Location: Crawfordsville, Ind.
• Event: Wabash Triangular
• Records: MBU (0-5), IW (7-2), WC (1-1)

STORY
Having taken two set wins in the first couple of games of the season, the Sabercats are still on the hunt for a match win. At the Wabash Triangular this weekend, they improved throughout the day, but were denied a set win from either team.

Although the Sabercats began with the serve, the Titans wasted no time earning back the serve and going on a 5-0 run, putting the Sabercats in a hole they couldn't dig themselves out of. In the course of the rest of the set, the Titans only allowed the Sabercats to score 8 points while keeping them to a negative kill percentage.

A well-rounded Titans team continued to play well and only allowed the Sabercats to score 7 in the second set of the day. The third set was the Sabercats' strongest showing of the match, scoring 15 points. 

As the Sabercats took on the second foe of the day, they took full advantage of early errors by Wabash, keeping them in contention through the first half of the set. Wabash eventually found their groove and went on a run, taking the first set 25-15. 

Entering the second match with Wabash, the Sabercats went on an astounding 7-0 run, putting the hosts on the defensive. Wabash wasted no time in taking 5 consecutive points, bringing them back into striking distance of the Sabercats. Despite a disruptive Sabercats defense that threw Wabash off their groove, the second set's final score sat at 25-21, the Sabercats' best showing of the day.

The final set looked a lot like the first, as the Sabercats saw some good stretches but ultimately couldn't do quite enough to take down a strong Wabash team.

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Maranatha Starters:  1- Sun, 5- Jones, 7- Johnson, 12- Bellrichard, 13- Brendel, 17- McCarty (Libero), 20- Scott

STATISTICS 

• Box Score (Illinois Wesleyan)
• Box Score (Wabash)
• This is the first time Maranatha has played Illinois Wesleyan.
• Series: Illinois Wesleyan now leads the series 2-0.
• Last time: Wabash swept Maranatha 3-0 on February 8, 2025 
• Series: Wabash leads 5-0 in the all-time series against Maranatha 

OPPONENTS

• Illinois Wesleyan competes in the College Conference of Wisconsin & Illinois. (NCAA DIII)
• Wabash competes in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League. (NCAA DIII)

NEXT

Maranatha will travel home to play Wisconsin Lutheran on Monday night at 7:00 PM. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.