MILWAUKEE – Today at the Bloechl Center, visiting rival Maranatha Baptist University defeated Mount Mary University 3-0. The Sabercats (10-7) took the first set 25-8, then the Blue Angels (0-10) attempted to rally in the last two, but MBU took the final frames 25-13 and 25-15.
The opening frame saw the Sabercats hit eight team kills and three errors in 31 total attacks. The Blue Angels responded with five team kills and eight errors on 37 total attacks in the first set. MBU used that advantage to take a quick 13-2 lead. Then the Sabercats rode that lead to the 25-9 win on the set.
In the second set, the Blue Angels grabbed an early lead. Amelia Flint (Sr./Whitefish Bay, Wis.) helped the Blue Angels tie things at 3-3 with a pair of kills. Johnelle Suto (Fr./Enterprise, Ore.) went to the serve-line and helped MMU jump ahead 5-4, but the Sabercats rallied for a 21-8 run to take the set and the 2-0 lead in the match.
MMU took another early lead in the third set. With senior Payton Hintz (Almond, Wis.) at the line, the Blue Angels grabbed a 3-0 lead. When the Sabercats came and took that lead away, Mount Mary came back to tie things 5-5 and then again 7-7. Following their 9-8 lead, the Blue Angels gave it up on an MMU attack error, and MBU would not surrender that lead after that point.
Hintz led the Blue Angels attack with a .176 kill percentage, six kills, eight assists and also chipped in with 10 digs. Teammate Marissa Tun (Jr./Greenfield, Wis.) led the team in digs with 13.
Rookie Johnelle Suto helped set her teammates up all night as she tied Hintz with a team leading eight assists on the evening.
Following tonight's match, the Blue Angels will have a week to prepare for their next contest against Emmaus Bible College (11-1). The teams will play at Pollard Fieldhouse in Dubuque, Iowa on Sat. Oct. 6 with first serve set for 7:00 pm. Live stats will be made available at mtmaryathletics.com.
