Fueled by a loud and raucous student section, Maranatha Baptist University rallied from an early deficit to slip past Moody Bible Institute 19-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 in a closely contested NCCAA Midwest Region duel on Thursday in Watertown, Wisconsin.

Moody grabbed the first set of Thursday's match behind a 7-2 run that turned an 18-17 lead into a 25-19 victory. Maranatha rebounded to edge the Archers in the next three sets, with neither team leading by more than five points in any of the last three sets.

Junior outside hitter Kiarra Henkel paced Moody with 15 kills follwed by freshman Grace Vahey with 14 kills.

The Archers will face Maranatha again in a rematch when the teams meet in the first round of the NCCAA Midwest Region tournament on Friday, November 8 in Watertown. The winner of that match, which tips off at 12:30 p.m., will advance to the semifinals and face Emmaus Bible College at 5:30 p.m. Moody is seeded fourth and Maranatha is the fifth seed in the six-team tournament. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the NCCAA national tournament in Joplin, Missouri.

The Archers practice on Monday and Tuesday before taking on Northeastern Illinois University in a crosstown Chicago clash at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday at NEIU.