Columbia College scored the last four points of the fifth and deciding set to squeak by The Master's University on Saturday at the Fall Volleyball Classic in Missouri.
The 15-13 score in the final set gave the 13th-ranked Cougars a hard-fought win over a Mustang squad that finished its brief weekend in the Midwest with a 1-2 showing. The Mustangs are now 8-13.
"This was the most complete match I have seen our ladies play all year," said Master's coach Allan Vince. "We stayed consistent with the game plan and rallied around each other after every point."
Speaking of points, the Mustangs were just two away from winning the match when a Jane Cisar kill gave Master's a 13-11 lead. However, the Cougars used a Mustang error, two Caroline Clifford kills, and a Pamela Jaime ace to catch and pass TMU en route to the victory.
That was a long time after the Mustangs jumped out front with a 25-21, first-set triumph. Sparked by a Rebecca Davis kill that snapped a 21-all tie and a trio of Cougar errors, the Mustangs rattled off the final four points to take a one-set lead.
Using the same method in the second set, the Cougars turned the tables on the Mustangs, tallying the last four points to even the match.
The Cougars carried that momentum into the third set, leading wire-to-wire in a 25-17 win.
Down 2-1, the Mustangs bounced back in the fourth set, rallying from a trio of five-point deficits to edge the Cougars 25-23. Falling behind 16-11, the Mustangs methodically clawed their way back, tying the set at 19-all on two Kayla Sims' aces. Moments later, a Cougar error handed the Mustangs only their second lead of the set at 21-20.
The Cougars immediately evened the set on a Mustang error and a pattern was established until a Columbia miscue put the Mustangs in front 24-23. This time there would be no Cougar response as Autumn Stevens finished the set off with a kill to force a fifth set.
In that final set, the Mustangs jumped to a 3-0 lead and didn't trail until the Cougars, down 13-11, ripped off the final four points for the win.
Davis paced the Mustangs with 15 kills and 36 total attacks while Cisar and Emily Curtin had a dozen kills apiece and 31 and 30 total attacks, respectively. Sims registered a match-high 50 assists to go with 13 digs, a mark matched by teammate McKenna Hafner.
The Mustangs now return to Southern California and Golden State Athletic Conference play, traveling to Fullerton next Thursday evening to take on Hope International. Master's will then host Vanguard on Friday night at 7 p.m.
