The road performance Master's has so desperately been waiting for came in the team's most desperate time of need.
The playoffs are not a sure thing. But Mustang women's volleyball turned in a sure-fire performance Thursday night in Phoenix, beating Arizona Christian, 3-1, by scores of 25-18, 25-27, 25-22 and 27-25.
One need only read the set scores to know this one was tight. The Mustangs, for their part, didn't play that way.
"Our leadership really stepped up to lead the girls to victory in these tight, neck-and-neck battles," said Mustang coach Allan Vince, whose team now holds sole possession of fifth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference with three matches to go. The top six make next month's tournament. "I'm very proud of how these ladies battled tonight. They did so with a winning mentally."
With Master's (9-15, 4-7 GSAC) and ACU (12-12, 3-8) entering the night in a three-way tie for fifth, Firestorm fans packed the gym in anticipation.
The match didn't disappoint.
Master's trailed 20-17 in set two before taking the lead 24-23 and 25-24. Ultimately, it couldn't finish. A Mustang attack error and a Jackie Stein killed ended the set.
Stein led Arizona Christian with 14 kills.
Regan Tate, back at her natural position of outside hitter, recorded a second straight breakout performance with a team-high 17 kills for Master's, which trailed 12-6 in set three before storming back to tie the score 19-19.
At 21-21, the Mustangs scored four of the match's final five points to pull ahead in the match.
Master's senior Morgan Koch sealed it with an ace.
On the night, Koch added 13 kills and two solo blocks. Three Mustangs tallied nine kills each: Jane Cisar, Madi Fay and Autumn Stevens.
Doing the dishing was junior Kayla Sims, who ended the match with 52 assists, a career high.
She also had 18 digs, bested only by McKenna Hafner's 34.
Beside Koch's kill to open set four, Arizona Christian led for nearly the entire match, never by more than three points.
Master's finally pulled ahead at 23-22 on a Fay kill. The score was then tied twice, before Fay's kill and Sims' ace lifted the Mustangs to their fourth conference win.
The Mustangs now travel to San Diego Christian for a match tonight. Again on the road. Again with heavy playoff implications.
