The Master's University women's volleyball has proved more than once in 2019 that it can win an important match against a ranked opponent — whether at home or on the road.
In Saturday's 3-1 win at Life Pacific, the Mustangs showed an ability to sustain the momentum that comes with a monumental victory.
Jane Cisar recorded 15 kills and just two errors, Emilye Grace Williams added a career-high 12 kills and Katie Emmerling totaled 44 assists as the Mustangs won by scores of 25-21, 25-13, 19-25 and 25-21.
The win — coupled with Westmont's loss to Hope International on Friday — created a knot of four teams with three losses atop the Golden State Athletic Conference with seven matches remaining. It also came nearly a week after the Mustangs (14-8, 8-3 GSAC) beat No. 17 Westmont at TMU to move within a game of first place and even its season series with the Warriors at a match apiece.
History didn't bode well for the Mustangs.
Earlier in the year, Master's earned an equally significant win, this one on the road, against No. 21 Vanguard. The Mustangs followed the gritty five-set win with a fallout, losing to William Jessup at home for the first time in program history.
But the Mustangs displayed a new level of consistency Friday, doubling down on the Westmont win by hitting over .400 in the night's second and fourth sets and compiling seven aces.
McKenna Hafner and Mackenzie Delo each contributed 14 digs.
"We just want to stay dialed in at all times and play as a team," Emmerling said. "It doesn't matter who we last played or who we are going to play, we stay focused on the opponent in front of us and take care of business."
The combination of Emmerling and Cisar was particularly effective. Cisar believes the win will energize the Mustangs during the stretch run.
"For this team, I think wins just propel us forward to win again," she said. "This team needs confidence and when we get bigger wins it helps us reset our minds and focus on the next match instead of the last."
The Mustangs will travel for a rematch with Hope International on Saturday night in Fullerton.
The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
