The weekend could have been stressful. Instead, the Mustangs took a collective deep breath.
"We were much more loose and confident this weekend than when we went to Westmont," said junior Madi Fay. "The games were actually fun."
It looked that way.
The No. 25 Mustangs rallied to beat No. 21 Vanguard University, 3-2, in Costa Mesa on Saturday night behind double-digit kills from Fay and Regan Tate.
Katie Emmerling totaled 41 assists for Master's, which performed a similar if less dramatic turnaround Friday in a 3-1 win over San Diego Christian. The win over Vanguard(15-3 overall, 6-1 GSAC), which dropped the Lions to their first Golden State Athletic Conference loss and moved the Mustangs within one victory of first place, was a matter of grit. TMU (10-7, 5-2) won the opening set but dropped the next two.
After a 25-18 win in set four and a 15-8 win in set five, Tate is convinced the Mustangs are built to compete against anyone.
"I think it speaks to our resilience and the fact that we have the talent and all the components to succeed against any team we face," said Tate, who tallied a match-high 13 kills. "The amount of excitement and teamwork that every one of us displayed after the deficit showed that we can rally around each other and pick ourselves up out of anything."
An 8-7 hole in set five didn't prove to be an exception. The Mustangs scored the match's final seven points — the last of which coming on a Fay solo block — to move their winning streak to three matches.
Fay finished with 12 kills in TMU's second win over a ranked opponent in 2019. It was the Mustangs' third straight victory over Vanguard dating to last season, a mark that represents their longest winning streak against the Lions since 2013.
Vanguard, for its part, was coming off a five-set win Friday over No. 17 Westmont , a team that swept the Mustangs 3-0 earlier this month in Santa Barbara.
"Knowing they won last night really hyped us up and gave us the extra nudge to work that much harder tonight," said senior Jane Cisar, who finished with eight kills.
McKenna Hafner recorded a team-high 30 digs and Mackenzie Delo added 22 digs for the Mustangs, who are now 2-3 on the year in five-set matches.
Coach Allan Vince appreciated his team's resolve.
"They stayed together, they played every point together, and they experienced sweet victory together," Vince said.
