Oaks storm back to defeat TMU Women's Volleyball

TMU Women's Volleyball came out swinging on Friday night to take the opening set against visiting Menlo, but the Oaks stormed back to win the final three sets and take the conference match by set scores of 16-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-22.
 
"The first set was very exciting for us," Master's Head Coach Annett Davis said. "We tried something new and the girls really clicked. We were consistent and played at a very high level."
 
The Mustangs recorded an attack % of .216 in the first set, while holding Menlo to a .028 clip, leading by as many as 10 points.
 
TMU hit an almost identical .214 in the second set, while once again limiting the Oaks to a mere .042. However, the visitors evened the match with a two-point victory in the second set.
 
Master's seemed to be firmly in control of the second stanza and likely to put Menlo on the brink, leading 16-11 and then 21-17, but the Oaks scored eight of the final 10 points to surprise the home side.
 
The visitors then took that momentum into the third set, improving their attack % by over .300 up to .350. They led by as many as 11 points before taking a two-set-to-none advantage.
 
In an attempt to force a fifth set, the Mustangs bounced back to hold a 13-11 lead in the fourth, but separate 3-0 and 6-0 runs allowed the Oaks to turn the tide and pull ahead, 20-14. Then trailing 23-17, TMU made it interesting late by getting to within two at 24-22, but an Oaks' kill clinched the match for the visitors.
 
Faith Tarver was once again a bright spot for Master's, registering a double-double. After posting a career-high 20 kills last Saturday, Tarver one-upped that total with 21 kills on Friday, in addition to her 10 digs.
 
Natalie Collins tallied 18 assists and nine digs. Ruby Duncan added eight kills, while Emily Clark recorded seven to go along with her team-high three service aces.
 
Jessi Swenning led the Mustangs with four total blocks, while Anna Poole tied Tarver for the team-lead in digs with 10.
 
"Our goal is to learn to play at a high level at will," Davis said. "The girls are working hard daily to develop this type of consistent play. It takes time to develop this."
 
Master's (6-11 overall, 2-5 GSAC) face a quick turnaround on Saturday with a match against William Jessup at 2 p.m.