Several things changed after The Master's University women's volleyball team raced out to a commanding two-sets-to-none lead on Saturday night inside The MacArthur Center.
The Mustangs' energy waned.
Life Pacific's best player found a rhythm.
And the Warriors began to believe.
It all added up to a sharp switch in momentum and a 3-2 win for Life Pacific by scores of 14-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-16 and 15-5.
"After the second set, we lost our fire and enthusiasm," said TMU head coach Annett Davis. "Life Pacific began to serve us tougher and we got into passing trouble. Big deficits are not impossible to overcome, but it makes our job much more difficult. It wasn't the position we wanted to be in."
Ruby Duncan led TMU with 15 kills, and Faith Tarver added 12. Life Pacific's Hannah Caddow had a team-high 13 kills, 10 of them coming in the night's final three sets.
Before Life Pacific largely ran away with sets four and five, the Mustangs had a chance to end the match in set three. The Mustangs scored six straight points to pull into a 20-20 tie, but the Warriors answered by scoring the next five points to extend the evening.
Life Pacific built an 18-4 lead in set four and a quick 6-1 advantage in set five, making life difficult on TMU, which fell to 7-16 overall and 3-10 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. The Warriors improved to 15-7 and 8-5.
On a positive note, Davis was pleased with the way TMU's middle blockers played. Duncan's 15 kills came with no errors and a .577 hitting percentage, and Emily Scott produced eight kills against one error. Scott had six blocks and Duncan had four.
"We've been working hard to get them what they need to score," Davis said. "Tonight they were up and ready, making smart choices."
TMU's Natalie Collins had a match-high 43 assists, and Anna Poole had 11 digs.
The Mustangs will stay at home next week, hosting Arizona Christian on Friday before OUAZ comes to town on Saturday.
