TMU Men's Volleyball takes first set in loss to No. 12 OUAZ

The Master's University men's volleyball team stormed out of the gates to take the first set over 12th-ranked Ottawa University Arizona by seven points, but could not maintain its fast start in a four-set Golden State Athletic Conference loss to OUAZ (25-18, 23-25, 16-25, 14-25).
 
Friday night's loss marks the second time this season that the Mustangs won the first set against the nationally-ranked Spirit before OUAZ rallied to win the next three. In all four matchups in 2021, TMU has won at least one set, including two in a five-set thriller on March 13.
 
"Tonight's game was a bit of a rollercoaster for us," Master's head coach Jared Goldberg said. "We started out on such a high but we were unable to sustain it for an extended amount of time."
 
With the first set tied at 3-3, a Wyatt Bates kill sparked a 5-0 TMU run, with Master's leading by no fewer than four points the rest of the set. Back-to-back Brandon Botdorf kills put the Mustangs up by as many as eight at 22-14, before TMU claimed the first set off a Spirit attacking error.
 
The second set looked just as promising for Master's, who bult as much as a five-point lead at 17-12. With the match tied at 11-11, a couple Brett Norkus blocks fueled a run in which the Mustangs scored six of the next seven points.
 
However, an 8-2 run put OUAZ ahead 20-19, with the two teams swapping leads the rest of the set. Kills from Ryan Fooks and Ben Herb restored TMU's advantage, only for the Spirit to take it right back. A service error and an attacking error from the visitors put Master's back in the lead, 23-22, but Ottawa scored the final three points to snatch the second set and even up the match.
 
"Ottawa did a great job of being patient through our highs and lows," Goldberg said.
 
OUAZ and TMU battled back and forth through the first half of the third, until at 14-14, the visitors scored 11 of the next 13 points to win the set by nine.
 
The Spirit carried its momentum into the fourth and ultimately final set, running out to a 15-2 lead. Then trailing 7-22, Master's went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to single digits. But OUAZ (12-3 overall, 8-0 GSAC) scored three of the next four points to claim the set and remain unbeaten in conference play.
 
Herb led the Mustangs with a double-double of 10 kills and 11 digs, to go along with his team-leading three service aces. Botdorf and Fooks (two aces) contributed nine and six kills respectively.
 
Bates and Norkus tied for the team-lead with three blocks apiece, while Ezra Moore dished out 30 assists.
 
Master's (2-7, 2-5 GSAC) returns to The MacArthur Center for one final time in 2021 on Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Arizona Christian (1-6, 1-6 GSAC) to close out its regular season.