TMU Women's Volleyball claims GSAC East Division title

With a three-set sweep (25-23, 25-21, 25-18) of Life Pacific on Wednesday night, combined with an OUAZ loss to Arizona Christian, TMU Women's Volleyball has clinched the Golden State Athletic Conference East Division title and an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships.

"I am so proud of this team for starting to play these last few weeks like the winning team we always knew we could be," Master's head coach Annett Davis said. "The girls have started to believe in themselves and that's making a difference in how they play."
 
A straight-set sweep did not look likely in the early going, as Life Pacific held sizable leads at 17-10 and then 19-13 in the first set. TMU got to within four at 19-23, before scoring six-straight points to claim the first set by two.
 
That 6-0 run to end the first included kills from Madi Maitland, Emily Scott and Emilye Grace Williams, who all tied for the team-lead with 10 kills apiece.
 
That late first-set momentum carried into the second, with Master's taking a 7-2 advantage sparked by Maitland and Scott combining for two blocks. The Mustangs maintained their lead throughout the set, although the Warriors reduced their deficit to one at 20-19 in favor of TMU.  However, Master's scored five of the final seven points of the set, capped off by a Maitland kill, to take a two-set-to-none advantage.
 
Life Pacific came out swinging in the third set to take an early 4-1 lead. With the set then tied at 8-8, the Mustangs went on a 5-0 run to take firm control of the set. TMU led by as many as eight points the rest of the third, ultimately winning by seven to complete the sweep.

"Although tonight was Life Pacific's senior night, our seniors played like it was theirs," Davis said. "They played every point as if it were their last and gave their all in order to win."
 
The win, the Mustangs' sixth in a row and fifth sweep in that span, ensured Master's at least a share of the GSAC East Division crown. But when Arizona Christian defeated Ottawa University Arizona in four sets later Wednesday night, that left TMU standing alone atop the division standings.

"Our goal was to win outright and leave nothing to chance when it came to winning the GSAC East title," Davis said. "This meant that we couldn't worry about what was happening in Arizona. Our goal was to win two matches this week, period."
 
In addition to her Mustang-leading 10 kills, Maitland also added a team-high four blocks, while Jessi Swenning pitched in three.
 
Katie Emmerling (12 digs) led the Mustangs with 35 assists and two service aces, while Karli Stults and Faith Tarver tallied 15 and 14 digs respectively.
 
On April 12, Master's (10-2 overall, 8-2 GSAC) will find out its NAIA Opening Round opponent. Winners of each Opening Round match, which are slated for April 17, will then advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, where the final 24 teams remaining will vie for a national championship.

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