TMU Women's Volleyball gears up for Opening Round with match vs. Biola

In its first match in over two weeks, Master's women's volleyball head coach Annett Davis said that her team did not play up to its capabilities in a four-set road loss (18-25, 24-26, 26-24, 17-25) to NCAA Division II Biola University on Friday night.
 
Still, it was a worthwhile experience to get TMU ready for the NAIA Opening Round next weekend.
 
"We learned a lot that can help us play well at nationals if we put into practice those specific things," Davis said. "There were times the girls played to their abilities, which was when we came back and won the third set."
 
In the first set, the two teams could not separate themselves until at 10-10, a 4-0 run put Biola ahead. Kills by Madi Maitland and Jessi Swenning would bring the Mustangs to within three, but that was as close as TMU would get before the Eagles took the opening set.
 
Biola's advantage increased to two-sets-to-none, but not without the visitors putting up a fight. The home side looked to be running away with the second, scoring the first six points of the set before increasing its lead to 13-4.
 
Then with the Eagles ahead 23-16, the Mustangs rallied off seven-straight points to even-up the set at 23 apiece. An Emilye Grace Williams kill and service ace helped to spark the rally, which was punctuated by three consecutive blocks from Emily Scott, who combined for two of those with Ruby Duncan and the other with Faith Tarver.
 
Biola took the next point to put TMU on the brink. Master's saved that set point, but the Eagles responded with two-straight points to take the second set by a 26-24 margin.
 
In the third set, Master's won by that same scoreline after battling back from an 8-11 deficit. With TMU ahead 20-17, the Eagles scored the next four points to re-take their lead, only for three Williams kills to help give the Mustangs a double-set point, up 24-22.
 
Biola saved both of those to tie the set at 24-24, but an Eagles' attacking error and a Williams service ace won the third for Master's.
 
The home team immediately took the momentum back to start the fourth, taking a quick 5-0 lead. TMU got no closer than three points the rest of the set, as the Eagles led the fourth from start to finish to clinch the match.
 
Williams and Swenning tied for the team-lead with nine kills each, while Williams' three service aces were the most by a Mustang. Scott's six total blocks led Master's defensively, with Cora Machado adding four of her own.
 
Karli Stults set a career-high with 23 digs, while Faith Tarver (12) and Katie Emmerling (10) joined her in double figures. Emmerling recorded 30 assists to orchestrate TMU's offense.
 
The Mustangs will find out on Monday who and where it will be playing in the NAIA Opening Round on April 17.
 
"My hope is that this will give them the fire in their guts to play to win their next match," Davis said.

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