Sandy Stangs open season with win over No. 10 ACU

Sixth-ranked TMU Beach Volleyball is used to playing in blustery conditions. Fortunately for the Mustangs, they didn't have to deal with any in their season opener on Friday.
 
Master's opened up its 2022 season with a 3-2 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over No. 10 Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona.
 
"Today's match was a lot different than we are used to. No wind and hard-packed sand are the total opposite of what we have at TMU," Master's Head Coach Annett Davis said. "Our girls took advantage of the situation."
 
The Mustangs' number three pairing of Tara Long and Kaylie Phelps won their match in straight sets, 21-12 and 21-17, giving TMU the opening point of the match.
 
After the Firestorm then claimed victories at number one and two, Emilye Grace Williams and Annika Booker tied the overall match with a 25-23, 21-14 win at number four.
 
"Defensively Annika Booker and Kaylie Phelps played steady, digging up some great balls and consistently giving their teammates opportunities to score," Davis said.
 
Then in a winner-take-all match at number five, CJ Catabona and Zoe Kira rebounded from losing the first set 18-21 to win the second and third sets by scores of 21-16 and 15-10.
 
"Our fives sealed the match for us, as they settled down some nerves after losing the first set and began playing their game," Davis said. "Our littles duo of CJ and Zoe dug a ton of balls and put away some smart shots."
 
Master's (1-0 overall) is now set to take on Hope International and San Diego Christian, two teams receiving votes in the national rankings, at 9 a.m. PST (10 a.m. MST) and 11 a.m. PST (noon MST) respectively on Saturday.