No. 12 TMU Men's Volleyball dropped its second-straight match for the first time this season, falling to No. 1 Vanguard University in straight sets (25-21, 25-17, 25-21) in Costa Mesa on Friday night.
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In the first set, Master's was unable to overcome a 10-3 start by the NAIA's top team. Kills by
Ben Herb and
Johnny Buchanan capped off a 4-0 TMU run that brought the Mustangs to within two at 11-9. However, that was as close as Master's would get the remainder of the set.
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TMU took early 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the second frame, but subsequent 5-0 and 4-0 Lion runs sent Vanguard on its way to taking a two-set-to-none lead.
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Master's started brightly again in the third set, with back-to-back
Braden Van Groningen kills sparking a 5-2 start to the stanza. The Mustangs led as late as 15-14 before with the set tied at 19 apiece, Vanguard scored the next four points to all but seal the match.
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Diego Perez led TMU with 10 kills, while Buchanan dished out 25 assists and
Wyatt Bates recorded a team-high 11 digs.
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Master's (8-5 overall, 1-2 GSAC) returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play on Saturday at 1 p.m. against (RV) Hope International University in Fullerton.
