Mustangs storm back to beat No. 10 Georgetown (Ky.)

TMU Men's Volleyball entered the season without a win against a ranked NAIA opponent in program history.
 
The Mustangs now have two in their last two tries.
 
After dropping the opening two sets against tenth-ranked Georgetown College (Ky.) on Thursday night inside The MacArthur Center, Master's stormed back to take the final three sets and pick up a reverse sweep win for the first time ever (17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-14, 15-12).
 
"I knew they were going to be a good offensive team and the question was if we could slow them down or not and if we could get them out of service with our serve and pass game," Master's Head Coach Jared Goldberg said.
 
"In the first two sets, they were in system and we weren't making any plays or blocking at all. Things weren't turning our way. We were just trying to get our feet under us a little bit."
 
The third set appeared to be more of the same, with the Tigers scoring the first-four points of the game. Then the momentum completely shifted, with Johnny Buchanan's service game sparking the Mustangs.
 
The setter served during a 4-0 Master's run that gave the home side its first lead of the third set, 11-9. Then with TMU ahead 19-17, Buchanan tallied three service aces as part of a streak in which the Mustangs scored 14-straight points – six-consecutive to close the third and the first eight of the fourth set.
 
"Johnny Buchanan really broke the game open with his serve and broken open the start of the fourth set with his serve too," Goldberg said. "Within that, as he was putting some pressure on them with the serve and pass game, we started to get some blocks.
 
"Brett Norkus and a couple others guys made some big blocks. We got some touches that we weren't getting earlier in the match and it shifted the momentum a little bit."
 
The Tigers got no closer than six the rest of the fourth set, with a fifth set being needed to decide the match. After both teams began the final stanza with a service error, three-straight Norkus blocks helped Master's take control of the deciding set.
 
With TMU threatening to run away with the fifth, Georgetown fought back to within a couple points on four separate occasions, the latest being at 12-10 in favor of the home side.
 
After a Master's timeout, the Mustangs turned to whom had carried their offense all night long – Diego Perez. Kills from the NCAA Division I transfer scored TMU's final four points of the set, including the last three after that timeout, helping Master's clinch the victory.
 
"It was a pretty fun win and a nice turnaround," Goldberg said. "Diego Perez was absolutely phenomenal with 26 kills. A big night hitting .391. They couldn't really slow him down too much. That was pretty crucial in getting that reverse sweep."
 
Ben Herb also recorded double-digit kills with 11. Perez led the team with four service aces and seven digs, while Norkus' eight blocks and Buchanan's 43 assists were both match-highs.
 
Master's (4-2 overall), who is receiving votes in the national rankings, will next travel to Thousand Oaks on Friday for an away match at Cal Lutheran University before returning home on Saturday to take on No. 15 UC Merced.
 
TMU hopes that wins in its next two matches, along with the two wins it has against ranked teams already this season, will help the Mustangs jump into the top-15 of the next NAIA Coaches' Poll.
 
"This week is pretty important for our team, not just this game," Goldberg said. "If we can sweep this week, it would be huge for our team and our program."