Mustangs fall to Buccaneers to begin Arizona trip

No. 11 TMU Men's Volleyball opened up its Arizona road trip with a four-set loss at the hands of Park University Gilbert (Ariz.) by set scores of 16-25, 25-11, 21-25, 22-25.
 
After dropping the first set, the Mustangs dominated the second stanza to win by a 14-point margin, as Master's appeared to gain significant momentum.
 
However, the Buccaneers responded by winning the final two sets to claim an upset victory.
 
TMU looked likely to also take the third set, leading 13-10, before Park scored eight of the next 10 points to take a three-point advantage. Will Avera's kill brought Master's to within one at 21-22, before the home side scored the final three points of the set to put the Mustangs on the brink.
 
A pair of Kevin Moore kills sparked a 4-0 TMU run in the fourth set that put Master's ahead 7-2, only for the Buccaneers to immediately tie it up with five-straight points. The Mustangs led as late as 19-18, but Park was able to close out the set and complete the victory.
 
Trent Norkus led TMU with 13 kills with Moore adding 10. Johnny Buchanan dished out 35 assists, while Avera led the team with five blocks.
 
Master's returns to Golden State Athletic Conference play on Friday and Saturday with matchups against No. 3 Ottawa University Arizona and Arizona Christian University.
 
The Mustangs are attempting to spoil the Spirit's hopes at claiming the GSAC regular season title, which they would earn at least a share of with a win over Master's.
 
First serve against OUAZ on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m., while TMU will take on ACU on Saturday at 1 p.m.