Mustangs overcome to win epic five-set match against ACU

No. 11 TMU Men's Volleyball had every reason to throw in the towel.
 
The Mustangs entered Saturday's road matchup with Arizona Christian University on a four-match losing streak. They were down to just seven healthy players after several Mustangs were ruled out because of suspected food poisoning. Then they lost the first set.
 
But Master's rallied to come back and win an epic five-set match (22-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-15, 20-18), ending the regular season on a high note.
 
"We had to figure out an entirely new rotational system and lineup on the fly," Master's Head Coach Jared Goldberg said. "It's easy in those situations to focus on what we were missing, but the team did a great job of just going out and competing."
 
After dropping the first set, the Mustangs responded with a late flurry in the second set to tie the match. With ACU holding a 16-15 lead, Master's scored 10 of the final 13 points, with Trent Norkus tallying three kills during that stretch.
 
The Firestorm controlled the third set, before the Mustangs once again responded to tie the overall match by winning the fourth set. TMU hit .455 as a team in the fourth, helped by only two attacking errors. ACU appeared to be on its way to a four-set victory, leading 11-9, only for Master's to score 16 of the next 20 points to force a deciding fifth stanza.
 
The Mustangs jumped all over the Firestorm to take a commanding 7-1 and then 8-2 lead in the fifth, but ACU battled back to tie the set at 13 apiece. A Norkus kill then gave Master's match point but a subsequent Mustang service error kept the Firestorm alive.
 
ACU also won the next point, putting the home team one point away from a victory. Kevin Moore's kill then saved the first of four match points to keep TMU in it.
 
Norkus' kill saved the final of those four match points that ACU held, tying the set at 18-18, before a Braden Van Groningen and Will Avera block set the stage for Van Groningen's kill to win the marathon match for the Mustangs.
 
Norkus (16 kills) and Moore (14 kills) both posted new career-highs, while Van Groningen (13 kills) and Will Avera (12 kills) also reached double-digits in the category.
 
Moore led all players with five service aces, also a career-high, while Avera paced the Mustangs with eight blocks and nine digs. Johnny Buchanan dished out a match-high 52 assists, which set a new program record.
 
Master's (12-10 overall, 4-6 GSAC) will now play in the GSAC Tournament in Costa Mesa on Friday, when the fourth-seeded Mustangs take on top-seeded Vanguard University, the second-ranked team in the NAIA.